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Revelation 20 · a question people ask

"they opened books" (20:12). What are the books?

In the text

Here is what the verse says. "I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works." (20:12). The verse speaks of "books" (20:12), and then of "Another book" (20:12), "which is the book of life" (20:12). It says the dead were judged "out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works" (20:12). Beyond these words, the chapter doesn't say what the books are, and these notes don't either.

The verses

“I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
Revelation 20:12 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Revelation 20

Revelation 20: A great white throne

John says, "I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the sky fled away. There was found no place for them." (20:11), and "The sea gave up the dead who were in it." (20:13).

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Last reviewed October 12, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions