Revelation 20:12; And The Books Were Opened
Revelation 20:12 (KJV) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
No living mortals participate in this judgment, only “the dead.” These include those who joined forces with the Devil and perished in his final rebellion after the Millennium and the rest of the dead who had no part in the first resurrection before the Millennium (Revelation 20:5).
Revelation 20:5 (KJV) But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
These are the unrighteous dead from all ages, who resurrection is a part of the universal Jewish and Christian belief (Cf. Daniel 12:2) (Beckwith, Scott, Walvoord).
Daniel 12:2 (KJV) And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
It is groundless to new them as being the redeemed in v12 and the rebellion in v13-14.
Revelation 20:12 (KJV) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Revelation 20:13-14 (KJV) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Neither is it proper to view them as “the dead” of the whole human race. [Contra Lee, “Revelation” 4:803]
The raising and judgment of the martyrs came earlier (Revelation 20:4), so other groups of righteous persons could have risen earlier too.
Revelation 20:4 (KJV) And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
If one expands “the rest of the dead” in v5 to include all except the martyr, “the dead” here could include both righteous and unrighteous (Mounce), but the limitation of that earlier phrase to those who will experience the second death automatically excludes the possibility of these dead including any righteous persons among their number. This by implication is the second resurrection and includes only those who are not exempt from the second death (Johnson). The absence of any reference to the righteous at this Great White Throne judgment confirms this definition of “the dead.” The Book of Life comes into the discussion only to show that the names of these dead are not written there. [Chilton, Days of Vengeance, pp. 532-33]
[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 430-431]