At first reading the last part of Revelation 20:13 comes across as mere repetition; after all, Revelation 20:12 had already told us that “the dead were judged…according to what they had done.” Revelation 20:13 repeats the same words: “They were judged…according to what they had done.” The fact of repetition serves to underscore that the element of accounting for one’s deeds is central to this passage. But it must not escape us that Revelation 20:13 contains a new element, namely, the fact that “each one of them” was judged according to their works. The Judge is totally impartial. Whether the defendant was rich or poor in his life, Jew or Greek, a covenant child or a pagan, or a believer or an unbeliever makes no difference in relation to the standard used; it is always “what they had done,” with no exceptions. That fact means that John’s readers—today still!—need to be aware that what we do day by day forms the material upon which the final judgment is based.
13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.