Revelation 20:12: 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.

All people who live on this earth will be subject to a final judgment, which consists of an evaluation of their works, accompanied by an accounting to God.¹ The final judgment comes as each person is resurrected.² Since the resurrection occurs in stages at different times for different groups,³ a series of final judgments will also occur in stages at different times.⁴ Revelation 20:12 describes the last stage of the final judgment after the earth dies and flees away in Revelation 20:11.⁵ The final judgment in Revelation 20:12 refers to the judgment of wicked people⁶ who become sons of perdition in mortality.⁷ They are the fourth and last group in the resurrection of the human family.⁸ All other celestial, terrestrial, and telestial-worthy people will already be resurrected and judged by the time this last group of the dead, small and great, stand before God to be judged at the end of the earth.⁹

Some people disagree with the foregoing conclusion and say that the final judgment in Revelation 20:12 is for all people, including those resurrected in earlier stages of the resurrection.¹⁰ That cannot be true, however. For example, the celestial resurrection began with Christ¹¹ at least 3,000 years before the final judgment described in Revelation 20:12.¹² Prophets like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others were given their final judgment when they were resurrected as exalted Gods¹³ at the time of Christ's resurrection.¹⁴ The eternal status for all people is fixed when they are resurrected.¹⁵ Therefore, the final judgment occurs at the time of resurrection and all celestial, terrestrial, and telestial people were judged at the time of their resurrections before the final judgment described in Revelation 20:12.¹⁶

Since resurrection and final judgment occur together in stages, some people have suggested that the final judgment in Revelation 20:12 is a formality or ceremonial setting¹⁷ where all prior final judgments in all stages of the resurrection are confirmed.¹⁸ This seems unlikely, and begs the question of how people previously resurrected to the telestial kingdom could participate in such a ceremony when they are not worthy to be in Christ's presence.¹⁹

The final judgment that accompanies the resurrection is preceded by a series of partial judgments.²⁰ For example, a partial judgment occurs at death when disembodied spirits of the dead are segregated in the postmortal spirit world to either paradise or prison.²¹ A significant judgment will also occur at the Second Coming.²² This partial judgment will identify which living people will be quickened (translated) and taken to heaven so they can descend with Christ at the Second Coming,²³ and which people will be destroyed from the face of the earth because they do not live terrestrial law as a minimum standard to survive the Second Coming.²⁴

The scriptures repeatedly say that everyone will stand before Jesus Christ to be judged.²⁵ Christ is the great judge of all people that have lived upon the earth.²⁶ He alone will sit on the great white throne during the final judgment to judge the resurrected sons of perdition in Revelation 20:12.²⁷ Christ will personally judge every condemned person²⁸ who does not qualify for the celestial kingdom.²⁹ Christ is their rightful judge because they accepted him as such in the premortal council in heaven where they agreed to God's plan of salvation and accepted Christ as their Savior, Redeemer and judge.³⁰

On the other hand, those that qualify for celestial glory will be judged by Christ through a hierarchy of priesthood holders.³¹ These priesthood holders include Christ's twelve apostles in Jerusalem,³² the twelve Nephite disciples,³³ and other saints.³⁴ This hierarchy exists to judge celestial-worthy people who are all baptized members of Christ's church and kingdom. As such, they have made covenants to sustain church leaders³⁵ who serve as judges in Israel³⁶ under the direction of the Holy One of Israel.³⁷ In other words, by the gospel covenants people have made, these celestial-worthy people agree to accept the righteous leaders in God's kingdom as their hierarchy of judges.

During the final judgment in Revelation 20:12, John saw that the books were opened,³⁸ including the book of life.³⁹ That same book of life will also be opened at the future gathering of righteous saints at Adam-ondi-Ahman when Adam judges his righteous posterity in a partial judgment before the Second Coming.⁴⁰ The book of life is a record kept in heaven.⁴¹ It contains the names of people that qualify for exaltation⁴² based on the covenants they have made and kept.⁴³ The book is also a list of those who qualify for exaltation through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.⁴⁴ The names in the book of life are accompanied by a full and complete record⁴⁵ of their righteous acts,⁴⁶ without reference to sins which the Lord remembers no more once they are forgiven.⁴⁷ Those that fail to repent will have their names blotted out of the book of life‒assuming their names were ever in the book to begin with.⁴⁸

The book of life will be opened during the final judgment to show that the resurrected sons of perdition once had their names written in the book, but were blotted out because of their wickedness in mortality.⁴⁹ The conspicuous absence of their names will confirm the justice of Christ's judgment of second death upon these resurrected sons of perdition.⁵⁰ Unembodied sons of perdition that were cast down to earth at the time of the creation will also stand before Christ as recorded in Revelation 20:13, but the judgment of second death began for them as a partial judgment when they rebelled and were cast down during the premortal grand council in heaven.⁵¹

Revelation 20:12 indicates that in addition to the book of life, other books will be opened to judge the resurrected sons of perdition out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.⁵² These other books are kept on earth.⁵³ They include sacred scriptures which provide the standard⁵⁴ to judge the resurrected sons of perdition.⁵⁵ The other books also record their wicked deeds and evil thoughts.⁵⁶ These evil deeds and thoughts will also be revealed at the final judgment as evidence that Christ's judgment is just.⁵⁷