Who is judged at the Great White Throne?

After the thousand years of the Millennium, Satan is loosed, gathers the nations for one last battle, and is defeated and cast into the lake of fire. Following this, the scene shifts to a great white throne. John describes it this way: "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them." This is the setting for the judgment of the wicked dead, the second resurrection.

The ones judged here are described plainly: "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. 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." This means every person who died outside of Christ throughout history, both great and small in the world's eyes, is raised at this point to stand before God.

Jesus, who holds the keys of hell and death because of His resurrection, is the one who opens death and hell to bring these dead ones forth for this judgment. Their standing is decided according to what is written of their works and whether their name is found in the book of life. "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." So the Great White Throne is specifically for those who were not part of the first resurrection of the righteous, and it results either in continuing exclusion from life or, for any found written in the book of life, a different outcome than the lake of fire.