Few passages in the Bible have raised more theological and philosophical questions than the Great White Throne judgment in the Book of Revelation chapter 20, verses 11 through 15.
The scene is dramatic. The dead stand before God. Books are opened. Every person is judged according to their works. Death and Hades give up the dead. And those not found in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire.
For centuries, Christians have wrestled with what this means. Is the passage literal or symbolic? Does it describe a future event or something already fulfilled? Why resurrect the wicked if their condemnation is already certain?
And how could the deeds of billions of human beings possibly be judged? These questions have shaped some of the deepest debates in Christian theology.