Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Revelation 20:12
And I saw the dead, small and great - All the dead - for this language would express that - the whole race being composed of the “small and great.” Thus, in other language, the same idea might be expressed by saying, the young and old; the rich and poor; the bond and free; the sick and well; the happy and the unhappy; the righteous and the wicked; for all the human family might, in these respects, be considered as thus divided. The fair meaning in this place therefore is, that all the dead... read more
The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 20:12
And I saw (see on Revelation 20:11 ) the dead, small and great, stand before God; the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. All the dead, good and bad, as in Matthew 25:31-33 . This is the general resurrection; what St. John might have called the second resurrection, with regard to the godly, who have once before risen to a life with Christ (see on verse 5). Now, those who would not voluntarily share in the first resurrection are compelled to share in the second.... read more