---
title: Revelation 20:13
url: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/revelation-20-13/
markdown: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/revelation-20-13.md
type: verse
perspective: Protestant (historic Nicene) response to Jehovah's Witness teaching
reference: Revelation 20:13
testament: NT
section: Prophecy
index: https://jw-apologetics.app/llms.txt
---

# Revelation 20:13

## Text (Berean Standard Bible)

> The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

## NWT Wording of the Key Phrase

- NWT (2013 revision): "the sea gave up the dead in it, and death and the Grave gave up the dead in them"

## JW Usage

Watchtower commentary takes Revelation 20:13 as the resurrection of all the dead — those in the sea, in the graves, and in Hades — for the post-millennial judgment. "The Grave" rendering of Hadēs preserves the Watchtower's soul-sleep doctrine: the dead were unconscious in the grave awaiting this resurrection moment. Then they are individually judged for their deeds during life and during the thousand years.

## Protestant Usage

The verse is the universal resurrection scene. Whether the dead were in the sea, in graves, or in the unseen realm (Hades), all rise for judgment. The Reformed reading does not require soul-sleep: the OT and NT alike speak of conscious continuity after death (Luke 16:22-31, Luke 23:43, Philippians 1:23, Revelation 6:9-11). The "judged individually according to their deeds" is the public evidential phase — the Lamb's book of life (v15) is the basis of survival. As 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 says, a believer's work is tested by fire; some work is rewarded and some burned up, but the person "himself will be saved, even though only as through fire." Salvation is settled; the deeds are evaluated for reward, not for ground of inclusion.

## NWT Issue

The NWT renders Greek Hadēs as "the Grave" rather than transliterating "Hades" (ESV/NASB/NIV) or rendering "hell" (KJV). Consistent with the NWT's pattern at Rev 1:18 and 20:14, the choice supports the Watchtower's soul-sleep doctrine by collapsing Hades into the bodily burial site.

## Arguments Using This Verse

- [Judgment According to Works](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/judgment-according-to-works.md) — Matthew 25, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 20 — evidence or basis? [Salvation]
- [Hadēs Is Not the Grave](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/hades-the-grave-rendering.md) — Luke 16:23 / Revelation 1:18 — The NWT Collapses Two Greek Words Into One [NWT Translation]
- [One Death, One Judgment — No Second Chance in the Millennium](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/postmortem-salvation-rebuttal.md) — Hebrews 9:27 / Luke 16:26 / 2 Corinthians 6:2 — postmortem evangelism rebutted [Eschatology]