Will others know our sins on Judgment Day?

Before answering this question, we must understand the difference between the two judgments in Scripture. They are the judgment seat of Christ and the great white throne judgment.

The judgment seat of Christ is exclusively reserved for believers. During this event, God will test each believer’s works of righteousness and reward the ones that survive (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-15). However, God will not judge believers for their sins because Jesus’ blood eradicated them on the cross—never to be remembered again. God said in Hebrews 8:12, “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

The great white throne judgment is exclusively reserved for unbelievers. During this dreadful event, God will judge sinners for their works on the earth and their rebellious unbelief. He will open various books containing a written record of their sinful words, actions, attitudes, motives, and thoughts and judge them accordingly before casting them into the lake of fire.

The Bible does not disclose whether all Christians will be present to witness each other’s “judgment” at the judgment seat of Christ. It simply says that every believer will appear before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account to God (see 2 Corinthians 5:10). However, passages like Matthew 6:1-6 seem to imply that God will reward believers openly for their godly deeds done “in secret,” which could indicate that He does this in full view of all Christians. But we cannot say for sure. Nonetheless, believers will not be privy to each other’s sins in eternity because they were washed away by Jesus' blood (see Romans 8:1-4, Acts 13:38-39, and Titus 3:4-7).

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of unbelievers. Passages like Revelation 20:11-15 seem to indicate that their judgment will be an all-inclusive event with every unbeliever present. If that is the case, each person would be privy to everyone else’s sins as God discloses and judges each one—but we cannot say for certain.

Regardless, even if sinners were acutely aware of one another’s sins during the great white throne judgment, their only focus and concern will be on themselves and the terrifying judgment to come. Hebrews 10:31 says, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

I hope this information helps shed some light on this insightful question.

Kris Jordan