Imagine standing on a starship, watching the earth and the planets recede from view, the stars moving against the background of eternal night. This suggests that all of humanity will be removed from earth, perhaps from the universe as we know it, to eternity itself, where there is no space and no time. That is where judgment will take place. The judge is Jesus, not God the Father. It is Jesus who sits upon the Great White Throne of majesty and gathers all the dead before Him.
Deeds reveal the condition of the heart.
Deeds reveal belief. All the deeds of mankind are preserved in God's great library. Books are a symbol of the eternal record of our lives. If John were receiving this vision today, the symbol would probably be videotape or computer disks rather than books. Only those whose names are in the book of life can do righteous deeds.