Maybe he's prodding them so some of them come forward to cooperate and beg for mercy.

That,s like us. We can go to God for an early court date, pleading guilty. For this case, He offers a pardon through Christ. The others ignore their guilt and after death plead innocent. They will be found guilty, but then it's too late for a pardon. The pardon is only offered to us while we are in the flesh. This is why sinning angels cannot be forgiven, and are locked into being demons destined for the lake of fire.