Revelation 20:6 promises that believers who share in the first resurrection are blessed and holy, that the second death cannot harm them, and that they will serve as priests of God and of Christ and reign with him for a thousand years. John, the author of Revelation, wrote this as part of a vision he received while exiled on the island of Patmos, and he addressed it to the seven churches of Asia Minor. It speaks to Christians facing persecution, reminding them that their faithfulness is not wasted.
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years.
Revelation 20:6 (WEB)
What Revelation 20:6 Means
The verse opens with “blessed and holy,” a pronouncement of favor on those who belong to the first resurrection. The phrase “first resurrection” refers to the rising of faithful believers to live with Christ, which John contrasts with the “rest of the dead” who do not share in it. The “second death” is the final judgment of separation from God, and the verse says it has no power over these people. That is the central comfort: they are not condemned by it.
The promise that they will be “priests of God and of Christ” draws on the Old Testament picture of Israel as a kingdom of priests, now extended to all who trust Jesus. Being a priest means having direct access to God and serving him. Reigning “with him” means sharing in Christ’s authority, not competing with it. The verse promises a real role and a real share in God’s rule, but it does not explain every detail of how that will look, and readers should be careful not to claim more than the text says.
The Context of Revelation 20:6
Revelation is written in apocalyptic style, full of visions, symbols and figures of speech, and it was meant to encourage believers in a time of pressure from the Roman world. The surrounding passage describes Satan being bound and then released, the nations gathering for battle, and God’s final victory over those who oppose him. Verse 4 mentions those who were beheaded for their witness to Jesus and who refused to worship the beast, and it is these faithful ones who are described in verse 6 as blessed.
Read in that setting, verse 6 is a word of hope placed right in the middle of a story of conflict and judgment. The believers who first heard it were tempted to fear or to compromise. The verse tells them that their loyalty to Christ leads to honor and life, and that the powers that threatened them do not have the final word. Interpreters differ on how literally to read the thousand years, but nearly all agree that the verse’s main message is the security and dignity of those who remain faithful.
Key Phrases in Revelation 20:6
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from God’s love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Paul’s assurance that nothing can separate believers from God’s love echoes the security John describes in Revelation 20:6. Both passages affirm that the faithful are protected from ultimate harm, and both rest that confidence on God rather than on human strength.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light…
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Peter echoes the Old Testament language of a royal priesthood and calls believers God’s own people. Reading it alongside Revelation 20:6 shows that the calling to serve God as priests is a widespread theme across the New Testament writings.
A Short Prayer From Revelation 20:6
Father, thank you that you have made a way for me to share in the life of Jesus. Keep me faithful when it costs me something, and remind me that my future is secure in you. Help me to serve you as a priest in the ordinary places of my day, bringing you honor in the things I say and do. Let your promise of blessing steady my heart. Amen.
