Revelation 20:6 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Revelation 20:6

Comments

‘Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection’, when you go to the paradise of Christ. ‘On such the second death hath no power. But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.’ Their earthly life will come to an end, and then they will be translated into glory. So it’s a picture of the present gospel age, viewed in heaven where the departed believers are without their bodies, but are souls in the presence of Christ, and viewed on earth, where they’re priests and representatives of Christ, working for him. It is because they have experienced the first resurrection that they do not experience the second death. Is it true that a bodily resurrection guarantees deliverance from the second death? No, for the wicked will also be raised physically, but they will not escape. The cause of believers escaping from hell is not the fact that they have been raised from the dead bodily, but that they have been converted. Always, the redemption of the body is something that follows on from the new birth. This is expressed here by pronouncing blessing on those who enjoy stage one – the first resurrection or new birth – because the second stage will certainly follow. Those who reign with Christ for a thousand years are called priests of God and of Christ. This is a title that belongs to all Christians, and further confirms that all are in view here, not just literal martyrs. All believer take part in the first resurrection, are delivered from the second death, and are priests of God and of Christ and reign with him a thousand years.

Application

According to this saying, the believer is already immortal. Do we think of ourselves this way? It is hard to do so, given the spectre of death looming at the end of life. But this is heaven’s estimate of our condition and should, by faith, be ours also. Physical death is but the complete outworking of a law that began long ago at the fall. Though there is overlap in this life, it has been overtaken by a far more powerful law which, in stages, reverses the law of death. Our great calling is to live as those who are already raised from the dead and to overcome the intimidation of death, by faith in Jesus Christ who has gone before us and broken its power over us.

It is not the first death that we should be afraid of, but the second death. ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell’ (Matthew 10:28). The first death is reversible, the second death is irreversible.

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Revelation 20:6 Commentary and Bible Study