Understanding Revelation 20:5: The Rest of the Dead and the First Resurrection
Revelation 20:5 says:
“The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.”
This verse, like much of Revelation, can seem puzzling at first glance. Who are “the rest of the dead”? What does “the first resurrection” mean? And how do these things fit into the bigger story of the Bible?
Let’s explore this verse carefully, keeping our focus on how it points to Christ’s victory and the spiritual realities believers share in Him.
What’s Happening in Context?
To understand verse 5, we need to keep it connected to verse 4. In verse 4, we saw believers—those faithful to Christ—”coming to life” and reigning with Him during the thousand years (a symbolic period representing the Church age).
Now in verse 5, the focus shifts to a different group: “the rest of the dead.” This contrast between groups (faithful believers and others) helps us see that verse 5 is expanding the vision, showing what happens to those outside of Christ’s reign.
Who Are “The Rest of the Dead”?
“The rest of the dead” refers to those who have died apart from Christ—unbelievers who do not share in the blessings of the first resurrection. These individuals do not “come to life” (experience resurrection) until after the thousand years, when the final judgment occurs.
This aligns with the Bible’s consistent teaching that the resurrection of the wicked happens at the same time as the final resurrection of believers, right before the last judgment (John 5:28-29).
What Is the First Resurrection?
The phrase “first resurrection” is key to understanding this verse. It’s natural to wonder: is this describing a literal, physical resurrection? Or is it pointing to something else?
A Spiritual Resurrection
The “first resurrection” refers to the spiritual life believers receive in Christ. This is what happens when someone is born again—when God raises a person from spiritual death to new life in Christ.
- Ephesians 2:5-6 describes this vividly: “Even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ… and raised us up with Him.”
- Jesus speaks of this spiritual resurrection in John 5:24-25: “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life… he has passed from death to life.”
When a person comes to faith, they are spiritually resurrected—they experience the “first resurrection.”
Why Call It the First Resurrection?
It’s called the “first” because it happens before the physical resurrection at the end of the age. Believers experience this resurrection in the present, during the thousand years (the Church age), as they live and reign with Christ spiritually.
“The Rest Did Not Come to Life Until…”
What does it mean that “the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended”?
This refers to the final resurrection, which will include both the righteous and the wicked. For unbelievers, this is not a resurrection to life in the joyful presence of God but a resurrection to judgment.
- Jesus describes this in John 5:29: “Those who have done evil [will rise] to the resurrection of judgment.”
- At the end of the thousand years, unbelievers are raised to face the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).
Why Is This Encouraging?
At first glance, this verse might seem bleak. It speaks of judgment and the division between believers and unbelievers.
But when we understand it in light of Christ, it becomes a source of deep encouragement for those who belong to Him.
- Believers share in the first resurrection. If you are in Christ, you are already spiritually alive and reigning with Him. Your eternal life has begun, and nothing can take that away.
- The final resurrection and judgment show God’s justice. The delay in judgment isn’t a sign of neglect but of patience. God gives time for repentance (2 Peter 3:9), but He will ultimately set all things right.
How Does This Point to Christ?
Like every part of Revelation, verse 5 points us to Jesus:
- He is the Resurrection and the Life. Christ is the reason believers experience the first resurrection. He raises us spiritually now and will raise us physically at the end.
- He is the King who reigns. The thousand years symbolize Christ’s ongoing reign over His Church, and we are invited to live in His victory even as we wait for His return.
This verse reminds us that the story isn’t over. There’s a glorious future for those who are in Christ—a future that begins now, in our spiritual resurrection, and will be completed in the physical resurrection to come.
Putting It All Together
Revelation 20:5 teaches us about two resurrections:
- The first resurrection, a spiritual reality for believers in Christ, marking our new life in Him.
- The final resurrection, when all people—believers and unbelievers—will be raised for judgment or eternal life.
By understanding this passage in light of the Bible’s broader teaching, we see the profound hope it offers. If you are in Christ, you are already spiritually alive, already reigning with Him, and your future is secure.
So, as we read this verse, let’s hear its call: live as those who have been raised with Christ. Rejoice in His victory now, and look forward to the day when all things will be made new. What a Savior we have in Him!
Now, convincing someone that it’s biblical and correct to interpret Revelation 20:5 spiritually or figuratively rather than literally and physically requires showing how this approach arises naturally from the text, aligns with the broader teaching of Scripture, and preserves the main thrust of Revelation.
Let’s walk through this systematically.
The Nature of Revelation’s Genre
Revelation is a book of apocalyptic literature, which uses symbols, visions, and imagery to convey spiritual truths. This isn’t a matter of convenience—it’s the very nature of the text.
Symbolic Language Is Expected
Revelation 1:1 describes the book as a “revelation of Jesus Christ” that was made known to John through symbols (the Greek word sēmainō implies symbolic communication).
For example, Jesus is called the “Lamb” (5:6) and the Church is called a “bride” (19:7). These are not literal descriptions but profound images pointing to spiritual realities.
The Thousand Years Are Symbolic
In Revelation 20, numbers like “1,000 years” are best understood symbolically, representing completeness or fullness, just as the “144,000” in chapter 7 symbolizes the full number of God’s people. If the timeframe is symbolic, it follows that the events described within it—like the first resurrection—are likely symbolic as well.
The First Resurrection as Spiritual Life
A spiritual interpretation of the “first resurrection” fits the teaching of Scripture about what happens to believers. Let’s break this down:
Resurrection as a Spiritual Reality in Scripture
The Bible often uses resurrection language to describe spiritual transformation:
- John 5:24-25: Jesus says, “Whoever hears my word and believes… has passed from death to life.” He then speaks of a time when “the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” This is clearly a present spiritual resurrection, not a future physical one.
- Ephesians 2:5-6: Paul says that God “made us alive together with Christ” and “raised us up with him.” This isn’t describing a future event but the current spiritual reality of believers.
The First Resurrection Is Contrasted with the Second Death
Revelation 20:6 explains that those who experience the first resurrection are blessed because “the second death has no power over them.” This spiritual victory mirrors the language of spiritual life throughout the New Testament.
If the “first resurrection” is spiritual (our new life in Christ), then the “second death” is also spiritual (eternal separation from God). Interpreting one literally and the other figuratively would be inconsistent.
Consistency with the Broader Teaching on Resurrection
There Are Not Two Physical Resurrections
Revelation 20:5, if taken literally, implies two distinct physical resurrections: one for believers before the thousand years, and another for unbelievers afterward. But this does not align with the clear teaching of Jesus and Paul:
- John 5:28-29: Jesus says that all people will be raised in a single event: “those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”
- Acts 24:15: Paul teaches that “there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust,” again indicating a single resurrection event.
To introduce two separate physical resurrections here would contradict this unified biblical teaching. A spiritual understanding of the “first resurrection” resolves this tension by recognizing it as distinct from the final, physical resurrection of all people.
The Thousand Years Symbolize the Present Age
If the thousand years symbolize the Church age (from Christ’s resurrection to His return), then the events described during this period—like the reign of believers and the first resurrection—are best understood spiritually, describing the Church’s current experience in Christ.
The Rest of the Dead and the Timing of Resurrection
Revelation 20:5 says, “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.” If this were a physical resurrection, it would contradict passages like 2 Peter 3:10 that describe the final resurrection and judgment as occurring simultaneously with the end of history.
Instead, interpreting the “rest of the dead” as unbelievers and their “coming to life” as their final physical resurrection for judgment aligns perfectly with John 5:28-29 and Revelation 20:12-15.
Why a Spiritual Interpretation Offers Greater Clarity
A literalistic interpretation often introduces more complications than it resolves:
- If the first resurrection is physical, why are only some of the dead raised and not all?
- If believers reign physically during a literal thousand-year period, what happens to the unbelievers alive at that time?
- How does this literal reign fit with Jesus’ clear statement that His kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36)?
The spiritual interpretation avoids these problems by understanding the first resurrection as the believer’s spiritual rebirth, the thousand years as Christ’s present reign, and the final resurrection as the culmination of history.
What This Means for the Church
A spiritual interpretation doesn’t diminish the significance of Revelation 20—it enhances it. Instead of relegating the first resurrection to a far-off future event, it applies to believers now.
- Believers reign with Christ now. We are alive in Him, victorious over sin and death (Romans 6:11).
- The Church has hope now. Revelation 20 isn’t just about the future—it’s a present encouragement that Christ’s kingdom is advancing and that the powers of darkness cannot prevail.
Scripture Interprets Scripture
Finally, we interpret Revelation 20:5 in light of the rest of Scripture. A figurative understanding fits harmoniously with the Bible’s teaching on:
- The nature of Christ’s reign (spiritual and present, not earthly and political).
- The experience of resurrection (already begun spiritually, completed physically at the end).
- The timeline of history (a single resurrection of the just and unjust at Christ’s return).
By interpreting this passage spiritually, we uphold the consistency of Scripture and highlight its ultimate purpose: to point us to Christ and His present and future victory.
Conclusion
A spiritual or figurative interpretation of Revelation 20:5 isn’t a way to “water down” the text—it’s a way to honor its genre, context, and theological depth. This approach doesn’t dismiss the literal reality of resurrection and judgment; it simply places those events in their proper biblical framework.
The first resurrection is the glorious spiritual reality of new life in Christ, which believers experience now. And the final resurrection will come when Christ returns, ushering in the new heavens and new earth. This interpretation not only aligns with Scripture but also magnifies the hope we have in our reigning Savior, Jesus Christ.
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