The Vision of the First Resurrection

⁴ Then I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. They came back to life and ruled with the Messiah^[a] for a thousand years. ⁵ The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were over. This is the first resurrection. ⁶ How blessed and holy are those who participate in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them. They will be priests of God and the Messiah,^[b] and will rule with him for a thousand years.