Revelation 20:5: But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Revelation 20:4 describes the exalted saints that will be resurrected to sit on thrones at the start of the millennium.¹ John differentiates these exalted saints from the rest of the dead that won't live again² until the thousand years [are] finished.³ Some scholars believe the rest of the dead are wicked people that will be resurrected to either the telestial kingdom or outer darkness⁴ during the second resurrection of the unjust.⁵ However, John clearly identifies the rest of the dead in Revelation 20:5 as terrestrial-worthy people that come forth in this⁶ ... the first resurrection.⁷ The rest of the dead referred to by John in this verse do not come forth in the second resurrection.⁸ Only telestial people and sons of perdition come forth in the second resurrection after the millennium and at the end of the earth.⁹

Revelation 20:5 confirms that the first resurrection will continue until the millennium ends after a thousand years,¹⁰ which includes the celestial resurrection for almost the entire millennium.¹¹ Only after the thousand years [are] finished, will the rest of the dead of the first resurrection come forth with terrestrial bodies.¹² John correctly places the terrestrial resurrection at the end of the millennium even though this contradicts the view of many people in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who believe the terrestrial resurrection will commence almost immediately after the millennium begins.¹³

Revelation 20:6: Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: 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.

Revelation 20:6 contains the fifth of seven beatitudes in the Book of Revelation.¹⁴ This fifth beatitude states that people of the first resurrection¹⁵ are both blessed¹⁶ and holy.¹⁷ They are blessed and holy as a matter of moral quality in their eternal existence¹⁸ because the second death hath no power over them.¹⁹ The second death means spiritual death,²⁰ which is complete banishment from the presence and influence of God.²¹ This form of punishment²² is inflicted on telestial-worthy people and sons of perdition that come forth in the second resurrection of the unjust.²³ Telestial-worthy people that die physically suffer a second spiritual death in the postmortal spirit world as a temporary condition until their resurrection.²⁴ Mortal sons of perdition that die physically will suffer a second spiritual death in the spirit world and also in the lake of fire as a permanent condition after they are resurrected.²⁵ They suffer a second permanent death when they are banished from the presence of God forever²⁶ in the lake of fire burning with brimstone.²⁷

John identifies the blessed and holy people of the first resurrection as priests.²⁸ This refers to their status as both kings and priests of God and of Christ.²⁹­­ This name and status applies only to those people resurrected to exaltation in the highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom.³⁰ Celestial saints in the two lowest degrees of glory will also be priests of Christ, but only in the sense that they are unexalted ministering angels.³¹ As angels in the celestial kingdom, these priests of Christ will minister to resurrected people of the terrestrial kingdom.³² Christ will also minister to resurrected people in the terrestrial kingdom and they will receive the fulness of his presence.³³ People resurrected to the terrestrial kingdom are also angels that will in like manner minister to people in the telestial kingdom. The Holy Ghost will also minister to resurrected people in the telestial kingdom, and they will receive of his fulness.³⁴

After John identifies the priests of God and of Christ, he completes his chiastic poem in Revelation 20:4-6,³⁵ saying that they shall reign with [Christ] a thousand years.³⁶ Once again, this refers only to people of the first resurrection that will be exalted kings and queens in the highest degree of celestial glory.³⁷ This does not refer to unexalted angels in the celestial glory, nor to angels resurrected to the terrestrial kingdom.³⁸ Only exalted kings and queens of the highest degree of celestial glory will reign on earth as priests with God and Christ during the millennium and throughout eternity.³⁹