In recent issues of this magazine we have discussed the destruction of the present wicked system of things and the thousand-year reign of Christ to follow. During that thousand-year period the survivors and the billions of resurrected mankind will have full opportunity to be relieved of the sin that Adam brought on the human race, causing imperfection and death.

What will be the conditions on earth at the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ? The human family will stand perfect before Jesus Christ. Those who were rebellious during the thousand years will have been destroyed. (Rev. 20:12, 15) The obedient ones, who formerly had “beastlike” personalities, will have made over their personalities and will be fully in harmony with the laws and conditions of that righteous system of things. (Eph. 4:23, 24)

The death inherited by mankind from sinful Adam will have been ‘brought to nothing.’ (1 Cor. 15:26) Thus, no longer will anyone die of Adamic death. It will have been done away with, as illustrated in another way in the book of Revelation. There death is shown as being hurled into the “lake of fire,” to its own “death,” its destruction.​—Rev. 20:14, 15; compare Revelation 21:1-4.

In the light of these facts we can understand the parenthetical statement in Revelation 20:5: “(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)” The ministrations of Christ and his 144,000 associate kings and priests, who shared in the “first resurrection,” have brought them, “the rest of the dead,” to real, actual fullness of perfect life at this point of time.