“And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God” (20:4). In John’s time, as in many times and places, those who refused to worship the powers and idols of the world (symbolized by the beast and its image) were attacked and even killed. But John saw that in the final reckoning, these seeming “losers” would rise and reign with Christ, sharing in His authority and being “priests of God” (20:6). 

“Books were opened” (20:12). One day, God’s accounting will be the one that matters. Those who follow Jesus, often considered naïve, vulnerable, and foolish by the world, will be called “blessed and holy” by God (20:6).