The Ascension

⁹ And after He had said these things, ^(A)He was lifted up while they were watching, and a cloud took Him up, out of their sight. ¹⁰ And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, then behold, ^(B)two men in white clothing stood beside them, ¹¹ and they said, “^(C)Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who ^(D)has been taken up from you into heaven, will ^(E)come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

Those Who Died in Christ

¹³ But ^(A)we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who ^[a](B)are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed ^(C)the rest of mankind do, who have ^(D)no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, ^(E)so also God will bring with Him ^(F)those who have fallen asleep ^[b]through Jesus. ¹⁵ For we say this to you ^(G)by the word of the Lord, that ^(H)we who are alive ^[c]and remain until ^(I)the coming of the Lord will not precede ^(J)those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord ^(K)Himself ^(L)will descend from heaven with a ^[d](M)shout, with the voice of ^(N)the archangel and with the ^(O)trumpet of God, and ^(P)the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then ^(Q)we who are alive, who remain, will be ^(R)caught up together with them ^(S)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always ^(T)be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore, ^[e]comfort one another with these words.

Satan Bound

20 Then I saw ^(A)an angel coming down from heaven, holding the ^(B)key of the abyss and a great chain ^[a]in his hand. ² And he took hold of the ^(C)dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and ^(D)bound him for a thousand years; ³ and he threw him into the ^(E)abyss and shut it and ^(F)sealed it over him, so that he would ^(G)not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

⁴ Then I saw ^(H)thrones, and ^(I)they sat on them, and ^(J)judgment was given to them. And I saw ^(K)the souls of those who had been beheaded because of ^[b]their ^(L)testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not ^(M)worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the ^(N)mark on their foreheads and on their hands; and they ^(O)came to life and ^(P)reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. ^(Q)This is the first resurrection. ^6 (R)Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the ^(S)second death has no power, but they will be ^(T)priests of God and of Christ, and will ^(U)reign with Him for a thousand years.

Satan Freed and Doomed

⁷ When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be ^(V)released from his prison, ⁸ and will come out to ^(W)deceive the nations which are at the ^(X)four corners of the earth, ^(Y)Gog and Magog, to ^(Z)gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the ^(AA)sand of the ^[c]seashore. ⁹ And they ^(AB)came up on the ^[d]broad plain of the earth and surrounded the ^(AC)camp of the ^[e]saints and the ^(AD)beloved city, and ^(AE)fire came down from heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰ And ^(AF)the devil who ^(AG)deceived them was thrown into the ^(AH)lake of fire and ^[f]brimstone, where the ^(AI)beast and the ^(AJ)false prophet are also; and they will be ^(AK)tormented day and night forever and ever.

Judgment at the Throne of God

¹¹ Then I saw a great white ^(AL)throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose ^[g]presence ^(AM)earth and heaven fled, and ^(AN)no place was found for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, the ^(AO)great and the small, standing before the throne, and ^[h](AP)books were opened; and another ^[i]book was opened, which is ^(AQ)the book of life; and the dead ^(AR)were judged from the things which were written in the ^[j]books, ^(AS)according to their deeds. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and ^(AT)Death and Hades ^(AU)gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them ^(AV)according to their deeds. ¹⁴ Then ^(AW)Death and Hades were thrown into ^(AX)the lake of fire. This is the ^(AY)second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if ^[k]anyone’s name was not found written in ^(AZ)the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.