¹⁰ And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.

⁹ For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.

⁷ But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize,^[a] he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath?

²⁴ But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.

²⁵ He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

¹⁸ Christ suffered^[a] for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.^[b]

¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

¹⁸ I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.^[a]

¹⁴ And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.