The Coming of the Lord

¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, ^(A)that you may not grieve as others do ^(B)who have no hope. ¹⁴ For ^(C)since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him ^(D)those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you ^(E)by a word from the Lord,^[a] that ^(F)we who are alive, who are left until ^(G)the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For ^(H)the Lord himself will descend ^(I)from heaven ^(J)with a cry of command, with the voice of ^(K)an archangel, and ^(L)with the sound of the trumpet of God. And ^(M)the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be ^(N)caught up together with them ^(O)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so ^(P)we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.

^4 (A)On that day his feet shall stand ^(B)on ^(C)the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and ^(D)the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by ^(E)a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. ⁵ And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from ^(F)the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.^[a]

^6 (G)On that day ^(H)there shall be ^(I)no light, cold, or frost.^{[b] 7 (J)}And there shall be a unique^[c] day, ^(K)which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but ^(L)at evening time there shall be light.

^8 (M)On that day ^(N)living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to ^(O)the eastern sea^[d] and half of them to ^(P)the western sea.^{[e] (Q)}It shall continue in summer as in winter.

⁹ And ^(R)the Lord will be king over all the earth. ^(S)On that day the Lord will be ^(T)one and ^(U)his name one.

^10 (V)The whole land shall be turned into a plain from ^(W)Geba to ^(X)Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But ^(Y)Jerusalem shall remain aloft ^(Z)on its site from ^(AA)the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to ^(AB)the Corner Gate, and from ^(AC)the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. ¹¹ And it shall be inhabited, for ^(AD)there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction.^{[f] (AE)}Jerusalem shall dwell in security.

The Rider on a White Horse

¹¹ Then I saw ^(A)heaven opened, and behold, ^(B)a white horse! The one sitting on it is called ^(C)Faithful and True, and ^(D)in righteousness he judges and makes war. ^12 (E)His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are ^(F)many diadems, and he has ^(G)a name written that no one knows but himself. ¹³ He is clothed in ^(H)a robe dipped in^[a] blood, and the name by which he is called is ^(I)The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies of heaven, ^(J)arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, ^(K)were following him on white horses. ^15 (L)From his mouth comes a sharp sword ^(M)with which to strike down the nations, and ^(N)he will rule^[b] them with a rod of iron. ^(O)He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh ^(P)he has a name written, ^(Q)King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Thousand Years

20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, ^(A)holding in his hand the key to ^(B)the bottomless pit^[a] and a great chain. ² And he seized ^(C)the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and ^(D)bound him for a thousand years, ³ and threw him into ^(E)the pit, and shut it and ^(F)sealed it over him, so that ^(G)he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

⁴ Then I saw ^(H)thrones, and ^(I)seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw ^(J)the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those ^(K)who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. ^(L)They came to life and ^(M)reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. ^6 (N)Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such ^(O)the second death has no power, but they will be ^(P)priests of God and of Christ, and they ^(Q)will reign with him for a thousand years.

¹⁰ and ^(A)to wait for his Son ^(B)from heaven, ^(C)whom he raised from the dead, Jesus ^(D)who delivers us from ^(E)the wrath to come.

^10 (A)Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try ^(B)those who dwell on the earth.