Prophecy of the End Time

⁴ “But you, Daniel, ^(I)shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall ^(J)run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

⁵ Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that ^(K)riverbank. ⁶ And one said to the man clothed in ^(L)linen, who was above the waters of the river, ^(M)“How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?”

⁷ Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he ^(N)held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him ^(O)who lives forever, ^(P)that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; ^(Q)and when the power of ^(R)the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.

⁸ Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”

⁹ And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. ^10 (S)Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, ^(T)but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but ^(U)the wise shall understand.

¹¹ “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. ¹² Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.

¹³ “But you, go your way till the end; ^(V)for you shall rest, ^(W)and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”

The Risen Christ, Faith’s Reality^(A)

15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel ^(B)which I preached to you, which also you received and ^(C)in which you stand, ^2 (D)by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless ^(E)you believed in vain.

³ For ^(F)I delivered to you first of all that ^(G)which I also received: that Christ died for our sins ^(H)according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day ^(I)according to the Scriptures, ^5 (J)and that He was seen by ^[a]Cephas, then ^(K)by the twelve. ⁶ After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have ^[b]fallen asleep. ⁷ After that He was seen by James, then ^(L)by all the apostles. ^8 (M)Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

⁹ For I am ^(N)the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because ^(O)I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But ^(P)by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, ^(Q)yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. ¹¹ Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Risen Christ, Our Hope^(R)

¹² Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, ^(S)then Christ is not risen. ¹⁴ And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. ¹⁵ Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because ^(T)we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. ¹⁶ For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁷ And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; ^(U)you are still in your sins! ¹⁸ Then also those who have ^[c]fallen ^(V)asleep in Christ have perished. ^19 (W)If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

The Last Enemy Destroyed

²⁰ But now ^(X)Christ is risen from the dead, and has become ^(Y)the firstfruits of those who have ^[d]fallen asleep. ²¹ For ^(Z)since by man came death, ^(AA)by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall ^(AB)be made alive. ²³ But ^(AC)each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when He delivers ^(AD)the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign ^(AE)till He has put all enemies under His feet. ^26 (AF)The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For ^(AG)“He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. ^28 (AH)Now when all things are made subject to Him, then ^(AI)the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

Effects of Denying the Resurrection

²⁹ Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead? ³⁰ And ^(AJ)why do we stand in ^[e]jeopardy every hour? ³¹ I affirm, by ^(AK)the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, ^(AL)I die daily. ³² If, in the manner of men, ^(AM)I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, ^(AN)“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

³³ Do not be deceived: ^(AO)“Evil company corrupts good habits.” ^34 (AP)Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; ^(AQ)for some do not have the knowledge of God. ^(AR)I speak this to your shame.

A Glorious Body

³⁵ But someone will say, ^(AS)“How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” ³⁶ Foolish one, ^(AT)what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. ³⁷ And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind ^[f]of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

⁴⁰ There are also ^[g]celestial bodies and ^[h]terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. ⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.

^42 (AU)So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. ^43 (AV)It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ And so it is written, ^(AW)“The first man Adam became a living being.” ^(AX)The last Adam became ^(AY)a life-giving spirit.

⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. ^47 (AZ)The first man was of the earth, ^(BA)made^[i] of dust; the second Man is ^[j]the Lord ^(BB)from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the ^[k]man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; ^(BC)and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ And ^(BD)as we have borne the image of the man of dust, ^(BE)we^[l] shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

Our Final Victory

⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that ^(BF)flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a ^[m]mystery: ^(BG)We shall not all sleep, ^(BH)but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. ^(BI)For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and ^(BJ)this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ^(BK)“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and ^(BM)the strength of sin is the law. ^57 (BN)But thanks be to God, who gives us ^(BO)the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

^58 (BP)Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing ^(BQ)that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen ^[a]asleep, lest you sorrow ^(A)as others ^(B)who have no hope. ¹⁴ For ^(C)if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him ^(D)those who ^[b]sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵ For this we say to you ^(E)by the word of the Lord, that ^(F)we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are ^[c]asleep. ¹⁶ For ^(G)the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with ^(H)the trumpet of God. ^(I)And the dead in Christ will rise first. ^17 (J)Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them ^(K)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus ^(L)we shall always be with the Lord. ^18 (M)Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The Faith of the Patriarchs^(A)

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, ^(B)when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ^18 [a]of whom it was said, ^(C)“In Isaac your seed shall be called,” ¹⁹ concluding that God ^(D)was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

Heaven Exults over Babylon

19 After these things ^(A)I ^[a]heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! ^(B)Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to ^[b]the Lord our God! ² For ^(C)true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He ^(D)has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” ³ Again they said, “Alleluia! ^(E)Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” ⁴ And ^(F)the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, ^(G)“Amen! Alleluia!” ⁵ Then a voice came from the throne, saying, ^(H)“Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, ^(I)both^[c] small and great!”

^6 (J)And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For ^(K)the^[d] Lord God Omnipotent reigns! ⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for ^(L)the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” ⁸ And ^(M)to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, ^(N)for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

⁹ Then he said to me, “Write: ^(O)‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, ^(P)“These are the true sayings of God.” ¹⁰ And ^(Q)I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ^(R)“See that you do not do that! I am your ^(S)fellow servant, and of your brethren ^(T)who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the ^(U)testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Christ on a White Horse

^11 (V)Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, ^(W)a white horse. And He who sat on him was called ^(X)Faithful and True, and ^(Y)in righteousness He judges and makes war. ^12 (Z)His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. ^(AA)He ^[e]had a name written that no one knew except Himself. ^13 (AB)He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called ^(AC)The Word of God. ^14 (AD)And the armies in heaven, ^(AE)clothed in ^[f]fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. ¹⁵ Now ^(AF)out of His mouth goes a ^[g]sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And ^(AG)He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. ^(AH)He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶ And ^(AI)He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

^(AJ)KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

The Beast and His Armies Defeated

¹⁷ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ^(AK)“Come and gather together for the ^[h]supper of the great God, ^18 (AL)that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, ^[i]free and slave, both small and great.”

^19 (AM)And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. ^20 (AN)Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and ^(AO)those who worshiped his image. ^(AP)These two were cast alive into the lake of fire ^(AQ)burning with brimstone. ²¹ And the rest ^(AR)were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. ^(AS)And all the birds ^(AT)were filled with their flesh.

Satan Bound 1,000 Years

20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, ^(AU)having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. ² He laid hold of ^(AV)the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; ³ and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and ^(AW)set a seal on him, ^(AX)so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

The Saints Reign with Christ 1,000 Years

⁴ And I saw ^(AY)thrones, and they sat on them, and ^(AZ)judgment was committed to them. Then I saw ^(BA)the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, ^(BB)who had not worshiped the beast ^(BC)or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they ^(BD)lived and ^(BE)reigned with Christ for ^[j]a thousand years. ⁵ But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such ^(BF)the second death has no power, but they shall be ^(BG)priests of God and of Christ, ^(BH)and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Satanic Rebellion Crushed^(BI)

⁷ Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will go out ^(BJ)to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, ^(BK)Gog and Magog, ^(BL)to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. ^9 (BM)They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰ The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone ^(BN)where^[k] the beast and the false prophet are. And they ^(BO)will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The Great White Throne Judgment

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face ^(BP)the earth and the heaven fled away. ^(BQ)And there was found no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, ^(BR)small and great, standing before ^[l]God, ^(BS)and books were opened. And another ^(BT)book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged ^(BU)according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead who were in it, ^(BV)and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. ^(BW)And they were judged, each one according to his works. ¹⁴ Then ^(BX)Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. ^(BY)This is the second ^[m]death. ¹⁵ And anyone not found written in the Book of Life ^(BZ)was cast into the lake of fire.

All Things Made New

21 Now ^(CA)I saw a new heaven and a new earth, ^(CB)for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. ² Then I, ^[n]John, saw ^(CC)the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared ^(CD)as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, ^(CE)the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ^4 (CF)And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; ^(CG)there shall be no more death, ^(CH)nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

⁵ Then ^(CI)He who sat on the throne said, ^(CJ)“Behold, I make all things new.” And He said ^[o]to me, “Write, for ^(CK)these words are true and faithful.”

⁶ And He said to me, ^(CL)“It^[p] is done! ^(CM)I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. ^(CN)I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. ⁷ He who overcomes ^[q]shall inherit all things, and ^(CO)I will be his God and he shall be My son. ^8 (CP)But the cowardly, ^[r]unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in ^(CQ)the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem^(CR)

⁹ Then one of ^(CS)the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came ^[s]to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you ^(CT)the ^[t]bride, the Lamb’s wife.” ¹⁰ And he carried me away ^(CU)in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me ^(CV)the ^[u]great city, the ^[v]holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, ^11 (CW)having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. ¹² Also she had a great and high wall with ^(CX)twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: ^13 (CY)three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

¹⁴ Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and ^(CZ)on them were the ^[w]names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵ And he who talked with me ^(DA)had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. ¹⁶ The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand ^[x]furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. ¹⁷ Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. ¹⁸ The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. ^19 (DB)The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. ²¹ The twelve gates were twelve ^(DC)pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. ^(DD)And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

The Glory of the New Jerusalem

^22 (DE)But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ^23 (DF)The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine ^[y]in it, for the ^[z]glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. ^24 (DG)And the nations ^[aa]of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor ^[ab]into it. ^25 (DH)Its gates shall not be shut at all by day ^(DI)(there shall be no night there). ^26 (DJ)And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into ^[ac]it. ²⁷ But ^(DK)there shall by no means enter it anything ^[ad]that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s ^(DL)Book of Life.

The River of Life

22 And he showed me ^(DM)a ^[ae]pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ^2 (DN)In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was ^(DO)the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were ^(DP)for the healing of the nations. ³ And ^(DQ)there shall be no more curse, ^(DR)but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His ^(DS)servants shall serve Him. ^4 (DT)They shall see His face, and ^(DU)His name shall be on their foreheads. ^5 (DV)There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor ^(DW)light of the sun, for ^(DX)the Lord God gives them light. ^(DY)And they shall reign forever and ever.

The Time Is Near

⁶ Then he said to me, ^(DZ)“These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the ^[af]holy prophets ^(EA)sent His angel to show His servants the things which must ^(EB)shortly take place.

^7 (EC)“Behold, I am coming quickly! ^(ED)Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

⁸ Now I, John, ^[ag]saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, ^(EE)I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

⁹ Then he said to me, ^(EF)“See that you do not do that. ^[ah]For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” ^10 (EG)And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, ^(EH)for the time is at hand. ¹¹ He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him ^[ai]be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

Jesus Testifies to the Churches

¹² “And behold, I am coming quickly, and ^(EI)My reward is with Me, ^(EJ)to give to every one according to his work. ^13 (EK)I am the Alpha and the Omega, the ^[aj]Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

^14 (EL)Blessed are those who ^[ak]do His commandments, that they may have the right ^(EM)to the tree of life, ^(EN)and may enter through the gates into the city. ^15 [al]But ^(EO)outside are ^(EP)dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

^16 (EQ)“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. ^(ER)I am the Root and the Offspring of David, ^(ES)the Bright and Morning Star.”

¹⁷ And the Spirit and ^(ET)the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” ^(EU)And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

A Warning

^18 [am]For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: ^(EV)If anyone adds to these things, ^[an]God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, ^(EW)God^[ao] shall take away his part from the ^[ap]Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

I Am Coming Quickly

²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be ^[aq]with you all. Amen.