^5 (A)Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to ^(B)light the hidden things of darkness and ^(C)reveal the ^[a]counsels of the hearts. ^(D)Then each one’s praise will come from God.

²⁴ Then comes the end, when He delivers ^(A)the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign ^(B)till He has put all enemies under His feet. ^26 (C)The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For ^(D)“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 (E)Now when all things are made subject to Him, then ^(F)the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

A Glorious Body

³⁵ But someone will say, ^(A)“How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” ³⁶ Foolish one, ^(B)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 ^[a]of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

⁴⁰ There are also ^[b]celestial bodies and ^[c]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 (C)So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. ^43 (D)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, ^(E)“The first man Adam became a living being.” ^(F)The last Adam became ^(G)a life-giving spirit.

⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. ^47 (H)The first man was of the earth, ^(I)made^[d] of dust; the second Man is ^[e]the Lord ^(J)from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the ^[f]man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; ^(K)and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ And ^(L)as we have borne the image of the man of dust, ^(M)we^[g] shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

Our Final Victory

⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that ^(N)flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a ^[h]mystery: ^(O)We shall not all sleep, ^(P)but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. ^(Q)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 ^(R)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: ^(S)“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

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

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

^10 (A)For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, ^(B)that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

²⁰ For ^(A)our citizenship is in heaven, ^(B)from which we also ^(C)eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ^21 (D)who will transform our lowly body that it may be ^(E)conformed to His glorious body, ^(F)according to the working by which He is able even to ^(G)subdue all things to Himself.

⁵ because of the hope ^(A)which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,

^4 (A)When Christ who is ^(B)our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in ^(C)glory.

¹⁴ For ^(A)if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him ^(B)those who ^[a]sleep in Jesus.

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

The Day of the Lord

5 But concerning ^(A)the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. ² For you yourselves know perfectly that ^(B)the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. ³ For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then ^(C)sudden destruction comes upon them, ^(D)as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. ^4 (E)But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵ You are all ^(F)sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ^6 (G)Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but ^(H)let us watch and be ^[a]sober. ⁷ For ^(I)those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk ^(J)are drunk at night. ⁸ But let us who are of the day be sober, ^(K)putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For ^(L)God did not appoint us to wrath, ^(M)but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ^10 (N)who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

¹¹ Therefore ^[b]comfort each other and ^[c]edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Various Exhortations

¹² And we urge you, brethren, ^(O)to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and ^[d]admonish you, ¹³ and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. ^(P)Be at peace among yourselves.

¹⁴ Now we ^[e]exhort you, brethren, ^(Q)warn those who are ^[f]unruly, ^(R)comfort the fainthearted, ^(S)uphold the weak, ^(T)be patient with all. ^15 (U)See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always ^(V)pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

^16 (W)Rejoice always, ^17 (X)pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

^19 (Y)Do not quench the Spirit. ^20 (Z)Do not despise prophecies. ^21 (AA)Test all things; ^(AB)hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.

Blessing and Admonition

²³ Now may ^(AC)the God of peace Himself ^(AD)sanctify^[g] you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body ^(AE)be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is ^(AF)faithful, who also will ^(AG)do it.

²⁵ Brethren, pray for us.

²⁶ Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.

²⁷ I charge you by the Lord that this ^[h]epistle be read to all the ^[i]holy brethren.

²⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.