²⁷ Then he will send out the angels and gather the^[a] elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Interlude: An Appeal to the Exiles

⁶ Up, up! Flee from the land of the north, says the Lord, for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven, says the Lord.^(A)

³¹ And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.^(A)

⁴ Even if you are exiled to the ends of the world,^[a] from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you back.^(A)

The 144,000 of Israel Sealed

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on earth or sea or against any tree.^{(A) 2} I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage earth and sea, ³ saying, “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.”^(B)

The Man of Lawlessness

2 As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters,^(A)

²² The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham.^[a] The rich man also died and was buried.^(A)

²⁰ And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved, but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days.

⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin^[a] and all evildoers,^(A)

⁶ and out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen,^[a] with golden sashes across their chests. ⁷ Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever;^(A)