The Wise and Foolish Builders^(A)

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice^(B) is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

¹⁶ And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. ¹⁷ He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

¹⁸ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. ¹⁹ And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool!^(A) This very night your life will be demanded from you.^(B) Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’^(C)

²¹ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”^(D)

The Judgment of the Dead

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne^(A) and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence,^(B) and there was no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small,^(C) standing before the throne, and books were opened.^(D) Another book was opened, which is the book of life.^(E) The dead were judged^(F) according to what they had done^(G) as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades^(H) gave up the dead^(I) that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.^{(J) 14} Then death^(K) and Hades^(L) were thrown into the lake of fire.^(M) The lake of fire is the second death.^{(N) 15} Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life^(O) was thrown into the lake of fire.