^27 (A)For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the ^(B)coming of the ^(C)Son of Man be. ^28 (D)Wherever the corpse is, there the ^[a]vultures will gather.

The Glorious Return

²⁹ “But immediately after the ^(E)tribulation of those days ^(F)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and ^(G)the stars will fall from ^[b]the sky, and the powers of ^[c]the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ And then ^(H)the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ^(I)the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. ³¹ And ^(J)He will send forth His angels with ^(K)a great trumpet and they will gather together His ^[d](L)elect from ^(M)the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

¹¹ They also said, “^(A)Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into ^[a]the sky? This Jesus, who ^(B)has been taken up from you into heaven, will ^(C)come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

¹⁵ For this we say to you ^(A)by the word of the Lord, that ^(B)we who are alive ^[a]and remain until ^(C)the coming of the Lord, will not precede ^(D)those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord ^(E)Himself ^(F)will descend from heaven with a ^[b](G)shout, with the voice of ^(H)the archangel and with the ^(I)trumpet of God, and ^(J)the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then ^(K)we who are alive ^[c]and remain will be ^(L)caught up together with them ^(M)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always ^(N)be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

^7 (A)Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and ^(B)every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will ^(C)mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

The Seventh Trumpet—Christ’s Reign Foreseen

¹⁵ Then the ^(A)seventh angel sounded; and there were ^(B)loud voices in heaven, saying,

“^(C)The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ^(D)His ^[a]Christ; and ^(E)He will reign forever and ever.”