⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under ^(A)the altar ^(B)the souls of those who had been slain ^(C)for the word of God and for ^(D)the witness they had borne. ¹⁰ They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, ^(E)holy and true, ^(F)how long ^(G)before you will judge and ^(H)avenge our blood on ^(I)those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹ Then they were each given ^(J)a white robe and ^(K)told to rest a little longer, ^(L)until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers^{[a] (M)}should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Our Heavenly Dwelling

5 For we know that if ^(A)the tent that is ^(B)our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, ^(C)a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ² For in this tent ^(D)we groan, longing to ^(E)put on our heavenly dwelling, ³ if indeed by putting it on^[a] we may not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal ^(F)may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, ^(G)who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

⁶ So we are always of good courage. We know that ^(H)while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, ⁷ for ^(I)we walk by faith, not ^(J)by sight. ⁸ Yes, we are of good courage, and we ^(K)would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to ^(L)please him.

¹⁶ For ^(A)the Lord himself will descend ^(B)from heaven ^(C)with a cry of command, with the voice of ^(D)an archangel, and ^(E)with the sound of the trumpet of God. And ^(F)the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be ^(G)caught up together with them ^(H)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so ^(I)we will always be with the Lord.

²⁰ But ^(A)our citizenship is in heaven, and ^(B)from it we ^(C)await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform ^(D)our lowly body ^(E)to be like his glorious body, ^(F)by the power that enables him even ^(G)to subject all things to himself.

⁵¹ Behold! I tell you a mystery. ^(A)We shall not all sleep, ^(B)but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For ^(C)the trumpet will sound, and ^(D)the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and ^(E)this mortal body must put on immortality.