²³ for ^(A)all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ^24 (B)and are justified ^(C)by his grace as a gift, ^(D)through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

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.

¹⁵ For this we declare to you ^(A)by a word from the Lord,^[a] that ^(B)we who are alive, who are left until ^(C)the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For ^(D)the Lord himself will descend ^(E)from heaven ^(F)with a cry of command, with the voice of ^(G)an archangel, and ^(H)with the sound of the trumpet of God. And ^(I)the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be ^(J)caught up together with them ^(K)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so ^(L)we will always be with the Lord.

Judgment Before the Great White Throne

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence ^(A)earth and sky fled away, and ^(B)no place was found for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and ^(C)books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is ^(D)the book of life. And ^(E)the dead were judged by what was written in the books, ^(F)according to what they had done. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, ^(G)Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, ^(H)according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then ^(I)Death and Hades ^(J)were thrown into the lake of fire. This is ^(K)the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, ^(L)he was thrown into the lake of fire.

⁶ And he said to me, ^(A)“It is done! ^(B)I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. ^(C)To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. ^7 (D)The one who conquers will have this heritage, and ^(E)I will be his God and ^(F)he will be my son. ^8 (G)But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, ^(H)their portion will be in ^(I)the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is ^(J)the second death.”