The Reward Of The Faithful

After that I saw a vast host, which no one could count, from every

nation and tribe and people and language, standing before the throne

and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their

hands. They cried aloud, "It is to our God who is seated on the throne

and to the Lamb that we owe our salvation!"



Then one of the elders turned to me and said: "Who are these dressed in

white robes, and from where have they come?" I said to him, "You know,

my lord." So he told me, "These are the people who have come through the

great persecution and have washed their robes and made them white in the

blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are now before the throne of God

and serve him day and night within his temple. He who is sitting on the

throne will shelter them; never again will they be hungry or thirsty;

never again will the sun or any scorching heat smite them, for the Lamb

that stands in the space before the throne will be their shepherd and

will guide them to fountains of living water; and God will wipe away all

tears from their eyes."



Then I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven with an eternal message of

good news for the inhabitants of the earth, for every nation, tribe,

language, and people. He cried aloud, "Revere God, praise him, for the

hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made heaven and earth,

the sea and the flowing springs."



And I saw a great white throne and One seated upon it from whose

presence earth and sky fled away, and were no more to be found. And I

saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne. Then

books were opened; also another book, the Book of Life, was opened, and

the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what

they had done. The sea gave up its dead, and Death and the Abode of the

Departed also gave up their dead, and all were judged according to what

they had done.