2 Esdras 7:31-51

31 After seven days this corrupt age will pass out of existence and a new age will be awakened.
32 The ground will give up the dead who sleep there in silence, and the souls of the dead will be released from the places where they have been kept. 1
33 God Most High will appear on his judgment seat. Mercy and patience will vanish completely
34 and be replaced by judgment. Truth and faithfulness will once again stand firm.
35 The good and bad that people have done will be fully revealed, and reward and punishment will follow immediately.
36 The pit of torment, the fires of hell, will appear, and opposite them the Paradise of joy and rest. 2
37 "Then God Most High will say to the nations that have been raised from the dead, "Look! I am the one whom you have denied and refused to serve; it is my commands that you have rejected.
38 Look around you; there is joy and peace in one direction, fire and torment in the other.' That's what he will say to them on Judgment Day.
39 "On Judgment Day there will be no sun, moon, or stars;
40 no cloud, thunder, or lightning; no wind, water, or air; no darkness, evening, or morning;
41 no summer, spring, or winter; no heat, frost, or cold; no hail, rain, or dew;
42 no noon, night, or dawn; no daylight, brightness, or light. The only light will be the dazzling brightness of God Most High, making it possible for everyone to see.
43 The judgment will last seven years.
44 That's the arrangement I have made for Judgment Day, but I have revealed these things only to you."
45 Then I said, "Lord, I repeat what I said earlier: How fortunate are the people who can live now and obey your commands!
46 But what about those for whom I have been praying? There is no one in the present generation who has not sinned, no one who has not broken your covenant.
47 Now I understand that the world to come will bring joy to only a few, but torment to many.
48 The evil impulse within us has grown and it has led us away from God's ways, brought us to ruin, put us on the way to death and destruction, and taken us far from life. It has destroyed not only a few, but almost everyone who was ever created."
49 "Listen to me," the angel said, "and I will teach you further and correct your thinking.
50 Because only a few will be saved, God created two worlds, instead of only one.
51 As you say, only a few people are righteous, but there are large numbers of wicked people. But listen:

Cross References 2

  • 1. 7.32Daniel 12.2.
  • 2. 7.36Luke 16.23, 24;Revelation 9.2.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. [Verses 36-105 are not found in the King James Version, but they have been restored from ancient sources.]
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.