Category Archives: HEAVEN

REWARDS IN HEAVEN

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  1. Scriptural Rewards – Ruth 2:12; 2 Chronicles 15:7; Psalm 58:11; Jer. 31:16; Matt. 5:11-12; Matt. 16:27; Mark 9:41; Col. 2:18; Rev. 22:12; Romans 14:12; 1 Cor. 3:13-14

When will heavenly rewards be distributed? Will there be some kind of “award ceremony”? Will we be given an “Oscar”? I hope not! “How does Hollywood get anything done? Every single week, it seems, the folks there put on another awards show to congratulate themselves and hand out statues to each other; and sometimes they use the occasions to lecture the rest of us on their viewpoint about politics or their morality.” (This last sentence and the question just before it was written by Dr. David Jeremiah in his book published in early 2017). He sure knew what would continue to happen with this Hollywood crowd. As you probably have heard, this year’s Oscar Awards Show was the least watched ever. There are no award shows for firefighters, medical professionals, police officers, or homemakers. We will not be given an awards ceremony either, but the Bible tells us what we can expect from God.

       The Bible tells us that one day, after all believers are removed from the earth at the Rapture, individual believers are going to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ at the Judgment Seat, where the Lord is going to judge us for our conduct and work as believers. “So, then each of us (believers) shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

       “Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward” (1 Corinthians 3:13-14). On that day we will be given rewards for what we have done as believers between the moment of our salvation and the day we ultimately stand before Him.

        As we look at this sample of verses, we will likely be surprised how often the Bible speaks of eternal rewards.

          Ruth 2:12- “The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

           2 Chronicles 15:7- “But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewards!”

          Psalm 58:11- “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely He is God who judges in the earth.”

          Jeremiah 31:16- “Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord.”

          Matthew 5:11-12- “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

           Matthew 16:27- “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his work.” (Another Angels’ reference).

           Mark 9:41- “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

            Colossians 2:18- “Let no one cheat you out of your reward.”

            Revelation 22:12- “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.”

                           THE DESCRIPTION OF HEAVENS’ REWARDS

What will these rewards be like? At least five of these rewards are listed for us, and the New Testament uses the word “crowns” to describe them.

  • Victor’s Crown—1 Cor. 9:25-27; Titus 2:11-13

First, there is the Victor’s Crown, portrayed for us in 1 Corinthians 9:25-27. Let’s read this Scripture. Paul wrote this passage to the Corinthians in the Greek city of Corinth, who were very familiar with two great athletic festivals that occurred near them- the Olympic Games and the Isthmian Games. The Isthmian Games actually were held at Corinth and many of Paul’s readers would have attended these games. The race was always a major attraction at the games, and that is the analogy Paul uses to illustrate the faithful Christian life. The thought, of course, has to do with developing personal discipline. Sometimes we have to turn off the television so we can study the Bible. Sometimes we have to leave our concerns and fears at home and witness for God. The Lord will help us but we have to do our part. The Victor’s Crown is waiting on us.

        It is important to remember that self-control depends on Spirit-control. Our own determination needs strengthened by grace, so we have to depend on God to provide that strength to give us the revolutions to live disciplined lives.  Read Titus 2:11-13.

  • Crown of Rejoicing – 1 Thess. 2:19; 1 Cor. 3:6

The second is the Crown of Rejoicing, mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 2:19. This is the crown given for playing a part in leading others to Christ. “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? It is not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming.” The background for this passage is Acts 17, which tells the story of Paul and his companions arriving in the city of Thessalonica. Paul went into the synagogue “and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” (verses 2-3). Then later Paul wrote this 1 Thessalonians passage where he said they would be his “crown of rejoicing”.

       Paul planted the seed of the Gospel in their hearts. Then he wrote “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” (1 Corinthians 3:6). This is sometimes called the

Soul Winner’s Crown. Paul was trying to encourage those to whom he preached that soul winning was a team effort- by planting seeds.

  • Crown of Righteousness – 2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Cor. 7:29

Next comes the Crown of Righteousness, which is described in 2 Timothy 4:8. “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” The book of 2 Timothy represents the last knowing writing of the apostle Paul, and we have reason to believe he was beheaded shortly after writing these words. There are thoughts that Paul knew it was coming, but he was looking forward to the Second Coming. He was ready to meet Christ and content with his record of service for the Master. The Crown of Righteousness is reserved for those who have a longing for the Lord Jesus and who watch for Jesus to come back. Psychologists tell us that anticipation, which is the opposite of surprise, is an emotion with marvelous healing powers. (There was a very popular song in the early 70’s that we may want to sing- “Anticipation” by Carly Simon.)

          Jesus is coming back, coming any minute, coming soon, maybe today (Rapture). The

Bible says that time is short, and we must work for the night is coming. The more vividly aware we are of His impending return, the more we’ll be motivated in our work for Him in these last days. Think about all the joys that await us when Jesus returns. That should increase our anticipation. Read 1 Corinthians 7:29.

  • Crown of Life – James 1:12; Rev. 2:10; 2 Tim. 3:12

The fourth crown is called the Crown of Life, and two different verses describe it for us.

       James 1:12: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him”.

       Revelation 2:10: “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

          The Crown of Life is given in recognition of enduring and triumphing over temptations and trials, even to the point of martyrdom. Motivated by our love for Christ, we preserve and never quit until He takes us home. The New Testament Christians lived in days of intense persecution, and almost every New Testament book was written to believers who lived in danger of martyrdom. The apostles counseled them to persevere so they could inherit the Crown of Life.

          There are three countries where religious discrimination and persecution have a certain threshold of concern today. Those countries are Mexico, Russia, and the United States, according to the International Christian Concern. They are further quoted- “While conditions in the U.S. are in no way comparable to other countries, a certain segment of the culture and the courts seem to be intent on driving faith out of the public squares”. We, as Christians, must stand up for God’s principles and not support those who are against His Commandments and principles for moral living. 2 Timothy 3:12 tells us that we will be persecuted if we desire to live godly in Christ Jesus. But that gives us a wonderful opportunity to lay claim to the Crown of Life.

  • Crown of Glory – 1 Peter 5:1-4

The final reward in the lineup is the Crown of Glory, Peter wrote, “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; not as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” ( 1 Peter 5:1-4). Elsewhere in the Scripture an “elder” is the same as a pastor. In Paul’s day there were no position that was called “pastor”. So, an elder was a leader in the church of Paul’s day.

          Therefore, this crown seems especially designed for Christian leaders and for those who are faithful shepherds of the people of God. We don’t have to be an official pastor on the staff of a church to be a leader that would be in line for this Crown of Glory. You might be the shepherd of a small group. Your flock might be your family, your children, grandchildren, or another family member for whom you are caring. The Lord often gives us responsibility for the spiritual or health well-being and nurturing of others, and what an opportunity to serve Him!

  • Greatest Reward of All – Gen. 15:1; Rev. 4:10-11

These may not be all the crowns awarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Perhaps there are thousands of other categories that will be revealed on that day. Here is one overriding thought- as wonderful as our rewards are, they truly don’t represent our core motivation. If we serve the Lord only to get a reward, it indicates we don’t truly understand Christianity. None of these crowns really represent our greatest reward. None of them can compare to our best, highest and greatest reward of all: Jesus our Savior!!! The Lord Himself is our exceedingly great reward.

           Remember what the Lord told Abraham in Genesis 15:1: “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward”. The Lord had planned many blessings for Abraham, which He outlined in Genesis 12 and 15. He promised to bless him, to make of him a great nation, to give him a great land, to give him many descendants, to bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him, and to make his name great. But nothing compared to the blessing of personally knowing the God of all eternity. The Lord Himself exceeds all other gifts.

           What are we going to do with these crowns? Let’s say we get to heaven, stand before the judgment Seat of Christ, and receive three different crowns for our faithful service on earth. What are going to do with them? The answer is in Revelation 4:10-11, which describe the great heavenly worship service that will occur when the rapture and resurrected saint arrive in heaven. Let’s read Revelation 4:10-11. This says we will “cast our crowns before the throne”. Thank You for letting me be Your servant. We don’t have much to give You, Lord, but here is my crown. What a joy to one day cast all our crowns at Jesus feet. 

REVELATION- THE BEGINNING

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               REV 1- REVELATION – The Beginning

 Wouldn’t it be helpful to better understand the Word of God? Whether you believe in God or not, if you are a person who wants to better your life, knowing more about God will benefit you. Learning more about the Bible will help you and all around you. We will start with the Book of the Bible that is most likely the most misunderstood and least read book-Revelation. We begin with the first chapter of this book.

       “Revelation” is the translation of a word which has been misused to convey fear. It is the Greek word “apocalypse”, which means “unto covering” or “revealing”. Revelation, the apocalypse, is the unveiling of Jesus Christ. It is a book that is both about Him and by Him. This book is not a puzzle; it is a completed picture. The word “revelation” (in common language) means “the disclosure of that which was previously hidden or unknown”. The book of Revelation tells us that Jesus is coming again, how He is coming, and what condition the world will be in when He comes.

       An angel told the prophet Daniel that many prophesies would not be understood until the end times. “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end…those who are wise will understand” (Daniel 12:9-10). In Revelation, prophecies are unsealed, and John is given opposite orders: “Then He told me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near” (Revelation 22:10). John was told to get the word out! He was to use every method he could to relay this message to the world.

       Some people say they can’t understand the book of Revelation. Even Martin Luther (the one responsible for the Protestant Reformation from the Catholic Church 16th Century) wrote, “My spirit cannot adapt itself to the book, and a sufficient reason why I do not esteem it highly is that Christ is neither taught nor recognized in it”. Twelve years later, Luther modified his view somewhat, but he never fully accepted the last book in the Bible. However, down through the centuries, men have been blessed by reading Revelation, but many still ignore studying the book saying it is not relevant to our daily lives.

                     UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF REVELATION  

      Before reading the passages of this first chapter, here is the summary of that chapter to provide the understanding and the meaning of the Book of Revelations- the last book in the Bible. Apostle John introduces his book as a revelation given to him by Jesus and pronounces a special blessing on those who read, hear and take to heart “the words of this prophecy”. The book is sent to the seven churches with which John has special ties and is dedicated to Jesus as coming Savior.

      This is the Coronation of a Savior! John now tells his story, while exiled to Patmos by the Roman emperor Domitian (A.D. 81-96). John was praying one Sunday, when a voice instructed him to write what he was about to see. John turned and was given a vision of Jesus in His full glory, so awesome that John fell to the ground, stunned. Jesus lifted him up, identified Himself, and told John to write. NOTICE- Jesus touched and lifted John up.

                  Now the reading of Revelation Chapter One!

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

3 Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near.

 4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, everyone who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty,

 9 I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet

11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Per’gamum and to Thyati’ra and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to La-odice’a.”

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,

13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast;

14 his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire,

15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters;

16 in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,

18 and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

19 Now write what you see, what is and what is to take place hereafter.

20 As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. RSV.

                   The Meaning of Each of These Verses !

The Revelation of Jesus. 1:1-In the N.T. revelation (unveiling of a mystery) is always used of a divine unveiling of something that has been hidden. Here Jesus is the one who discloses “what must soon take place” – and in the process reveals something of His glory.

Blessing. 1:1-The “one who reads” and “those who hear” refer to a public reading of the book in church. Because this is “prophecy”, in the sense of divine revelation, it merits immediate acceptance as Scripture. Because the revelation comes directly from the risen Jesus, it is of utmost importance.

 The seven churches. 1:1-. All seven were in the Roman province of Asia, now AsiaMinor. They are listed in 1:11, and a message directed to each is found in Rev. 2 and 3. It describes the churches of John’s day- but they are also present churches, with good and bad qualities- all during the Church Age, which is from Pentecost (50 days after Jesus’ resurrection) to Rapture. More on this in another video!

 Firstborn from the dead. 1:5a- Christ’s resurrection is the pledge that we too will be raised. He was not only the first, He is the One who has supreme authority over the vast family of faith destined to follow Him.

                The Key Verses are1:5b-6.

 Doxology to Christ. 1:5b-6- Here is some of the most powerful praise found in the Bible, celebrating Christ’s love, the forgiveness won for us by His blood, and the exalted position to which He has raised us.

 John’s Exile. 1:7-10- Tradition agrees that as an old man John was exiled duringthe reign of Domitian and that he wrote Revelation from Patmos, an island off the coast ofAsia Minor, probably in the mid A.D. 90’s.

 The Vision of Jesus. 1:7-10-Each element in the seven-element description of the glorified Christ has symbolic significance. The white head and hair reflect Daniel 7:9 and symbolize wisdom and judgment. The eyes of blazing fire reflect Daniel 10:6 and may indicate a penetrating gaze or perhaps the fierceness of the judgment to come. The feet of glowing metal reflect a common O.T. symbol of God’s glory, found in Ezek. 1:13, 27; 8:2; and Dan. 10:6. The voice like rushing waters is a familiar simile in Jewish writings for the power of God’s voice, repeated in Rev. 14:2 and 19:6. Anyone who has heard a thundering waterfall can sense why. The doubled edged sword may reflect Isa. 11:4, which is again a portrait of final judgment. Overall, John’s language serves to express the awesomeness of the glorified Christ’s appearance and the unity of this book with O.T. prophetic books that describe history’s end.

 First and the Last. 1:17- This title granted to God in Isa. 44:6 and 48:12 affirms Jesus as Lord of Creation and Master of history.

The keys of death and Hades. 1:18- Keys were a symbol of authority. Jesus has full control over every realm.

The key to interpreting Revelation. 1:19-20- Many understand verse 19 to provide the key to understanding Revelation. “What you have seen” is John’s vision of Jesus, found in chapter1. “What is now” is reflected in the letters Christ dictates, to be sent to the seven Asia Minor churches, found in chapters 2 and 3. And “what will take place later” is a vision of history’s end, correlated with the O.T. prophet’s vision of that time, found in chapters 4-21, which is the Tribulation, the Millennium, and then the New Heaven and the New Earth.

These end events will not be fulfilled until the Church Age is over- or when the Rapture occurs. To close let’s hear Jesus’ words in Revelation 3:10- “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial (Tribulation) that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” (NIV)

This is the promise of protection and eternal salvation given by the Son of God- Jesus Christ our Lord!