Part X8.1 - Reward Of The Inheritance

The Reward Of The Inheritance As presented in the last chapter, every Christian must appear before the judgment seat of Christ at the end of Man’s Day when the Lord Jesus comes to take the scepter of the Kingdom and usher in the Kingdom Age. It is at this time that the Lord will review the lives of His people: "I know your deeds." Determinations made by the Judge will result in reward or loss of reward in His Kingdom (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). The judgment of the Lord’s people will not be to determine who will enter into the eternal presence of God or who will be cast into the eternal lake of fire, for eternity with God is secured for all who believe. The judgment seat of Christ will be to determine who of His people will inherit the Kingdom to reign with Him as His Bride and Queen and who will be placed in lesser positions, even in outer darkness. As stressed throughout this book, the inheritance deals with a very specific period of time, the 1,000 years that precede the eternal ages; and judgment will answer some vital questions related to what place born-again Christians will hold, if any, during the reign of God’s Son. Will they inherit the Kingdom or will they not inherit the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:24)? Will they be great in the Kingdom or the least in the Kingdom (Matthew 5:19)? Will they enter the wedding feast with Christ or will they find themselves outside the banquet hall in the place of darkness (Matthew 22:13; Matthew 25:10-12)? Will they be taken to His side as a companion, as part of His Bride, or will they be turned away from entering into this most intimate relationship (Matthew 24:40-43 hew-43; Matthew 25:11-1211-12)? Will they be clothed with the fine linen, the righteous acts of the saints, or will they be found naked (Matthew 22:9-14; Revelation 16:15; Revelation 19:8)? Will they be commended for faithfulness while He has been gone or will they be condemned for unfaithfulness (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27)? Will they be crowned or will they not be crowned (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:11)? Ultimately, will they reign with Christ or will they not reign (2 Timothy 2:12)?

These questions are not contrasting the saved and the lost, nor are they contrasting eternal salvation (being in the presence of God for eternity) and eternal damnation (being in the lake of fire for eternity). They are contrasting believers who will be found worthy of the Kingdom and Glory and believers who will not be found worthy. A Christian is exhorted to walk in a worthy manner (Ephesians 4:1; Php 1:27; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12) in order to be counted worthy to enter the coming millennial Kingdom of our Lord (Luke 20:34-36; 2 Thessalonians 1.4-5; 11-12; Hebrews 11:39-40Revelation 3:4). If we walk worthy in this day, we will be counted worthy in His Day.

Every born-again child of God is called to receive the reward of the inheritance, which refers to entering the Reign of the Heavens when our Lord Jesus comes. Inheritance means "heirship." According to Paul’s gospel, we are called to be fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with {Him} in order that we may also be glorified with {Him} (Romans 8:17). God’s Son has been given the nations as His inheritance and when He comes He will rule over all the nations. It is in that day that He will ascend the throne of the Kingdom of Heaven and rule with those who have been qualified as fellow heirs (co-heirs) with Him. They will sit upon His throne as He has sat upon His Father’s throne (Revelation 3:21). Thus, the reward pertains to heirship in the coming Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Revelation 11:15).

Now in undertaking this matter, we need to look more closely at the reward and answer some basic questions: When do we receive the reward? What must we do to earn the reward? What will cause us to lose the reward? However, before answering these questions, there is one vital principle that underlies the reward-God is a rewarder.

God Is A Rewarder The Word of God encourages us in this matter of reward; however, the emphasis is not on the reward but on the Giver of the reward. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6NKJ {ea}) At the heart of this verse is pleasing God. Every disciple of Christ who is walking by faith should have one motive in his thoughts and actions-to please God. After all, this was the very heart of our Lord Jesus when He walked this earth. He is our example of a true disciple of the Kingdom and everything about a disciple starts with Him. "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him" (John 8:29). Our Lord’s whole purpose was to please His Father who was in heaven. He did nothing apart from the will of the Father and all His thoughts and actions were centered on what pleased Him. He entrusted Himself fully to the will of His heavenly Father.

One who seeks to please God is one who walks by faith. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:5-6 a). Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam, a type of the Church being taken up at "the seizing," did not see death because he walked with God (Genesis 5:24); he walked by faith. This pleased God, which in the Greek means "to gratify entirely." When God’s people believe in Him, trust in Him and daily walk with Him, they are pleasing to God; they "gratify entirely."

Although he saw physical death, Paul knew at the end of his life that he was pleasing to his Lord: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day (2 Timothy 4:7-8). In the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul will shine brightly in the glory of the Lord. What was Paul’s secret? Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord-for we walk by faith, not by sight-we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. (2 Corinthians 5:6-9). Paul’s secret was to walk by faith with one ambition-to be pleasing to the Lord, which in this verse means "fully agreeable, acceptable." Paul lived his life continually trying to learn what was pleasing, fully agreeable or acceptable to the Lord (Ephesians 5:8 b-10). We can rejoice with Paul, for he did not fail in his walk. The good news is that every disciple who desires to grow up to be a son of the Kingdom can walk in the same path as Enoch and Paul.

However, there is more to this verse. A disciple who is walking by faith and pleasing God is one who is a seeker of God. The word seek in the Greek has the meaning of "to search out, investigate, crave." Those who diligently seek out God by faith, even crave for Him, will find Him and He will reward them for their diligence. Enoch craved for God and he was not found. Paul craved for his Lord and his Lord stood with him throughout his running the race of the faith, his fighting of the good fight (2 Timothy 4:17). In reference to seeking wisdom, which refers to seeking Christ who is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), Solomon wrote: "I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me" (Proverbs 8:17).

Love is always at the heart of a true disciple of Christ. Love is a reciprocal relationship. We love, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). I love those who love Me. True lovers must seek out the object of their love. Christ must be the love of the life of a disciple and He must be diligently sought. Once again, Solomon revealed this heart through the Shulamite maiden, the bride who sought for her bridegroom.

"On my bed night after night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him. ‘I must arise now and go about the city; in the streets and in the squares I must seek him whom my soul loves.’ I sought him but did not find him. The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, {and I said,} ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’ Scarcely had I left them when I found him whom my soul loves; I held on to him and would not let him go, until I had brought him to my mother’s house, and into the room of her who conceived me." (Song of Solomon 3:1-4)

She is a type of the Bride of Christ who seeks for the one she loves. The Bride’s heart is: I seek Him whom my soul loves. When He seems to be distant from her, as if He has withdrawn from her presence, she all the more diligently looks for Him. When she finds Him she clings to Him and won’t let Him go. It is like Mary who stood weeping before the empty tomb where they had placed her Lord’s crucified body. The resurrected Jesus spoke her name, and as she turned to see her loved one, all she could do was cling to Him. She did not want to let Him go ever again (John 20:16-17). Oh, that we would hear Him call our name and we would turn to see Him face to face. We would run and cling to Him, as well. This is the heart of a lover, of one who seeks after the object of her love.

One might wonder why this matter of love is being presented to introduce the reward. After all, isn’t reward about doing things for God? Primarily, it is not. The matter of reward is a heart issue. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him by faith, and those who diligently seek Him are lovers of God. If we miss this point, we will miss the way to reward. The truth of the matter is that we can approach this matter of reward with the wrong heart. We can approach it merely for what we will get out of it. In other words, we can seek reward selfishly. When we do, we are merely a hireling, one who is a worker for wages (John 10:12-13). Our Lord desires lovers, not hirelings.

Further, we must not reduce gaining rewards to some formula: "If I do something good in the name of the Lord, then I will receive reward." This is not right. The danger of discussing reward is the same danger that is encountered when discussing being justified by works-we will be tempted to go off and do something, anything that seems good to us according to our own standard. It most likely will result in us continually striving and thinking that we are not doing enough to earn the reward. This is a wrong type of striving. We must do what comes from the life of our Lord Jesus, not from our good intentions. Besides, it is more about being than about doing-being in love and being in life. Love and life go hand in hand. We cannot and must not separate the two. We must be before we do. We must be in love with our Lord and we must be living, breathing and walking in Him. We are to be an expression of His love and of His life. This is what pleases God. In fact, the being is the real work that yields reward. God desires a people who are like His Son, through and through. Our Lord desires a Bride who is in His likeness, who answers to His heart. After all, we are members of His Body, of His flesh and of His bones, and we are to be one with Him (Ephesians 5:30-32NKJ). Being one with Him means that we are becoming more like Him in character; this is the work of the Holy Spirit, for the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Bearing this kind of fruit pleases our Lord, for this is His life expressed and this is what will be rewarded in the Day of Judgment. For those who are lovers and diligent seekers, the Day of Judgment will be a time of great rejoicing. All fear will be cast out, for there is no fear in love (1 John 4:18).

Now, with this essential foundation laid down, we can proceed to build upon it with what the Scriptures reveal about reward.

Reward-Wages For Work In the New Testament, the reward is presented as a wage for services rendered. Another way of stating this is that a work is performed and a reward or wage is paid. There are at least seven Greek words used to convey the thought of reward, wage or hire for service-apodidomi (Matthew 6:4; Matthew 6:6; Matthew 6:18; Matthew 16:27; 2 Timothy 4:14; Revelation 18:6); katabrabeuo ["rob of reward" (Colossians 2:18)]; antapodosis ["to give back in return" (Colossians 3:24)]; misthapodosia ["to give back wages" (Hebrews 2:2; Hebrews 10:35; Hebrews 11:26)]; axios (Luke 23:41); opsonion (Luke 3:14; Romans 6:23). The most common Greek word translated as reward or wage is misthos, which is used 29 times in the New Testament. [All of these Greek words are not taken up in this chapter but are presented for the reader’s further study.]

Misthos means "pay for services rendered, whether good or bad." In other words, a person performs a certain work and receives wages for that work. The word may be used in a way that means there is no reward (Matthew 6:1-2; Matthew 6:5; Matthew 6:16; Acts 1:18; 2 Peter 2:13; Jude 1:11). It can refer to receiving a positive reward for service rendered (Matthew 5:12; Matthew 10:41-42; Mark 9,41; Luke 6:23; Luke 6:35; 1 Corinthians 3:14; 2 John 1:8; Revelation 11:18). It also carries a neutral sense of reward; one could be rewarded with wages commensurate with the work or could receive no wages or loss of wages (Matthew 5:46; 1 Corinthians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 3:15; Revelation 22:12). Finally, in several places, misthos is translated as wages (Matthew 20:8; Luke 10:7; Romans 4:4; 1 Corinthians 9:17-18; 1 Timothy 5:18; James 5:4; 2 Peter 2:15).

"My Reward Is With Me"

It is the Lord Jesus Himself who lays down the principle of reward and who explains when and for what purpose reward is given. In fact, the Lord Jesus spoke the first and the last mentions of reward in the New Testament. In each case, the word misthos is used, and the work to be rewarded deals entirely with character (righteousness, godliness and love). The first mention is found when Jesus sat on a mountain with His disciples and taught them on the royal entrance into the Kingdom. In what are commonly called the Beatitudes, He began teaching on who the "blessed are." It is in the last "blessed" that Jesus taught on reward.

"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when {men} cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:10-12{ea}; also Luke 6:22-23)

Jesus clearly linked reward with the Kingdom of Heaven and with the prophets of old who were persecuted for the difficult word that they were called to speak forth from the Lord. The prophets suffered greatly for the sake of righteousness. In like fashion, when Jesus spoke these words, His disciples were about to go out with His Word and suffer persecution at the hands of the Jews (Matthew 23:34) and the Gentiles. Later, Paul, the last apostle to see the risen Lord (1 Corinthians 15:8), wrote to his beloved Timothy reminding him of the suffering that will come to all who desire to live godly. But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, {and} sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium {and} at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me! And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:10-12)

Persecution will come to all believers who desire to live godly in Christ, and if they are persecuted, according to the word of the Lord, their reward in heaven will be great and theirs will be the Kingdom of Heaven. Living godly in Christ and suffering for the sake of righteousness are one and the same, for a godly life is a righteous life. Suffering persecution is not the only thing that will be rewarded; however, this is where the Lord began His teaching on this subject, probably because it was to be the path of the disciples who had personally walked with Him. After all, Jesus Himself was about to be persecuted by the same class of people that persecuted the prophets of old (Matthew 23:31-37). In another teaching, the Lord connected the reward with the coming Kingdom of Heaven.

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward [misthos] will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil {men.}" (Luke 6:35{ea})

It is not enough to love our brothers and sisters; we must love our enemies, showing mercy on all people. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy" (Matthew 5:7). When do the merciful receive mercy? At the judgment seat: For judgment {will be} merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13).

Loving our enemies is a work that will receive wages. In all things, we are to do good and expect nothing in return-no reward, no thanks, no congratulations. Why? Because our future reward will be great. But notice what the Lord added to the reward: You will be sons of the Most High. A child of God must grow up to be a son in order to rule in God’s Kingdom. Sonship is heirship and heirship is rulership. We are called to be fellow heirs with Christ in His Kingdom (Romans 8:17; Romans 8:19).

Now, some people believe that reward will be given when they "die and go to heaven" because the Lord taught that your reward in heaven is great. As we have shown previously in this book, heaven comes into view when Christ comes from heaven, not at the time of death of one who is in Christ. By comparing Scriptures, it is easy to see that the reward only comes into view when Christ, the Son of Man, comes. The last mention of reward clearly states this fact.

"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward {is} with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." (Revelation 22:12{ea}) In other words, the reward is in heaven because Christ is in heaven and reward is given when He comes from heaven a second time. This great event is at the end of Man’s Day that ushers in the Kingdom Age. Jesus taught His disciples concerning this fact, as well.

Beginning in Matthew 16:13, Jesus began to teach His disciples over a two day period regarding who He is (the Son of Man, the Christ, the Son of the living God-all references to His Messianic Kingship), the Church, the Kingdom, His death and resurrection and the salvation of the soul. He concluded this teaching, declaring: "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds" (Matthew 16:27). The Greek word for recompense is apodidomi, which comes from didomi which means "to give" and apo which means "back." In other words, it means "to give back." It has the meaning of giving a wage for service. The Greek word for deeds is praxis, which has the meaning of "those things practiced habitually or repeatedly." Thus, when He comes, the Lord will reward His servants for the services they repeatedly practiced on His behalf.

All doubt about when the reward will be rendered to the Lord’s people is resolved in the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

"The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward [misthos] Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth." (Revelation 11:18NKJ {ea}) A time will come at the end of Man’s Day when the dead will be raised and the Lord will reward His bondservants. As shown previously, the resurrection of the dead at the end of this age will include those who will have died in Christ, those who will be martyred for Christ during the Tribulation and those who are called Daniel’s people, which would include all the prophets of old (Daniel 12:1-3).

Thus, according to the Lord’s teaching, the reward is His to give and He will give it when He comes to take the scepter of the Kingdom of Heaven. Today, His reward is in heaven because it is with Him, and it will be awarded in heaven when He seizes all of His people (Church of God) up to heaven at His parousia.

One final proof of when reward is given is found in Paul’s last letter. To Timothy, Paul wrote: In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8). According to Paul, that day is the Day of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:14; Php 1:6; Php 1:10; Php 2:16) which is the day of the appearing of the Son of Man. It is the Second Coming of Christ. This is when reward is given.

Kingdom Rewards Based On Works

Having established that according to the Scriptures the reward is with the Son of Man when He comes leads us to a question: What is the reward? The answer to this question is covered in a variety of ways in other chapters of this book and in the author’s book titled Watch!; however, it is instructive to provide some overview of the reward. First, let us be clear that the reward is in reference to the coming Kingdom, the Reign of the Heavens, and not to eternity. Reward is never presented in the light of eternal salvation, a free gift based on the work of Christ. Reward is given based on our works after we have been saved, and these works do not (absolutely cannot) enter into the finished work of Christ. Reward relates entirely to the millennial reign of Christ and who will be given places of power and authority in His Kingdom. Reward is to be gained or lost by the life that a child of God lives while in the body. This fact alone adds weight to the fact that reward is millennial in nature and not eternal. This point is so important to understanding this matter of reward and the Reign of the Heavens that it is worth repeating: A born-again child of God cannot receive or lose eternal salvation based on his works because eternal salvation is never based on man’s works but on the one work of Christ on the cross. A believer can only lose reward or suffer loss during the Kingdom Age.

Ruling Over Many Things And Over Cities The Lord spoke two similar parables-the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and the parable of the minas (Luke 19:12-27). As presented in the last chapter, the central theme of both parables is about a master going away for a long time to receive a kingdom and then return. He gives talents and minas to each of his servants and tells them to do business until he returns. A time comes when the master receives the kingdom. Upon his return, he calls his servants to himself and reviews what they had done or not done with his goods while he was gone.

"And it came about that when he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him in order that he might know what business they had done." (Luke 19:15) In each parable, two servants were faithful and one was unfaithful. To the faithful ones, the master declared: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord’" (Matthew 25:21NKJ). "‘Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, be in authority over ten cities.’ "And the second came, saying, ‘Your mina, master, has made five minas.’ "And he said to him also, ’And you are to be over five cities" (Luke 19:17-19).

It is obvious that the master is the Lord Jesus. He departed this world through the cross and has been gone a long time, nearly 2,000 years. When He returns, He will take the scepter of the Kingdom and reward His people who have believed on Him while He has been gone. Further, reward is very much related to reigning in the Kingdom because it involves ruling over many things or ruling over cities, which implies governmental rule. Today, in the heavenly places, angels are ruling over cities on earth. The leaders of the nations may not be aware of it but this world has been subjected to angels (Hebrews 2:5) who are ruling in the heavens, for the heavens do rule (Daniel 4:26ASV). Unfortunately, some of these angels are part of Satan’s domain of darkness (Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 6:12). When these disqualified angels have been dethroned along with Satan (John 16:11), then those who have been faithful while the Lord has been gone will ascend to these heavenly places and rule over this earth as the angels have done during Man’s Day. Of course, the rule today is unrighteous; but in the Lord’s Day, it will be righteous, for the foundation of His throne is righteousness and justice (Psalms 89:14; Psalms 97:2).

Now, what are the talents and the minas? The talents represent gifts given by grace that are to be exercised by grace. It is the Lord who gives gifts to His people (Ephesians 4:8; Ephesians 4:11) and the grace to exercise the gifts (Romans 12:3-8). It is all of Christ and we are to exercise these gifts to His glory. Peter best sums up grace and gifts. Notice how it deals with laying down one’s life for one another (serving one another). Once again, love is in view. As each one has received a {special} gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, {let him speak,} as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, {let him do so} as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11) The minas represent faith and works. Paul wrote to the Romans that God has allotted to each a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Every child of God is given a measure of faith and is to exercise this faith through works. James is the one who clearly taught on faith and works. In writing to the twelve tribes, James had the Kingdom in view (James 1:12; James 2:5; James 5:7-9) and he exhorted them to exercise faith in view of the Kingdom. Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:17NKJ). But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:18NKJ). But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:20NKJ). You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only (James 2:24NKJ). This leads us back to the Scripture that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Faith that yields the good works that are in Christ is what pleases God (Ephesians 2:10) and leads to reward in the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, to enter the Reign of the Heavens, we need to exercise the Lord’s gifts by grace and we need to exercise our faith by works. When we do, the reward is great, for the reward is receiving positions of ruling in the Kingdom of God’s Son. If we are approved to rule over cities then we will receive the prize, the crown (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

[For a detailed discussion of the parables of the talents and the minas, see the author’s book, Watch!, chapter 11.] The Crown To rule in the Kingdom, one has to be crowned. At the end of His life on earth, our Lord wore a crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29; John 19:2; John 19:5); but when He comes a second time, He will wear a golden crown of glory (Revelation 14:14; Hebrews 2:9). When the King of kings comes out of heaven riding on a white horse, He will be crowned not with one crown but with many crowns, for He is the King of all the nations (Revelation 19:12). What a glorious day that will be! The thought of our King riding to this earth in all His regal splendor should bring a shout of "Hallelujah" from our hearts. When He comes, He will have on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King of kings, and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). In other words, the King will have many other kings and lords to administer the government of His Kingdom. There will be many places of honor and glory in the Kingdom of God’s Son. He will have His Bride, the Queen, along with kings, lords and, most likely, many other positions. To serve in these capacities, we must be crowned, for this is why man was created. Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, and hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands (Hebrews 2:7).

[See the next chapter for a review of the three crowns.] The Reward Of The Inheritance

Throughout the Scriptures, we find reference to reward and to the inheritance, both of which refer to the coming Kingdom. It is in his letter to the Colossians that Paul brings both reward and inheritance together in one phrase-the reward of the inheritance. As we will see, the reward is to inherit the Kingdom of God’s Son. To properly understand this matter, first we need to look at the context of the Scriptures used concerning the reward of the inheritance. The church in Colossae, as well as the nearby church of the Laodiceans (Colossians 4:16), faced a great danger of falling away from the faith due to false teaching. There were some people in these areas who were preaching a false gospel that made Christ less than who He truly is. Some were placing Christ on a level with the angels. Others were mixing Judaism and Gnosticism. The result was that Christ was being brought down in stature rather than being lifted up. In response to this, Paul lifted up Christ to the highest level that is His as God. Paul’s letter is so full of Christ that we can hardly do justice to what was written; however, we need to at least touch upon the height of Paul’s vision of Christ. Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, the Creator of all things, the Head of His Body, the Church, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Colossians 1:15-18NKJ). What a tremendous thought: Our Lord Jesus is preeminent. He is supreme and central in all things. Our Christ is all and in all, and God is summing up everything in heaven and on earth in His Son (Ephesians 1:10). The most amazing thing is that when we believe on Jesus, God places us in Christ and Christ in us, and He becomes our hope of glory: Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). The Creator is in you. The image of the invisible God is in you. The One who is preeminent in all things is in you. But there is more: For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete (Colossians 2:9-10). Do you see the greatness of this verse? The One who is all God is in you and you have been made complete in Him. You are full of Christ. All of the life of Christ that you need to run the race and reach the goal for the prize is in you. Have these truths sunk into your heart? Christ is in you! What a treasure has been placed in us (Colossians 2:3)! We don’t need more of Christ; we need less of our ourselves so that His life will be fully manifested in us and through us. He must increase and we must decrease (John 3:30). We must allow the Spirit to break these earthen vessels so that this treasure is released (2 Corinthians 4:7-12) and we are conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). The One who is in you desires with a jealous passion to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in His sight (Colossians 1:22NKJ). We must be grounded and steadfast in this truth, not being moved away from the hope which is laid up for us in heaven (Colossians 1:5; Colossians 1:23) and not falling for false teaching that will cheat us of our reward (Colossians 2:8; Colossians 2:18). The hope is glory in the Kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13). In unfolding this truth, Paul reminded the Colossians that they had died and their lives were hidden with Christ in God, and when Christ who is our life appears, they also will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:3-4). What a tremendous thought-to appear with Him in glory! On the basis of this most honored calling, Paul exhorted the brethren to put off all the things that are associated with the old nature and to put on all that is associated with the new man who is renewed in mature knowledge according to the image of Him who created him (Colossians 3:5-11; also Ephesians 4:22-24). And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things {put on} love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms {and} hymns {and} spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, {do} all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:12-17)

Notice that Paul encouraged the beloved brethren that whatever they did in word or deed, they were to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Or to put it another way: Whatever you do in relation to one another (brethren), do it in the name of the Lord who is the Head of His Body, for if you love the Lord, you also must love His Body. Be at peace with one another. Allow the Word of God to work in your lives in such a way that it enriches one another through teaching, admonishment, spiritual songs and thankful singing. In today’s modern church, when deeds are mentioned, many believers immediately think of doing something for God, but the highest and greatest work is putting on love. The words and deeds of which Paul wrote were in reference to how we treat one another in the body, and this speaks loudly of the one work that brings pleasure to our Lord: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). To love is not only the command of our beloved Lord, but it also is the work; it is the first works (Revelation 2:4-5). All that we do in word and deed must come from love and express love. When we do, we are expressing the very life of Christ that dwells in us and the love that God has poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:5). How can the Lord not reward those who love? He must and He will!

Paul continued his exhortation by describing how the indwelling word of Christ is to be manifested in the lives of wives, husbands, children, fathers and bondservants (Colossians 3:18-22). Each case deals with the relationship that comes from one who has put on the new man of love. For example, children are to obey their parents, for this is pleasing to the Lord. The bondservant is to obey his master in all things, not as a man-pleaser, but as one who is sincere in heart and who fears God.

It is within this context that Paul introduced the phrase the reward of the inheritance.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. (Colossians 3:23-25{ea})

Paul made this the most inclusive statement that he could: Whatever you do. In other words, everything that you do, do heartily, which in the Greek means "to do out from the soul." We are to give our entire soul-life to the Lord, which brings us back to the Lord’s command to deny self (soul-life), take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). The cross working in our lives breaks us of all that we are in the natural, carnal man. As we are broken, more of the life of the Lord that dwells in us will be expressed in us and through us. Men might give us praise, money, respect, position and stature; but these are earthly and of no value in the coming Kingdom. Although we might have to work for men, it is the Lord Christ we serve in all that we do. There is no one else to please other than our Lord. With this thought, Paul also brought to light the fact of the judgment seat. Christ will judge without partiality. The wrongs that are done and not brought under the blood for cleansing and for forgiveness (1 John 1:9) will be judged. It is from the Lord, God’s King, that we will receive the reward of the inheritance. With such a great on-high calling, we are to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please {Him} in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:10-13). Our walk with the Lord is to bear fruit in every good work. Everything we do unto the Lord is to bear fruit to the glory of God (John 15:8). Husbands, love your wives. Wives, be subject to (respect) your husbands. Children, obey your parents. Bondservants, obey your masters. The elect of God love one another-put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; and bear with one another and forgive one another (Colossians 3:12-13NKJ). This is what brings glory to God. We are not to be seeking glory on this earth, for our glory will come when our Lord comes and seizes us up to heaven. In this day, let us increase in themature knowledge of God, being strengthened by His power so that we can finish the race of the faith. As the Lord told Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Weakness is brokenness, and brokenness releases the life of Christ. As we do these things, we are to be thankful to our Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance, the Kingdom of His beloved Son. The word qualified means "to enable"; the word share means "to have a portion in"; and the word inheritance means "heirship" or "a possession, a portion assigned to one." In other words, God has made the way or enabled us to have a portion in His Son’s Kingdom as an heir or ruler. How has He done this? By placing Christ in us and us in Christ. God has made every provision on His part for us to come into the inheritance; however, as we will see, we can fail if we do not walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.

Throughout the Old Testament, the word inherit was used often in the phrase "to inherit the earth" or "the land." This phrase meant the possession of the Promised Land of Canaan and, especially, the final possession of the land under the reign of Messiah. The promise of the inheritance of the land was first given to Abraham: On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates" (Genesis 15:18). Later, the inheritance came into view again when Isaac blessed his son Jacob: "May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples; and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave to Abraham" (Genesis 28:3-4NKJ). Four hundred years later when Moses was called to deliver Israel out of Egypt, the Lord again reminded them of their calling to inherit the land (Exodus 23:30). Where this word is used in the New Testament, it generally refers to inheriting Messiah’s Kingdom, whether the word kingdom is used or not. There is no phrase in the New testament that combines reward, inheritance and Kingdom together; however, it is Paul who used these words in such a fashion that leaves little doubt that the three go hand in hand. He wrote of not inheriting the Kingdom and the reward of the inheritance. In other words, we are to inherit the Kingdom and the reward of the inheritance is the Kingdom. Thus, we could say that we are seeking for the reward of the inheritance of the Kingdom; and within this reward, we discover that we are to receive crowns to rule over cities or many things and to live in the glory of the Kingdom. In other words, we are being called to share in (have a portion in) the Reign of the Heavens. This is the heart of the reward of the inheritance. The Flesh Shall Not Inherit The Word of God always sets the highest calling, the greatest hope before every child of God; however, the Word also presents warnings that the children of God could fail to achieve this on-high calling of the Kingdom Age (not the eternal ages). When it comes to inheriting the millennial Kingdom, we discover this principle in Paul’s epistles. We have touched upon some of the aspects of the high calling; however, to provide a fuller perspective, we need to see what Paul taught regarding the danger of not inheriting the Kingdom. The giving of an inheritance generally is a family affair; the estate is divided amongst the heirs. In the Scriptures, the inheritance is for children who have grown up to be sons, in this case, sons of the Kingdom. Sons are the ones who will reign with Christ. God is bringing many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10), many sons who will be crowned with glory and honor as God’s Son has been crowned (Hebrews 2:6-9). In fact, the judgment seat can be likened to a family affair and it deals with the family inheritance. In any house or family, there are those who are good children, who are obedient and faithful, and those who are bad children, who never seem to learn, always getting themselves into some trouble. There are even some family members who refuse any discipline and who disown their family. So it is in the family of God. There are vessels for honor and some for dishonor (2 Timothy 2:20). There are those who hold to the faith and those who fall away from the faith (Acts 14:21-22; 1 Corinthians 16:13; 1 Peter 5:9; Jude 1:3; 1 Timothy 1:18-20; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 1 Timothy 5:8). There are those who go on in the Lord and those who turn aside after Satan (1 Timothy 5:15NKJ). There are those who are faithful with the Master’s goods while He has been gone to receive a kingdom and there are those who are unfaithful (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27). There are those who have not soiled their garments and have overcome and there are those who have soiled them and are overcome (Revelation 3:4). There are those who, after escaping the pollutions of the world, are again entangled in them and overcome (2 Peter 2:20NKJ). This reality cannot be avoided, for the Scriptures do not avoid it. We must not be lulled into thinking that those who are like the ones just mentioned (e.g., dishonorable, unfaithful, soiled) are not saved, for they most surely are God’s people.

It has been stressed that spiritual character is very important in receiving the reward, and Paul clearly reveals this to us in his letters to the Corinthians, Galatians and Ephesians. The Corinthians were living as carnal men, not spiritual men (1 Corinthians 3:1NKJ). There were divisions and factions among them (1 Corinthians 3:3; 1 Corinthians 11:18-19NKJ); brothers in Christ were taking one another to man’s court to allow the unrighteous to settle their disputes (1 Corinthians 6:1); they were getting drunk when they broke bread together at the Lord’s supper (1 Corinthians 11:21-22); they even were tolerating gross sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1).

Paul exhorted the saints to have nothing to do with any so-called brother who was covetous, an idolater, a reviler, a drunkard or a swindler (1 Corinthians 5:11-13). He was not referring to the lost but to the saved. He demanded that they remove such wicked ones from among them. Why? Because it was a leaven (corruption) in the church which would corrupt the whole if left unchecked (1 Corinthians 5:6-7).

It was in this context of carnal behavior, even behavior not named among the Gentiles, that Paul exhorted them: Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor {the} covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

One who practices unrighteous behavior will not inherit the Kingdom. We must be very clear that the Kingdom is never in view for the lost, only the saved; therefore, this exhortation is a warning to believers who are living carnal lives of such a nature that they act no differently than the lost in the world. No such person (saved person) will inherit the Kingdom of God (the Reign of God). Paul also made similar statements to the Galatians.

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

We are called to walk by the Spirit and not carry out the desire of the flesh (Galatians 5:16) because anyone who practices the deeds of the flesh shall not inherit the Kingdom. Paul was very emphatic: "I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you." This is a warning to Christians, not to the lost, for the lost have no inheritance awaiting them. Thank God; Paul did not leave us on the side of failure but presented the way through to the inheritance. How are we to inherit the Kingdom? Through bearing the fruit of the Spirit. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-25)

All who believe are alive, born again by the Spirit; but there is a call to walk by the Spirit and this requires a daily step-by-step walk according to the leading of the Spirit. In this way, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit. But what does it mean to walk by the Spirit? It means to be an imitator of God, walking in love, for our God is love. Again, in writing about God’s eternal purpose and all the blessings that Christians have in Christ, Paul, in the midst of his great epistle, was compelled to warn the Ephesians: But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and {there must be no} filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God (Ephesians 5:3-5).

Warnings like this are not in the apostle’s epistles to remind the saved of the condition of the lost. No; they are warnings to the saved. When he wrote of the judgment seat of Christ, Paul warned that the "bad" will be judged which, as we have seen, means things that are smelly, foul, wicked or worthless. These warnings about not inheriting refer to the bad things that will be judged; and if they are the habit or the practice of a believer, then they will result in loss of the inheritance. This is what Paul taught. Who of us have not fallen into some of these things as presented in Paul’s three epistles? It is a solemn warning. Thank God for the blood of Christ that cleanses us, but we must repent, turn away from all such behavior and not allow it to be our practice (or life-style). To the Corinthians, Paul wrote: Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1). Through the Galatian letter, Paul reminds us that if we belong to Christ, then the flesh with its passions and desires has been dealt with. We must stand on this truth and live in the victory of it. Paul was faithful to remind the Ephesians that the inheritance of the Kingdom will come by walking in love, in light and in wisdom; and this walk is by the Spirit (Ephesians 5:1-21). Those who live lives contrary to this walk of love risk losing their inheritance. We have the Spirit within us, but we must walk by the Spirit.

Every born-again child of God will be in the Kingdom in some fashion (Colossians 1:13), because when the King takes the scepter of the Kingdom, nothing will be outside His reign. The questions that face us are: Where will we be in the Kingdom? What position will we have in the Kingdom? Will we be part of the Bride of Christ who will reign with Christ? Will we be a subject of the Kingdom, being ruled over? Will we be cast into outer darkness during the wedding festivities (Matthew 22:13; Matthew 25:30)? Will we be assigned a place with the hypocrites or the unfaithful, just as if we were an unbeliever (Luke 12:46)? The answer to these questions determines whether we will be approved at the judgment seat to receive the reward of the inheritance of the Kingdom, and this depends on the life we live while in the body.

Solomon wrote that the conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear (revere) God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything that is hidden, whether it is good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Let us heed these words of wisdom. The Sons Of Zadok In the Old Testament, we are given a picture, possibly a type, of those who will inherit the Kingdom to reign with Christ and those who will not. Through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord spoke of the abominations of the house of Israel and the day of judgment that is coming for the sons of Israel at the end of Man’s Day. And the LORD said to me, "Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I say to you concerning all the statutes of the house of the LORD and concerning all its laws; and mark well the entrance of the house, with all exits of the sanctuary. And you shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, ’Thus says the Lord GOD, "Enough of all your abominations, O house of Israel, when you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, {even} My house, when you offered My food, the fat and the blood; for they made My covenant void-{this} in addition to all your abominations. And you have not kept charge of My holy things yourselves, but you have set {foreigners} to keep charge of My sanctuary." ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, "No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary."’ (Ezekiel 44:5-9) The behavior of the house of Israel was most grievous to the Lord. It was an abomination, which is something disgusting, even idolatrous. However, there was one class of people whom the Lord will hold accountable for such abominations in the Day of Judgment.

"But the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, shall bear the punishment for their iniquity. Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house and ministering in the house; they shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them. Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn against them," declares the Lord GOD, "that they shall bear the punishment for their iniquity. And they shall not come near to Me to serve as a priest to Me, nor come near to any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the house, of all its service, and of all that shall be done in it." (Ezekiel 44:10-14)

Some of the Levites knew better but they did not follow the Lord. Instead, they went astray with the people and the Lord will hold them accountable for the iniquity of the house of Israel. The result is that they will not be allowed to minister to the Lord in His sanctuary in the millennial Kingdom. They will lose the right to come near Him as His priests. But notice that they are not fully excluded from serving, although they will lose the right to the most intimate part of service to the Lord. They will keep charge of the house but will not serve the Lord in His house. Actually, this is a prophetic view of some of the determinations that will be made when the house of Israel passes under the rod and is judged when Messiah comes to deliver them after the Great Tribulation. All of the house of Israel will be gathered together from throughout the earth and from the graves (Ezekiel 37:1-28; Matthew 24:31), but those who were rebellious will be excluded from entering into the inheritance, the land of promise.

"And I shall make you pass under the rod, and I shall bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I shall purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I shall bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the LORD." (Ezekiel 20:37-38). In other words, the future judgment of the house of Israel will result in some being excluded from the inheritance and from serving the Lord in a most personal way. They will be in the Kingdom but they will not enjoy the benefit of those who had been obedient to the Lord. However, there is one class of people who will be rewarded for faithfulness to the Lord and who will serve Him in His sanctuary.

"But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer Me the fat and the blood," declares the Lord GOD. They shall enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to My table to minister to Me and keep My charge. And it shall be that when they enter at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and wool shall not be on them while they are ministering in the gates of the inner court and in the house. Linen turbans shall be on their heads, and linen undergarments shall be on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with {anything which makes them} sweat." (Ezekiel 44:15-18) When the sons of Israel went astray, the sons of Zadok remained faithful to the Lord by keeping His sanctuary. In the Day of Judgment, they will be rewarded with a holy allotment set apart to the Lord. They will receive the inheritance that is most dear to the Lord, His sanctuary, the place of His presence.

"{It shall be} for the priests who are sanctified of the sons of Zadok, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the sons of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray." (Ezekiel 48:11) The sons of Zadok were sanctified (holy, set apart unto the Lord), they kept His charge by not following the sons of Israel and they did not go astray from their duty as the other Levites had done. This is a type of what it will be like for the Church of God, as well. In the Day of Judgment, there will be those who will be rewarded for faithfulness and those who will suffer loss for unfaithfulness to the Lord (in character and in service). The unfaithful will be like the Levites who went astray. They will be in the Kingdom but they will not come into the highest calling of being closely and intimately related to the Lord. They will not be included as part of the Bride of Christ. Instead, they will be shut out of the wedding feast, cast outside in the place of darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:42; Matthew 13:50; Matthew 22:13; Matthew 24:51; Matthew 25:1-2; Matthew 25:30). Some people might be tempted to think that since they will enter the eternal ages, if they suffer loss or miss reigning during the Kingdom Age, it won’t be so bad. Can anyone be so sure of that? To be sure, the Levites who went astray will have much regret, even though they will be in the Kingdom, for they will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

"And I say to you, that many shall come from east and west, and recline {at the table} with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:11-12)

Notice that the sons of the Kingdom (house of Israel) will have regret for losing the right to ascend the throne with Christ to rule over this earth in the heavenly realm. The Lord is the one who said that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. To do this for 1,000 years is a mighty long time. The weeping will come when believers who squandered their opportunity to reign see how much they lost by gaining their soul-life while they were in the body.

"For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds." (Matthew 16:25-27) On the other hand, there will be those brethren who gave up their soul-life and allowed the Lord to break them who will enter into the joy of their Lord. They will receive the reward of the inheritance of the Kingdom and reign with Christ in the most intimate way, as part of the Bride of Christ. Like the sons of Zadok, they will have a covering on their head; but instead of a turban, it will be a crown-crowned with glory and honor. Why will they receive the inheritance? Because they lived a sanctified life, a holy life set apart unto the Lord; in love, they kept the Lord’s commands ["If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15)]; they did not stray from the truth but kept the faith. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, {engaged} in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach-if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister. (Colossians 1:21-23{ea})

Dear brethren, the reward of the inheritance of the Kingdom is a tremendous reward. Some might be tempted to think that the eternal ages are all that matter. All who think this way need to be reminded of Paul’s words to the carnal Christians in Corinth: "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and {which} have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). Who would want to miss out on what God has prepared for those who love Him? Who would want to miss being embraced in the lavish love of Christ for an entire millennium as a foretaste of the eternal bliss for God’s people? Nothing on earth today can compare with what God has in store for His people when they ascend the throne with His Son to rule in the heavenly places during the coming age. It is utter foolishness for any born-again child of God to willingly squander such an opportunity. Of what value is it being a Christian if we are not living with the hope of entering into the joy of our Lord and one day soon seeing Him face to face and embracing the One who loves us with an immeasurable, unwavering love?

What is the secret to receiving the reward of the inheritance of the Kingdom? It is love! "I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me" (Proverbs 8:17). Like the Shulamite maiden, let us seek the One whom our soul loves. Let us seek our Lord Jesus, the coming Bridegroom, for the reward is great. The reward is to be wed to the Lord Jesus forever! There is no greater reward.