| (Copyright 2023) by Dwight Fleming (Oroville, California) |
|---|
| “Behold, I [Jesus] am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:12). Many Christians believe that heaven or eternal life will be their reward. However, salvation is a free gift and cannot be earned. No amount of good works will earn you salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). Rather, it is by the grace of God through faith. Consequently, many Christians only focus on the scriptures that pertain to salvation often ignoring the Old Testament which is foundational to understanding the plan of God. If doing good works doesn’t earn us salvation, then why should we bother? If putting forth effort to better understand God or the Bible doesn’t earn us salvation, then why should we spend time doing so? Are good works only vain effort? “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 11:6). One definition of diligent: “having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties.” So, we must not only believe that God exists, but we must also believe that God is a rewarder of our efforts (work) to seek Him. This would certainly include our obedience to Him (See Isaiah 55). For those who would suffer persecution for the sake of following Christ, Jesus said that our reward is great in heaven (Matthew 5:11-12). He did not say that our reward is heaven, but that our reward is in heaven. Many Christians wrongly believe that they will go to heaven when they die. Rather, the Bible teaches that those dead in Christ are waiting in their graves for the resurrection at Christ’s return. See Corinthians 15. Briefly, the Resurrection will occur at the Last Trump. I contend that this will occur on a future Pentecost (Feast of Firstfruits). Jesus will gather the resurrected saints in the clouds from the four winds (Matthew 24:29-31). He will return to heaven with them for the marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:1-9). Afterwards, the wrath of God will be poured out upon the inhabitants of the earth to avenge the blood of the saints (See Revelation 15:1-7). This will lead to Christ returning to earth with His Bride to make war against the Beast on the following Feast of Trumpets (Revelation 19:11-21). We will then rule with Christ for a thousand years upon the earth (Revelation 5:9-10). This needs further study but is a brief summary for now. The main subject of this letter is the Rewards that God offers for our obedience and service to Him. It is often overlooked by many who think that salvation is the only worthy goal. Our repentance and acceptance of Christ’s shed blood to atone for our sins and the receiving of the Holy Spirit upon baptism is what allows us to receive the gift of salvation. But then what? This is important for all Christians to understand. When you were born, you were naked. When you are born into God’s kingdom at the Resurrection, do you want to be standing there butt naked on the Sea of Glass while others are clothed with white robes of righteousness? Is this why Christ gave the warning in Revelation 16:15: “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.” Yes, you will be in God’s kingdom and have eternal life but you may have some regrets that you failed to put forth diligent effort (work) to grow in the Spirit. “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12). Lance Wallnau touches upon the Rewards of God for Christians who obey God’s calling and commandments. Which does not earn us salvation but is part of God’s plan to make us sons and daughters of His kingdom and rulers with Christ. You will find his message stimulating even if you don’t agree with everything that he says. Here is the link to Lance’s message on Divine Rewards: https://rumble.com/v3cffxu-mysteries-about-divine-rewards-and-the-next-life-revealed-here.html ———————————————————————————————————- See Dwight Fleming’s other articles at: Fleming, Dwight – Church of God, Bismarck (church-of-god-bismarck.org) ———————————————————————————————————- |
Views: 4
Sign up to Receive [The "New" Church of God Messenger] weekly newsletter: