Eternity: Where God makes all things new and all things right!

What awaits – A home for God’s family.

In the book Knowing Joy and Peace in a Fallen World, we focused on this life, and how (through God’s grace) we can know true happiness. That’s our great challenge, and that’s God’s great promise. We’ve not looked in any detail at eternity or the eternal rewards that God promises to those who choose to put their faith in Jesus and follow Him.

Eternal rewards should not be the motivation for our walk with God. We don’t want to follow Jesus because of the promise of an eternal payday. We follow Him because we genuinely love Him and want to serve Him.

But at the same time, God wants us to know what awaits us when we die. He wants to comfort our natural fears of death, and He wants to instill confidence in His children that their Heavenly Father is going to be fair and indeed generous with them when He finally brings them home.

And so now we are going to have some fun! We are going to take a quick look at Joy and Peace in a perfect world; that is, in eternity, when we are no longer strangers living out finite lives in a world full of both good and evil. We are family members living out eternal lives in a world full of only Joy, Peace, and blessing!

Ephesians 2:19 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are… of God’s household,” (NASB)

Approaching Heaven.

Two amazing promises.

This is a very broad topic that could easily be a volume in itself. In fact, there are many fine books devoted to just this one subject. There are also many different and equally legitimate interpretations of exactly what eternity will be like.

The purpose of this brief summary is not to get into the details of exactly how eternal rewards will be bestowed, or exactly when the eternal state will begin. Instead, our approach to this subject will be to look at two broad and far reaching promises that most everyone will agree are clearly declared in God’s Word, and they are more marvelous that we can even begin to comprehend! In eternity, God will make:

* All things new; and

* All things right.

Revelation 21:5 “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!…’ ” (NIV)

Revelation 7:17 “for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (NASB)

God will make all things new.

A broad overview of dispensations.

To understand eternity, we need to begin with an extremely broad overview of human history. This has to do with what is sometimes called “dispensations.” Dispensations is a way of breaking up human history according to the differences in the way God has and will communicate to mankind, along with other factors.

There are a few different ways to do this, and the purpose of this section is not pick one method over another. There are several good ways to structure dispensations. We will just break things down very simply in order to set the stage for a look into eternity.

Human history began with what can be called the dispensation of the Gentiles. This would be from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, until the time of Abraham circa 2000 B.C. Why is it called the dispensation of the Gentiles? Because this is before the Jewish race was established. What distinguishes this dispensation, among other characteristics, is that it was a time before there was any written Word of God. In fact, most people were illiterate. God communicated to people directly through angels, dreams, visions, miracles, and by speaking audibly to people.

From Abraham to Christ can be thought of as the dispensations of the Jews. This is the age of Abraham, Moses, David, and finally, Jesus Himself. During this dispensation there were the miraculous means of communication described in the Gentile dispensation, and also an incomplete canon of Scripture in the form of the books of the Bible we now know as the Old Testament.

From Jesus to the present can be thought of as the dispensation of the Church. Here we have the completed canon of the Scripture, with all of the books from both the Old and New Testament, as a primary means through which God communicates His truth.

The return of Jesus.

That is an extremely broad way of looking at human history to date. There are several other ways to do it in more detail that are excellent, but again, we are just trying to get an overview here, and we are not attempting to dive into the nuances of dispensational theology. We can just think of human history as Creation to Abraham, Abraham to Jesus, and Jesus until now.

There is a fair amount of disagreement about exactly what happens next. In studying Revelation, Jesus’ words in the Gospels, and the prophetical books such as Daniel, there appears to be a seven-year period of intense worldwide turmoil sometimes called the “Tribulation.” Some also believe there is a “Rapture” of the Church age believers whereby they are taken up into heaven and do not experience the Tribulation. Some believe the Rapture takes place at the beginning of the Tribulation. Some believe it takes place in the middle. Some at the end. And some not at all.

Matthew 24:3-27 “… ‘what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered and said… ‘there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved… Behold, I have told you in advance… For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.’ ” (NASB)

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep (an idiom for death), so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (NASB)

The purpose of this study is not to get into any of that. It’s a fascinating subject, and there are plenty of good resources out there for you to explore. What most people agree upon, and what is important for our study, is that at some point following these things Jesus returns.

When Jesus first came to earth, He came on a very specific mission: To show us how to love and to die for our sins. In this context, He is sometimes referred to as the “Lamb of God.” This is an image drawn from the Levitical sacrifices, where a spotless lamb was symbolically sacrificed on an altar, representing the atonement of our sins.

John 1:29-34 “The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!… I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.’ ” (NASB)

1 Peter 1:18,19 “… you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold… but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (NASB)

God’s Word is also very clear that, at some point after Jesus’ resurrection, He will return to earth. This time His mission will be very different. He will come to set up a 1000-year reign of freedom and peace, sometimes called the “Millennium.”

Revelation 20:6 “…Christ… will reign… for a thousand years.” (NIV)

Here, Jesus is not referred to as the Lamb of God, but rather the “Lion of Judah.” Judah is the eldest tribe of Israel, from which Jesus is descended. The image of the lion represents the power and authority Jesus will exercise during the Millennium.

Revelation 5:4 “… Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed…” (NIV)

In His first “advent,” or appearance on earth, Jesus came like a sacrificial lamb to bring about our eternal, spiritual salvation. In His second advent, He comes like a lion and brings about a temporal, earthly salvation, where He personally brings peace and freedom to all the earth.

What is truly fascinating is that at the end of the Millennium, there is a revolt against Jesus’ reign by a portion of the men and women on earth. How this comes about and the motivations for this revolt are beyond the scope of this study, but suffice it to say, human nature doesn’t change. At any point in human history – whether it is Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the generations of Noah, Moses, or Jesus, the present, or even the Millennial reign of Christ Himself – some people choose to put their faith in God and some people choose to defy Him. Freewill remains free, and that means there will be good and evil. See Revelation 20.

Now here’s what’s important for our study. At the end of this revolution there is a final, conclusive victory over evil by Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Human history comes to an end and eternity begins.

Revelation 19:11-16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’ ” (NASB)

A new heaven and a new earth.

So how does human history end and eternity begin? Again, the purpose of this study is not to try to establish any definitive timeline as to exactly what happens when. We are just looking in broad terms at what we know is promised. And one of the major events that occur at this point is the total, absolute destruction of the universe as we know it.

2 Peter 3:7-12 “… the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction… the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness… the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” (NASB)

That can be a somewhat frightening thought, but the exceptionally good news is that the present universe is destroyed in order to make way for a new universe, unstained by sin and evil and specifically designed by the God of all creation for our delight.

Revelation 21:1-4 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away… And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’ ” (NASB)

2 Peter 3:13,14 “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,” (NASB)

A new body.

Obviously the greatness and glory of this new universe could not be enjoyed in our present, mortal bodies, or anything like it, and so at some point we also receive what is sometimes referred to as a “resurrection” body; that is, a body that is similar to the body of the resurrected Christ. Exactly when we receive it is much debated, but not in this work. We can just be comforted in the promise that one day we will receive a body that no longer gets injured or sick, no longer ages, and no longer dies. We will have a body that can receive the blessings of God and stand joyfully in His glorious physical presence for all eternity.

Philippians 3:8-21 “… I (Paul) count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord… For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (NASB)

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 “… flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable… the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality… then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ … thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (NIV)

God promises us a new and perfect universe and a new and perfect body with which to enjoy it forever. But His blessings do not end there. Each of us lived out unique lives in a fallen world. We knew times of blessing and times of hardship. To varying degrees we experienced fairness but also injustice. Some dreams were realized, and some never came true. Sacrifices were made, and perhaps not completely rewarded. Good that we did may never have been recognized, while utter buffoons may have (seemingly) enjoyed lives of great ease and luxury. In a fallen world, life is not what we might consider “fair.”

In eternity, all of this changes forever. There is no hardship and no injustice. Everything is laid bare. All thoughts, words, and deeds are examined personally by God Himself. Every motivation and effort is carefully and flawlessly considered, and divine attention is paid to each and every act of faith, no matter how large or small. And then, our holy, loving God rises up as only He can and makes all things absolutely and eternally right.

Matthew 19:28-30 “Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne… everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.’ ” (NIV)

God will make all things right.

A perfect Witness to your life.

So often we think no one sees, no one hears, and no one understands. We think there is no one who truly knows what we are going through, or what it’s like to be us. But the truth is: There is someone who knows all of this and much, much more in infinite detail – God.

Psalm 139:1-24 “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all… For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb… Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” (NASB)

Psalm 44:21 “… God… knows the secrets of the heart.” (NASB)

As we have seen, whether we realize it or not, we live out our lives in the presence of God. God is omnipresent. He exists everywhere. There is no place He is not. And He also cares, more deeply than we can even begin to comprehend. He is right beside us, from birth until our dying breath (and beyond). Whether we are sensitive to His presence is another matter, but the point is this: There is a Witness to your life, who was by your side every single moment without exception. He saw everything you ever said or did. He was also able to comprehend every thought that ever entered your mind, and moreover, perfectly divine your every motivation. He knows you infinitely better than you know yourself.

Psalm 139:7,8 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” (NIV)

Acts 17:26-28 “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ ” (NIV)

Hebrews 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (NIV)

And we could also say He knows the “score.” He knows every injustice we suffered, and every injustice we caused. He knows every hardship we endured, and every hardship we created. He knows everything we did for both good and evil, and this has profound consequences in eternity.

Jeremiah 23:24 “ ‘Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth…?’ ” (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” (NASB)

A perfect Judge of your life.

God is not only the perfect Witness to our lives. He is also the perfect Judge of our lives. Because He was there to personally witness every thought, word, and deed, He is uniquely qualified to fairly judge whether we brought good or evil into the world, and why.

At first this may seem somewhat intimidating. We know God is holy, and we are not. We know we have sinned throughout our lives, and fallen short of the glory of God. Our first impulse may be to worry how the scales will tip between good and evil, because that is how we as humans tend to judge one another, and we also tend to do so haphazardly and preferentially.

But having God as both Witness and Judge is actually overwhelmingly good news! God is absolutely and infinitely righteous, fair, and loving. He is neither inconsistent nor biased in either His observations as Witness or pronouncements as Judge. He is honest, faithful, and true every time.

Jeremiah 9:23,24 “Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the Lord.” (NASB)

Deuteronomy 32:3,4 “I will proclaim the name of the Lord… He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” (NIV)

Psalm 98:1-9 “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things… for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.” (NIV)

1 Peter 2:21-23 “… Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (NIV)

And this judgment is not about salvation. God is not balancing out the good and evil in our lives to see if we made the cut to get into heaven. That demarcation depends on one thing and one thing only: Did we choose to receive Jesus as our Savior? There is no balancing out our good to see if it measures up to the prize of heaven. No one is that good, except Jesus Himself.

Ephesians 2:8,9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (NASB)

Titus 3:5-7 “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy… so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (NIV)

Colossians 1:19-20 “For God was pleased… through him (Jesus) to reconcile to himself all things… by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (NIV)

This judgment is about rewards… and rewards only. And that means it’s not about punishment. It’s not about God going through your life and beating you up for all the stupid and horrible things you did. It’s about your loving Heavenly Father sitting down with you and carefully going through your life in order to sift out the good you did, evaluate it for its worth, and joyfully reward you disproportionally in your favor (more on this later).

Revelation 22:12 “Look, I (Jesus) am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” (NIV)

Revelation 11:17,18 “… We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because… The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small…” (NIV)

The bonfire (searching for genuine faith).

As we begin eternity, there will come a moment when you will meet individually with God, and everything He witnessed in your life will be laid out before the two of you. God will analyze everything you thought, said, and did, in the context of everything you experienced. He will take into consideration the environment in which you were raised, the historical time in which you lived, every advantage you enjoyed, and every disadvantage you endured. It will be a detailed airing of the entirety of your life in perfect context with perfect objectivity.

Romans 14:10-12 “… For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God… then each one of us will give account of himself to God.” (NASB)

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (NASB)

With everything about your life finally out in the open, God then goes on a search for the thing He values most – genuine faith. God’s Word describes this metaphorically as God stacking up everything you thought, said, and did into a great big pile. Then God puts a match to it. And everything that was without eternal significance is burned away and turned to ash (like wood, hay, and straw caught in a blaze), while everything that truly mattered remains and becomes the basis of your eternal rewards (pictured as silver, gold, and precious stones).

1 Peter 1:1-17 “… To God’s elect, strangers in the world… Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power… In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy… Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” (NIV – 1984 ed.)

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 “… each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames.” (NIV)

The difference (motivations and efforts).

So what makes the difference? What makes one thing of lasting eternal value and another thing meaningless? How does God decide what is a genuine act of faith?

As we saw earlier in this study, God is intensely interested in our motivations and efforts. These are two things God looks at very closely, because they are the two things that are solely within our control. They are the best reflections of what is in our heart. They demonstrate who we truly are and how much we truly want to be of service to God. They are the indicators of genuine faith.

Proverbs 27:19 “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man.” (NASB)

1 Peter 3:4 “… the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit… is precious in the sight of God.” (NASB)

Proverbs 16:2 “All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives.” (NASB)

Hebrews 12:14 “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy…” (NIV)

What God doesn’t consider at all in this context is the results of our motivations and efforts, because that is totally up to Him. How God chooses to use purely motivated hard work in His plan depends entirely upon His purpose, which as we have seen can sometimes be very difficult to discern. Remember Noah’s motivations were pure and his efforts where herculean, yet he convinced no one to follow God other than his immediate family (although he certainly accomplished God’s purpose). See Genesis 6 & 7. Jonah had terrible motivations and did next to nothing, and led an entire city to repent (which also accomplished God’s purpose but left Jonah suicidal). See Jonah 3 & 4.

Galatians 5:6 “… The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (NIV)

This is another great example of how God’s ways are exactly the opposite of our ways. We focus so intently on results. We judge our accomplishments through the weights and measures of head counts and dollar signs, when God is not focused on any of that! God wants us working hard to do what’s right for the right reason; that is, because we love Him and love others. He then wants us to trust Him with the results and be confident that no matter what becomes of our efforts, He will reward the hard work we do because we love our Maker and those He has made.

Revelation 3:17 “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (NIV)

Luke 16:15 “He (Jesus) said to them (the Pharisees), ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.’ ” (NIV)

1 Samuel 16:7 “… for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (NASB)

1 Corinthians 3:19 “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight…” (NIV)

Isaiah 49:23 “… those who hope in me (God) will not be disappointed.” (NIV)

It’s also really important to get something else into our heads. Even though something we do apparently has great results, we cannot assume God is going to reward us for it. God is going to look first and foremost at our motivations, and reward us accordingly. For example, there are (and always have been) plenty of preachers out there saying perfectly true things about God in order to get rich, and they legitimately communicate truth that others benefit from, but they have no reward with God, who sees what they really want is fame and fortune, not to serve God and other people.

Romans 12:9 “Love must be sincere…” (NIV)

1 Corinthians 13:3 “And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor… but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” (NASB)

Matthew 6:1-6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (NASB)

Matthew 25:31-40 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ ” (NIV)

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me (Jesus), ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (NIV)

Philippians 1:15-18 “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love… The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition… But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I (Paul) rejoice...” (NIV)

Isaiah 55:10,11 “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (NIV)

1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (NASB)

Galatians 4:18 “It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good…” (NIV)

Joel 2:13 “Rend your heart and not your garments…” (NIV)

We must carefully consider our every thought, word, and deed and ask ourselves: Why did I do that, and at what cost? What was my motivation, and did I try as hard as I could? In eternity, God is going to pose these questions, and our truthful replies will make all the difference in the (new!) world.

1 Chronicles 28:9 “… serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you…” (NASB)

1 Corinthians 4:5 “… the Lord… will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” (NASB)

The answers (drying our tears).

We stand before God. He brings forth everything He has witnessed in our lives and piles it in a heap. Then He fairly judges us, as with a flame, and all that was done for selfish reasons is burned away.

We are not disciplined for the wrong we did, in the sense of an eternal punishment that torments us forever. That’s not God’s purpose in this judgment. This is in a sense, an “affirmative” judgment, where God’s intent is not to correct His child, but rather to reveal to His child the true accomplishments of his or her life, sifting through every thread with the intention of discovering what can be rewarded, not what can be punished.

Our only punishment (although it is a considerable one) will be to see so much of what we did with our lives burn up and drift away in ash. It’s the loss of what could have been that hurts, not some sort of eternal chastisement. And the only person we will be able to blame for that is ourselves.

1 John 4:17 “This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.” (NIV)

1 John 2:28 “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” (NIV)

What an amazing moment! We will finally see and understand how God used us during our lives to further His purpose. Everything hidden will be revealed. We will see how every piece of our life’s puzzle fit together and into the greater puzzle of human history. We will discover the impact of every decision we made on those around us, and how those decisions rippled through time, influencing future generations like concentric circles expanding forever on the surface of the waters of history.

Mark 4:1-23 “Again Jesus began to teach by the lake… He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: ‘Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’ When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, ‘… The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown… Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.’ ” (NIV)

Every uncertainty will be fully explained and justified. God will answer all of our “whys” and “what ifs,” and in doing so He will demonstrate His righteousness and justice. He will successfully defend the fairness of every choice He made that impacted our lives. He will reveal His reasons, and His reasons will be good.

Isaiah 56:1,2 “Thus says the Lord, ‘Preserve justice and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come and My righteousness to be revealed. How blessed is the man who does this…’ ” (NASB)

Daniel 2:20-22 “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever… He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.” (NIV)

1 Peter 4:12-19 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed… Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” (NASB – 1975 ed.)

Matthew 10:26 “… for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” (NASB)

Revelation 15:3,4 “and (those in heaven) sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: ‘Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations… For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.’ ” (NIV)

And through this, every heartbreak will be comforted, and every tear will be wiped away, not by an angel or some other proxy on God’s behalf because He is too busy for us, but by almighty God Himself! He will with His own hand dry our tears, and we will finally have all of the answers that may have been absent in life.

Revelation 7:16,17 “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore… for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (NASB)

Revelation 21:3,4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’ ” (NASB)

And with these answers will come great rewards.

The rewards (disproportionate and limitless).

These long awaited answers are great rewards in themselves, but God does not leave it at that. This is His party with the children He died for and has longed to unite in one family. And so He finally rewards His children in full for every act of genuine faith they chose throughout their lives, no matter how small.

Matthew 10:42 “And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.” (NASB)

Now before we begin to look at the types of eternal rewards God promises to bestow upon His faithful children, we should understand a couple of things. First consider this. In a sense, God does not reward us as we deserve. He rewards us better than we deserve. Our rewards are disproportionate to our faith, greatly in our favor. There is not a one-to-one parity between eternal rewards and acts of faith. It’s a hundred-to-one pile up. God pours on the blessings, far exceeding what we deserve, because that is who He is – the merciful, generous, loving God who purchased our salvation through the blood of His Son. So be encouraged!

Colossians 2:2 “… be encouraged… attaining to all the wealth that comes from full assurance of understanding…” (NASB)

Romans 8:18,32 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us… He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (NASB)

2 Corinthians 4:17,18 “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (NASB)

Luke 6:35-38 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men… Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” (NASB)

2 Corinthians 5:1-10 “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven… 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 we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (NASB)

Colossians 3:23,24 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (NIV)

Hebrews 6:10-12 “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him… We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” (NIV)

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (NIV)

Isaiah 49:23 “… those who hope in me (God) will not be disappointed.” (NIV)

Another thing to understand is that the eternal rewards described in God’s Word are pictures of things far too great for our finite minds to comprehend. In eternity there are literally no limitations. There are no boundaries. Our infinite God has infinite time and infinite resources to bless those He infinitely loves. How could we for one second truly expect to understand what He has in store?

1 Corinthians 2:9 “but just as it is written, ‘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.’ ” (NASB)

Revelation 2:26-28 “He who overcomes… I will give him the morning star.” (NASB)

And so what we are about to look at are symbolic illustrations meant to impart a small glimpse of the wonders to come.

Three wreaths – Righteousness, Life, and Glory.

In the ancient world one of the highest rewards an athlete or soldier could receive was a garland or wreath to wear about his head. That might not seem like much of a reward to us, but actually it was quite incredible, because the wreath was a symbol of an entire package of rewards that included tremendous honor, public acclaim, and wealth. This bundle of rewards represented by the wreath included:

* A victory parade in the person’s honor.

* A section of city wall torn down for his entrance into the city, to be rebuilt and forever sealed with an inscription of his name and accomplishments.

* A large cash reward.

* Large annual stipends.

* A lifetime pass to the games.

* An ode composed in his honor.

* A statue commissioned in his honor.

* His children fed and educated at public expense.

* Exemption from taxes for life.

* Large tracts of land, and the income they generated.

People in the ancient world understood what these wreaths represented, so Paul used them in his writings to describe eternal rewards. In the following verses, these wreaths are referred to as “crowns,” but the Greek word for crown is diadema, which is not the word Paul uses in these passages. He uses the word stephanos, which describes a garland of leaves worn about the head; that is, a wreath.

1 Corinthians 9:24,25 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown (stephanos – or wreath) that will not last; but we do it to get a crown (stephanos – or wreath) that will last forever.” (NIV)

There are several wreaths described in God’s Word. There is the wreath of righteousness, awarded to those who persevere in following Jesus and do not forsake their love for Him.

2 Timothy 4:7,8 “I (Paul) have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown (stephanos – or wreath) 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 longed for His appearing.” (NASB)

The wreath of life is awarded to those who not only persevere, but do so despite great hardship. Those who remain faithful to Jesus, even while enduring terrible suffering, will be honored and rewarded by the One they glorified through their faith.

Revelation 2:10 “Do not fear what you are about to suffer… that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation… Be faithful until death, and I (Jesus Christ) will give you the crown (stephanos – or wreath) of life.” (NASB)

James 1:12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown (stephanos – or wreath) of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” (NIV)

Pastors, evangelists, and missionaries who faithfully serve God and others have a special wreath just for them called a wreath of glory.

1 Peter 5:1-4 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown (stephanos – or wreath) of glory.” (NASB)

Now let’s reconsider the bundle of earthly rewards that the ancient wreaths represented, and try to imagine how they might translate into eternal rewards.

* A victory parade, not before a city, but before all creation.

* A portion of the walls of the eternal city of Jerusalem, inscribed with your name forever.

* We can fairly assume there is no need for cash or stipends in eternity, but there certainly may be the eternal equivalent of what they can purchase.

* Admittance to exclusive events with amazing people who lived throughout history.

* Divine music and art created in your honor.

* Large tracts of the new universe for your enjoyment.

We can let our imaginations run wild. One thing is for certain, the actual rewards will be far, far, far better than anything we can presently envision.

Ephesians 3:20,21 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (NIV)

Those who “overcome.”

A common theme that runs through all of the eternal rewards we will look at in this Coda is: They are designed for those who do not quit. They are not intended for those who start out on the right path, but then turn aside or just sit down and stop moving forward. They are for those who don’t give up. Where you start is not the issue, it’s how you finish the race.

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (NIV)

1 Corinthians 9:24 “… Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (NIV)

In the verses describing the next few eternal rewards, this is styled as those who “overcome.” God rewards those who, by His grace, overcome the adversity that life in a fallen world throws at them. There is no reward for avoidance, denial, surrender, or defection. God wants us to face these things head on and defeat them.

James 1:2-8 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” (NIV)

Our God is a God of victory, not compromise or negotiated settlements. He will help us overcome every regret, fear, and addiction, if we will let Him. He has given us His eternal Word as our unfailing light, so we can defeat every darkness. He has given us His empowering Spirit as our guide and strength, so we can defeat every weakness. And He promises He will never test us beyond our ability to endure. He loves us too much for that!

Psalm 20:1-9 “May the Lord answer you when you are in distress… May he send you help… May he give you the desire of your heart… Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God… we rise up and stand firm. Lord… Answer us when we call!” (NIV)

Psalm 149:4 “For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.” (NIV)

1 John 5:4,5 “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (NIV)

1 Corinthians 15:57,58 “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (NIV)

2 Peter 1:2-4 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him… He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature…” (NASB)

1 Thessalonians 5:5-28 “You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled… putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet… May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it… The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (NIV – 1984 ed.)

Micah 7:7,8 “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.” (NASB)

Ephesians 3:16 “… be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,” (NASB)

Romans 8:26 “… the Spirit helps us in our weakness…” (NIV)

Hebrews 4:15,16 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.” (NASB)

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (NASB)

2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His…” (NASB)

This does not mean we will achieve perfection in our lives. As we have seen, we will all at times stumble, because we are human. But we need not become incapacitated by anything. There is nothing with the power to hold us down and prevent us from accomplishing God’s purpose. If we will let Him, God will pick us up when we stumble, wash us clean, get us on the right path, and help us finish the race victoriously.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.” (NASB)

Isaiah 44:22 “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (NIV)

Hebrews 12:1-13 “… let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith… strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.” (NASB)

Philippians 3:13,14 “… forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (NASB)

Psalm 37:1-24 “Do not fret because of those who are evil… Trust in the Lord and do good… Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him… The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” (NIV)

Jude 1:24,25 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (NASB)

God’s children are not doomed to remain in bondage to those things that test our faith. Our Heavenly Father will break every chain and lead us to victory in every battleground as we trust in Him. We will overcome the hurt and sadness in the fallen world, and as we do, we will glorify God, illuminate the darkness, and receive blessings beyond our imagination.

Psalm 116:1-16 “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me… I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord… The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion… For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. I trusted in the Lord… Truly I am your servant, Lord… you have freed me from my chains.” (NIV)

Psalm 107:1-43 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story… they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress… Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love… for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things… He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains… he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron… He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave… He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground… He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs… Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.” (NIV)

2 Corinthians 4:6-10 “For God… has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves… that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” (NASB)

1 Peter 4:11 “… If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (NIV)

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world… Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (NASB)

Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand firm… that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” (NASB)

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (NIV)

We have God’s unbreakable promise that if we will trust in Him and rely on His grace, we will overcome. Let’s see what God has in store for those who do.

The morning star and authority over the nations.

One of the rewards given to those who overcome is something called the morning star. The image of the morning star invokes feelings of hope and renewal. It heralds the end of the darkness of night and the coming of the light of day. It inspires courage and perseverance, with the promise of an impending sunrise. It also connotes leadership. The morning star is the light that leads us to the breaking dawn.

2 Peter 1:19 “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” (NASB)

With these things in mind, it’s no surprise that the “Morning Star” is a special title given to Jesus during His 1000 year millennial reign, when He is revealed in all His glory. He was our hope – our promise that one day the night would end. He was the light the darkness could not dim, upon whom we could fix our gaze as we journeyed through the gloom of the fallen world. He is also the first light, and the leader of all that is to come. And when He returns to set up His kingdom on earth, His light shines forth as if a star has descended from heaven.

Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus… am… the bright Morning Star.” (NIV)

As Jesus sets up His millennial reign on earth, He rewards those who persevered in faith, hope, love, and service with authority. He will not rule alone, but with the help of those who served Him faithfully. And so those who overcome the distractions and assaults of the fallen world will one day be granted authority over it.

2 Timothy 2:11,12 “Here is a trustworthy saying… if we endure, we will also reign with him…” (NIV)

How will we know who has been granted this authority? They will receive from Jesus Himself something that makes the receipt of this honor unmistakable – a divine gift called the morning star!

Revelation 2:18-28 “… The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first… he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.’ ” (NASB)

This is one of those areas where our finite minds can’t really comprehend exactly what this might mean. Jesus – who is the bright Morning Star – gives those who love Him enough to overcome the world their own morning star, and together they will rule the nations for 1000 years.

Clothed in white and commended before the Father.

Another distinction in eternity for those who overcome is to be clothed in white. It’s interesting to note that at the transfiguration of Christ, when He was briefly revealed to Peter, James, and John in all His glory, Jesus was described as wearing dazzling white clothes, as bright as lightning.

Mark 9:2,3 “… Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.” (NIV)

Luke 9:28,29 “… Jesus… took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” (NIV)

Those who faithfully trust God throughout their lives, and overcome both the petty temptations and the mighty sufferings of a fallen world, are rewarded with similar clothing. Through this, they are uniquely identified with the One they chose to serve through every triumph and every heartbreak. They didn’t soil themselves in life with the base things of the world, and they are clothed in eternity with garments that reflect the purity of their choices.

But this blessing does not end there. After clothing His faithful servants in the same dazzling white He wears, Jesus leads them into the presence of the Father and His angels and commends them by name. Try to imagine that!

Revelation 3:4,5 “… you have a few people… who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white; for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments… and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.” (NASB)

Next to Jesus on His throne.

When Jesus was resurrected, He is said to have ascended to heaven to sit down with the Father on His throne. Jesus overcame every temptation and every obstacle that threatened to prevent Him from accomplishing God’s plan for His life. He then stood before the Father and was invited to be seated next to Him.

Mark 14:61,62 “… Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’ ‘I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ ” (NIV)

Mark 16:19 “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.” (NIV)

Ephesians 1:18-23 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (NIV)

Hebrews 1:3-13 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say… ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?’ ” (NIV)

In the same way, when we overcome our unique trials and tribulations and then stand before Jesus, He invites us to sit down next to Him on His throne. Jesus honors us in the same way the Father honored Him!

Revelation 3:21 “He who overcomes, I (Jesus) will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (NASB)

The tree of life in the Paradise of God.

In heaven there appears to be a special place called the “Paradise of God,” of such richness and beauty we cannot even begin to imagine what it might be like. And within this paradise there is a “tree of life.” The tree of life is also mentioned in the garden of Eden (and is different from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” in Genesis 2) and near the gates of eternal Jerusalem (see Revelation 22).

To those who overcome, Jesus grants the right to eat of this tree. It’s a reward that entails both admittance into an exclusive part of heaven, and entitlement to enjoy something that exists only there.

Revelation 2:7 “… To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.” (NASB)

A white stone with a new name.

In the Roman culture, adoption was an important device through which wealth and power were transferred. Rather than leaving these things to biological heirs, who were often not worthy, they were left to adopted heirs. And part of the Roman adoption process involved receiving a white stone with a new, adopted name on it.

This imagery is used in the scriptures to describe another blessing for those who overcome. They receive a white stone from the Messiah, with a new name disclosed only to them. It’s as if they are adopted by Christ Himself, and become heir to all the blessings only He can provide.

Revelation 2:17 “… To him who overcomes, to him I will give… a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.” (NASB)

Pillars in the temple of God.

At the time of Christ, temple pillars were engraved with the accounts of history, so as you walked through a temple, you were reminded of the lives of great people. The scriptures state that those who overcome will be made a “pillar in the temple of My God,” meaning their life stories will be memorialized in the very temple of the living God for all eternity!

Revelation 3:12 “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God…” (NASB)

Historical context.

In thinking about these eternal rewards, it’s important to consider them in their historical context. To a modern audience, things like thrones, white robes, fruit bearing trees, and temple pillars have less impact. But to an ancient audience, they were profound. Kings sat on resplendent thrones and issued orders that dramatically affected the lives of millions of people. Clean, white clothes were only for the elite. Fresh fruit was a delicacy. White stones were like winning the lottery. Temple pillars were held in reverence and awe.

We can try to imagine modern equivalents of these things, but they would not really do them justice because culture and standards of living have dramatically changed. If you live in a western democracy, you might not have a throne, but you probably enjoy luxuries the kings of old did not. Just recognize that the rewards God wants to lavish on you translate into honor, excitement, and abundance far beyond anything we are able to presently conceive. And they will be ours, if by God’s grace we chose to overcome.

1 Peter 1:3,4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope… to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,” (NASB)

Misconceptions about Heaven (equality and boredom).

We tend to have serious misconceptions about heaven. One misconception relates to equality. In heaven, equality exists only in a limited sense. God certainly loves everyone equally, and everyone in heaven will know lasting eternal happiness. God will wipe away the tears from each of His children’s eyes.

But rewards will be vastly unequal. Everyone’s lives are different, both in broad generalities and in subtle nuances. Our eternal rewards will be equally different. Some will have tremendous rewards, and others will have very little to show for their lives. That doesn’t mean they will spend eternity in misery. They will not. But the scripture is very clear that as God makes everything new and everything right, He rewards according to our faithfulness, and just as the depth and duration of our faith differs, our rewards will differ. This is part of the justice God ultimately brings to the world. Anything less would be unfair, and rob human history of its meaning.

Matthew 19:27-30 “Peter answered him (Jesus), ‘We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.’ ” (NIV)

Another misconception is that heaven will be boring. Nothing could be further from the truth! Remember, heaven is infinite. It is a place literally without boundaries of time, space, or possibilities. Our time there will never come to an end. The new universe we will inhabit will have no edge. God will finally be able to unleash His infinite creativity and power to delight His children. Our finite minds can’t even begin to grasp what this truly means.

But what we can certainly be assured of is that it will not be dull! We see pictures depicting heaven with haloed people in robes strumming harps while reclined on fluffy clouds, and it’s less than inspiring. But the brief descriptions we do have of heaven in the scriptures are absolutely nothing like that. We see a place that is vibrant and alive, filled with divinely inspired music and art. There is intensity and excitement. And after the completion of human history and the beginning of the eternal state, we can rest assured that God’s immeasurable artistry and power will delight us in ways we simply cannot presently imagine.

Revelation 4:1-6 “After this I (John) looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven… and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing… Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.” (NIV)

Revelation 5:8,9 “… the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song…” (NIV)

Revelation 21:5-27 “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true… It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children…’ One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls… said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel… The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb… The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone… The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass… I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it… but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (NIV)

Revelation 22:1-5 “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” (NIV)

The question you should be asking yourself – The barrier to blessing.

As we consider all of these amazing things about heaven, there is a question that should pop into each of our heads if we want to experience all that God desires for us in eternity: What do I need to overcome?

It may be guilt. It may be an addiction. It may be some regret haunting your past, or some fear spoiling your future. It may be trauma, greed, disappointment, or doubt. It may be persecution for your faith. We could go on and on. There are plenty of things in this fallen world to make us stumble, create a foothold, and then hold us down, and we may be afflicted by many of them.

But there is nothing we cannot overcome by the power of God’s grace! And that, in a sense, is what we are here on earth to do. We are born into a fallen world, where freewill is truly free. Both good and evil will exist. And each of us will have our own unique journey through life with major obstacles to overcome.

Romans 8:16-39 “… we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed… We… groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved… And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV)

Psalm 23:1-6 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (NASB)

Psalm 25:4-9 “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” (NIV)

Hebrews 12:1-14 “… let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood… Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. ‘Make level paths for your feet,’ so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (NIV)

Psalm 119:165 “Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” (NIV)

But God uses the suffering inevitable in a fallen world to help us grow. As we overcome our hardships and come to know Joy and Peace regardless of our circumstances, our characters are molded into the likeness of Christ. Then God can use us in His service to accomplish His eternal plan and bring glory to Him and light to the world.

Proverbs 17:3 “The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests hearts.” (NASB)

Job 23:10 “… when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (NIV)

Philippians 2:14-16 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life…” (NASB)

1 Peter 2:10-17 “… you are the people of God… Live such good lives among the pagans that… they may see your good deeds and glorify God… Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men… For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God…” (NIV – 1984 ed.)

2 Corinthians 4:4-10 “… the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God… For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” (NASB)

2 Corinthians 3:3,18 “… you are a letter from Christ… written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts… And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord…” (NIV)

2 Corinthians 2:14,15 “… God… manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;” (NASB)

And with our service comes reward. In life, we are rewarded first and foremost with Joy inexpressible and Peace surpassing comprehension. We know true happiness in a fallen world. We are also rewarded (in part) with other blessings, although as we have seen these blessings may be limited depending on God’s purpose for our lives.

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)

Psalm 37:7-11 “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him… for… the humble will… delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” (NIV)

1 Peter 5:6,7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” (NIV)

Luke 6:35,36 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (NASB)

Luke 6:22,23 “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven…” (NIV)

In eternity, we are rewarded in full. The limitations imposed by mortal bodies and how God may have chosen to use us to serve Him in a fallen world are no more. The time finally comes when God can reveal blessings long prepared but which no eye has seen, and no ear has heard, and which have been too wonderful to enter into the finite hearts of mankind.

The only possible barrier to us receiving these amazing eternal rewards is: Our own freewill. Will we choose to receive God’s grace and overcome the challenges in our lives? The challenges are not the barrier. The challenges – no matter how insurmountable they seem – are nothing, because God’s grace is infinitely greater than anything we may encounter, and we have God’s promise that He will never test us more than our ability to overcome. The barrier is our will. That’s the one thing God will not battle for us. That battle is our own, and where both our temporal and eternal destinies are made.

Deuteronomy 30:19,20 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days…” (NASB)

Hebrews 13:5,6 “… He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’ ” (NASB)

Joshua 24:15 “… choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” (NIV)

And so as we journey through life with an eye towards eternity, we should look for those things we are called to overcome. Focus on them. Pray about them. Meditate on them in the light of God’s Word. Seek the wisdom and strength God’s Spirit provides. Instead of looking upon them with dread, look at them with gratitude as divine opportunities God has given you to trust and serve Him and thereby be blessed. Welcome them as an integral part of God’s plan for your life.

Matthew 5:11,12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me (Jesus). Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (NASB)

2 Corinthians 6:1-10 “… we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain… giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.” (NASB)

Acts 5:40-42 “… They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” (NASB)

James 1:2-12 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him… Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (NASB)

Then overcome them one day at a time. How? By emulating the love of Jesus for God and others; that is, by trusting God day by day, and encouraging, counseling, and forgiving one another as each day requires. Said another way: Have faith in God, and as you encounter various trials, take your stand and speak the truth in love.

Psalm 37:3-40 “Trust in the Lord and do good… Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light… Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him… the humble will… delight themselves in abundant prosperity… the Lord sustains the righteous. The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever… Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you… the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.” (NASB)

Hebrews 3:12,13 “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (NIV)

Romans 12:10-21 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor… rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (NASB)

1 Thessalonians 5:5-28 “You are all sons of the light and sons of the day… Therefore encourage one another and build each other up… Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus… Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil… May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it… The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (NIV – 1984 ed.)

Remember, God’s grace is imparted like manna in the wilderness – just enough for one day. We are not going to be supernaturally zapped with all the grace we need to overcome every obstacle we will ever encounter for the rest of our lives. But we have God’s unfailing promise that we will wake up every morning with everything we need to glorify God for that one day, if we will choose to do so. And as the days pass and we learn to consistently walk with Him, we will as the scriptures say “overwhelmingly conquer” every temptation and heartache that lies in our path. We will overcome!

Psalm 89:15-17 “Blessed are those who have learned to… walk in the light of your presence, Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness. For you are their glory and strength…” (NIV)

Lamentations 3:21-25 “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I have hope in Him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.” (NASB)

Romans 8:31-39 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things… Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NASB)

Until one day, everything changes. The path comes suddenly to an end, and instead of another day in a fallen world, we experience a new day in the perfect world of eternity. God takes us by the hand, and leads us out of this life and into the next. And into eternity we bring with us only one thing.

The only thing anyone takes into eternity.

Relationships: Our joy and crown.

We’ve all heard the phrase “you can’t take it with you,” and that’s absolutely true when it comes to material things. God’s Word warns us about spending our lives accumulating things that have no eternal value. In the arms of death, money, fame, and power all wither away, along with everything that comes with them.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (NIV)

1 Timothy 6:7-19 “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it… Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs… pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith… Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (NIV)

But there is one thing we absolutely do take with us into eternity: Our relationships. First and foremost, we bring our relationship with God with us, and this becomes the basis for what our eternity is like. If our relationship with God was close, and we knew Him well and served Him faithfully, then the abundance of our eternal rewards reflects this closeness. If we knew Him a little, and at some point received Jesus as our Savior but then went our own way, then this distance is reflected in our lack of eternal rewards. And if we had no relationship with God at all, and spent our life in defiance of Him, then this absence of relationship is sadly what condemns us to hell, which is best described as the absence of the presence of God. We had no relationship with Him in time, so we have no relationship with Him in eternity.

1 Timothy 2:3,4 “… God our Savior… desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (NASB)

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is… patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (NASB)

2 Thessalonians 1:8,9 “… those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus… will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,” (NASB)

2 Thessalonians 2:10 “… They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (NIV)

John 6:40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son, and believes in Him will have eternal life…” (NASB)

We also carry into heaven our relationships with other believers. The bonds of friendship that are developed in time are not broken by death. Although we may lose people we love throughout our lives, one of the greatest comforts we have is that they are not lost forever. If we share a faith in Christ, then our Shepherd will one day gather us all together again, in a place with no more tears, pain, or death. And there these priceless relationships will deepen, grow, and thrive for all eternity.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him… And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (NIV)

John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,’ ” (NASB)

1 Corinthians 15:52-58 “… the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed… For this perishable must put on the imperishable, this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’… thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (NASB)

Revelation 21:3,4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’ ” (NASB)

Ecclesiastes 7:2 “… death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” (NIV)

The Apostle Paul came from a privileged background, but he valued his relationships with God and fellow believers immeasurably more than the things of the world. He viewed the shared love of Christ as a catalyst for creating a community whose citizenship was not of the world, but rather of heaven, with Christ as the head of all things. And he described these relationships as his “joy and crown.”

Philippians 3:4 to 4:1 “… If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I (Paul) have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus… Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!” (NIV)

Relationships are tremendously difficult. We are all imperfect people with strengths and weaknesses. We sin and fall short of God’s glory, and we will never come to the point where we love God or each other perfectly.

Psalm 41:9-12 “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me. But may you have mercy on me, Lord; raise me up… uphold me and set me in your presence forever.” (NIV)

Philippians 3:12-16 “Not that I have… already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore… let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.” (NASB)

But relationships are also the only things that matter! They are the only things that truly last, because they are the only things we take with us into eternity. And so like Paul they should become our joy and crown – the things we derive our happiness from and perceive as our reward in life. They should be what we prize most, and what we devote our lives to nurturing.

Psalm 73:21-26 “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (NIV)

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (NASB)

Romans 12:1-18 “… offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is… Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope… as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (NIV)

This should begin with our relationship with God, and then spread into our relationships with other people. Why? Because in God, we have a partner in a relationship who is infinitely and absolutely holy and loving. He will always do what is right. He will always love us. And He will never change. That’s a friend we can count on, and in our relationship with Him we can establish a firm foundation upon which all other relationships can stand.

Psalm 62:1-12 “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken… Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge… One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.” (NIV – 1984 ed.)

2 Thessalonians 3:3 “… the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you…” (NASB)

Psalm 36:5-9 “Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies… And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” (NASB)

2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (NASB)

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (NASB)

Hebrews 10:22-24 “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith… Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,” (NASB)

1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” (NASB)

Proverbs 18:24 “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (NIV)

In our relationships with other people, we have partners who will eventually fail us to one degree or another, not because they are evil, but because they are human. Spouses, children, parents, siblings, and friends – even the best – will at some point fail us. That is the human condition, and so these relationships are inherently volatile.

Proverbs 30:18,19 “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman.” (NIV)

1 Corinthians 2:5 “… your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (NASB – 1975 ed.)

But our underlying relationship with an infinitely faithful God provides the foundation of stability we need in order to make our unstable relationships with others grow and last. Because of our trust in the loving relationship we have with God, we will be able to find the strength to love and forgive others when they fail us. We know who we are as children of God. We do not fall apart or return evil for evil. We know we have our own failings for which God has had to forgive us. And so we can forgive others (or if necessary seek forgiveness from others) when our relationships are tested.

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (NASB)

Isaiah 26:3,4 “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.” (NASB)

And in overcoming these tests through faith, hope, and love, our relationships are strengthened. Our friendships become deeper and more meaningful because they have weathered a storm. We develop a history full of priceless memories that last a lifetime and beyond. And our relationship with God is likewise strengthened, because it is only by His grace our relationships with others endure.

Proverbs 28:23 “He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with the tongue.” (NASB)

Matthew 18:15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.” (NIV)

Proverbs 27:5,6 “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” (NIV)

Proverbs 17:10 “A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.” (NIV)

Psalm 116:1-7 “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live… The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion… when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” (NIV – 1984 ed.)

Psalm 40:1-4 “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord. How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.” (NIV)

Do you want to fight for something? Fight for your relationships! Make them your priority. Don’t let anything destroy them, beginning with your relationship with God, and then with your relationships with others. Treat anything that attempts to come between God and you, and then you and those you love, as an enemy. Make a relationship with God, based upon the light of His Word and the power of His Spirit, the most important thing in your life. Follow that with relationships with others equally centered around God’s truth and presence. And as you do, everything else in your life will fall into place, and your eternity will be blessed beyond your ability to comprehend.

1 Timothy 1:18,19 “… fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.” (NASB)

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (NIV)

1 Timothy 6:7-15 “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus… I charge youto keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time…” (NIV)

Nehemiah 4:14 “… Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” (NIV)

A day is coming…

We should live life with an eye towards death. Not in a macabre or unhealthy way, but with a mature understanding that as God’s Word says: “Death is the destiny of everyone.” Humbly take this to heart! Live every day as if it was your last. That doesn’t mean quitting your job, liquidating your assets, and heading for the Bahamas, or doing anything else that is likewise impulsive or irresponsible. It means: Serve!

Ecclesiastes 7:2 “… death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” (NIV)

Hebrews 4:7 “… just as has been said before, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.’ ” (NASB)

Ephesians 5:2-20 “… walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God… For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord… Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil… speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NIV)

Matthew 23:11,12 “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (NIV)

Jeremiah 15:19 “… If you repent, I (God) will restore you that you may serve me…” (NIV)

Serve God and others with all your heart every day you are blessed to experience. Live it in such a way that if Jesus was to return, or death arrive at your door, you are proud of how you have expended the gift of life.

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (NASB)

2 Timothy 1:6-9 “… fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you… God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord… by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life…” (NIV – 1984 ed.)

Job 11:13-18 “… if you devote your heart to him (God)… if you put away the sin that is in your hand… then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear… You will be secure, because there is hope…” (NIV – 1984 ed.)

Our years, no matter how many, are so short! Every day we are not drawing closer to God and loving one another is truly a wasted day that will never return to us. It’s contempt for the precious space we are allotted in the great tapestry of human history.

Psalm 103:1-18 “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name… forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins… crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things… The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love… he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant…” (NIV)

Psalm 90:1-17 “Lord… Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn people back to dust, saying, ‘Return to dust, you mortals.’ A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death – they are like the new grass of the morning: In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered… Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away… Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom… Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days… May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.” (NIV)

Grow where you are planted. Serve wherever you are. You don’t have to head out for the jungles of South America to serve God, unless that is where you are called in His plan. Make the most of this day, wherever you are, whatever you are doing. Then when your last day arrives, your life will have been all that God intended.

Colossians 4:2-6 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful… Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (NIV)

Ephesians 5:1-20 “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God… For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them…Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil… be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NIV)

1 John 2:17 “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (NIV)

In this life we experience so much. Excitement, pain, laughter, tears, victories, failures, boredom. And inevitably, it’s a struggle. We wrestle with our nature to sin, sometimes winning the battle and sometimes suffering terrible defeat.

Romans 7:15 through 8:38 “I (Paul) do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do… What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!… because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death… Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires… the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit… those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship… The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ… what, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV – 1984 ed.)

Galatians 5:1-25 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery… You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want… The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (NIV)

But a day is coming when the struggle will end. The tale of your life in a fallen world will be over, and your new life in a perfect world will begin. May we all live our lives in a way that makes us proud to tell our story throughout eternity!

Psalm 107:2-43 “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story… they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way… Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things… they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds… tell of his works with songs of joy… Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.” (NIV)

2 Timothy 4:1-8 “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store 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 longed for his appearing.” (NIV)

2 Peter 3:3-18 “… understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’… But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him… Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (NIV)