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Author
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Topic: Rewards In Heaven
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Eden
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Luke 19
17 And he said to him, Well, you good servant: because you have been faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.
18 And the second one came, saying, Lord, your pound has gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to him, Be you also over five cities.
Revelation 2
26 And he who overcomes and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations.
love, Eden
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Carol Swenson
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Question
The Bible teaches that as a Christian, when we die we receive different degrees of rewards in heaven. And, I’d like to know if you could expound on those different degrees, but also, if there are different degrees of suffering in Hell?
Answer
I think "yes" to both of those questions. There will be varying degrees of reward in heaven. That shouldn’t surprise us: there are varying degrees of giftedness even here on earth. To get a good glimpse of what heaven might be like, look at the church. From the moment of your redemption, the Lord put His Holy Spirit within you, and according to I Corinthians 12, He gave you certain spiritual gifts, right? He gave gifts to all of His church. They differ. What are gifts? They are varying capacities for ministry, varying capacities for service to God in His church. And I think the same thing will be true eternally; I think in eternity, we will all be given according to our abilities and according to our faithfulness--varying capacities for glorifying, serving, and worshipping God.
So, I think that it’s going to be based upon two things. One would be the sovereignty of God, who will choose to give as He wills, as in I Corinthians 12, as He gives spiritual gifts in this life to the church, in whatever way He chooses to do that--that’s a sovereign thing. And secondly, I think there is another component, and that has to do with faithfulness here. I believe our eternal reward will be in some way determined by the level of faithfulness we have had here.
Now, there are a number of reasons why we assume this. One of them was this conversation that Jesus had with the mother of James and John, who said, “My boys want to sit on your right and left hand when you come into the kingdom,” and He said, “It’s not for Me to give that; it’s for my Father to give that.” And there He said, there are going to be some people elevated. Somebody’s going to be on my right, somebody’s going to be on my left, and some others are going to be down the line here--It’s not for Me to decide that; It’s the Father. But, then He went on to say the criteria by which that is going to be decided is faithfulness unto death. So, I think the greatest reward in the future is awarded for the most faithful people, and that probably plays itself out in those who were faithful unto death: the martyrs, those who gave their life. You could give your life in living, as well as give your life in dying, couldn’t you? And you know what I mean by that. You could make the self-sacrifice to the maximum extent even while you’re alive, where you sacrifice everything else and be what Paul called a “living sacrifice.”
So, I think there is definitely going to be, in heaven, varying levels of service, just as there are with the angels: there are archangels, and there are cherubim and seraphim, and principalities and powers and rulers, and all of those varying levels of angelic hierarchy. I think in eternity, we are all going to be sorted out within that eternal worshipping community and given varying capacities and varying responsibilities, which are determined by the sovereignty of God and our faithfulness here. That’s why John says, “Look to yourselves that you lose not the things you have wrought, but that you receive a full reward.” It is possible that you could be faithful, and the Lord be ready and prepared to give you a full reward, but by some sin in your life towards the end of your life, you could begin to forfeit and those things would be taken back off the list, added to the "wood, hay, and stubble" kind of thing, and your reward would be less.
What is it? Is it going to be some people with bigger crowns? No. We’re not going to be going around saying, “Hah! I got a big one; you got a little one!” It’s not going to be that. Whatever we get, I believe in the picture of the 24 elders, we take our crowns and cast them at the feet of the Lord. But, I don’t believe they’re going to be anything that’s visible. I think it’s going to be a capacity for serving God fully and completely. I don’t think you’ll have any sense of loss or any sense of missing anything, because each individual’s capacity will be reached to its maximum. But, I think what we want to do is have the greatest capacity for worshipping God, as His sovereignty would give us and as our faithfulness would warrant.
Now, in terms of the other, there will be degrees of suffering. Hebrews 10 says, “How much greater suffering will come to the one, who has trodden underfoot, the blood of the covenant, and counted it an unholy thing, done despite to the Spirit of grace.” To put it simply, it means this: the more people know about the gospel and reject, the greater degree of suffering they will experience--when they trample underfoot the blood of the covenant. That is to say, the pagan who never heard anything about the gospel of Jesus Christ will not suffer the degree that the apostate would, who heard it all, understood it all, and blatantly rejected it all.
(John MacArthur)
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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Carol Swenson
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REWARDS IN HEAVEN
Incorruptible crown
1 Cor. 9:25 1Co 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
This crown is given for those who strive for mastery and is temperate in all things. Now here is a simple truth. Only those who strive will get this crown so therefore if you don’t strive then you will not get this crown. Not everyone is going to get one.
The Bible teaches a reward system in heaven.
Crown of rejoicing
1 Thes. 2:19-20 For what [is] our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? [Are] not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.
This is often referred to as the Soul Winners Crown.
The verse says what is our crown of rejoicing? And then it answers the question with ye are. Who are the ye? They are the people that they won to the Lord. This is the Soul winners crown. So people who win souls get one and those who do not win souls don’t get one.
Crown of righteousness
II Tim. 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
This crown goes to those who love his appearing. Now if you are sitting there with a bottle of the Devils brew in your hand when Jesus comes, you are not going to love His appearing.
If you are carrying a load of un-confessed sin, you are not going to love His appearing, because when He appears you are then going to the Judgment seat of Christ to give an answer.
That is not going to be any fun if you are living in sin.
And again some Christians are going to get a crown of righteousness and many Christians are not.
Crown of glory
1 Peter 5:2-4 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight [thereof], not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
Neither as being lords over [God's] heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
This is often referred to as the Pastor’s crown. This crown is for those who feed the flock and take oversight of it. And notice that they have to do it with the right motivation. They have to do it willingly and not for money.
There are many Pastors that are expecting to get this crown that won’t. Instead of preaching the whole consul of God and exercising proper oversight over the flock. They tickle people’s ears so that they can have more people so that they can have more power and more money.
Some Pastor’s are going to get this crown and some will not.
Crown of life
Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
This crown is often referred to as the Martyr’s crown. This crown goes to those who are faithful unto death. This crown goes to those who are killed for their faith.
There are a total of 5 crowns that Christians will be rewarded with.
But that is not the only rewards in Heaven.
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
We are commanded to lay up treasures in Heaven.
That tells me several things.
1. There must be treasures for us to lay up in Heaven.
We would not be commanded to do it if it was not possible.
And if we have to lay them up, then some people are going to get them and some will not.
2. It says treasures. Plural. So there are many treasures that we can lay up in Heaven.
3. It should be obvious that some are going to lay up more treasures than others.
2Jo 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
This verse is talking about rewards and not salvation. You cannot loose your salvation. But this verse teaches that you can lose your rewards.
It says to look to yourselves so that you don’t lose the things that you have wrought. So that you can receive a full reward.
If you are not careful you can have a full reward laid up and then get careless during the last years of your life and lose those things which you have wrought.
And when Jesus comes you will not get what you would have had coming.
Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
It is our works that lays up treasures in Heaven.
Heb 6:10 For God [is] not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
You do a good work with the right heart and God will not forget your work and labor of love.
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
What ever work that you do for the Lord is not in vain. God takes notice and God will reward you for it.
1Co 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Our works are going to be tried by the fiery judgment of God. If our works are wood hay and stubble then they will be burnt up. It will be like we never did them.
However, if our works abide. If they survive the test of God’s fiery judgment, then we will receive a reward.
The Bible clearly teaches a reward system in Heaven.
And just stop and think about it for a moment. These rewards will not effect you for just a year or a decade or a century, but for all eternity.
That is why the Bible says in Col 3:2
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
http://www.thewordteaches.com/The_Word_Teaches/rewards_in_heaven.htm
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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