Greetings Brothers and Sisters,
May the glorious light of our God in
the knowledge of our Lord shine in your hearts today.
It has been said many times, heaven is
the crowning achievement of the followers of Jesus Christ-who we call
Yashawah in the Hebrew tongue. This crowning is supposedly
accomplished at the time of our death. Some denominations believe
and commonly teach that to live a good life, one in obedience to
Christ, assures an entrance into heaven upon death. Others
acknowledge that to accept Jesus as Savior is necessary to enter
heaven. The believer then will supposedly live with God, Christ and
the angels in heaven for eternity. Therefore, the hope of living in
heaven may dull their sensitivity to what they should be doing here
on earth. The Bible, however, speaks a different message of Heaven
and death. To walk or live according to the Gospel is not just to
yearn for death to enter heaven, but to live in such a way that you
will earn a better resurrection on the day that Jesus Christ stands
upon this Earth once again in judgment ( Romans 2:5-11 )
This idea of the only goal in life
being to get to heaven is based on scriptures that have been
misinterpreted. To illustrate, the Zondervan Compact Bible
Dictionary, when explaining heaven, states: it is the abode of God,
the good angels; where the redeemed shall some day be. It
quotes Matthew 5:12 and Matthew 6:20 as evidence of the last statement
regarding the believers or redeemed of God. Matthew 5:12 speaks of a
great reward in heaven for the faithful in Christ. This passage,
taken out of context and hastily summarized, is taken to mean the
believer will receive a reward in heaven some day. Therefore, the
believer supposedly must be in heaven to get the reward according to
this logic. However, this is incorrect upon further examining the
Holy scriptures regarding heaven, death and the reward of the saints.
This passage does not mean that believers will one day inhabit the
place where God abides. It means their perseverance in Christ will
be rewarded. Their reward will be received at the last judgment, when
the kingdom of Jesus Christ will be established on earth; according
to the will of God. The judgment is reserved with God, who is in
Heaven. This is why the scripture states our reward is in heaven. It
does not mean we will enter heaven to receive it, but rather it will
come from heaven on the day that Jesus Christ enters through the
atmosphere with his mighty angels to reward his faithful followers
and to take vengeance on all his enemies, who know not God. ( Rev
19:11-14 )
Furthermore, The Bible states that the
believer that endures to the end, though he may die before the coming
of Christ, has his reward sealed with God in heaven. For it is God
who promised this reward, therefore it is with Him and comes from
Him. The scriptures states that our labor is not in vain in the Lord
(1 Cor.15:58). He will reward all our works and faithful
obedience to Him. God does not call us to worship Him as an empty act
or meaningless endeavor. Moreover, Rev 14:13 states, “blessed are
the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:...and their works do
follow them.” Death can not separate us from the hope we have in
Christ through the promise of God, who is a faithful and true rewarder of
them that diligently seek him (Heb. 11:6).
At the second coming of Jesus Christ
the living will stand before Him and the dead will be resurrected.
All will be judged according to their faith and their works. This
event has never been mentioned in the scriptures to occur in the
realm where God dwells, “heaven”. However, it has been
described, both in the New and Old Testaments, as occurring here on
earth. Jesus stated that at the final hour, all that are dead shall
hear his voice and be resurrected and come forth: the believers to
the resurrection of life (Holiness, immortality, and the Kingdom of
God) and the evil to the resurrection of damnation (death, captivity,
disease, distress, and never ending torture) John 5:28-29.
Thus, this is why the prophets and
apostles speak of our reward coming from heaven, in the person
of Jesus Christ, and is in heaven kept as a promise to us from
God for our labors. The statement 'reward in heavens' in Matthew
5:12 should not be assumed to mean we will one day dwell in heaven.
We must understand that the scriptures are at times written in
symbols, allegories, and metaphors to describe events and explain
subjects. To gain understanding you must search the scriptures,
comparing spiritual things with spiritual things by the Word of God.
It is by searching the entire Bible you will gain understanding on
this subject. We can not base our faith on one verse or the teachings
of theologians. We must seek Him, by going to the primary source: the
Holy Bible. Jesus said He is found in the volume of the book.
(Hebrews 10:7)
Those of you who wish to receive the
reward from Jesus Christ, hold fast to the Word of God! Our faith
should be active. (Hebrews 10:24-25, James 2:17) My hope is that we
may all do this so you may boldly say, like Paul, “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 me
only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy
4:7)
Shalam,
May God Bless you and keep you till we
meet again,
Zarach
Hear the word's of Christ:
Rev 22:12-13
