Judgment and Rewards, #30 & 31

And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. (Revelation 2:26-28)

No one will be permitted to rule the nations with a rod of iron until the Morning Star, Christ, has been formed in him and is abiding in him. Christ and the Father will come to abide only in the individual who guards carefully and observes to practice that which Christ has spoken.

As we press forward in the rewards to the overcomer we can see the difference between the Divine pardon of the sinner, and the spiritual development of the saint.

The believer who is walking in the flesh is not having Christ formed and abiding in him. He is not being given the morning star. How, then, could he rule the nations of the earth?

Each believer in Christ will be raised from the dead. Then he will receive what he has practiced while living in the world.

When the Lord comes, each of us will enter a unique destiny. Great diversity will result. Some will shine as the stars forever. Others will be beaten with many lashes because of the evil they have practiced. In between these extremes will be found a variety of rewards and punishments, praises and rebukes. This is true of all whose names are in the Book of Life.

Those whose names are not found in the Book of Life will suffer the maximum sentence of the judgment bar of Christ: eternal banishment from the face of their Creator.

Those who would rule with Christ must walk in righteousness because the scepter of Christ's Kingdom is the scepter of righteousness.

To walk with Christ in white (3:4).

We are learning to walk in white now. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are keeping ourselves unspotted from the world. We are purifying our actions, our words, our motives and imaginations. We are coming out from the world and cleansing ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.

As Christ is, so are we in the world. We are walking as He walked in the grace of His resurrection life.

The blood of Jesus has pardoned us from the guilt of our sin. Now the authority of the blood and the power of the Spirit are enabling us little by little to escape from the corruption that is in the world through lust. Meanwhile we are without condemnation because we are doing the Lord's will as He is revealing it to us.

It is not possible to have fellowship with Christ and continue to walk in unrighteousness, in uncleanness, in disobedience to the Father. Christ did not pardon us so we can continue in our sins. Christ pardoned us so we can learn to please God by our conduct.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (Romans 6:12)

Is there any greater error in Christianity than the teaching that as long as we live on the earth we must continue to sin?

Christ always walks in white-in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to the Father. Are we worthy to walk in white with Him (Revelation 3:4)? Are we conquering the world, Satan, and our lusts and self-will?

Christ is our elder Brother. He has the wisdom, the power, and the virtue to enable us to overcome the filth of the world. If we will ask Him, He will guide us into righteous behavior. If we would have fellowship with the God of Heaven we must walk in the light of His will.

Walking virtuously in the world is extraordinarily difficult at times. Apart from Christ, walking virtuously is not only difficult, it is impossible.

But the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is dwelling in the believer. There is enough power in the Spirit of God to enable us to conquer the world, Satan, and our flesh.

We can overcome. We can walk in white with Christ. Through Him it is possible.

Through the grace of Christ we can act, speak, and think in a righteous manner, even though we are dragging around our physical body that is dead in sin. The reward of our diligent efforts is the impartation of the Life that is in Christ. We receive that incorruptible Life now-in the world. When the Lord comes we will receive the gift of a Life-filled body that itself is righteous in nature. Then this present struggle will have been concluded.

To be clothed in white raiment (3:5).

The saint will be clothed in the Day of Christ by that which he has practiced in this life. Here is the perfect justice of God.

In the world, a hideous, self-centered, filthy personality can be concealed in a charming male or female body.

But at the Judgment Seat of Christ, what we have become during our days on the earth will be revealed completely. Nothing will remain hidden. The righteous will be seen to be righteous. The wicked will be seen to be wicked. The lukewarm will be seen to be lukewarm. The hypocrites will be seen to be hypocrites. It is the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

As our body is offered to God in the service of Christ it is brought down each day to the death of the cross. But the Life of Jesus lifts us up and flows out to God's elect. We are dying, but behold!-we are living in Christ.

The act of dying in Christ and being raised in Christ creates a counterpart before the Throne of God in Heaven. That which is sown in earth is raised in Heaven. That which is being raised is a house, a garment, an eternal weight of glory. It is our house in Heaven.

In the Day of Christ, our house will descend from Heaven and clothe our flesh-and-bone body that has been raised from the dead (II Corinthians 4:7-5:10).

To be continued.

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