Basic HTML Version
ascended into the heavens ..." (Acts
2:34).
Reward Now Kept In Heaven
We have seen that Christ promised
that the meek would "inherit the
earth"-not heaven. lt is true, how–
ever, that the
reward
of the righteous
is now being kept or preserved
in
heaven.
Jesus told those who are reviled,
falsely accused and persecuted to
"rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for
great is your
reward in heaven"
(Matthew 5:12). And He admon–
ished His followers to " lay up for
yourselves
treasures in heaven"
(Matthew 6:20).
Paul told the Hebrews: " ... Ye
have
in heaven
a better and an endur–
ing substance" (Hebrews 10:34) .
Theapostle Peter spokeof"an inheri–
tance incorruptible, and undefiled, and
that fadeth not
away,reservedinheaven
for you" (1Peter 1:4).
And Paul assured the Christians at
Philippi : " For our conversation
[Greek,
citizenship]
is
in heaven;
from whence also we look for the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who
shall [at His second coming] change
our vile body, that it may be fash–
ioned like unto his glorious body ..."
(Philippians 3:20-21 ).
These and other scriptures clearly
reveal that our spiritual reward, or
our crown, is now being kept in heav–
en. But will it remain there? Will we
go to heaven to receive our reward?
Or will Jesus Christ bring our reward
back to this earth with Him when He
comes?
T.he apostle Paul wrote: "Hence–
forth 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"
(11
Timothy 4:8).
It is at Christ's
appearing
that this
crown will be given: "And when the
chief Shepherd shall
appear,
ye shall
receive a
crown
of glory that fadeth
not away" (1 Peter 5:4).
Chrlat'a Second Comlng
But when is this appearing? The doc–
trine of the "second coming" is well
known, and the Bible certainly
teaches it.
20
Notice how Paul explained this:
"... And unto them that look for
him shall he
appear
the
second time
without sin unto salvation" (Hebrews
9:28).
Remember, Christ said: "1 go [to
heaven] to prepare a place for you.
And if
1
go and prepare a place for
you,
1wi/1 come again
[to this earth],
and receive you unto myself; that
where 1 am, there ye may be also"
(John 14:2-3).
Sorne erroneously assume that
since Christ was shortly going to
heaven (where He would prepare the
places
or positions), He was also go–
ing to take His disciples to heaven.
But Christ plainly told the disci–
ples He would "come again"-back
to this earth. The disciples were well
aware of Christ's plain teaching tbat
He was coming back to tbis eartb,
else they would not have asked:
"What sball be the sign of thy
com–
ing?"
(Matthew 24:3.)
Christ likened His coming to
"lightning"-"so shall also tbe com–
ing of the Son of man be" (Matthew
24:27).
Jesus then told His disciples that a
great tribulation would be followed
by heavenly signs (verses 21 , 22, 29) .
Then, after the heavenly signs, "shall
appear the sign of tbe Son of man in
beaven: and tben shall all the tribes
of the earth mourn, and they shall see
the Son of man
coming
in the clouds
of heaven with power and great glo–
ry" (verse 30). Christ then mentions
His coming six more times in this
same cbapter (verses 36, 39, 42, 44,
46, 48).
Tbere can be no question that
Christ plainly said He would go to ·
heaven, but He would also
come back
to this earth to receive His saints
unto Himself, then to rule all nations
through them.
Christ plainly said "all the tribes
of the earth" sball see Him "coming"
with great power and glory.
"And he shall send bis angels with
a great sound of a
trumpet,
and tbey
shall gatber together bis elect from
the four winds, from one end of beav–
en to tbe other" (verse 31 ) .
Tbis same momentous event is de–
scribed in
1
Corintbians 15:51-54,
1
Thessalonians 4:13-17 and Zecha–
riah 14:1-5.
Paul gave tbe Tbessalonians a
vivid description of Christ's second
coming : "For this we say unto
you ... we which are alive and re–
mairi unto the
coming
of tbe Lord
shall not prevent [precede] them
which are asleep [dead] . For the
Lord himself sball descend from
heaven with a shout, witb the voice
of the archangel, and with t he
truf!tp
of God: and tbe dead in
Christ shall rise first: then we which
are alive and remain shall be caught
up togethe r with them
in the
clouds,
to meet the Lord
in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the
Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
Notice that we are to be caught up
in the "clouds" to meet the Lord "in
the air."
Back to Heaven?
But does Jesus then take the saints
back to heaven?
Speaking of the second coming of
Christ, when He will fight against
His enemies at Jerusalem, Zechariah
said: "Then shall the Lord go forth,
and fight against those nations, as
when he fought in the day of battle.
And
his feet
shall stand in that day
upon the
mount of 0/ives
... and
the Lord my God shall come, and
al/ the saints with thee"
(Zechariah
14:3-5).
This scripture reveals that Christ's
feet will again stand upon the Mount
of Olives, and "all t he saints" will
come with Him.
This same truth is also taught in
the New Testament. After Christ's
resurrection, He was standing on the
Mount of Olives when He was taken
up from the disciples into a cloud.
" ... Wbile they [the disciples] be–
held, he was taken up; and a
cloud
received him out of their sight" (Acts
1:9).
Two dazzling angels appeared to
the disciples and told them: "This
same Jesus, which is taken up from
you into
heaven,
shall so
come
in like
manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven" (verse 11). And they were
then standing on the Mount of Olives
(verse 12) .
Chrlat Brlnga Reward Wlth Hlm
Cbrist plainly .taught that He will
bring His reward with Him at His
The
PLAIN TRUTH December 1979