Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  2024  Day 185

July 3;     Revelation 4:2;     242/260;      ‘The Judgment Seat’

Revelation 4:2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.

The Book of Revelation is basically a chronological order of what will happen in the period of time we call, ‘the end times’.  Verse 1 says, “After these things”.  After what things?  Chapters 2 and 3 deal with the church or the church age.  The church age will end at the rapture of the church.  Verse 1 is talking about the church being raptured and all of the Christians being taken to heaven.  On our way up to heaven, every believer whose body was in the grave and every believer who is alive when the rapture occurs will be given a new, resurrection body, just like Jesus had when He appeared to His disciples and others after He rose from the dead.  Several passages, from the Pauline epistles (letters), teach us about the rapture and the rewards that will be given to each believer based on their faithfulness to do what the Lord called them to do while they were alive on the earth.  Every Christian will be in heaven because they have made Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior.  Rewards will be given for our faithfulness, attitude and ministry.  These rewards will in a large part determine what we will be responsible for during the millennium or one thousand year reign of the Lord Jesus on the earth.  The more faithful we have been to use the talents we were given for the glory of the Lord, the greater our role will be during the millennium.  The Lord Jesus will be reigning and I want to have a prominent position with Him.  This is not based on pride, but on my love for Jesus and by knowing I did what He called me to do.