Ten or twelve years ago I had an epiphany. I did not realize the full significance of it at the time, or I would have noted the date, place and time. In retrospect, it has proven to be a watershed in my spiritual life, one of those moments when everything is suddenly shifted somehow and a new reality unfolds that affects every area of a person’s life.

So many Christians—by far the vast majority—long for the rapture so they can escape the evils of this wicked world and see an end to troubles and worries. It certainly is such an escape, and it is an end to the fiery darts of the devil, but it is so very much more than that.

As of this writing (1/6/06), Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel is clinging to life, but with very little hope of survival. Last month in this space we suggested that his sudden turn from hawk to dove was motivated by a desire to be remembered well as a great statesman in the history of the Middle East. Had he remained healthy, he almost certainly would have hammered out some sort of treaty with the Palestinians in which they would have been granted statehood. In doing so, Sharon would take his place among the great lights of the founding generation. He would rise to prominence alongside David ben Gurion, Golda Meir, Anwar Sadat and a small cadre of other Middle East leaders. He might have done so had he been willing to make peace with his lifelong nemesis, Yasser Arafat. Sharon held out until Arafat died, not knowing that he would not have time himself afterward to claim that exalted place in history.

The torch has not yet been fully passed from the founding generation to the next, but the time seems to be approaching when a younger group of leaders must emerge. In the elections to be held in March, there are three probable candidates: in the Labor Party, Shimon Peres is likely the nominee; in the Likud, Benjamin Netanyahu; and in the new Kadima Party, Ehud Olmert will almost surely run for the office of Prime Minister. He is serving as interim Prime Minister until the elections are held. These three represent the best of the last of the Old Guard, those numbered among the founders and early leaders of modern Israel.

Ariel Sharon was expected to win the election this spring. His Deputy Prime Minister is now the leading candidate in the Kadima Party which Sharon launched upon withdrawing from the Likud. Olmert is a career politician, completely familiar with the mechanisms of Israeli governance. However, he is not seen as likely to defeat either Shimon Peres or Benjamin Netanyahu. Olmert, former Mayor of Jerusalem, served in the military, but his contributions to Israel have been political rather than military. He was twice Minister of Finance, and also served as Minister of Communication, as well as serving in other ministerial offices. When named Deputy Prime Minister in the Kadima Party, he was a Minister Without Portfolio. Sharon was expected to win because his record as a militant hawk demonstrated that he was strong enough to make peace as well as to wage war. A proven warrior, Sharon would not be perceived as seeking peace out of fear. His negotiations for peace with the Palestinians would be backed by his demonstrated willingness to wage war if necessary.

Of the other two, Peres and Netanyahu, only Netanyahu has that advantage. Peres may be seen as soft. On the other hand, Netanyahu may not be well-received outside his own party. As the older generation dies off, a new generation prepares to succeed them. There is widespread desire for peace among the young people of Israel, and Peres or Kadima may appear more likely to negotiate more successfully than the implacable Mr. Netanyahu. Prior to Sharon’s health problems, Netanyahu claimed as little as 15% in the political polls. As always, politics in Israel is a complex animal.

Those who support Netanyahu will view both Peres and Olmert as willing to sacrifice too much for the sake of peace. This would be especially true of Peres. Olmert can be expected to follow loosely in Sharon’s footsteps, and might prove to be the dark horse candidate in the March elections. He has yet to define himself as a statesman. If he is shrewd, he may upset both Labor and Likud. Such an upset would be seen internationally as a good thing, insofar as Likud and Labor are viewed as tending toward the extremes of the right and the left respectively, with Kadima striking a more comfortable balance.

Orthodox Jews gravitate toward the right, demanding that Israel take back all of the land that God gave to Abraham and his descendants. But as true Christians are few in a sea of professing Christians, so Orthodox Jews are few in a worldly Israel. Those who seek peace at any price will vote for Peres. Those, however, who seek the will of God will be hard pressed to find a candidate who will restore Israel to all of her Promised Land. There would be but one Candidate, and He is not running for election. He will rescue Israel’s throne from the politicians in all parties in due time, by force, not by vote.

Most Christians don’t give much thought to their reward, neither to how much it is nor of what it is composed. Among those who do consider the treasure that awaits them at the judgment seat of Christ, there is confusion concerning the nature of our reward. We know that there are various crowns that might be earned, but the passage above does not speak of crowns. Rather, it speaks of the sort of treasure that every diver dreams of finding on shipwrecks and what have you.

But the crown does not constitute our reward. Rather, it represents our reward. That is, a crown is symbolic of several things at least: authority and power and wealth. The crown that the King of Saudi Arabia wears is not a great, large circle of heavy gold. Perhaps it weighs a pound or two. But it represents vast wealth and power among his people. David was probably the last pauper who was named king. Today, a king must be a man of great wealth and influence. When he is seen wearing his crown, no one would suggest that he was anything but terribly powerful and utterly wealthy.

It seems a preposterous notion at first glance. How can any blood-saved saint be so crass as to serve in order to receive something from the hand of God? Ask almost any Christian why he serves God and he will tell you that he serves Him because He died for him. Now, that is a perfectly good reason to serve God. But most of those who give that answer do not serve very much. It would surely be fair to say that their service to God is not exactly commensurate with His gift of eternal life. For how can anyone repay such a staggering debt? It is impossible. Most of those who give that response serve God only to the extent of going to church on Sunday and dropping something in the collection plate. Some teach Sunday School or make hospital visits. More often than not it is the ladies who jump in and help with church dinners or picnics or other gatherings. Few men in most churches are so determined to give back to God in service that they do more than say grace at meals and pray before going to bed. It is the experience of many that those bedtime prayers tend to be brief, for sleep overtakes them. We should note that fervent prayer does not lend itself to sleep, but leaves the one who is praying far from sleep and needing to unwind before he can go to sleep.

Yes, we should be so grateful to God that He owns our every waking moment, even as He protects and watches over us as we sleep. We should be so grateful that we gladly sacrifice every earthly convenience, sort of like John the Baptist, wandering in sackcloth and eating bugs rather than working and earning a living, so that we might have more time to preach the Gospel. And that would not even be enough to repay Him for what He has given for our sakes. What did Paul say? “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12:1-2). It is a tall order, is it not? Who is sufficient for it? One who seeks to live up to that standard quickly becomes discouraged, for it is impossible to fallen man, even saved, to sacrifice himself to that extent, even though Christ sacrificed His own body on the altar of judgment on our behalf. Do not be discouraged, Christian. We have such hope that the unsaved cannot even dream of.

But what other answer might one give to that question? What should we say when asked why we serve God? Because we love Him? Oh? We don’t love Him very much then, do we? Have we said, “Here, God. Here is my body. I will not use it for my own ends, but it is Yours entirely, every moment, to use as You will. I ask nothing in return; nothing, for I cannot repay what I owe, and have no right to ask for anything.”? We may have said it, but did we mean it an hour later? Or a day later? Or a week later? Those two reasons for serving God have not truly motivated us to great sacrifice and labor. Let us examine a few brief passages of Scripture and see if we cannot arrive at a more urgent motivation to serve God.

The fact is, we do not “owe” God anything. What He has given us, He has given freely, without imposing any debt. Never does Paul say that we ought to serve God because He gave us anything. But he does give us reasons to serve. Even our love for God is selfish. John says that we love God because He first loved us (1 Jn 4:19). Jesus said, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together” (Jn 4:35b-36). This is the same Jesus who said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt 6:19-21).

We go out in the world every morning and we labor in order to earn money for food, shelter, clothing, and whatever else we may acquire. We work hard for this money, and when we perform our labors we expect that we will be paid. It was no parable when Jesus said that he who reaps receives wages. God doesn’t sit down and write out a paycheck and deduct for income taxes and insurance and retirement, like our earthly employers do. But He most certainly does make deposits in our heavenly “accounts” when we serve Him. What a concept, eh? Why do preachers not preach these things? Yes, Christian, every intercessory prayer, every hospital visit, every check written to your local church or other ministry, every step you take in cutting the church lawn, every word of counsel or comfort, every prison visit or ministry, every hour spent handling the administrative requirements of the church; for all these and more, God makes deposits in your heavenly account: gold, silver, and precious stones. He wants you to know it, and He wants you to appreciate it, and He wants you to have a genuine desire to build those heavenly accounts up as high as you can build them while you have opportunities in this life to do so (see Phil 4:17). Ah, saints of God! If we were more mindful of that heavenly treasure, we would be far less mindful of our earthly treasures. Why are we so caught up in material acquisition? Because our hearts are focused on earth and not in heaven. We bow before the god of get. The god of have. The god of want. Conformed. Transformed. Unfortunately, most of us are mostly conformed and not transformed.

We are all familiar with Paul’s letter to Corinth in which he described the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor 3:9-15), and most are familiar with 1 Cor 9:24-26: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.” What is Paul talking about here? He is talking about the reward that he will receive at the judgment seat of Christ. He wants it, and is willing to compete in such a way that he wins it. Present your bodies…

Look at what he said to the churches in Galatia: “I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain” (Gal 4:11). Paul did not want to have labored in vain. He wanted the churches in that region of Asia Minor to be fruitful themselves. He was afraid for them. He was afraid for himself too, for he would receive of their treasure. If they were not fruitful, his labors would be in vain, worth nothing. You may be sure that Paul was mindful of the reward in everything that he did, as he will tell you himself in very short order. He was mindful of the labors of those whom he led to the Lord, because his treasure was laid up exponentially. Paul did not ever consider that he ought to be satisfied with what treasure he had already earned, but he was ever seeking more.

To the church at Thessalonica, he wrote, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy….For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain” (1 Th 2:19; 3:5). What was true in Corinth and in Galatia was also true in Thessalonica. Paul was concerned that, on account of their tribulations and the sufferings they endured, the devil might have tempted them into fruitlessness. Oh, he was more than concerned. He was so worried about it that he could no longer endure the suspense. Did he want that treasure? Demonstrably. He already knew that those Christians at Thessalonica would stand with him rejoicing at the judgment seat of Christ, but he was agonizing over whether or not they would also be bringing fruit of their own. He was mindful of the reward. He was determined to do as our Lord instructed, laying up treasure for himself in heaven.

To the church at Philippi, Paul wrote: “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain” (Phil 2:14-16). Even to that beloved group of saints did Paul express a hopeful desire to rejoice in the Day of Christ, having not run in vain or labored in vain. He wanted the petty bickering to end concerning who did what in the church, and for them to become blameless among the wicked of the world, that they might shine brightly the grace of God upon the sin-darkened souls of the lost, so that his race would not have been in vain among them.

Then, in the next chapter, he writes to the Philippians these most amazing words: “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended ( i.e., attained perfection—editor); but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14). It is widely recognized that this letter to Philippi is instruction in practical Christianity. It tells us what we must do if we are to be successful and fruitful in our earthly walk. It is a short letter in comparison to some of his others, but it is packed with instruction. Here, Paul uses himself as an example of the proper Christian attitude and method of achieving his goals. He says, “...One thing I do…” One thing! At the base of Paul’s ministry was a fundamental motivation. It was fundamental to Paul’s ministry, and it is fundamental to yours as well if you will be as fruitful as you can be. Paul admits that he had not yet achieved perfection, and would not until the resurrection (see context), but there was a single thing that moved him: forgetting that which is behind, reaching toward that which is ahead, he pressed, shoulder to the wheel; with all his might, he pressed toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The goal is to receive the prize, and the prize is received at the upward call, when Jesus comes to the clouds and shouts, “Come up here!” (Rev 4:1). There is one thing that moved Paul to serve God, and it was to receive the prize at the judgment seat of Christ. He said it himself, as plainly as it can be said.

And what did he say next? “Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you” (Phil 3:15). Paul knew that those who had not thought this thing through would not understand that this is what he meant. He said, if you are a mature Christian, then you should have this same mind. And he declared that if you think otherwise, you may depend upon God to reveal the truth of it to you. Even the truth that God wants and expects us to both want and work for that heavenly treasure that will be ours on that glad Day. Conversely, immature Christians will think it wrong to serve God in order to receive the reward. It is not wrong. It is the most right attitude we can have. Our God is a very practical God. He is wise enough to turn sinners into saints, and then to use those saints, who remain sinful in the flesh, as His servants, turning lost souls into brothers and sisters in Christ, by using our own inherent greed to drive us to serve Him more diligently. But there is this difference: In the flesh, we yearn for everything temporal, whereas in the Spirit, we long to see the face of our God, and to hear His “Well done,” and to see the glorious reward that our labors have wrought. We do not serve God only to receive reward, but our love for God grows measurably when we see and understand the magnitude of His mercy and His generosity toward His unworthy children. On earth we put our minds on “things;” but in our earthly walk, we are exhorted to set our minds on those “things” that will be ours when we get to heaven (Col 3:2). That is, our minds must become settled in heaven. But more than our minds must be there. Our hearts must be there as well, and the only way to get our hearts in heaven is to begin realizing daily that this is a day in which we can add to our heavenly accounts. Just as with earthly treasure, the more heavenly treasure we amass, the more important it becomes to us to double and redouble the balance. The richer a man is on earth, the more desire he has to increase his holdings. The same principle applies to heavenly riches.

Finally, there is a mutuality when it comes to reward. We share rewards with those to whom we minister and with those who minister to us (Phil 4:17). When you support your church or other fruitful ministry, whether through ministry, labor, administration, prayer, giving, exhortation, encouragement or in any way, you partake of the rewards of that ministry. Let us all labor in prayer that we all might be ever more mindful of those things which make us fruitful servants of God.

We believe that the Bible teaches that God will call his church out of this world as described in 1^st Thessalonians Chapter 4:13-18: But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them all who sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them who are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. Also 1^st Corinthians chapter 15 is known as the resurrection chapter.

In Revelation 4:1 we see the picture of the rapture. We see here the glorious picture of the church in heaven. But here in Revelation is not revealed the next event on God’s calendar. The next event is known as the Judgment Seat of Christ. Paul told Timothy in 2^nd Timothy 2:15: Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. To find the next event, we must divide the Scriptures and turn to 1^st Corinthians 3:11-17: For no other foundation can man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble – 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 test every man’s work or what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built upon it, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. In these verses we have a very vivid picture of the Judgment Seat of Christ. Satan has convinced the Church today that if you’re saved by grace, and God forgives you, there will not be a “day of reckoning” for the Christian. But today, if the Christian really understood the Judgment Seat of Christ, his life would change immediately. For here we find that everything that a Christian does is in one of six categories: gold, silver, precious stone, hay, wood, stubble. And anyone with an open mind can see the results of our works in this life.

The Judgment Seat of Christ takes place in the air. At the same time on earth, the first event after the rapture is the manifestation of the Antichrist, whose short but diabolical reign brings upon earth the greatest time of tribulation since time began. This time of tyranny and lawlessness will be brought to a climax of hatred and bloodshed at the great Battle of Armageddon. This seven-year period is known as the Seventieth Week of Daniel, the Day of the Lord, and the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. The armies of Satan will be destroyed at the Battle of Armageddon when Christ comes back at his literal Second Coming to establish his kingdom on earth as is spoken of in Revelation 19:11-16.

The last event in heaven, just before the Church – or the Bride, comes back with Jesus as spoken of in the book of Jude, is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, as recorded in Revelation 19:7-9: Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they who are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

We, the church, are warned to wake up. Don’t be caught napping for the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. And then the day of grace will be ended.

The devil likes to be known for his philanthropy. He likes for the world to see what he does without ever bragging about it himself. The devil and his minions are pleased to do all manner of great works, and they always are careful to do it through the agency of man. The devil may do everything possible to aid the sick and afflicted, the imprisoned and the impoverished, but he will never bring a lost soul to a saving knowledge of God’s grace. He will demonstrate through his good works a doctrine of salvation by those works, and will never take a sinner to the blood of the cross.

But when a Christian, a genuinely born again saint does these works, he provides the Gospel with his groceries, a white robe with a warm jacket. And for these, a Christian receives rewards. The rest receive only self-satisfaction.

Generally, when prophecies are given, the prophets are not saying that at such and such a time God will stick His finger in the pot and stir it so that the objective circumstances will exist for those prophecies to come to pass. Rather, the prophet more often than not is saying that at some point in time certain objective circumstances will exist and then certain things will occur. That is, while God raises up whomever He chooses, and brings down those whom He chooses, He allows those men to do their own wills. The prophets foresee the circumstances that will be brought about by the decisions and actions of men and nations, and they make accurate predictions about what is to occur when those conditions exist. It was not God who made Emperor Titus of Rome sack Jerusalem in 70 A.D. It was His purpose to send His people into captivity, but it was Titus who acted according to his own will. God’s will was that Israel should worship and serve Him, and when they refused, it was His purpose to chasten them. More often than not, it is the natural evolution of political events that brings about the objective circumstances in which prophecies are fulfilled.

So it is with prophecies of things yet to come. The world has been rocking along these many thousands of years, mostly ignoring God or even scoffing at Him, and the evolution of the geo-political stage has brought us to the point where end-time prophecies can be fulfilled. God could have, at any point in history, stirred the pot and immediately brought the world to the place where it is. He is God, and He is sovereign. Because the rapture was always imminent, that was always the hope when the stage was not set, so to speak. Today, God does not need to stir the pot. The rapture has always had the quality of imminence but we have the added advantage of knowing that the stage is already set for the fulfillment of those prophecies!

The Greek word for crown can refer to a king’s crown or a winner’s crown, as in the “Olympic” games. Either way there is power, prestige, and rewards associated with a crown. A quick review of crowns is in order at this time.

We have looked at a few of the rewards that are guaranteed to the believer in the Word of God. But we must keep in mind that any rewards we receive are all from God’s grace. Even when we work for a reward the results are fantastic as compared to the small, piddling, effort we make. All the glory must go to our great God and Savior for even giving us a chance to earn rewards.

On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck in the sea between India, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, killing upwards of 150,000 people in a great tidal wave.

Christian Chronicles has many subscribers in that hard-hit part of the world, and we would like to ask all our subscribers worldwide to pray especially for the comfort and recovery of all those who survived the tsunami that followed the earthquake.