which will be awarded to the faithful, dead or alive, at Christ’s coming
A glorious hope…
The Bible teaches that everlasting or eternal life is not something we presently possess but it is a matter of promise and hope of the righteous only.
As will be seen from the previous series (10) the gift of eternal life will be awarded to the faithful at the coming of Jesus Christ.
Please note that the topic about man having a MORTAL soul is covered in Series 9. The following Bible quotations show the reward in store for those who are faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ and his commandments when he returns to the earth:
“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2
“…Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 8:11
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life;…” John 5:28-29
“And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40
“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 to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8
“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…” 1 Thessalonians 4:16
“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” 1 Peter 5:4
“And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life, through Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:25
“In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began.” Titus 1:2
“That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:7
“Who will render to every man according to his deeds, to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory, honour and immortality, eternal life.” Rom 2:6
“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God: and when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:3,4
“They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels: and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” Luke 20:35-36
The following points show that all the righteous will be rewarded together at the same time.
- The sheep are divided from the goats at the judgement, one by one. Once the judgement has finished, Christ will say to all the sheep assembled on his right hand: “Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you.” Matthew 25:34 Thus all the sheep inherit the Kingdom at the same time.
- At “the harvest” of Christ’s return and judgement, all those who have laboured in the Gospel will “rejoice together” (John 4:35, 36 and Matt 13;39).
- Revelation 11:18 defines “the time of the dead, that they should be judged” as the time when God will “give reward unto Thy servants…the saints..them that fear Thy name”, ie, all believers together.
- Hebrews 11 is a chapter listing many of the righteous men of the Old Testament. Verse 13 comments: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises” made to Abraham about salvation through entering God’s Kingdom (Hebrews 11:8-12). It follows that at their death, these men did not, one by one, go off to heaven to receive a reward. The reason for this is given in verses 39 and 40 – They “received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect”. The delay in granting their promised reward was because it was God’s plan that all the faithful should “be made perfect” together, at the same moment. This will be at the judgement, at Christ’s return.