Revelation Now :

Daily Devotional Bible Studies in Revelation

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Rewards and Justice in Life : Day 44

"And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshipped God, saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great and for destroying those who destroy the earth. Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm." (Revelation 11:16-19)

The Twenty Four Elders

In view of this victory, "the twenty-four elders", that is, the whole Church, break out in thanksgiving. This victory leads to the time when God takes his supreme authority (1). That is to say, it leads to the thousand year reign of God, the Millennium, a thousand year period of peace and prosperity. At the end of the Millennium there is to come the final attack of all the hostile powers (2); they will be finally defeated and then will follow the last judgment. The twenty-four elders recognize that this is the beginning of the final reign of God. The time has come to set the record straight.

Rewards in Heaven

In Heaven, the time has come for judging the dead and rewarding God's servants. The seventh angel sounds his trumpet, announcing the arrival of The Lord God Almighty. There is now no turning back. The coming judgments are no longer partial, but complete. God is in control.Humans want immediate justice and reward right now and do not want to wait until later. It doesn't seem fair when evil people prosper and good men suffer. But God's way is different. We are told not to judge because true justice belongs to God

Rewards in Life

In the Bible, God does not always give rewards to his people in this life according to what they deserve. In the Old Testament, obedience often brought blessings, but obedience and immediate appreciation are not always linked. If they were, good people would always be rich, and suffering would always be a sign of sin. If we were rewarded in this life for every faithful deed, we would soon become proud. Before long, we would be doing many good deeds for purely selfish reasons. While it is true that God will reward us for our earthly deeds, our greatest reward is not something earned but God's free gift of eternal life.

The Heavenly Temple

In verse 19 we come back, as it were, to the present. The heavenly Temple is opened and the Ark of the Covenant is seen. The Ark of the Covenant was in the Holy of Holies, which no ordinary person had ever seen, and into which even the High Priest went only on the Day of Atonement. The glory of God is now going to be fully displayed.

The Ark of the Covenant

The reference to the Ark of the Covenant is as a reminder of God's special covenant with his people. Originally that covenant had been with the people of Israel; but the new covenant is with all those from every nation who love and believe in Jesus. Whatever the terror to come, God will not break his promises. This is a picture of the coming of the full glory of God, a terrifying threat to his enemies and an uplifting promise to his covenant people .

Words to meditate on

Do we always get the rewards and punishment we deserve in life?

Words to pray

Lord, Let me not be always looking for honor and rewards in what I do.

Notes

(1) verse 17 (2) verse 18

"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."

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