To be given the morning star (Revelation 2:28).

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the bright and morning Star. He is the Day Star who arises in the heart of the conqueror, announcing the great Day of the Lord — the day when Christ takes dominion over all the kingdoms of the world.

God loves the peoples of the earth. The love of God for people is in the Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ is formed and dwells in us, His exceedingly great love for people is born in us.

No man will be allowed to rule in the Kingdom of God in his own strength and self-will. Only God in Christ in us will rule the nations of the earth. Only Divine love can be trusted to wield the irresistible rod of iron, the iron of God’s strength that is developed in us as we choose to do God’s will.

As long as we are ruled by self we are unfit to rule the nations of the earth. It is only as our first personality, our self-will and pride, is brought down to the death of the cross, that Christ — the Day Star — can arise in our heart.

When Christ takes over the ruler-ship of our heart, a love for the peoples of the earth is given to us. Then, and only then, are we brought to the place where we can govern people in the love in which God desires to have them governed.

No one will be permitted to rule the nations with a rod of iron until the Morning Star, Christ, has been formed in him and is abiding in him. Christ and the Father will come to abide only in the individual who guards carefully and observes to practice that which Christ has spoken.

As we press forward in the rewards to the overcomer we can see the difference between the Divine pardon of the sinner, and the spiritual development of the saint.

The believer who is walking in the flesh is not having Christ formed and abiding with himself. He is not being given the morning star. How, then, could he rule the nations of the earth?

Each believer in Christ will be raised from the dead. Then he will receive what he has practiced while living in the world.

When the Lord comes, each of us will enter a unique destiny. Great diversity will result. Some will shine as the stars forever. Others will be beaten with many lashes because of the evil they have practiced. In between these extremes will be found a variety of rewards and punishments, praises and rebukes. This is true of all whose names are in the Book of Life.

Those whose names are not found in the Book of Life will suffer the maximum sentence of the judgement bar of Christ: eternal banishment from the face of their Creator.

Those who would rule with Christ must walk in righteousness because the sceptre of Christ’s Kingdom is the sceptre of righteousness.