To sit with Christ in His throne (Revelation 3:21).

This is the first resurrection from the dead, the complete and perfect fulfilment of the old Testament feast of Tabernacles.

Notice the statements of the following passage:

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and that had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark on their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:4,5)

What is the first resurrection from the dead? It is the resurrection of the royal priesthood — that which will take place when the Lord returns from Heaven. The first resurrection is for the victorious saints. It is not the general resurrection of salvation.

To participate in the first resurrection from the dead is to live and reign with Christ.

The Scriptures teach that the order is as follows: death, resurrection, judgement, and then sentencing to eternal life or to punishment. Much of this program can take place in a spiritual sense while we are alive on the earth, if we will count ourselves as dead and follow the Lord Jesus diligently.

The raising of our body from the ground is not necessarily the attainment to eternal life. All bodies will be raised from the ground so the individual can be judged before the throne of Christ.

Every person will be judged.

After he has been judged, each individual will be assigned to his or her own reward. His reward may be to receive the authorities and powers we have described on the preceding passages. His reward may be to be carried forward naked and barren of spiritual fruit to the new heaven and earth reign of Christ.

His sentence may be eternal banishment from the Presence of Christ into a place of everlasting torment.

But all shall be raised and all shall be judged.

We attain eternal life only as we are judged worthy of life.

To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: (Romans 2:7)

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, that the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (James 1:12)

It is as we are tested and prove to be faithful in the testing that we are issued the power of eternal life.

Those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, who had not worshipped the Beast or the image of the beast, who had refused to receive the Beast’s mark on their foreheads or in their hands, will live and reign with Christ. This is the first resurrection.

The concept of the first resurrection is not limited to first in the sense of order; it is first also in the sense of the quality of the resurrection.

It is not only that the bodies of the conquerors are awakened before the bodies of other people, the important aspect is that they will live and reign with Christ. This is the essence of the first resurrection.

We have just finished reviewing many of the rewards that are designated for "him who overcomes." Would you agree with us that if we were to group these rewards they could be summed up as, living and reigning with Christ ?

The victorious saint is attaining to the first resurrection because he is learning to live and to rule with Christ.

What, then, is true of the believer who is not overcoming the world but rather is being overcome by the world, by Satan, and by his own bodily appetites and self-will?

Will the defeated, lukewarm believer in Christ be raised from the dead when the last trumpet sounds? This question has been asked several times as the overcoming message has been preached and taught. We have sought the Lord concerning this question.

In the prior edition of this booklet, Judgement and Rewards, we stated our belief that the non-overcoming believer would be raised when the Lord comes but would not enter life and reign with Christ at that time.

We went again to the Lord Jesus and asked for a word from the Scriptures. What seemed to be given to us was the parable of the ten virgins. The simplicity and clarity of the answer convinced us that only those who are prepared will go to meet the Lord when he comes. The remainder of the Christian believers will be raised at the end of the thousand-year period and will be rewarded according to their works, being either saved or lost according to their conduct.

There is no question that the ten virgins, all having lamps (the testimony of Jesus) and oil (the Holy Spirit) represent Christians. They all were "virgins." Yet, five were taken and five remained. The Lord’s meaning seems to be clear.

There is another important concept, one that is of interest to the victorious saint. It is that if we are living and reigning with Christ now, in this life, then it is true also that we are passing through Divine judgement now (I Peter 4:5,17).

Every saint, every diligent disciple, knows how the Lord Jesus deals with each detail of our conduct. As we confess our sins and achieve victory over the flesh and soulish pride, the Lord removes our sin and self-will from us by several Divine means. This is the operation of eternal judgement, and it will be administered to us now if we will cooperate with the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6:2).

We believe it is possible to pass completely through death, spiritual resurrection, and eternal judgement now—in the world. We can enter life and ruler-ship now. In this manner we arrive at the spiritual dimension of the first resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:11).

We believe further that only those who pass through judgement and spiritual resurrection now will participate in the first resurrection from among the dead, will rise from the dead and ascend to meet the Lord when He comes.

How could it be otherwise? It is not possible that we can be raised from the dead, rise to meet the Lord in the air, be ever with the Lord, and then be judged. The only way in which this could be possible would be if our judgement is a sort of gala awards ceremony in which every believer receives a blessing and is not punished to any significant extent.

If we believe Christ bore all of our punishment on the cross, and by believing in His name we escape punishment, then is plausible that every believer will be raised from the dead, ascend to meet the Lord, be ever with the Lord, and rejoice throughout the administration of the Judgement Seat of Christ, realizing that no punishment of a serious nature ever will be administered to him. Also, we can sit in the balconies of Heaven in air-conditioned comfort and eat candy while we watch the Jews without the Holy Spirit preach the Gospel in the face of Antichrist. How the Jewish evangelists learned the Gospel without the Holy Spirit is not always made clear.

This error is believed by numerous Gentile Christians and perhaps by some Jewish Christians as well. It is true that the victorious saints will have boldness in the Day of Judgement. It is not true that the lukewarm, indifferent (to spiritual matters) "believer" of today has a scriptural basis for any such assurance. The prevailing carefree attitude is not supported by II Corinthians 5:10,11 or the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew. Neither is it in harmony with the fourth chapter of I Peter, Jude, or the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation.

In fact, the concept that a correct doctrinal position concerning Christ delivers us from reaping what we sow is contrary to the entire Scriptures, especially and emphatically the New Testament —particularly Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

It simply is not true.

If it is not true we can see immediately the danger facing the Christians and their teachers.

It is not possible that a believer can be raised from the dead, ascend to meet the Lord at His coming, be ever with the Lord, be glorified together with Him, and then be judged. It will not happen. We must be judged in advance of the first resurrection. Revelation 20:4-6, the passage that describes the first resurrection, does not mention the books of judgement.

Peter informs us that judgement already has begun in the house of God (I Peter 4:17).

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. . . . (Revelation 20:5)

What does this mean?

From our point of view it means those who do not attain life and ruler-ship now, in the world, will not live and rule with Christ on earth during the thousand-year period. In no manner are they kings and priests of God.

If it is true that no matter how he lives every believer will receive the same reward as every other believer, then it is true that the Divine pardon and the prize for Paul’s running the race have the same end result.

It follows that it is not truly important, at least in terms of our reward and eternal destiny, whether or not we take up our cross and follow Christ.

It follows also that the rewards to the overcomer, of the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation, are interesting perhaps, but have no vital relationship to the behaviour or faith of the Christian.

If such is the case, then the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, the author of Jude, are not accurate. Their exhortations and warnings are made of no effect by virtue of the Divine pardon that is pronounced when we recite the four steps of salvation and assent to them.

The Book of Acts does not portray the Apostles of the Lamb preaching any such gospel. The Apostles of Christ never preached or contemplated the Christian beliefs of today. We have overemphasized the doctrine of grace. We have not balanced grace with the need for godly living; and godly living is by far the major theme of the Gospel accounts, the Epistles, and the Book of Revelation.

"I will give unto every one of you according to your works," Jesus warned the angel of the church of Thyatira.

"I have not found thy works perfect before God," Jesus advised the "dead" church in Sardis.

Every word of the Scriptures is eternally binding on the conduct of all men, especially the members of the elect The Scriptures will be standing intact long after the universe as we know it has disappeared from the memory of God’s creatures.

Those who live the life of victory in Christ — and only those — will live and reign with Christ throughout the thousand years. Of that we are certain. The non overcomer's, those who do not "win the race," will be raised at the end of the thousand-year period. They will be judged on the basis of the things that were written in the books, according to their works (Revelation 20:12). Their destinies will be according to the findings of the final judgement.

We will reap that which we have sown while we have pursued the Christian life. The lukewarm believers will be vomited out of the mouth of Christ.

If we are ruling in Christ now we will be assigned to the throne of glory in the Day of the Lord. If we have been found faithful in small tasks we will be given greater responsibilities.

If we have not been found faithful in the small tasks that have been entrusted to us we will be raised to face a stern rebuke (or possibly much worse!) from the Lord Jesus. If this is not true, then the Book of Matthew is not a part of the Word of God.

By not pursuing the life of victory in Christ we lose most of the benefits we associate traditionally with being saved, with being a Christian. The rewards that ordinarily are associated with being a Christian are not the recompense that results from having our sins forgiven, they are the prizes for running the race of diligent discipleship; they are the results of conquering.

How can we be sure that we indeed will lose the crown of glory if we do not press forward in Christ? It is because the rewards to the overcomer are not some kind of gifts that will be handed out to us as we stand in line in the Day of the Lord. Rather, they are the natural result of our growth in Christ.

The ability to swim is not a gift that is handed out to us as we stand in line. The ability to swim is a skill that we gain after we have been taught, have attempted to put into practice that which we were taught, and have made many mistakes and have overcome our fear of the water.

The Divine pardon is a legal act that is based on our acceptance of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross of Calvary.

The Christian race is a struggle to arrive at life and ruler-ship in and with the Lord Jesus.

The moment we become a Christian by believing on Christ and being baptised in water a door is opened to us. That door leads to the fullness of the possession of God Himself.

Redemption always is an opportunity.

If someone gives us a grand piano he gives us the opportunity to learn to play the music of Bach. He does not give us the ability to play Bach; he provides us with the opportunity to learn to play Bach.

So it is with Christ. When God gives Christ to us He does not give us the full stature of a son of God, an heir of the Kingdom of God. Rather, He provides us with the authority, the opportunity to become a son of God. Also, He gives us the grace to enable us to become His son.

We are pardoned by God the Father when we believe in Christ. Now what do we do? Do we wait until we die so we can escape from the pain of this life and go to live eternally in Heaven? Or do we set out to gain the Kingdom of God, to attain the first resurrection from the dead?

Is our goal to die and go to Paradise?

Or is our goal to live in the fullness of the resurrection power of Christ?

If the rewards described in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation actually are the fruit, the result of the behaviour we are practising today, and are not unrelated "gifts" that will be handed out to all who profess belief in Christ whether or not they learn to live as saints, then it is important that every believer understand what it means to overcome — to conquer according to the guidelines of the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation.

The term overcome refers to a struggle. It is a fight between two or more personalities, two opposing forces, two wills. The one that overcomes is the force that manages to impose its will on its adversary.

Basically, two wills are involved in the Christian warfare — God’s will and Satan’s will. God’s will is being performed in Heaven. To a certain extent, and always with Christ’s permission, Satan’s will is being performed in the earth. The Kingdom of God is the performing of God’s will in the earth as it is in Heaven.

The believer chooses whether to agree with God’s will or with Satan’s will (Romans 6:16).

A person believes in Christ, is baptised in water, and thus becomes a Christian. His sins are pardoned. God hears his prayers. If he should die he will be saved from the claims of Satan and his demons.

Let us assume the individual was saved at the age of twenty and lives to be seventy-five years of age. He acts, speaks, and thinks on the earth for fifty-five years after receiving Christ as his Saviour.

How important is it that he act, speak, and think in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God? Is he limited, in the Christian redemption, to being pardoned while the spirit of the world compels him against his will to act, speak, and think in unrighteousness, uncleanness, and disobedience to the God of Heaven?

Does the Lord Jesus Christ save us from our sins or in our sins?

The question is, is it possible through Christ to overcome the world, or are we doomed to failure? Does the New Testament teach that we can conquer sin and disobedience to God, or does it teach that as long as we are in the world sin will have dominion over us?

The New Testament teaches us that the Christian redemption includes pardon from the guilt of sin and also the ability to overcome the power of sin. It warns that if we do not lay hold on the freely given grace of Christ until we conquer our sinning we stand in jeopardy of serious loss in the Kingdom of God.

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. (Romans 6:14,15)

Therefore, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:12,13)

Notice how verses twelve and thirteen (above) are in the context of, and have a direct bearing on, the resurrection from the dead (Romans 8:11).

Two forces are resisting each other in our lives.

The Holy Spirit and Christ in us are striving to perform the will of the Father. Satan, the world, and our flesh and self-love are striving to perform the will of Satan. This is true in our actions, our words, and our motives and imaginations.

Which force will win, in our case? Which force will overcome, will conquer? Which force will maintain control of our behaviour and be displayed in the earth? This is the challenge of the Christian discipleship.

It is not a question of who possesses the greater power. Christ possesses infinitely greater authority and power than is true of Satan.

The question has to do with our faith and truth. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. If we desire to perform God’s will while we are on the earth, and if we believe Christ can and will enable us to perform God’s will, then we gradually will learn how to conquer our lusts and self-will. Little by little we will gain the upper hand. Through Christ we actually will conquer the sin and death that reside in our flesh and in the world.

The sin and pride in our actions are burned and driven out.

The sin and pride in our speech are burned and driven out. The sin and pride in our motives and imaginations are burned and driven out.

We do not conquer sin and self by our own striving, although God expects us to use the strength that we have in choosing to perform His will. But the true and eternal victory comes as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the total destruction of sin and self-seeking from our personality.

The Lord Jesus through the Spirit of God is leading us to victory upon victory. Lust is fleeing before the army of the Lord. Lying is being destroyed. The gossiping tongues are being stopped. Fornication is being speared through by the Word of God.

Self-seeking is being crucified. Satan’s personality and works are being crushed, cut in pieces, speared through, denounced and mutilated in every conceivable manner as Christ comes to us in the power of the latter rain.

Through Christ’s grace we are conquering. We have chosen to conquer. The written Word states that we can conquer. God is giving us the faith to conquer. We will not cease until all sin of action, all sin of speech, and all sin of thought have been driven out of the earth.

We are looking and hoping for new heavens and a new earth in which dwells righteousness of conduct. Is this what you desire? Then have faith in God. God has determined to destroy the works of the devil, through Christ, not only in the heavens but also on the earth.

Is this what you truly desire?

Would you care to live in a world in which there is no sin of any kind? Not even one tiny sin? Not even your tiny sin and disobedience to the Father?

If an uncompromising Yes! roars from the depths of your personality, then join the ranks of God’s conquerors. He has placed His Spirit of Holiness eternally in you. Let your faith be strong. You are moving toward complete and perfect victory in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If, however, a timid and fearful Maybe proceeds from your heart, then you need to ask God for faith. The timid and fearful cannot possibly enter the new Jerusalem.

You are the one who will decide. Satan has no power to overcome you if you choose to serve the Lord. In order to conquer a Christian, Satan must persuade him to believe a lie. Satan must successfully deceive him in one way or another.

In order to overcome a saint, Satan must enlist the saint’s cooperation, either by lust, or pride, or an incorrect understanding of the written Word, or in some other manner that prevents the believer from choosing to conquer in Jesus’ name.

People can be healed from sickness in Jesus’ name if they will put their trust in Christ and obey Him. People can be healed from sin in Jesus’ name if they will put their trust in Christ and obey Him.

Both sickness and sin are works of the devil, although sometimes God uses sickness in order to accomplish His purposes in us. It is not a sin to be sick.

We can conquer sin if we will follow Christ. We can be established in righteousness if we will read what God has written to us and then mix faith with that holy Word.

We can gain the upper hand over the works of the devil.

We can conquer.

The purpose of this booklet is to explain the judgement and rewards that result from our behaviour after we are saved.

We know from the Scriptures that some believers will reap Christ a hundredfold; others, sixtyfold; others, thirtyfold.

Since we know of no Scripture to the contrary, it seems likely that physical death does not change what we are. When we awaken to the spirit realm, after physical death, we essentially are the same personality.

Since God does not like mixtures

(Leviticus 19:19), it no doubt is true that the holy will be with the holy; the filthy will be with the filthy; the lukewarm will be with the lukewarm.

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. (Revelation 22:11)

It may prove to be true that the Lord’s "mighty men" are with others of their rank. How equitable this would be. How glorious for the saints! But how dreadfully threatening to the family member who always has relied on the saint of the family to yank him from the flames.

Are you content to be joined eternally with those who behave as you do? Are you content to be clothed in the Day of Christ with the garments you have woven by your conduct in this life?

Some visionaries have suggested that there are various levels of Hell and various levels of Paradise. There may be depths of Hell where the vicious, hardened souls are kept, consigned like chained animals to the flames that give no light; and perhaps there are realms of darkness that are not as severe in their environment.

In like manner, the visionary saints inform us that there are many levels in Heaven, and that souls of like spiritual attainment are grouped together in families. Those who would temporarily visit a higher level of Heaven must shield their eyes, and those who would descend must partially cover their glory.

Perhaps this is true, because even on earth we enjoy associating with those of like spiritual development. But do we desire to be with our chosen companions for eternity? That is the question we must ask ourselves.

One of the governing principles of the Kingdom of God is that we reap what we sow. If we sow wheat we reap wheat. If we sow tares we reap tares. If we sow to the Spirit of life we reap life. If we sow to our corrupt flesh we reap corruption.

God is perfectly righteous and cannot be mocked: we will reap what we sowing.

Christian grace is not pointed toward changing what we reap but what we sow.

God’s net brings in such extremes! There was Enoch whose faith pleased God to such an extent God took him. And then there was the man who came to the wedding without being dressed properly. (How did he enter in among the guests?) The King commanded that he be bound and cast into outer darkness (Matthew 22:13).

Is this man a type of the Christian who does not practice righteous conduct? If not, of whom, then, is he a portrayal?

The prevailing concept of judgement and rewards is incomplete at best, dangerously misleading at worst. No doubt our own concept of judgement and rewards proceeds from our perception of what the Christian salvation is.

Is the Christian salvation a blanket pardon of our sinful state so when we die physically we will be permitted to make Heaven, the spirit Paradise, our eternal home? Is that what our salvation means? Or does the Christian salvation include the redemption of the material creation (Romans 8:21)?

The outward form of the Kingdom of God is the material creation with which we are familiar. The inward life of the Kingdom of God is the eternal, incorruptible Spirit of Holiness — the Spirit of God.

What is true today? The material creation is dead — cut off from the Life of God in Christ. The outward material form of the Kingdom of God is being governed and driven by wicked spirits who are in rebellion against God.

What happens when we receive Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour? Our sins are forgiven. Our spirit is joined to the Holy Spirit. Christ, the King of the Kingdom of God, is born in us.

But our physical body, that which is of the outward material creation, remains dead, cut off from God, because of the sin that still resides in it.

Salvation already has begun in our inward spiritual nature.

But we stated that the outward form of the Kingdom of God is the material creation while the inward life of the Kingdom of God is the Spirit of Holiness, the eternal Spirit of God.

If Christ is in us our spiritual nature is alive because it has been joined to the Holy Spirit of God through the atoning authority of the blood of Christ. The Kingdom of God now is in us and we are citizens of that Kingdom.

But the outward form of the Kingdom of God, which is our body and the material environment of our body, still is dead because of the sin that is in it. It is cut off from the Presence and Life of God.

To enter the Kingdom of God is to begin to bring the rule of the Holy Spirit, which has been formed in our inward nature, into our physical body, and then into the spiritual and material environment of our body, that is, into the peoples of the earth and the earth itself. "Thy will be done in earth." It is as straightforward as that.

If we adopt the attitude that the Christian salvation is a blanket pardon of our sinful state so when we die physically we will be permitted to make Heaven our eternal home, we will not make the effort to enter the Kingdom of God. We will not work with Jesus and the saints in bringing the rule of God into the earth.

We will miss the Glory of God if we take that attitude. The sinning, disobedient, unclean Christian is not entering the Kingdom of God and has no part in the Kingdom of God. He does not possess a righteous inward nature that he can bring into his physical body. He is wasting the opportunity that God has given to him to bring the rule of God into the earth.

When we understand the redemption of the material creation is one of the principal goals of the Christian salvation, our outlook and behaviour will be transformed. Each day of our pilgrimage will become a new opportunity to enter the Kingdom of God.

Through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we will lay aside the demands of the world and our flesh and begin to seek the power of God so we can govern our behaviour. Then we will be able to bring the will of God into our immediate surroundings.

Our part is to pray, use the faith that God gives us, and act, speak, and think in the will of God. Christ’s part is to send from Heaven all the wisdom and power we need to overthrow the rule of darkness and to install the rule of God in the material realm. God loves all people because He is their Creator. God loves the members of His Church.

But God’s eye especially is on His sons who, through the grace of Christ, are beginning to bring the rule of God into the material creation.

God blesses diligence, faith, and courage.

Those who are performing His will are greatly blessed and helped by the Lord. He is with them to reward them and to guide them into ever greater victories.

The conquerors will be rewarded to an incomprehensible extent for they are performing the Lord’s will. They are moving the creation toward righteousness.

But the weak believers, who often are overcome by the pressures and problems of the world, may not be entering God’s program.

Some of those who appear to be defeated are strong saints who are passing through fiery trials. They will emerge stronger than ever. God will bring them forth when they have been formed to His satisfaction. Others who are being overcome may be physically, mentally, or emotionally handicapped in some manner. They are to be assisted by the stronger believers. This is pleasing to the Lord.

Still others who are faltering are lukewarm, deluded Christians. They are trusting and hoping God will save them in the Day of Wrath for Jesus’ sake, and also that they suddenly will be transformed into divinely ordained kings and priests and will inherit the fullness of the inheritance of the sons of God.

Of this group, many are dangerously close to the fire

If we as a "Christian" continue to love the ways of Satan we will be cast into Hell. We may disobey God until we are lost to the Presence of our Creator for eternity. Consider the life and fate of Judas Iscariot, who was chosen to be one of the twelve disciples of the Lord!

God knows those who are weak but who love Him sincerely. He will send help to them so they may become stronger in the Lord. But every individual who hopes to be a part of Christ in that Day must seek the Lord with all of his heart. Christ is strict with us concerning the use of the talents given to us.

The weak,

wavering believers are not as yet part of the solution to the problem of causing God’s will to be done in the earth as it is in Heaven. The weak still are part of the problem. As was true of Lot, they are in one predicament after another. The stronger saints must help them at every turn (II Timothy 2:25; Jude 23).

God may save many of the weak in the Day of Christ.

But they may be punished severely for their laziness and disobedience; they may be stripped of every reward.

How often the Kingdom of God would have made great advances in the earth, only to be slowed to a halt by the slothfulness and unbelief of the "believers" in Christ. God is fully aware of the details of each such incidents. All will be brought forth; all will be made manifest in the Day of the Lord.

Jesus wept concerning what could have been true had Jerusalem been willing and obedient. The Jews missed the day of their visitation. Let us make sure that we as an individual do not miss the day of our visitation!

The Kingdom of God is at hand.

The lovers of God are pressing into it.
The crowns of glory are at stake.

Multitudes of "Christians" are determined to enjoy the present world, believing they will go to Paradise when they die if they make a profession of belief in Jesus. They do not understand the program or purpose of the Gospel.

Among the multitudes of Christian believers there is a handful of saints who are pressing into the Kingdom of God. They are gaining eternal life and authority under God. They are being fed by the Lord because they are doing His will and completing the tasks they have been assigned. They have been chosen, therefore, to be close to Him throughout eternity.

They will rule the nations of the earth because the Father and the Son are ruling them from the core of their personality. They behave righteously and will be empowered further to live righteously throughout the ages to come.

They will not be deceived by Antichrist because they are being kept by the indwelling power of Christ. They have guarded carefully the Word of Christ; now the Word of Christ is guarding them carefully.

They are being created an integral part of the Divine Godhead (John 17:21) and the name of God is being inscribed on them.

They reign over all things from the throne of Christ, which is in Heaven and in them at the same time.