The historian Edward Gibbon tracked the speedy progress of Christianity in the days of the Roman Empire, and points to five reasons for it: 1) The fervour of the early Christians. 2) The power of miracles. 3) The pure morals of the Christians. 4) The compact church organisation. 5) The belief in future rewards. The Bible often speaks about our rewards in heaven. Here are a few examples: ‘Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice…for great is your reward in heaven’ (vv. 11-12 NKJV). ‘The Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works’ (Matthew 16:27 NKJV). ‘Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name…will by no means lose his reward’ (Mark 9:41 NKJV). ‘Let no one cheat you of your reward’ (Colossians 2:18 NKJV). ‘Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work’ (Revelation 22:12 NKJV). Here is the sequence of events: the Lord will come in the air, the dead in Christ will be resurrected, the redeemed still alive on earth will be caught up with them, and we will receive our glorified bodies and then our eternal rewards. ‘The fire will test each one’s work…If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward’ (1 Corinthians 3:13-14 NKJV). ‘Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour…is not in vain’ (1 Corinthians 15:58 NIVUK).

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.