Eternal Palaces Await Faithful

1 Corinthians 9:24-26 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  (25)  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.  (26)  Therefore, I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus, I fight: not as one who beats the air.”

We have seen thus far that none of the crowns available to the saints are freely given to them, but rather they are given as rewards that are earned. We have also seen that the saints earn their crowns through the works they do during their time on the earth. In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul encourages the saints to be focused in this life so that they may receive their rewards of crowns on that day. In this passage the apostle Paul tells us that we should run our race in such a way that we may obtain the prize of our crowns. The analogy that he uses to describe how we should go about obtaining our crowns is that of an athlete who competes in a race in order to win that race. Paul goes on to say that the athlete that is going to win their race is the one who is disciplined in their preparation for their race. In the same manner our eternal crowns will not just fall into our laps by chance. They will only be given to the saints that are determined to do what they need to do in this life in order to obtain them. And so clearly the saints who choose not to run their race with the purpose of obtaining the prize of their crowns will end up forfeiting their eternal prize.

Revelation 3:11 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

A word of warning needs to be mentioned in this regard, for just as the reward of our crowns can be earned so it is that they can also be given up. In writing to the church in Philadelphia, as quoted in the above passage of scripture, our Lord Jesus informed them that they had already received their crowns and that they were laid up for them in heaven. But our Lord also admonished them to hold fast to what they had and ensure that no one took their crowns away from them. Clearly the saints can have their crowns taken away from them otherwise our Lord would not have made the comment that He did. So how is it possible for the saints to lose the crowns they have already attained? Our Lord answered that question for us by telling us to hold fast to that which we have. In other words we cannot afford to rest on our laurels (so to speak) in this life and stop doing good works after a period of time, but rather we need to remain diligent in keeping good works all the way to the end of our time here on the earth.

Psalms 48:12-13 “Walk about Zion, and go all around her. Count her towers; (13) Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; that you may tell it to the generation following.”

Those who receive crowns and thrones of authority on that day will also receive palaces in the New Jerusalem as part of their reward, for you will recall that our Lord said that in His Father’s house were many dwellings and that He was going to prepare a place for His saints (John 14:2). In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit confirms this truth to us when He describes the palaces in the New Jerusalem, and you will recall that in a earlier quoted passage of scripture that the Holy Spirit also mentioned the palaces of the saints in the New Jerusalem (Psalm 122:7).

Isaiah 65:17-21 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind…  (21) They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.”

We have mentioned the reigning of the saints over the nations of this world during our Lord’s millennial reign, however for those who receive thrones of authority; their reign will not come to an end after that age but will continue to extend into the ages to come. So who will the saints reign over in the ages to come? All children that have died have gone to heaven because they belong to God as His children, and they are waiting for God the Father to create the new earth, for they will be the ones who inhabit God’s new earth thus making up the nations in the ages to come. It is therefore these nations over which the saints will reign for all eternity. And so not only will the Lord’s saints receive palaces in the New Jerusalem but they will also receive lands and houses in the new earth that God will create. In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah confirms this truth to us when He speaks about the house that will be built and the vineyards that will be planted in God’s new earth.

2 Kings 5:26 “Then he said to him, "Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?”

In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit through the prophet Elisha confirms the truth to us that those who serve the Lord faithfully in this age will be rewarded in the age to come, with money, clothing, olive groves, vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants. The context of this passage of scripture is that Elisha’s servant had coveted the material rewards offered by Naaman the Syrian who the Lord had healed through Elisha’s ministry. Eilsha had refused Naaman’s offered rewards but Gehazi had gone behind Elisha’s back to take the rewards from Naaman and he had hidden them from the prophet. But God had revealed to Elisha what Gehazi had done and so God used Elisha to judge Gehazi with leprosy for his covetous behaviour. The point however that I wanted to make from this passage of scripture are the rewards mentioned by Elisha, that await the Lord’s saints in the age to come. These rewards form part of the lands and houses that the saints will receive in the new earth.

Revelation 21:24-26 “And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honour into it.  (25)  Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).  (26) And they shall bring the glory and the honour of the nations into it.”

In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit through the apostle John reveals to us that the nations that live outside the city of Jerusalem in God’s new earth will bring their glory and honour into that city. I have already briefly mentioned the nations that will be living outside the city of the New Jerusalem and so I will not go into further detail here because that falls outside the scope of this teaching. Suffice it to say that there will be nations living outside of the city walls in the age to come. So what is the glory and honour that will be brought into the city as mentioned in this passage? The answer to that question is that it will be the produce of the lands in God’s new earth that will be brought into the city which will represent the glory and honour of the nations of the earth. 

1 Kings 4:7 “And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year.”

The kingdom of Solomon was a type and shadow of God’s kingdom that will be on the earth in the age to come. In the passage of scripture quoted above we read how the nation of Israel provided for the city of Jerusalem under the reign of Solomon. Solomon appointed twelve governors over the nation and each of those governors was given one of the twelve months of the year in which their region was to supply the needs of the city. And so just as the city of Jerusalem was provided for by the children of Israel at that time, so the New Jerusalem will be provided for by the nations over which the Lord’s saints will reign in God’s new earth. There is much more that we can talk about concerning the rewards awaiting the saints in the kingdom of God, including our priestly functions that we will perform, but that falls outside the scope of this teaching and so I will end this section here.

Michael E.B. Maher

Eternal Judgement

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