Colossians 4:12 “Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”
As believers, we labour here on the earth, and part of our labours that we perform is prayer. In the passage of scripture quoted above the apostle Paul teaches us that he and his ministry team laboured fervently in prayers for the saints. Paul and his ministry team ended those labours however, the day they went to be with the Lord Jesus in heaven. In other words they are not continuing in heaven to labour in prayers for the saints on the earth, for each one of them have ended their labours and have since entered their time of rest.
Galatians 4:19 “My little children, for whom I labour in birth again until Christ is formed in you.”
When Paul stated, as quoted above, that he laboured in birth again until Christ was formed in the churches in Galatia, he was referring to the prayers and supplications that he offered to God on their behalf, while he was on the earth. Once Paul fell asleep in the Lord however, Paul ended his labours and has since entered into his time of rest. Over the centuries and even currently today, there have been numerous fables and false visions spread in the church that the saints in heaven are praying for the saints on the earth. The reason that Satan has tried to bring this lie into the church is to try and lure the saints to then pray to their fellow saints in heaven, to ask them to intercede to God on their behalf. Such prayers are futile however, for no one hears them. Our Lord Jesus has taught His church to pray directly to our Heavenly Father, by the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus, and those are the only prayers that are heard by God. We have seen earlier that the scripture says that our works follow us. Scripture teaches us that the works that we do while on the earth account to us as fruit for eternity (John 4:36). And so there are many saints in heaven today who are still reaping fruit for eternity, based on their works that are still blessing the body of Christ on the earth today. You say how is that possible? The bible is full of accounts of saints who, through their testimonies and teachings, have built with silver, gold and precious stones into the lives of myriads of believers over the centuries, and are still doing so today. And then there are the saints who have, outside of the bible, left behind writings and various other media avenues available, which have also blessed and continue to bless the body of Christ today. And so we see that heavens books are not yet closed and the final tally has not yet been made, because of which, no saint has yet received any reward from our Lord and Master. There is a set day in the future when the final total of all the works of all Christians will be judged, and then and only then will each saint receive their eternal rewards from the Lord.
Revelation 11:15-18 “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" … (18) The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
Scripture plainly reveals to us that the Lord’s saints will be judged by Him at His second coming, which is when the first resurrection will take place. And so it is only when we are judged on that day that we will receive our rewards from the Lord Jesus. Until that time no saints will be judged and consequently no saints have yet received or can receive any rewards, which includes all thrones and crowns that will be given by Him. In the passage of scripture quoted above we see that the saints will be judged and rewarded at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, and the seventh angel will only sound his trumpet at the end of the age. Clearly none of the Lord’s saints will be judged or rewarded before that time.
Michael E.B. Maher
Comments