Luke 14:13-14 “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. (14) And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
We know that the saints will be judged at this time, for as revealed in the above quoted passage of scripture, the Lord tells us that His saints will be rewarded for their works “at the resurrection of the just”, which we know is the first resurrection. Another reason we know that the saints will be judge during this time is because when we eventually do return to the earth with our Lord Jesus after the wrath of God has been completed, it will be to rule with Him on the earth. And so it is only after the saints have been judged that they will receive their various crowns of authority by which they will rule with the Lord Jesus on the earth (2 Timothy 4:8).
Luke 19:15-26 “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. (16) Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.' (17) And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.' (18) And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.' (19) Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.' (20) "Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. (21) For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ (22) and he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. (23) Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?' (24) "And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.' (25) (But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.') (26) 'For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
We saw earlier in the scripture quoted from the book of Revelation that thrones will be set up at the first resurrection and that judgement will be committed to the saints at that time. The judgement committed to the saints will be to rule the earth with the Lord Jesus during His thousand-year reign. And so as revealed to us by the Lord Jesus in the above quoted passage of scripture, it will be at that time that some saints will be placed over various cities to rule them as a reward for serving Him faithfully in this life. But notice that the saints, who choose not to serve the Lord faithfully in this life, even though they remain in His kingdom as saved, shall not receive any reward from Him and thus they will not be counted among those who will rule in the kingdom of God. In fact our Lord teaches us that what little they have will be taken from them and given to the one who has the most. From this teaching we can understand why it is that the apostle Paul taught us that some saints on that day will suffer loss but will still be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:15).
Michael E.B. Maher
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