Daniel 12:13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”
In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit reveals to us three important truths about the saints that fall asleep in the Lord. The context of this passage is that the angel Gabriel had appeared to Daniel the prophet to show him a vision of the end times, and this was the closing statement made by the angel to Daniel in the vision. The first truth revealed in this passage is that all saints that go to be with the Lord Jesus when they die enter into rest, for in this passage the angel Gabriel told Daniel that when he came to the end of his time on the earth that he would enter into his rest. In other words no saints in heaven are doing any work, but rather they are resting from their labours. The second truth revealed is that the saints that fall asleep in the Lord will rise again at the end of the days. In other words they will be raised from the dead at the first resurrection which will take place at our Lord’s second coming (Revelation 20:5). The third truth revealed by the angel Gabriel is that the saints will only receive their inheritance at that resurrection, for he told Daniel that he will arise to his inheritance at the end of the days. And so the reason that Daniel will only receive his inheritance at the first resurrection is because it is only then that the saints’ works will be judged, and it is only as a result of our works being judged that we will receive our rewards from the Lord.
Revelation 14:13 “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' ““Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labours, and their works follow them.”
All the saints who have gone to be with the Lord in heaven are resting from their works, for their time for works has ended. In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit clearly teaches us that all who die in the Lord Jesus go to Him to rest from their labours and that their works will follow them. When one rests from their labours it means exactly that. In other words, clearly there are no saints working in heaven today. The Holy Spirit cannot make it any plainer than that. The reason that our works follow us to heaven is because people follow us to heaven, because the works that we do while on the earth is to build into the lives of others (1 Corinthians 3:12). And so when we go to be with the Lord, those whom we have ministered to while on the earth will eventually follow us to be with Him, which is why our works will only be judged at the end of the age.
Revelation 6:9-11 “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. (10) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" (11) Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”
It is important to note that those who fall asleep in Christ do not stand before the judgment seat of Christ, for the bible plainly teaches us that when believers go to be with the Lord Jesus that they rest from their works. In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit reveals to us that all those who have been martyred for the Lord Jesus are currently resting in heaven under the altar of God, and not before the judgement seat of Christ. In this passage we see that they have been told to continue resting until the time that all of their number would have been completed. That number has not yet been completed, for there are many more of the Lord’s saints that are still to be martyred for their faith in Him. And so the saints that are resting under the altar of God include all the Lord’s martyrs, beginning with Abel who was killed by his brother Cain many thousands of years ago. Clearly, the Lord’s martyrs are not working in heaven, but rather they are resting. We also see from this passage that none of the Lord’s martyrs have received any rewards from the Lord yet, they have only received their white robes. The reason none have received their rewards yet is because none have yet been judged.
Michael E.B. Maher
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