In Revelation 22:12 the Lord says, “My reward is with Me to render to each one as his work is.” The Greek word translated “reward” in this verse means “wages.” At the Lord’s coming, this reward will be rendered to each one of the believers after their rapture at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Cor. 4:5; Rom. 14:10; Matt. 16:27).
When He comes again to possess the kingdom, the Lord will reward or punish all those who belong to Him. Some will receive His punishment because the Lord’s word “My reward is with Me” implies that there is not only reward but also punishment. In keeping with this, in Revelation 22:7 the Lord declared, “I come quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this scroll.” He who keeps the words of the prophecy of Revelation is blessed because he will be rewarded. The reward we receive on that day has much to do with our attitude today. First Corinthians 3:8 says that we will be rewarded according to our labor. In Matthew 16:27 the Lord Jesus said that at His coming back He will reward us according to our doings. Eternal salvation has nothing to do with our works, but the kingdom reward will be altogether according to our works that we have done by the Lord’s life after being saved.
Every saved one will be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive the things done through the body according to what he has practiced, whether good or bad; those who practice good will receive a reward, and those who practice evil will receive punishment (2 Cor. 5:10). We will stand before the judgment seat and give the Lord an account concerning all of our past living, walk, and conduct. It is because of this that even the apostle Paul says that he dared not examine himself, but He who examined him was the Lord (1 Cor. 4:3-4). He says, “Do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each from God” (v. 5).
As we live on earth, it is not sufficient for us to merely have a conscience without offense; the Lord must still judge the way we serve Him. According to Matthew 25, we may not have received two talents or five, but we have all received at least one talent, at least one spiritual gift, from the Lord. We cannot say that we are not saved, that we do not have the Lord’s life, or that we do not have the Holy Spirit. We have all these things. As a result of our having received these things, we have at least one talent, and we must use this talent properly and gain a profit for the Lord (vv. 14-30).
The Bible shows that after the one who received five talents gained another five talents, the master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful slave...Enter into the joy of your master” (v. 23). The one who received two talents likewise gained another two talents. They both served the master faithfully and used their gifts to the fullest extent. In the same way, when we use the life, the Holy Spirit, and the talent we have received from the Lord, there will be a full result.
We should never think that once we are saved, we will have no problems. We should not think that as long as we do not do anything contrary to our conscience, we will be void of offense toward both God and man, nor should we think that as long as our conduct is perfect, we will have no problems. Actually, the way we serve and work for the Lord after we are saved is a great matter. In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul says, “Let each man take heed how he builds” (v. 10b). This means that we must all take heed concerning our work. We may build with gold, silver, and precious stones or with wood, grass, and stubble. One day the nature of our work in our service to the Lord will be tested by fire. If we have built with wood, grass, and stubble, our work will immediately be consumed when it passes through the fire. Only the work that is of gold, silver, and precious stones will remain. Hence, Paul says, “If anyone’s work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward” (v. 14). Apart from salvation, there is also the matter of reward. Therefore, it is not that if we work well, we are saved. The matter of salvation has already been resolved, but the matter of reward is an issue that has not yet been resolved. It depends on how we serve the Lord after we are saved.
If our work for the Lord is of gold, silver, and precious stones, we will receive a reward; if it is of wood, grass, and stubble, we will suffer loss (v. 15a). Some think that to suffer loss is to lose one’s salvation, that is, to perish. The truth, however, is that we will still be saved, “yet so as through fire” (v. 15b). Hence, we must not think that once we are saved, we will have no problems. After we are saved, there are still great issues to take care of. Our conduct is an issue, and our work also is an issue. When the Lord comes back, there will be a judgment. In that judgment He will determine whether we will receive a reward or punishment.
This reward will be decided by the judgment seat of Christ. Second Corinthians 5:10 says, “We must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done through the body according to what he has practiced, whether good or bad.” The judgment seat of Christ will be set up at His coming back. The unbelievers will be judged at the great white throne a thousand years later (Rev. 20:11-15), but the Lord Jesus will judge all His believers at the judgment seat. There, the decision will be made regarding what reward they will receive—the enjoyment in the coming kingdom or some punishment.
Revelation 22:21 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.” After seeing all the visions and hearing all the prophecies in Revelation, we still need the Lord’s grace. Only the grace of the Lord Jesus can enable us to live and walk according to these visions and prophecies. Not only this book but also the entire Bible closes with this grace, the grace that enables us to experience the all-inclusive Christ and participate in the Triune God that we may become His eternal corporate expression for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose, that He and we may enjoy absolute satisfaction and complete rest mutually for eternity.
Many Bible readers know and can recite the first sentence of the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). But not many know the concluding word of the Bible. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth is objective to us. But the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints is subjective to us. We need to pray-read this concluding verse of the Bible. The grace of the Lord must be with each one of us in every aspect of our daily life because we are saints. The New Jerusalem is the base upon which the grace of the Lord Jesus is with all the saints for the accomplishment of the eternal economy of God. The Lord’s grace being with us is based upon all the particular aspects of the New Jerusalem. With the New Jerusalem as the base, the grace of the Lord Jesus is always with all the saints from the age of grace through the age of the kingdom to eternity for the accomplishment of the eternal economy of God. This grace consummates in the New Jerusalem as the consummation of God’s good pleasure in joining and mingling Himself with man for His glorious enlargement and eternal expression.