The New Testament also speaks about the blessings that the believers will receive when they enter the kingdom of the heavens in the future. Therefore, we need to examine the main points of some of these great blessings. However, we must clearly see that these blessings are related to the kingdom of the heavens, not to the household of God. Today in the church we are the household of God. The blessings we enjoy in the church today are the blessings of a household. But a household is not God’s final goal; He wants to obtain the kingdom. God wants His household to become His kingdom. Our entrance into the kingdom of the heavens in the future is by means of the household, but our enjoyment in the kingdom will be related to the blessings of His glorious kingdom, which will far surpass our enjoyment of the blessings related to His household.
1. “Reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4, see also v. 6; 2 Tim. 2:12).
When believers enter the kingdom of the heavens in the future, they will not be ordinary citizens; rather, they will reign with Christ. The kingship in the kingdom of the heavens is not an individual but a corporate matter. Christ and all the overcoming believers will be a corporate king with Christ as the Head to rule the coming earth. This will last for one thousand years. This is the first blessing that believers will receive when they enter the kingdom of the heavens.
1. “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness” (2 Tim. 4:8).
A crown is the symbol of a king, so obtaining a crown is related to the first blessing of reigning as a king with Christ. The believers in the kingdom will obtain a particular kind of crown, the crown of righteousness. This is because the crown will be given by the Lord, “the righteous Judge,” to those who fought for Him, ran the race for Him, kept His word, and loved His appearing. Through this crown, He will show that He approves of what they have done, that everything they have done is pleasing and acceptable to Him. This crown will declare His righteousness and also show that the kingdom believers are justified, approved, and pleasing to Him.
2. “You will receive the unfading crown of glory” (1 Pet. 5:4; see also Phil. 4:1; 1 Thes. 2:19-20).
The crown received by the believers in the kingdom of the heavens is called a “crown of glory” because this crown expresses the Lord’s glory and symbolizes that those who are in the kingdom are able to enjoy the Lord’s glory together with Him. The Lord will give this crown to those who faithfully shepherd His flock today. All those who willingly labor to care for God’s children have a crown composed of the ones they have cared for, who have become their glory and crown. This crown of glory is an “unfading crown of glory” because it signifies the expression of the Lord’s eternally unfading glory.
3. “I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10; see also James 1:12).
Another crown received by the believers is the crown of life. The Lord will give this crown to those who love Him, who suffer persecution on His behalf by relying on His resurrection life, and who are faithful unto death. This crown of life is a symbol that they have overcome the authority of death, that they will never again suffer harm from death, and that they have fully escaped the realm of death.
4. “They...receive a corruptible crown, but we, an incorruptible” (1 Cor. 9:25).
The crown that the believers receive, whether it is one of righteousness, glory, or life, will surely be an incorruptible one, since all these crowns are heavenly and eternal. They have the divine, incorruptible nature. Thus, the crown obtained by the overcoming believers when they enter the kingdom of the heavens will speak forth and testify that all their living today was according to God’s righteousness, for His glory, and by His life. Therefore, the crown will be incorruptible and eternal. The crown will testify that they followed the Lord in this age and are in the glory of the kingdom.
1. “Sit with Me on My throne” (Rev. 3:21).
The throne, like a crown, is for reigning. The highest peak of God’s salvation is to save us to reign from the throne in His kingdom and to give us to sit on the throne with His glorious Son. On this throne we will not only reign and exercise authority with Christ but also fellowship with Him, and through our reigning together with Him, we will enjoy Him.
2. “When the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you also shall sit on...thrones, judging” (Matt. 19:28).
When the believers enter into the kingdom, they will not only rule the earth but also judge the inhabitants of the millennial age (1 Cor. 6:2). The throne is a throne not only for ruling but also for judging.