1. “To him I will give authority over the nations...as I also have received from My Father” (Rev. 2:26-27; see also Luke 19:17, 19; Matt. 25:21, 23).
When the overcomers enter the kingdom of the heavens to reign, their main function will be to exercise authority and rule over the nations. They will rule over everything in the coming kingdom. They will rule with the Lord and exercise His authority to rule; this will be a great blessing.
1. “A royal priesthood”; “Priests to our God; and they will reign on the earth” (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 5:10; see also 1:6).
In the kingdom of the heavens the believers will not only be kings but also priests. As kings, they will exercise authority for God, represent Him, and bring His authority to men; as priests, they will serve God, represent man, and bring man’s needs to God. As kings, they will participate in God’s authority and administrate His government; as priests, they will participate in God’s life and obtain God Himself. In the Old Testament the priests and kings were two different groups of people (2 Chron. 26:18); kings could not be priests, and priests could not be kings. But the believers in the kingdom will be both priests and kings, like the Lord whom they follow (Zech. 6:12-13). They will be a “royal priesthood” with the authority of a king and the blessings of a priest. This is the highest blessing in the Lord’s salvation. The Lord’s salvation saves us to this extent.
1. “They shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5).
In the kingdom of the heavens the believers will inherit the earth. The entire globe will be given to the believers during the kingdom age. Today those who are willing to give up the world for the Lord will inherit the earth with the Lord and obtain the earth as their inheritance (Psa. 2:8).
1. “Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:21, 23).
Joy is also one of the blessings enjoyed by the believers in the coming kingdom of the heavens. Reigning with the Lord, sitting on the throne with Him, exercising authority with Him, and being glorified with Him are all matters that will bring an indescribable joy. This must be a tremendous blessing; otherwise, the Lord would not have mentioned it with such particular emphasis.
1. “Entering into His rest” (Heb. 4:1, see also v. 11).
Joy is one of the blessings of the kingdom of the heavens; rest is another. Joy involves happiness, and rest involves satisfaction. When the believers enter the coming kingdom of the heavens, they will not feel sad or dissatisfied. Everything will be pleasant and satisfying. Outwardly, they will not labor; inwardly, they will not sigh. Their body, soul, and spirit will feel exceedingly comfortable. This is truly a blessing that will feel so sweet.
1. “Glorified with Him” (Rom. 8:17; see also 1 Pet. 5:1).
Another great blessing that the believers will obtain when they enter the kingdom of the heavens is being glorified with the Lord Jesus. They will enter with Him into God’s glory to enjoy and express God.
2. “More surpassingly, an eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17).
In the coming kingdom the believers will be glorified with Christ with a glory of eternal weight, a glory that surpasses everything and lasts for eternity. Therefore, the apostle Paul says that the afflictions we endure for the Lord today are not worthy of being regarded with the glory we will receive.
1. “To him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God”; “I will write upon him...the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven from My God” (Rev. 2:7; 3:12).
The Paradise of God spoken of here is the New Jerusalem, since the tree of life is in the New Jerusalem. The coming New Jerusalem is the Paradise of God, and it is for the enjoyment of God and His saved ones. These passages show that a foretaste of the New Jerusalem will be a reward to the overcomers in the millennial kingdom because the overcomers will be able to enjoy it first. If we read Revelation carefully, we can see that during the millennial kingdom, the New Jerusalem will be the bride of the Lamb in which only the believers who overcome in this age can participate (19:7); during the new heavens and the new earth, she will be the wife of the Lamb in which all the believers can participate (21:9). The bride is temporary and exclusive; the wife is permanent and inclusive. The Lord gives the overcoming believers the reward of a fresh foretaste of the New Jerusalem as the bride of the Lamb in the millennial kingdom. The duration of the millennial kingdom is the Lord’s wedding day (19:7), and the kingdom itself is the wedding feast of Christ. At that time the overcoming believers will be both the bride of Christ and the guests who are invited to the wedding feast. During this thousand-year wedding feast, the Lord will give the blessings of the New Jerusalem to the overcomers in a special way and allow them to taste the freshness of its enjoyment first. After the millennial kingdom the special blessings of the New Jerusalem will become general blessings that are given to all the saved ones for their enjoyment.
The main blessing in the coming New Jerusalem will be the tree of life. This was God’s goal in the beginning (Gen. 2:8-9), and it is God’s goal at the end (Rev. 22:2). In the coming kingdom God will give this blessing to the overcomers and allow them to have an enjoyable foretaste of His eternal blessing.