The above verse is interesting. It sounds as though those who were kings in this world will be seated on thrones when they descend into the spirit realm. This seems reasonable to me. The people over whom they have ruled would expect to be governed by their familiar kings and queens when they died. It seems likely to me that they could chose to be so governed, if they wished.

Notice what happens (above verse) when Satan is cast down from the heavens.

In the above it appears Satan is being scorned by the kings he had deceived.

Another verse that sometimes has troubled me is as follows:

The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. (I Timothy 5:24—NIV)

Perhaps this means the wicked works of some individuals are revealed quickly, while others will appear at a later time.

And then the next passage:

His work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. (I Corinthians 3:13—NIV)

"The Day will bring it to light." There is coming a Day in which our works will be tested as to their quality. That which we have done in cooperation with the Spirit of God will stand the fire. That which we have done out of our own enthusiasm, or self-will and personal ambition, will not stand the fire.

The Lord Jesus spoke to some of His servants who had accomplished mighty deeds in His name: "Get away from Me. You are unrighteous. I do not care what miracles you did in My name. I never knew you."

The above is an important word for our generation. We in America evaluate Christian ministry in terms of the number of people affected. Consequently ministers who have a flair for business administration or showmanship soon bring together thousands of people.

We judge them to be successful.

Yet in our heart we must know better than this. Jesus fed the multitudes but it was eleven men who brought the Gospel to the whole world. There were only three on the Mount of Transfiguration.

We understand a very large congregation may signify that the demands of discipleship are not being presented clearly to the audience. This is not always the case, but it may prove to be a fact more often than we could wish.

Would we view a faithful couple who had worked for many years with twenty-five people as being as successful, as spiritual, as a young minister just out of Bible college who had two thousand people attending on Sunday morning?

In our heart we must know the numbers of people apparently being influenced is not a measure of Kingdom worth. Even a thoughtful, unsaved person might point out that we are not using the correct criteria to measure success in the Kingdom of God.

To be continued.