Unless we are willing to "fall into the ground and die," we shall be barren in the Kingdom of God. If we are willing to die in Christ we will bring much fruit. To die in Christ is to give one's desires, ambitions, and plans to the Lord, trusting in Him to take care of all our needs and hopes. Such a death is not without pain, but it is the only path to lasting fruitfulness in the Kingdom of God.

The Christians who evade the cross in this life will experience neither fruitfulness nor dominion when the Lord appears. The fruit of those who die in Christ will abide for eternity. It will be our joy to be with people whose characters were formed in part by the Virtue of Christ that came to them out of our death. Also, we may have the pleasure of ministering to those who still have need of us, as the Lord directs.

The Christians of our day are hoping to go to live in a mansion in Heaven. Such do not understand their own heart. The truest joy is that of working with people. We do not come to this understanding until we die in Christ and the love of Christ is formed in us.

To experience eternally all the promises to the righteous, all the blessings promised to the Israel of the ages to come, and all the rewards promised to the victorious saint under the new covenant. There are numerous promises in the Scriptures that the righteous in Christ can claim as their own.

For example:

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (Psalms 84:11)

Jesus told us heaven and earth will pass away but the Word of God never shall be changed in its slightest detail. Psalms 84:11 is true of the righteous now; it will hold true for the righteous throughout the great and terrible tribulation that soon is to fall on the earth; and it will remain true throughout eternity. Those who walk uprightly before the Lord will receive the desires of their heart, and no sorrow will be added with the blessings.

The Christians who are not walking uprightly cannot claim such promises now by grace, nor during the tribulation period, nor when the Lord appears.

Numerous promises have been made to true Israel, especially concerning the Day of the Lord:

Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. (Isaiah 60:15)

The Christians who are not serving the Lord diligently are facing punishments, not glory, when Jesus appears.

The second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation are filled with the rewards that will be issued to those who, through Christ, gain victory over the love of the world, Satan, and their lusts and self-will:

To be continued.