What a beautiful promise this is – that our God shall come to gather His own to Himself. Of course, these verses are talking about Jesus Christ gathering His saints together. Yes, note that Jesus is called “God” in these verses. It will be all-inclusive, the “saints” that are in Heaven and the “saints” that are on earth – the ones still living. Although He has not come to do this yet – He will.

Notice, also, that it is a time when He will judge “His people.” This must happen before He will judge the world. We know that this is Christ because “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22).

The Bible makes it clear that God will judge His people before He judges the unbelievers – which occurs later at the Great White Throne Judgment. Believers are not judged at the same time as unbelievers, and the judgment of believers is not to determine salvation but rewards. I Peter 4:17 says: “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?”

The purpose of the judgment of believers is seen in II Corinthians 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” The reason that salvation is not an issue at this judgment is twofold: first, they are called “saints” – unbelievers (the unsaved) are never called saints in the Bible.

Secondly, the ones that are gathered are “those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” Of course, the Sacrifice referred to here is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who has “washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5). Several times in the Bible Jesus is referred to as a “sacrifice” for us as in Ephesians 5:2: “Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” The “covenant” made is entered into by faith in what He promised: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

In a way, the time referred to in the text verse also describes the Second Coming. The “fire” refers to His destruction of the armies gathered together to fight with Him at Armageddon, and the “saints” refers to those who died in the faith during the Tribulation and those saints still alive on earth.

Dear reader, I would like to think that you are among the redeemed today. If not, would you seriously think about getting saved today so that you can face the right judgment?

In some ways, everyone reaps what they sow in this life – but because the duration of those rewards is eternal, the stakes are much greater. Paul wrote the above text verse to believers that needed encouragement. c needed reminding that there is a great payday coming for those who continue to be faithful to the Lord and His Word. 

Today, many believers are at a crossroads regarding losing their rewards because so many have stopped being faithful and have dropped out of church. It is easy to do this when you get your eyes on this world and forget what God has promised to the faithful, as well as what Christ has done for you. 

 Although the born-again believer will not face his or her sin at the Judgment Seat of Christ, the promised rewards will be based on the faithfulness of service and obedience. By grace, each believer is given an individualized course to follow and spiritual gifts to use in their place of service. 

In the Bible, salvation is never given as a reward, but as a gift (Eph. 2:8,9). After salvation, believers need to be careful of how they serve because rich rewards are waiting for faithful service. The important thing to remember is that God sees the heart, and He understands the motivation of our service.

The Lord Jesus warned His disciples that it is possible to get to Heaven but have no rewards. In Matthew 6:1, Jesus said: “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.” The Apostle John also warns that it is possible to lose rewards. In II John 1:8, he said: “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.“ The phrase “look to yourselves” means to pay attention to ensure that you are living for the Lord and His will. 

If you want to ensure a rich future in eternity, remember to keep your eyes on Christ as you serve. He is faithful to keep His promises and to keep you. Remember Paul’s words: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (I Cor. 15:58).