"Will There Be Tears In Heaven?"

"Although Christians have been justified by faith, Christ will still judge them for the 'deeds done in the body...whether good or bad' (2 Corinthians 5:10). How well or poorly we do here might indeed determine our status in heaven for all eternity," warns Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, Th.M, author and Bible scholar.

In his classic book, Your Eternal Reward, Dr. Lutzer asks the questions inquiring minds want to know:

• Does our behavior as Christians matter once we are assured of our salvation?
• Will eternity be the same for those believers who follow Christ faithfully and those who live a carnal life style?

According to Lutzer, "everything we do in this life matters. We all struggle with the concept of negative consequences at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Our sins have been washed away and God cannot judge us for our carnality, selfishness, and wasted lives,we think. Because we are not under condemnation, we feel secure that any loss we suffer cannot be too serious."

Not so fast. Lutzer points out that God sometimes judges His people while they are still alive even though they are forgiven and justified. Ananias and Sapphira were judged by death for their dishonesty (Acts 5:1-11). Carnal believers in Corinth died because of their disrespect for the Lord's Table (1 Corinthians 11:30).

"I can't lose my salvation," says Lutzer, "but there is something I can lose--the highest privileges available for all eternity. Let's not live in such a way that we'll be given a rebuke from Christ and have "shame at His Coming" (1 John 2:28)."

In other words, how we live our lives has eternal consequences. Charles Stanley (pastor, radio preacher and author of over 45 books) agrees:

"Will eternity be the same for everybody? Not a chance. Our God is a God of justice as well as grace. His offer of grace is continually extended to even the most vile sinner. But His justice moves Him to keep a careful record of those who remain faithful and those who do not. His grace moved Him to sacrifice His only Son to provide a way for our salvation. But His justice causes Him to take special note of those believers who are willing to sacrifice for His Son."

A wise man once said: "Entrance into heaven is gained by accepting Christ's sacrifice for justification, but a person's rewards in heaven will be determined by what they did for Christ here on earth. There are consequences to a careless Christian life." -- Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, author of The Complete Word Study New Testament (With Parallel Greek)

Jesus said, "...I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds." (Revelation 2:23)

"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." (Revelation 22:12)

"...there are some who have not soiled their garments with evil deeds. They will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before My Father and His angels that they are Mine. Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches." (Revelation 3:4-6)

How To Go To Heaven...click here

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"Like a Thief in the Night"

As far as most people are concerned, Christ's return is irrelevant. If they think about it at all, it's mostly to mock those who believe in it.

And who can blame them? False dates and fanaticism have deceived and damaged the faith of millions.

But is fear of repeating past mistakes reason enough to avoid the subject? Not according to Luke 12:37: "There will be special favor for those who are ready and waiting for His return." Luke 12:45 gives us the consequences of not being ready: "But if the servant thinks, 'My master won't be back for a while', and begins oppressing the other servants, partying, and getting drunk--well, the master will return unannounced and unexpected. He will tear the servant apart and banish him with the unfaithful. The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it." Apparently, God expects us to know the general time of Christ's return.

Before we go on, let's get something straight: Christ will come twice: once at the Rapture of the Church which takes place before the 7-year period known as 'the Tribulation' and for which there are no signs. He will come like a thief in the night when the world at large least expects Him. Then, at the end of the seven years of tribulation, amid unmistakable signs, Christ will come a second time.

Got that? There are yet two comings. One to rescue the church (the Rapture) and the Second Coming to rescue the Jews. We'll go over all this in more detail later.

For now, here's a simple overview of prophetic events:

1. The Rapture. When God delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
2. The Judgment Seat of Christ (Bema). Where believers' lives are examined. If we've used our gifts and talents to help build the kingdom, we'll be rewarded. If we've squandered our lives on selfish living, we'll suffer loss. (1 Corinthians 3:13).
3. The Tribulation. When 7 years of trouble come on the earth consisting of deception, war/rumors of war, famines, pestilence, and earthquakes. (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, Daniel 9). These 7 years are divided into two, 3-1/2-year periods. At the beginning of the 1st half, the Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel and the Jewish Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem. The 2nd 3-1/2 years herald the Great Tribulation when the Antichrist breaks the 7-year covenant. (Daniel 9:27).
4. Armageddon: armies from around the globe gather at Megiddo in Northern Israel to launch a massive attack against Jerusalem. (Rev. 16, Zechariah 12:1-3, 14:1-5, Revelation 19:19).
5. Second Coming of Christ to earth. to rescue His Chosen people, the Jews, from annihilation and set up His millennial reign on earth. (Dan. 2:44, Matt. 24:27-37, Zechariah 14:4, 1 Thessalonians. 3:13, Rev. 19:8).
6. Judgment of the Nations. (Matthew 25:31-46).

 (Scripture references are not all inclusive. There are just too many to list them all. Please check cross-references in your Bible).

Words to the Wise: Be like the Bereans, "...in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11).

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