Consider the labor (trouble) experienced by Moses, Abraham and Elijah. Then consider their work.
- In I Corinthians 6:2-3 Paul declares that “the saints will judge the world,” and, that “we will judge angels.”
- In Matthew 25:14-30 twice Jesus says “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your Master.” This speaks not of this life, but of the life to come! The context of this “Parable of the Talents,” is the kingdom of heaven.
- Looking deeper into eternity until we reach the heavenly city of the New Jerusalem, we discover what John saw when he said, “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it” “Revelation 21:22-26).
- In the very next chapter we read “the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his bond-servants will serve Him” (Revelation 22:3). Serve -“latreuo” – lat-ryoo’-o meaning to serve for hire. That’s what bond-servants do – they serve!
- Moving to verse 5 we read, “And they will reign forever and ever” (:5). Reign – “bas-il-yoo’-o” meaning to exercise kingly power, to rule, to govern. It is often used as a metaphor for exercising the highest influence or control.
- Why would God waste all that has been learned on earth? In Revelation 21, is that great city not a center of activity? Do not nations walk there, and kings bring glory and honor into it? In Revelation 22 are not the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations, and do not his servants reign there? And is not the word reign “basileuo” (bas-il-yoo-o) coming from the word basileus (bas-il-yooce) meaning to be a leader of people, a prince, a commander, and meaning to exercise kingly power – to govern?
- And before that time, what will we be doing during the Millennial Kingdom when there may well be hundreds of millions if not billions of the descendents of the Millennial saints living upon the earth? Does it make any sense that we should return as mere spectators? And if not spectators, then what? Will we be novices learning a new trade? At what expense? At the expense of all that we previously learned in earth life? Would the Great Economist of the universe permit such inefficiency?
- And what may we learn on this subject by considering the angels? In Hebrews 13 we are admonished to properly entertain strangers, some of whom may be angels. Why are they among us if not to serve as the messengers of God, and at times to encamp round about us to protect us? Are not the angels of God those created spirits who have passed their time of testing to live eternally in the gainful employ of the Lord? Are we not created only a little lower than the angels? Are we not at also passing through our time of testing, and destined to live eternally, and if so, why not in the gainful employ of our Creator? Jesus said of us in the resurrection, “for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection” (Luke 20:36).
Are we not working out our eternal job descriptions even at this very moment?
- We learn from the great resurrection chapter of the Bible, I Corinthians 15 – “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men to most pitied. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep” (:19-20).
“Just as we have borne the image of the earthly, we will also bear the image of the heavenly” (:49). “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the lord, knowing that your toil [kopos – labor] is not in vain in the Lord” (58).
- “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed [meaning literally to receive back] for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (II Corinthians 5:9-10).
- From Matthew 25, hear these words from our Lord, “Then the Kingdom of heaven will be comparable to” (:1); “Be on the alert, for you do not know the day nor the hour” (:13); “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey” (:14); “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them” (:19); “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master’” (:21).
Finally, is there a best way to work out a job description good enough for eternity?
Try this:
Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.
TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE
by Frances R. Havergal, 1874
Do that, and God will assign you your dream job – for eternity!
Check pastorresources.com for part 1 of Are We Working Out Our Heavenly Job Description On Earth?
Dennis D. Frey, M.Div., Th.D., President
Master’s International University of Divinity
the.mdivs.edu
Note: Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New American Standard Version.