Scripture Reading: Rev. 20:4, 6; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 3:21; 2:26-27; Matt. 25:21; Rom. 8:17
Ⅰ
In the coming kingdom the overcoming believers will reign with Christ and be priests of God and of Christ—Rev. 20:4, 6; 2 Tim. 2:12:
A
Those who will reign with Christ in the millennial kingdom are those who live in the reality of the kingdom today and who will be in the coming manifestation of the kingdom—Matt. 5:3, 8, 20; 13:43.
B
As co-kings with Christ, the overcoming believers will be crowned with a number of crowns:
１
The crown is a symbol of glory given as a prize, in addition to the Lord's salvation.
２
"There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing"—2 Tim. 4:8:
ａ
This crown is neither of grace nor by faith, as salvation is (Eph. 2:5, 8-9); rather, this crown is of righteousness through works (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12; 2 Cor. 5:10).
ｂ
Such a reward will be awarded to the overcoming believers not according to the grace of the Lord but according to His right-eousness; hence, it is a crown of righteousness.
ｃ
The One who awards this crown is the Lord as the righteous Judge, not as the merciful God or the gracious Redeemer—2 Tim. 4:8.
ｄ
This award will be given to all those who love the Lord's appear-ing—v. 8.
３
The other crowns are the unfading crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4), the crown of life (Rev. 2:10), and the incorruptible crown (1 Cor. 9:25).
C
To sit with Christ on His throne will be a prize to the overcomer so that he may participate in the Lord's authority in the coming millennial kingdom; the overcomers will be co-kings with Christ, ruling over the whole earth—Rev. 3:21.
D
In the coming manifestation of the kingdom, the overcomers will rule, have authority over, the nations and shepherd them; in the millennial kingdom the ruler will be a shepherd—2:26-27; 12:5.
E
"Enter into the joy of your master"—Matt. 25:21, 23:
１
This joy signifies the enjoyment of the Lord in the coming kingdom.
２
When the Lord comes back, that will be the time for Him to enjoy the earth.
３
By repossessing the earth, the Lord will have enjoyment, and then He will invite His followers, His partners, to participate in this enjoy-ment, to enter into His joy.
４
Entering into the Lord's joy is greater than being crowned and having authority over the nations; the joy of the Lord will be the greatest thing in the millennium.
Ⅱ
The overcomers will also be glorified with Christ—Rom. 8:17:
A
Glory is the expression of Christ, the hope of glory—Col. 1:27:
１
Christ as the hope of glory has been sown into us as the seed of glory, and this seed will grow until it reaches the stage of blossoming, at which time the glory will come out.
２
For God to glorify us means that the glory, which has been sown into us, saturates our whole being and is expressed through us.
３
When our entire being has been permeated and saturated with the element of glory, that glory will come out of us; this is what it means for the believers to be glorified.
B
The believers' glorification will not be an accident; rather, their glori-fication will be the issue of their maturity in life:
１
Glorification is the issue of transformation, and transformation is accomplished by the gradual and continuous growth in life.
２
One day, when we reach our maturity (Heb. 6:1), we will be glorified and therefore brought into the full expression of the Triune God.
C
We suffer with Christ so that we may be glorified with Him—Rom. 8:17:
１
The degree of our suffering determines the degree of our glory; the more suffering we pass through, the more our glory will be inten-sified, for suffering increases the intensity of our glory.
２
All the overcomers will be glorified, but the intensity of our glory will depend on the amount of suffering we are willing to take.
D
"He comes to be glorified in His saints and to be marveled at in all those who have believed"—2 Thes. 1:10:
１
At His coming back, on the one hand, the Lord of glory will come from the heavens with glory—Rev. 10:1; Matt. 25:31.
２
On the other hand, He will be glorified in His saints; that is, His glory will be manifested from within His members, causing their body of humiliation to be transfigured into His glory, conforming it to the body of His glory—Phil. 3:21.