Bible Study on Revelation 22, verses 12 to 19, part 2, the works of the Christian judged

Revelation 22:12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

The nature of the Christian’s works, the true motivations behind them, will be judged.

 

1Corinthians 3:11 ¶  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

 

2Corinthians 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.

 

We can receive Christ and be judged ourselves according to His righteousness or we can reject Him and be judged for our own.

 

James 2:10  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

 

Jesus said that the Law given to Moses was based on two premises.

 

Matthew 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38  This is the first and great commandment. 39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40  On these two commandments

hang all the law and the prophets.

 

And we were given another commandment to underscore those commands.

 

John 13:34   A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

 

We were warned not to deny Christ, to reject Him under duress and persecution. See the contexts of the following.

 

Matthew 10: 32  Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.33   But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

 

2Timothy 2:12   If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13   If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

 

We have Peter’s example, however, of someone who was provided a way back after his denial of Christ, and was not cast away. Overcoming is an important concept in this book.

 

Revelation 2:7   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God…11   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death…17   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it…26   And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

 

Revelation 3:5   He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels…12   Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name…21   To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

 

Revelation 21:7   He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

 

Overcoming is defined in a previous letter by the same writer.

 

1John 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?