Revelation 22:12, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
The
Book of Daniel, in the Old Testament, teaches that Soul Winners will shine
as the brightness of the stars in Heaven. I believe this is because the
souls whom are led to the Lord through our ministry efforts will thank and
admire us in Heaven. Certainly, only God can save anyone (1st Corinthians
3:7). Yet, God uses us as vehicles by which to win those folks to Him.
Carefully notice that Soul Winners will shine as the brightness of the stars in Heaven. Stars stand out in the night sky. Soul Winners will be the celebrities in Heaven. In this heathen world—those who strip naked, glorify sin, take God's name in vain, reject Jesus Christ, commit homosexuality and live for Satan—are idolized by the masses of society.
It will be a much different situation in Heaven. The wicked will not be there (Revelation 22:15). Only sinners saved by God's grace will be in Heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9). Anyone can be saved if they'll come for forgiveness through the Son of God (John 14:6; Acts 4:10-12; 10:43).
In Heaven, it is Soul Winners who will be celebrities. Amen! No wicked person will be honored in God's Kingdom. What a day that will be. The Bible says that they who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars of the universe. The only true righteousness is Christ's imputed righteousness, which is by faith (Romans 4:5-6).
What in the world does that big word mean . . . IMPUTETH? The word “impute” means “to pass to one’s account, to count over” It means that Jesus places His righteousness upon our record when we trust upon Him for salvation. Romans chapter four speaks concerning Abraham, “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was COUNTED UNTO HIM for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). What a beautiful truth! Abraham was not saved by good works; but rather, he believed God and was saved by Christ’s righteousness. Christ’s perfection was imputed (placed) on Abraham’s record in Heaven. God the Father viewed Abraham thereafter as having the righteousness of Christ. What a Savior!
Proverb 11:30, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”
Believers who are “choked with cares and riches and pleasures” of this earthly life (Luke 8:14), who bring forth no fruit to perfection, will not shine in Heaven. In fact, they will be very sad because they failed to seize the opportunity while on earth to win souls to Jesus. Once this life is over, the race is finished. All opportunities to earn rewards in Heaven will be over. The chance to pass the test of our faith will be gone.
The average churchgoer is so brainwashed with religion that they aren't even saved themselves, let alone telling others how to be saved. We are saved by faith, and then we live the Christian life by faith. We are saved solely by Christ's righteousness, which is only by His precious, literal, physical, blood sacrifice (Hebrews 9:12,24).
Then as born-again believers, Christ lives the Christian life through us as we yield to His Sprit day-by-day in obedience to the Scriptures. Please understand that living a consecrated life for God has absolutely NOTHING to do with being saved. You are saved because you come as a helpless, guilty, sinner and trust on Christ to forgive your sins and save you.
The Bible plainly teaches that
Soul Winners will shine in eternity as the brightness of the stars. Our duty
as Christians is to turn men unto the righteousness of Jesus Christ that
they may be saved. 2nd Corinthians 5:21, “For He [God the Father]
hath made Him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that
we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”
What Will the Rewards Be?
In this life my get blessings, joy, friends and family, houses, et cetera. Revelation 2:26-27, “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.” Those who work hard and win souls are going to rule and reign with Christ during the millennium. God gives us greater responsibility as a reward, giving us power and authority (over perhaps a city or a nation).
Daniel 12:2-3, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” The Bible says if we are wise we will shine, as the firmament. Those who turn many to the imputed righteousness of God will shine as the stars. They will be the superstars in Heaven, beloved by their converts.
1st Corinthians 15:40-44, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” The word “glory” in the holy Bible literally means “to shine,” as the glory of the sun, moon or stars. Just as the sun, moon and stars vary in glory (brightness), so also will the resurrected saints differ in their amount of glory. It won't be a Communist utopia dream. Some believers will rule over 10 cities, others over 5 and some over none. Some saints will shine with glory as the stars, others like a dim lightbulb, and some not at all. Power. One form of rewards that we will receive are power, glory and authority.
1st Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” God will glorify His saints at the resurrection (the Rapture). It is a sin to exalt our self now, but we will be exalted together with Christ at His coming. We will cast our crowns at His feet. Christ is the final authority. Christ is responsible for everyone who has ever been saved. Jesus shines so brightly that people are blinded by His glory. Revelation 10:1, “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.” Our precious Lord shines with a glory so bright that is emanates with the intensity of the sun!!!
I don't know about you friend, but I want to go
for some maximum wattage! I want to shine as the stars of the heavens, from
leading sinners to Jesus Christ. In this wicked world, the fallen stars of
Hollywood shine for a season, but the name of the wicked shall rot! Proverbs 10:7, “The memory of the just is blessed: but
the
name of the wicked shall rot.” Jude 1:7 and 13, “Even as Sodom and
Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to
fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example,
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. ... Raging waves of the sea, foaming
out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved
the blackness of darkness for ever.”
We Need God's Righteousness
There is no reward promised to the unsaved, except to spend eternity burning in the Lake of Fire. Isaiah 3:11, “Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” Revelation 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” But even for the worst of believers, they'll still be in Heaven forever, although “saved; yet so as by fire” (1st Corinthians 3:15). The worst sinner in Heaven will be infinitely better off than the best sinner in Hell. You don't go to Heaven because you're good; And you don't go to Hell because you're bad. We're all horrible sinners! Romans 3:10, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.”
There will be murderers and adulterers in Heaven; And there will be priests and morally upright church members in Hell. You go to Heaven because you receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins, believing that He raised up as your heavenly High Priest. As the perfect and sinless Lamb of God, Christ died in our place on the cross. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a debt that we could not pay. God will not save anyone who is trying to be saved, He will only save those who are trusting to be saved. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.
We are saved by God's imputed righteousness, which is by faith alone in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
