Will we be rewarded in heaven?

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Jesus, in Matthew 5:11,12)

At first glance this certainly seems to suggest that we’ll go to heaven. It’s easy to jump to that conclusion, especially if you already believe you’ll go to heaven. But Jesus only said we have a great reward in heaven – meaning located or stored in heaven - He did not say that we’ll go to heaven to get that reward. The reward is being stored in heaven for us until the time of our resurrection, which is to occur at His second coming. When He returns, He will bring the reward from heaven to us. We won’t have to go anywhere to get the reward. Here’s what Jesus said about this in Revelation 22:12:

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

At the time Jesus returns there will be a resurrection of the righteous; Jesus showed they get their reward at that resurrection, when He returns:

But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. (Luke 14:13,14)

Note that this verse does not say anything about going to heaven to get the reward; it doesn’t say anything at all about heaven. It only says we get our reward at our resurrection. The resurrection will be here on earth, just like Jesus' resurrection. Search your Bible from cover to cover: there is no promise - anywhere in the Bible - that we’ll go to heaven.

Other pages in this website have much more information about Jesus’ return and the resurrection of the just. Please check the What does God Promise Us? and God's Plan pages in this website.

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