The Reward of the Inheritance
Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. (Col 3:24)
The following can be confusing. Do not be concerned if this is your first time through this material. The technical, consistent precision of the New Testament is something we may not be used to. Most of us have been exposed to “theology” trying to reconcile different words and concepts as if they were the same thing. For instance, the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are aspects of the rule of God that are opposites in their characteristics. Also, the Kingdom of Heaven is not heaven in the normal sense. The Kingdom of Heaven is an earthly, political kingdom ruled by the Second Heaven. In the Millenium it will be aided by the new Sons of God from heavenly places (we Christians). Until that time the second heaven is ruled by the fallen original sons of God. Therefore, in our day, it is the exact opposite in nature of the perfect and eternal Kingdom of God.
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Col 1:13)
Paul seems to say that we already have been translated into the Kingdom of Christ. Since we have not yet been put into the temporary, political administration of Jesus (though we will have a part to play in it in the future), he must be referring to the permanent, spiritual kingdom (The Kingdom of God). And yet the Kingdom of God is coming in its fullness someday future.
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (Rev 12:10)
This occurs at the seventh trumpet. We will probably have been already gathered together unto Jesus and will have received our resurrection bodies. The above verse says that now the Kingdom of God comes in its fullness. We will have been in the Kingdom of God but not until this point can we inherit the Kingdom. Why? There are two reasons. Paul said that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor 15:50). We cannot receive and participate in the fullness of what God wants for us while still in the natural body. The other reason is that the original sons of God still inhabit the heavenly realm (the second heaven). It is not until Revelation chapter 12 that Satan and his princes are thrown out of the realm that we are supposed to occupy. Flesh and blood or a non-resurrection body cannot operate in spiritual places nor dwell in the presence of the Father.
When a child is born, he begins being part of the family into which he is born. He will always belong to that family but he cannot inherit anything right away and possibly could be disinherited. While we enter into the spiritual Kingdom of God when we receive Christ, we do not inherit anything until the appropriate time. The fact that flesh and blood do not inherit anything of the Kingdom shows that this inheritance is not present day. What we do receive in our current lifetime is a down payment. This is the Holy Spirit, “...who is given as a pledge of our inheritance...” (Eph 1:14 NASB). He was given to us to demonstrate, prove, and guarantee that the future promises of God are going to happen with certainty.
What Is The Inheritance?
An inheritance may be different for the different members of a family. A family member may even be written out of the will and have nothing...except for membership in the family. Using a fictitious but typical example of many family dynamics, the will might read:
“...to my brother Bernard I leave my Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud which he admired constantly every moment he visited my home. To my great-nephew Robert I leave my estate house with its 10,000 acres of hunting grounds. To my nephew Hollingsworth I leave one nickel, which is all there would be left after the damage my property incurred at his carelessness.....”
But hasn't Jesus forgiven me?
Yes, if you have asked Him to. Your judicial penalty before God has been taken away. However, if a Christian thinks he can live a life of disobedience to the simple commandments of Christ and then expect an abundant entrance into the rewards that God had planned for them that serve Him, it will be a real tough day.
Assuming that one is not deliberately trying to disobey Jesus, I think you will find that the Lord is gracious and generous. He is looking for almost any way to lavish rewards on His children, in addition to Eternal Life. To get a future inheritance of nothing, you really have a work at it. A lifetime of carnality and selfishness will result in inheriting nothing. There will be Christians who remain in the Family but suffer the loss of not receiving the rewards that they were supposed to have.
The future reward of the inheritance is mainly for those Sons who serve Him. My understanding is that this includes those who allow God's Word to transform their minds. Jesus told some parables that may offer insight as to what this reward might be. In Luke 19 He told a story about a nobleman who left his servants in charge of his affairs while he went to a distant land to receive a kingdom. When the nobleman returned he evaluated his servants. Some had been faithful and diligent. Some were not. The good servants were granted authority over cities. And some of those more than others.
I think that the Reward of the Inheritance may include varying levels of responsibility in the coming Administration of Jesus Christ (Millenial rule), both in heavenly places and upon the earth. Jesus also mentioned other special rewards in the letter to the 7 churches of Revelation.
No real Christian wants to be disinherited. How can I avoid that? Simply consider His words of great value and do what He has told you to do.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt 11:30)
July 28, 2025