Have you ever wondered who you will see when you get to heaven, or who will receive more heavenly rewards? And what did Jesus mean when he said, “the last shall be first?”
“So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen” (Matthew 20:16).
I’ve wondered about these things and this Matthew passage forces us to think on this topic.
First did you know that all Christians will be judged for their faithfulness to God? This is called the Bema judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10).
The Bema Judgment is a place where rewards will be given, or lost, depending on how one has used his or her life for the Lord.
“Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire: and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is” (1 Corinthians 3:13). “If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15).
The day is coming when everything that was done for the Lord will be reviewed. There will be service that glorifies God and blesses man. Also, there will be service that has failed to edify God.
Today, I’m swiftly learning that nothing in this world is what it appears to be.
Therefore I’m certain there will be surprises when we get to heaven. Some who we thought would be there, will not be there such as fake Bible teachers.
Then there will be those who we thought would receive many rewards for their religious efforts, who will not. Such as those who were very visible, or shared platforms on the world stage, or those involved in worldwide Christian organizations etc.
Next there will be those who we never heard of, who never made it onto the world stage, or never received the praises of man, or worldly accolades.
Those who were faithful behind the scenes. Believers committed to doing their one small part to serve our Lord without the attention or praises of man. These may receive many rewards for their service to the Lord.
Who can this group of faithful Christians possibly be? For starters how about a missionary who gives up a comfortable lifestyle to live in a third world country.
Then again maybe a mother dedicated to homeschooling a large family. She has strong convictions about not permitting her children to become indoctrinated in public education and is faithful to her beliefs.
Then there are people committed to prayer, or serving the homeless or sick. Also what about those courageous believers helping the victims of human trafficking. The list goes on.
More importantly, what about Christians who have been persecuted, and even given their lives for His Name’s sake.
When we think about the saints, over the centuries, who have been martyred for their faith, we realize that for most of these saints, their names are unknown.
The point here is that all these saints mentioned above may appear to be last (not recognized, forgotten, or just an afterthought) while residing on earth. But in God’s Kingdom they may very well be first.
In short, to answer the question; why did Jesus say, “The last shall be first?”
Clearly God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, or His ways our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).
It’s good to know that it will be The Holy and Awesome God sitting on the Bema seat judging. Only He can look into individual hearts, and rightly judge their motives, and see what is the abundance of treasure that they have stored there.
Thanks for this article.
Sergio