What Revelation 22 Tells Us to Expect at the White Throne Judgment of God

As believers, we can look forward to the great white throne judgment with both gratitude and holy confidence, not only because we will go to heaven, but also because we will be rewarded for every action we have taken that was motivated by our love for Yeshua.

In Revelation 22:12 Jesus tells His followers, “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me to give to each one according to his work.” It is crucial that we realize Jesus is not just coming to judge, but He is also coming to reward. Keep in mind these are not unlimited “freebies” but are rewards based entirely on what we have done during our time on earth.

I hear very few preachers touch this subject today, in part because most do not want to be accused of promoting a works-based faith. It is far more common to hear sermons on grace than on the topic of our heavenly rewards. I wonder, however, if the pendulum has not swung too far to the other extreme. After all, there are dozens of Scriptures speaking of these rewards—yes, including works-based ones—throughout the Bible.

In the Tanakh, for example, we find the following (I have put specific references to these rewards in italics):

“See, the Lord God will come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; see, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him” (Is. 40:10).

“The Lord has proclaimed to the ends of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘See, your salvation comes; see, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.” They shall call them The Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, a City Not Forsaken (Is. 62:11–12).

“The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has repaid me” (Ps. 18:20).

We will be rewarded as God brings all things into the light at the judgment seat of Elohim—every act, every thought, every word, every deed, every intention. Again, Paul said “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his recompense in the body, according to what he has done, whether it was good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). When you really think about it, this has profound meaning, doesn’t it? It means everything matters! What we do while we have bodies does not just impact today, tomorrow, next year or even a few years from now; it determines what will happen when we die. Simply stated, how we live our lives has eternal consequences. {eoa}

Messianic Rabbi K.A. Schneider is an international evangelist who serves as rabbi of Lion of Judah World Outreach Center. He is the host of the international television broadcast Discovering the Jewish Jesus and the author of Self-Deliverance, Do Not Be Afraid, and Awakening to Messiah. This is an excerpt from Schneider’s new book, The Book of Revelation Decoded.