Where Bellmen And Cleaning Ladies Will Rule

Where Bellmen and Cleaning Ladies Will Rule

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

— Revelation 3:21

If Baltimore or Liverpool were turned over to me, with power to do what I want with it, how would things turn out? An honest answer to this question might do much to prepare us for our eternal future in this universe.^a

— DALLAS WILLARD

When I speak to people about Heaven, they’re often amazed to hear that we will reign for eternity over cities, nations, and territories. Many are skeptical. They think it sounds fanciful or just plain wrong.

Nothing demonstrates how far we’ve strayed from our understanding of biblical truth like our lack of knowledge about our destiny to rule the earth. Why are we so surprised about something that is spoken of throughout Scripture? Part of the reason may be that we’ve failed to understand key passages—even passages we are familiar with, including some we’ve memorized. For instance, are you aware that, along with thrones, crowns are the primary biblical symbol of ruling? Thus every mention of crowns as rewards speaks of our destiny to rule with Christ. Consider the following examples from one small portion of Scripture, Revelation 2–5. Note the references to crowns, thrones, and reigning:

“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (2:10).

“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations” (2:26).

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (3:11).

“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne” (3:21).

“The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne. . . . They lay their crowns before the throne” (4:10).

“Your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth” (5:9-10, NLT). Who does God say will reign? Representatives of every tribe and language and people and nation. Where will they reign? On Earth, where people were made to dwell. Where on Earth? Likely with people of their own tribe, language, and nation, because Scripture explicitly tells us that national distinctives will still exist on the New Earth (Revelation 21:24, 26; 22:2).

Those coming out of the Great Tribulation will be rewarded by being given a special place “before the throne of God,” where they will “serve him day and night” (Revelation 7:14-15). Notice that the Master rewards his faithful servants not by taking away responsibilities but by giving them greater ones.

Service is a reward, not a punishment. This idea is foreign to people who dislike their work and are only putting up with it until retirement. Some think that faithful work should be rewarded by a vacation for the rest of our lives. But God offers us something different: more work, more responsibilities, and increased opportunities along with greater abilities, resources, wisdom, and empowerment (sharp minds, strong bodies, clear purpose, and unabated joy). The more we serve Christ now, the greater our capacity will be to serve him in Heaven.

Will every one be given the opportunity to rule in the new universe? Paul said that eternal rewards are available “not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). The word all is encouraging. If we are devoted to him, he will reward us.

“The Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free” (Ephesians 6:8). The word everyone is again encouraging. It won’t be just a select few who are rewarded. Whether putting us in charge of much or of little, God will reward us graciously and justly.

Should we be excited that God will reward us by making us rulers in his Kingdom? Absolutely. Jesus said, “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:12).

God will choose who reigns as kings, and I’m confident some great surprises are in store for us. Christ gives us clues in Scripture as to the type of person he will choose: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. . . . Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. . . . Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3, 5, 10). Also, “ ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under god’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6).

Look around you to see the meek and the humble. They may include street sweepers, locksmiths’ assistants, bus drivers, and stay-at-home moms who spend their days changing diapers, doing laundry, packing lunches, drying tears, and driving carpools.

I once gave one of my books to a delightful hotel bellman in Atlanta. I discovered he was a committed Christian. He said he’d been praying for our writers group, which was holding a conference at the hotel. Later, I gave him a little gift. He seemed stunned, overwhelmed. With tears in his eyes he said, “You didn’t need to do that. I’m only a bellman.” The moment he said those words, it struck me that this brother had spent his life serving other people. It will likely be someone like him that I’ll have the privilege of serving under in God’s Kingdom. He was “only a bellman” who spoke with warmth and love, who served, who quietly prayed in the background for the success of a Christian writers conference in his hotel, his place of service. I saw Jesus in that bellman, and there was no “only” about him.

Who will be the kings of the New Earth? I think that bellman will be one of them. And I will consider it an honor to carry his bags.

Keep your eyes open today to those around you, and ask yourself, which of these people might one day be kings and queens of the New Earth?

Lord, thank you that we can catch glimpses of your servant leadership in those we see around us, often those whom society would consider “beneath” us. Thank you that we will have the privilege of serving under people who have proven themselves in this life by serving you and others with humility and grace. What a joy it will be to serve you as we serve under them.