The prophetic puzzle has clues to what's in it for you.
There are many hard times ahead for this world and for God’s people. But the Bible shows it will all be worth it. Can you put the puzzle pieces together?
Living the Christian life is not easy. It’s natural to wonder: What’s in it for me? Peter pondered this question and asked it of Christ.
“See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” (Matthew 19:27).
Christ gave him an amazing answer!
If I follow Christ, what’s in it for me? Before you read further, understand that answering this question will require you to be willing to answer another one: What does God want from me? If you are seriously willing to also ask this question and seek its answer, then let’s look at the truth of what God wants for you.
Christ’s prophetic words offer a clue
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).
So much is written these days about the end of the world. Even movies deal with the destructive events showcased in the book of Revelation. Yet how many of these works of men go to the end of the Book to show the return of our Savior? Read it in your own Bibles—Jesus Christ is soon returning to this earth!
Christ Himself said He was returning
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3).
Prophecy also makes it clear exactly where Christ will return:
“And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. … And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be—‘The LORD is one,’ and His name one” (Zechariah 14:4, 9, emphasis added throughout).
Christ is returning to this earth and doing so with the purpose to be King. Now that this is clear, we can examine the purpose for your life from prophecy and answer what God really wants for you!
God made a promise, and it will not fail
Notice what Christ revealed to John in vision about the future.
“And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth’” (Revelation 5:9-10).
Look up the phrase “the Kingdom of God.” It is used almost 70 times in the New Testament. It means something. It is to be taken literally, and it has everything to do with what God wants for you!
Your future
God promises deliverance, and He promises protection. The words of your Bible give amazing details of the events that are beginning to unfold even as you read this. What is coming is much more than a simple movie trailer to get us in the theaters. It is a time of devastating destruction that Christ Himself said would almost destroy all life as we know it (Mathew 24:21-22).
In the next few verses He warned of deception, as He also did in verses 4-5. Do not be deceived into thinking the Kingdom of God is just in your heart or that your reward is heaven.
Study the places where the phrase “the Kingdom of God” is used. Look for yourself and see what God’s true words of life actually say. It is a real Kingdom and the reward is literally being brought back with Christ, and it is a role of leadership!
Christ’s amazing response to Peter
“Then Peter answered and said to Him, ‘See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel’” (Matthew 19:27-28).
Christ explained to Peter what would come. The apostles will rule the 12 tribes of Israel. God also wants for you to rule with Christ in the 1,000-year period following His second coming (Revelation 20:4). He wants us to be kings and priests to help Him rule. God wants us to lead and judge.
Read the parable about the Kingdom in Luke 19:11-27 and draw your own conclusions from what you now see. This is what God wants for you, to rule with Him when He returns.
What does God want from me?
Do you want this? Do you want to be a part of a righteous government that will bring peace to the whole world? If you do, then you must now ask: What does God want from me? The clue is found in the same prophetic words of Christ.
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).
What does God want from you? Can you put the puzzle pieces together?
Find the answers as you search this site and study the words of your Bible. God has an amazing plan, and you are a part of it. Write us with your questions and begin a dialogue to get answers. You need to fully understand all that God wants for you and then willingly align your life to the will of God to give to Him what He wants from you.
Barry Richey is an elder serving in the Fort Worth, Texas, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. He owns a financial planning practice in Lewisville, Texas.
