The Unfaithful Christian
Eric Summers
In this article I will be presenting some opinions on the fate of a One-Talent Christian (OTC) during their judgment time, during the Millennial Kingdom and in Eternity. The OTC is not an unsaved person, but is instead a Christian that has not repented of his sinful ways and has not become a disciple of Jesus Christ. In other words, he has not become sanctified. To the outsider, this Christian looks like the unsaved people of the world--living only for themself and not living for God.
The Book of Life
The reasons for The Book of Life are covered in detail in the article: The Book of Life. It contains the names of every Christian that Jesus has or will save by grace through faith. This book contains a list of the names of believers that Christ expects to be His disciples and thus avoiding evil and performing righteous works during their time on this earth. If the believer has been found faithful by Jesus, his name will remain in the book and Jesus will not blot his name out of the Book of Life:
Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (ASV 1901)
This verse is addressed to the Church at Sardis, the Protestant Church of today. This verse is not an admonishment for only the Protestant church, but it applies to all Christians. It states that the Christian that overcomes or removes his spiritual deficiencies will continue to have his name written in the Book of Life but those that do not overcome their spiritual weaknesses will have their name removed from this book that is in the care of Jesus Christ. This is a very serious condition for the unfaithful. Jesus would very much like to give many rewards (Are Rewards Important?) to His disciples, but if they are not being faithful disciples, then they will not receive any rewards from Him. Instead, they will receive condemnation from Christ at their judgment. During the Millennium Kingdom they will be on the sidelines during the Wedding Feast and any other events that involves recognition by Jesus of His faithful saints; the unfaithful will be cast into Outer Darkness. Another very serious negative reward they will receive at their judgment will be discussed later in this article.
Heaven or New Jerusalem
Jesus said to His disciples:
John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also. (ASV 1901)
Right now Jesus is preparing the New Jerusalem for His disciples and His work is nearly finished. This great city will be the primary residence for faithful saints of the Old Testament era and for Christians saved during the 2,000 year church age. This great city is referred to as Heaven, My Father's House or New Jerusalem. A detailed description is given in: New Jerusalem and The New Heaven and the New Earth, so I'll just give an overview here.
The great city is 1400 miles high by 1400 miles wide by 1400 miles deep, which is about 2.7 billion cubic miles of space. Looking from the top down, there are three gates on each side, each gate consisting of a great pearl and on each is the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Their names are listed in Revelation, chapter seven. Each gate has an angel escorting the faithful in and out of the great city. At the very top of the city is a great worship room that contains the grand thrones of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Their thrones are sitting on a platform which is in the middle of the room and is raised a man's height from the rest of the room. The Bride of Christ will share Christ's throne and there will be 24 thrones with faithful Christian elders sitting on them around the thrones of God the Father and Jesus Christ. The Bride of Christ--the four living beings and the 24 elders mentioned in the Book of Revelation are representative of the most faithful of Christ's disciples and will likely number in the millions. The next most faithful of Christ's followers will be a little further from the thrones of The Father and The Son; they are the five and two talent Christians that prove their faithfulness during the first half of the Tribulation. All are faithful and Jesus Christ will often praise them before God the Father.
Above the great room is a ceiling of diamond that will allow a clear vision into the sky above:
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
Rev 21:11 having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal:
From the great worship room you will be able to look up and see the gospel in the stars, called the Mazzaroth, which via star constellations displays the Gospel message in picture form. Just do a search on Mazzaroth for details. At night if you look straight up towards the North Star (Polaris), you will see the general area in space where New Jerusalem is located. It is very far out, several light years away, so even the most powerful telescopes will not be able to see it now. After the thousand year Millennial Kingdom is completed, New Jerusalem will come down out of Heaven and orbit the earth. Residents of earth will be able to see New Jerusalem and send up their praise to God from the earth. Here is a verse that describes where Heaven is:
Psalms 48:2 ASV 1901: Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is mount Zion, [on] the sides of the north, The city of the great King.
Garments
Note that in the Rev. 3:5 verse, Jesus mentions white garments. White in the Bible represents purity so anyone that wears white shows that they have repented of evil works and have accomplished good works for the glory of God. In Rev 3:5 Christ is admonishing the members of the Sardis or Protestant church to overcome their spiritual weaknesses and thus be counted as faithful disciples of His. This is not an admonishment for just the Protestant church, but it applies to all Christians. Those spiritual weaknesses that Jesus mentions in Revelation chapter two and three to the Churches of Revelation need to be worked on by the individual Christians and if they are overcome, then Jesus counts them as His disciples. If we are faithful to Jesus, we will be wearing white garments and thus He will not blot out our name from the Book of Life. The spiritual weaknesses that Jesus describes in the Book of Revelation to the Protestant church is not watching for His return for the First Fruits Rapture and having works that are done for the individual's glory and not for the glory of God. Thus, their works are dead or incomplete. For more on the Protestant Church read: The Church at Sardis.
In the Bible, the garments worn by the Christian are an outward indicator of the faithfulness of the person (See Revelation 19:8 below). I've listed in order of devotion to God the Father those called by Him to be believers in Jesus Christ. The faith of the various types of churches during the 2,000 year church age are described in detail in the Book of Revelation: The Seven Churches.
The Four living creatures: the Bride of Christ
These are the individuals that have been the most faithful to Christ during their stay on Earth:
And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright [and] pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints (ASV 1901 Rev. 19:8)
The Bride of Christ is the most faithful of the disciples of Jesus. They have crucified self (How to Crucify Self) and have performed good works that glorify God and have daily cleansed themselves of their sins by confessing them to God (I John 1:9) and are currently watching and beckoning for His return for the First Fruits Rapture. They have suffered insults from the world of the unsaved as well as from members of the church that don't want to hear about watching for the return of Jesus for the First Fruits Rapture and the encouragement from Jesus to be obeying all the commands He told His disciples to accomplish. They have read and studied scripture from the Holy Bible and applied it to the way they live their lives. They have prayed daily for their needs and the needs of others and they have had daily praise and communion with God. He is the most important person in their lives.
Because of the walk with The Lord as mentioned above, He will glorify them at the First Fruits Rapture. Revelation Chapter Four describes them, the four living creatures: they look just like Jesus Christ:
Revelation 4:7 And the first creature [was] like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature [was] like a flying eagle.
The Bride of Christ is described as being like the four creatures depicting Jesus according to the four gospels. In Matthew, Jesus is portrayed as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the King of the Jews. This pertains to his reigning and ruling in the kingdom. The four living creatures will share in this. Mark pictures Jesus as the suffering servant (i.e., the calf or the ox). Jesus came to suffer and die as a servant. Jesus had to suffer before he reigns as king, and this is applicable to his disciples also, especially from persecution from some members of their own churches. Luke depicts Jesus as the Son of Man and this pertains to his human nature. The four living creatures also have a human nature. The book of John delineates the divine nature of Jesus Christ, and the eagle is a symbol for this nature. The four living creatures have become Christlike in their character. They have suffered with Christ, and they will now reign with Christ in the highest level of the kingdom. They are able to share with Christ in his throne.
And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Around the throne of Jesus will be 24 other thrones (the Greek word thronos) and 24 elders or mature believers were seated on these thrones. The white raiment represent the righteous deeds or acts of the saints, and the crowns of gold are the stephanos (i.e., crowns) that Christians earn by their faithfulness to the Lord.
These 24 elders represent believers who have qualified to reign and rule with Jesus Christ in the kingdom of the heavens. Twelve is the number of earthly government and 24 is twice twelve and represents heavenly government or the government of the heavens over the earth.
Resurrection time is coronation time, and no one can be crowned until he has been resurrected, or translated if living. Therefore, this is proof that there is a resurrection/translation at the beginning of the seven-year tribulation period. It is equally certain that everyone in this resurrection/translation is an overcomer because of the crowns and regal thrones. These are the saints that are the second most faithful to Jesus Christ during their time on the earth.
These are those Christians left behind after the First Fruits Rapture (The Separation). The pastors, deacons, teachers and leaders of the church will be given five talents (resources) to lead the Main Harvest congregation members during the first half of the Tribulation. Those given two talents will be those church members that regularly attend church and Sunday school. During the first half of the Tribulation, both of these groups of Christians will prove very faithful to Jesus Christ and as a reward for their faithfulness He will give them many cities to rule over during the Millennial Kingdom. He will be very pleased with them and call them His "good and faithful servants".
Revelation 7:9 After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of [all] tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands;
Revelation 7:10 and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Revelation 7:11 And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and [about] the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Revelation 7:12 saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, [be] unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These that are arrayed in white robes, who are they, and whence came they?
Revelation 7:14 And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that come of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God; and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them.
Revelation 7:16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat:
Revelation 7:17 for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Notice that they are now wearing white robes, which are indicative of avoiding evil and accomplishing good works. However, they wear no crowns, because their faith is not as strong as the Bride of Christ or the twenty-four elders. Jesus recognizes their faith during the Tribulation and gives them white robes to wear for eternity. They have obtained eternal life and God will remember their good deeds forever. Jesus is very pleased with their faithfulness during their persecution during the Tribulation. The OTC will not be in this group of Christians because they did not accomplish good works that glorify God during their 3 1/2 years in the Tribulation.
The Unfaithful: The One Talent Christian
The next verses pertains to those Christians that were unfaithful during their time upon the earth and were left behind to be tested for the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation and they will be tested by Antichrist during this time. Unfortunately for them during this time of testing, the OTC was not faithful and did not improve with their faith. Their judgment is given:
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
In these verses, Jesus is not questioning their salvation, but He finds that they have not performed righteous works during the Tribulation; thus they are unprofitable. The resources that God gave them, the one talent, was not used at all during the 3 1/2 years they were in the Tribulation. They did not pray, they did not read their Bible, they did not attempt to accomplish any good works for the glory of God, and they were afraid because of the persecution they saw inflicted by Antichrist on the five and two talent Christians (for details of the five, two and one talent Christians read: The Parable of the Talents). They were spiritual failures. If they had even assisted them, Jesus would have some praise for them. However, they accomplished absolutely nothing righteous during the Tribulation. Their one talent is given to the faithful person with ten talents and the OTC receives no recognition from Jesus. This is their Outer Darkness.
During their judgment (The Judgment Seat of Christ), they even complain to Jesus about their testing during the Tribulation. They did not even take responsibility for their lack of faith during their time on the earth before the start of and during the Tribulation. They are disrespectful and even complain to Jesus for even allowing them to be left behind and to be tested. This is a very serious statement for them to make to our Lord, Savior and King when He judges their works.
The Most Unfaithful Christian
The most unfaithful One Talent Christian I will now describe is a believer that at one time in their life was very faithful to Jesus Christ. He prayed often to God, confessed his sins to God, resisted evil and accomplished good works that glorify God. God considered him very mature in the faith. Because of some event in his life, such as a child dying of cancer or getting into trouble with the law, or his business failed, or some other catastrophic event occurred in his life, he blamed God for his troubles. This Christian could also have been very successful at business, sports or music and because of this, his focus was on these things and eventually forgot God. The cares of the world then became first in his life.
Because of success or suffering in his life, he then turned his back on God and said to himself and perhaps others that he wanted nothing to do with God and did not want a relationship with Him. This is The Unpardonable Sin, the only one that God will not forgive and this Christian will have the most severe condemnation at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This person will be in Heaven after the Main Harvest Rapture, but will be further from God than any other Christian will be. We should be very careful when complaining (God Hates Complaining) about serious and difficult tests that appear in our lives. We should recognize that the testing that God allows in our lives is given so we will mature in the faith and be able to handle leadership roles in the Millennium Kingdom and in Eternity. We should only love and praise God and give Him thanks for guiding us through any testing we may go through in this life.
A Serious Negative Reward: New Jerusalem -- Who Shall Not Enter
All Christians will go to Heaven whether they have been faithful to Jesus Christ or not. However, there is a possibility that unfaithful Christians will not be allowed entrance into New Jerusalem because of their lack of faith. Here is the verse that describes what happens to the unfaithful Christian regarding their place in Heaven:
(ASV 1901) Revelation 21:27 and there shall in no wise enter into it (New Jerusalem) anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb's book of life.
This is quite a difficult verse because it says that those Christians that have their name blotted out of the Book of Life because of their unfaithfulness will not be able to enter into Heaven--the New Jerusalem. The question is, where will the unfaithful, One Talent Christians reside after the Main Harvest Rapture?
The OTC will not reside on the earth, because it will be the residence of the twelve tribes of Israel, plus those gentiles that God saves during the Tribulation. They will reside in bodies like Adam and Eve had before the fall. So if the OTC does not reside on the earth or inside New Jerusalem, where will they be judged at and where will they reside after their judgment?
Here is my opinion. In Revelation, chapter 21 there are 12 gates, each made out of a giant pearl, that allow entrance into Heaven: three each on the North, South, East and West sides of the city. At each gate, there will be a holy angel to guard entrance into the city. Here's one possibility for the OTC--they could be judged outside and then reside somewhere outside the great worship room which is at the very top of New Jerusalem, where the thrones of God the Father and Jesus Christ reside. They could possibly reside somewhere on the outside surface of New Jerusalem. They would be required to stay somewhere below the level of the great worship room, which is at the very top of New Jerusalem. Jesus might choose to come outside and visit them at times.
Another possibility is: can a OTC enter Heaven or New Jerusalem, but not through the pearly gates?
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have the right [to come] to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city.
There could be rooms somewhere below the main worship room (which is at the very top of New Jerusalem) where the OTC could possibly reside. Since the city of New Jerusalem is transparent gold (and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. Rev 21:18b ASV 1901), they would be able to look up into the worship room. They will be given resurrection bodies like Jesus has, completely free of sin. They will be able to worship God from there and Jesus may visit them from time to time. In this case, the OTC would enter Heaven though the "backdoor", i.e., to silently enter to the city without any acknowledgement or honor given to them by Jesus Christ.
All Tears are Wiped Away
Some time after New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven, the tears that the One Talent Christian shed during their judgment and during the Millennium Kingdom will be wiped away by God:
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Rev 21:4 KJV).
The question I now raise is: does the former things are passed away mean that the One Talent Christian will then be able to enter and reside in the great worship room at the top of New Jerusalem, just like the Old Testament saints, the Bride of Christ, the Faithful Elders and the Good and Faithful believers? Will being cast into outer darkness be lifted for them? If one of the former things means not entering New Jerusalem, they would then be allowed entrance. Thus, not entering New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:27) would not be for eternity, but only for a limited amount of time. For their sakes, I hope that this is the correct understanding of the above verse.
Why this article?
I wrote this article with the hope that a few one-talent Christians might be warned about their unfaithfulness by those that love them and take to heart the need to be more faithful to Jesus Christ and then repent and to turn to Him for faithful service. They would then become Philadelphia Christians and thus be found faithful by Jesus at their judgment. This needed repentance is covered in detail in: Will there be a Revival of the Church?
Can a One Talent Christian change his ways?
I wouldn't be writing this article if I didn't think that perhaps some of the least faithful of Christ's saints, the one talent Christians (OTC) could repent and turn to Him and be more faithful. I believe that it is possible but I don't believe that it will be easy for them to change their ways. The OTC will need to be approached most likely by a friend or relative and then somehow have explained to them that they don't appear to be walking faithfully with Jesus. The onus is possibly on you, the reader of this article. I'm sure that you don't want your spouse, parent or grandparent, child, grandchild, friend or loved one to be left behind to be persecuted by Antichrist during the Tribulation or to suffer humiliation at the Judgment Seat of Christ or be left out of being honored by Jesus during the millennial kingdom on this earth or eternity in Heaven.
To approach them you will need to do the following:
You will need to show that you live the faithful life that is pleasing to God. You will then need to pray to God for direction. Studying the Holy Bible will give you the spiritual energy to talk to those that are not walking faithfully with God. It won't be easy, and you will probably fail at the beginning. Just keep talking to them, but don't be too pushy. Be kind and don't react to them possibly telling you to "get lost or leave me alone." Discuss your concerns for this person by expressing your concern for them with faithful friends of yours; they might be able to give you some helpful suggestions on how to approach the OTC. Your effort might not show fruit until the Tribulation, when they are left behind to be tested. At the very least, you need to pray often for them.
In this article I will be presenting some opinions on the fate of a One-Talent Christian (OTC) during their judgment time, during the Millennial Kingdom and in Eternity. The OTC is not an unsaved person, but is instead a Christian that has not repented of his sinful ways and has not become a disciple of Jesus Christ. In other words, he has not become sanctified. To the outsider, this Christian looks like the unsaved people of the world--living only for themself and not living for God.
The Book of Life
The reasons for The Book of Life are covered in detail in the article: The Book of Life. It contains the names of every Christian that Jesus has or will save by grace through faith. This book contains a list of the names of believers that Christ expects to be His disciples and thus avoiding evil and performing righteous works during their time on this earth. If the believer has been found faithful by Jesus, his name will remain in the book and Jesus will not blot his name out of the Book of Life:
Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (ASV 1901)
This verse is addressed to the Church at Sardis, the Protestant Church of today. This verse is not an admonishment for only the Protestant church, but it applies to all Christians. It states that the Christian that overcomes or removes his spiritual deficiencies will continue to have his name written in the Book of Life but those that do not overcome their spiritual weaknesses will have their name removed from this book that is in the care of Jesus Christ. This is a very serious condition for the unfaithful. Jesus would very much like to give many rewards (Are Rewards Important?) to His disciples, but if they are not being faithful disciples, then they will not receive any rewards from Him. Instead, they will receive condemnation from Christ at their judgment. During the Millennium Kingdom they will be on the sidelines during the Wedding Feast and any other events that involves recognition by Jesus of His faithful saints; the unfaithful will be cast into Outer Darkness. Another very serious negative reward they will receive at their judgment will be discussed later in this article.
Heaven or New Jerusalem
Jesus said to His disciples:
John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also. (ASV 1901)
Right now Jesus is preparing the New Jerusalem for His disciples and His work is nearly finished. This great city will be the primary residence for faithful saints of the Old Testament era and for Christians saved during the 2,000 year church age. This great city is referred to as Heaven, My Father's House or New Jerusalem. A detailed description is given in: New Jerusalem and The New Heaven and the New Earth, so I'll just give an overview here.
The great city is 1400 miles high by 1400 miles wide by 1400 miles deep, which is about 2.7 billion cubic miles of space. Looking from the top down, there are three gates on each side, each gate consisting of a great pearl and on each is the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Their names are listed in Revelation, chapter seven. Each gate has an angel escorting the faithful in and out of the great city. At the very top of the city is a great worship room that contains the grand thrones of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Their thrones are sitting on a platform which is in the middle of the room and is raised a man's height from the rest of the room. The Bride of Christ will share Christ's throne and there will be 24 thrones with faithful Christian elders sitting on them around the thrones of God the Father and Jesus Christ. The Bride of Christ--the four living beings and the 24 elders mentioned in the Book of Revelation are representative of the most faithful of Christ's disciples and will likely number in the millions. The next most faithful of Christ's followers will be a little further from the thrones of The Father and The Son; they are the five and two talent Christians that prove their faithfulness during the first half of the Tribulation. All are faithful and Jesus Christ will often praise them before God the Father.
Above the great room is a ceiling of diamond that will allow a clear vision into the sky above:
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
Rev 21:11 having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal:
From the great worship room you will be able to look up and see the gospel in the stars, called the Mazzaroth, which via star constellations displays the Gospel message in picture form. Just do a search on Mazzaroth for details. At night if you look straight up towards the North Star (Polaris), you will see the general area in space where New Jerusalem is located. It is very far out, several light years away, so even the most powerful telescopes will not be able to see it now. After the thousand year Millennial Kingdom is completed, New Jerusalem will come down out of Heaven and orbit the earth. Residents of earth will be able to see New Jerusalem and send up their praise to God from the earth. Here is a verse that describes where Heaven is:
Psalms 48:2 ASV 1901: Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is mount Zion, [on] the sides of the north, The city of the great King.
Garments
Note that in the Rev. 3:5 verse, Jesus mentions white garments. White in the Bible represents purity so anyone that wears white shows that they have repented of evil works and have accomplished good works for the glory of God. In Rev 3:5 Christ is admonishing the members of the Sardis or Protestant church to overcome their spiritual weaknesses and thus be counted as faithful disciples of His. This is not an admonishment for just the Protestant church, but it applies to all Christians. Those spiritual weaknesses that Jesus mentions in Revelation chapter two and three to the Churches of Revelation need to be worked on by the individual Christians and if they are overcome, then Jesus counts them as His disciples. If we are faithful to Jesus, we will be wearing white garments and thus He will not blot out our name from the Book of Life. The spiritual weaknesses that Jesus describes in the Book of Revelation to the Protestant church is not watching for His return for the First Fruits Rapture and having works that are done for the individual's glory and not for the glory of God. Thus, their works are dead or incomplete. For more on the Protestant Church read: The Church at Sardis.
In the Bible, the garments worn by the Christian are an outward indicator of the faithfulness of the person (See Revelation 19:8 below). I've listed in order of devotion to God the Father those called by Him to be believers in Jesus Christ. The faith of the various types of churches during the 2,000 year church age are described in detail in the Book of Revelation: The Seven Churches.
The Four living creatures: the Bride of Christ
These are the individuals that have been the most faithful to Christ during their stay on Earth:
And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright [and] pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints (ASV 1901 Rev. 19:8)
The Bride of Christ is the most faithful of the disciples of Jesus. They have crucified self (How to Crucify Self) and have performed good works that glorify God and have daily cleansed themselves of their sins by confessing them to God (I John 1:9) and are currently watching and beckoning for His return for the First Fruits Rapture. They have suffered insults from the world of the unsaved as well as from members of the church that don't want to hear about watching for the return of Jesus for the First Fruits Rapture and the encouragement from Jesus to be obeying all the commands He told His disciples to accomplish. They have read and studied scripture from the Holy Bible and applied it to the way they live their lives. They have prayed daily for their needs and the needs of others and they have had daily praise and communion with God. He is the most important person in their lives.
Because of the walk with The Lord as mentioned above, He will glorify them at the First Fruits Rapture. Revelation Chapter Four describes them, the four living creatures: they look just like Jesus Christ:
Revelation 4:7 And the first creature [was] like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature [was] like a flying eagle.
The Bride of Christ is described as being like the four creatures depicting Jesus according to the four gospels. In Matthew, Jesus is portrayed as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the King of the Jews. This pertains to his reigning and ruling in the kingdom. The four living creatures will share in this. Mark pictures Jesus as the suffering servant (i.e., the calf or the ox). Jesus came to suffer and die as a servant. Jesus had to suffer before he reigns as king, and this is applicable to his disciples also, especially from persecution from some members of their own churches. Luke depicts Jesus as the Son of Man and this pertains to his human nature. The four living creatures also have a human nature. The book of John delineates the divine nature of Jesus Christ, and the eagle is a symbol for this nature. The four living creatures have become Christlike in their character. They have suffered with Christ, and they will now reign with Christ in the highest level of the kingdom. They are able to share with Christ in his throne.
The Twenty Four Elders: the
court of the Bride
And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Around the throne of Jesus will be 24 other thrones (the Greek word thronos) and 24 elders or mature believers were seated on these thrones. The white raiment represent the righteous deeds or acts of the saints, and the crowns of gold are the stephanos (i.e., crowns) that Christians earn by their faithfulness to the Lord.
These 24 elders represent believers who have qualified to reign and rule with Jesus Christ in the kingdom of the heavens. Twelve is the number of earthly government and 24 is twice twelve and represents heavenly government or the government of the heavens over the earth.
Resurrection time is coronation time, and no one can be crowned until he has been resurrected, or translated if living. Therefore, this is proof that there is a resurrection/translation at the beginning of the seven-year tribulation period. It is equally certain that everyone in this resurrection/translation is an overcomer because of the crowns and regal thrones. These are the saints that are the second most faithful to Jesus Christ during their time on the earth.
The Five and Two Talent
Christians: The Good and Faithful
These are those Christians left behind after the First Fruits Rapture (The Separation). The pastors, deacons, teachers and leaders of the church will be given five talents (resources) to lead the Main Harvest congregation members during the first half of the Tribulation. Those given two talents will be those church members that regularly attend church and Sunday school. During the first half of the Tribulation, both of these groups of Christians will prove very faithful to Jesus Christ and as a reward for their faithfulness He will give them many cities to rule over during the Millennial Kingdom. He will be very pleased with them and call them His "good and faithful servants".
Revelation 7:9 After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of [all] tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands;
Revelation 7:10 and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Revelation 7:11 And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and [about] the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Revelation 7:12 saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, [be] unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These that are arrayed in white robes, who are they, and whence came they?
Revelation 7:14 And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that come of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God; and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them.
Revelation 7:16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat:
Revelation 7:17 for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Notice that they are now wearing white robes, which are indicative of avoiding evil and accomplishing good works. However, they wear no crowns, because their faith is not as strong as the Bride of Christ or the twenty-four elders. Jesus recognizes their faith during the Tribulation and gives them white robes to wear for eternity. They have obtained eternal life and God will remember their good deeds forever. Jesus is very pleased with their faithfulness during their persecution during the Tribulation. The OTC will not be in this group of Christians because they did not accomplish good works that glorify God during their 3 1/2 years in the Tribulation.
The Unfaithful: The One Talent Christian
The next verses pertains to those Christians that were unfaithful during their time upon the earth and were left behind to be tested for the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation and they will be tested by Antichrist during this time. Unfortunately for them during this time of testing, the OTC was not faithful and did not improve with their faith. Their judgment is given:
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
In these verses, Jesus is not questioning their salvation, but He finds that they have not performed righteous works during the Tribulation; thus they are unprofitable. The resources that God gave them, the one talent, was not used at all during the 3 1/2 years they were in the Tribulation. They did not pray, they did not read their Bible, they did not attempt to accomplish any good works for the glory of God, and they were afraid because of the persecution they saw inflicted by Antichrist on the five and two talent Christians (for details of the five, two and one talent Christians read: The Parable of the Talents). They were spiritual failures. If they had even assisted them, Jesus would have some praise for them. However, they accomplished absolutely nothing righteous during the Tribulation. Their one talent is given to the faithful person with ten talents and the OTC receives no recognition from Jesus. This is their Outer Darkness.
During their judgment (The Judgment Seat of Christ), they even complain to Jesus about their testing during the Tribulation. They did not even take responsibility for their lack of faith during their time on the earth before the start of and during the Tribulation. They are disrespectful and even complain to Jesus for even allowing them to be left behind and to be tested. This is a very serious statement for them to make to our Lord, Savior and King when He judges their works.
The Most Unfaithful Christian
The most unfaithful One Talent Christian I will now describe is a believer that at one time in their life was very faithful to Jesus Christ. He prayed often to God, confessed his sins to God, resisted evil and accomplished good works that glorify God. God considered him very mature in the faith. Because of some event in his life, such as a child dying of cancer or getting into trouble with the law, or his business failed, or some other catastrophic event occurred in his life, he blamed God for his troubles. This Christian could also have been very successful at business, sports or music and because of this, his focus was on these things and eventually forgot God. The cares of the world then became first in his life.
Because of success or suffering in his life, he then turned his back on God and said to himself and perhaps others that he wanted nothing to do with God and did not want a relationship with Him. This is The Unpardonable Sin, the only one that God will not forgive and this Christian will have the most severe condemnation at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This person will be in Heaven after the Main Harvest Rapture, but will be further from God than any other Christian will be. We should be very careful when complaining (God Hates Complaining) about serious and difficult tests that appear in our lives. We should recognize that the testing that God allows in our lives is given so we will mature in the faith and be able to handle leadership roles in the Millennium Kingdom and in Eternity. We should only love and praise God and give Him thanks for guiding us through any testing we may go through in this life.
A Serious Negative Reward: New Jerusalem -- Who Shall Not Enter
All Christians will go to Heaven whether they have been faithful to Jesus Christ or not. However, there is a possibility that unfaithful Christians will not be allowed entrance into New Jerusalem because of their lack of faith. Here is the verse that describes what happens to the unfaithful Christian regarding their place in Heaven:
(ASV 1901) Revelation 21:27 and there shall in no wise enter into it (New Jerusalem) anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb's book of life.
This is quite a difficult verse because it says that those Christians that have their name blotted out of the Book of Life because of their unfaithfulness will not be able to enter into Heaven--the New Jerusalem. The question is, where will the unfaithful, One Talent Christians reside after the Main Harvest Rapture?
The OTC will not reside on the earth, because it will be the residence of the twelve tribes of Israel, plus those gentiles that God saves during the Tribulation. They will reside in bodies like Adam and Eve had before the fall. So if the OTC does not reside on the earth or inside New Jerusalem, where will they be judged at and where will they reside after their judgment?
Here is my opinion. In Revelation, chapter 21 there are 12 gates, each made out of a giant pearl, that allow entrance into Heaven: three each on the North, South, East and West sides of the city. At each gate, there will be a holy angel to guard entrance into the city. Here's one possibility for the OTC--they could be judged outside and then reside somewhere outside the great worship room which is at the very top of New Jerusalem, where the thrones of God the Father and Jesus Christ reside. They could possibly reside somewhere on the outside surface of New Jerusalem. They would be required to stay somewhere below the level of the great worship room, which is at the very top of New Jerusalem. Jesus might choose to come outside and visit them at times.
Another possibility is: can a OTC enter Heaven or New Jerusalem, but not through the pearly gates?
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have the right [to come] to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city.
There could be rooms somewhere below the main worship room (which is at the very top of New Jerusalem) where the OTC could possibly reside. Since the city of New Jerusalem is transparent gold (and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. Rev 21:18b ASV 1901), they would be able to look up into the worship room. They will be given resurrection bodies like Jesus has, completely free of sin. They will be able to worship God from there and Jesus may visit them from time to time. In this case, the OTC would enter Heaven though the "backdoor", i.e., to silently enter to the city without any acknowledgement or honor given to them by Jesus Christ.
All Tears are Wiped Away
Some time after New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven, the tears that the One Talent Christian shed during their judgment and during the Millennium Kingdom will be wiped away by God:
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Rev 21:4 KJV).
The question I now raise is: does the former things are passed away mean that the One Talent Christian will then be able to enter and reside in the great worship room at the top of New Jerusalem, just like the Old Testament saints, the Bride of Christ, the Faithful Elders and the Good and Faithful believers? Will being cast into outer darkness be lifted for them? If one of the former things means not entering New Jerusalem, they would then be allowed entrance. Thus, not entering New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:27) would not be for eternity, but only for a limited amount of time. For their sakes, I hope that this is the correct understanding of the above verse.
Why this article?
I wrote this article with the hope that a few one-talent Christians might be warned about their unfaithfulness by those that love them and take to heart the need to be more faithful to Jesus Christ and then repent and to turn to Him for faithful service. They would then become Philadelphia Christians and thus be found faithful by Jesus at their judgment. This needed repentance is covered in detail in: Will there be a Revival of the Church?
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Repercussions of being a One Talent Christian
The Unfaithful Christian is Unappreciative of what God has done for Him The embarrassment of
the unfaithful believer will be total and
devastating. Except for God electing
the unfaithful believer for salvation,
there seems to be little difference when
comparing their works to the works of the
unbeliever.
Here is some of what God has done for us: He sent Jesus Christ to this earth to teach us how to really live. He told us about attitudes that we should avoid, such as not judging others. He told us to love God and one another. He told us that this life is only a testing ground; it is preparation for us so we can serve God in the Millennium Kingdom and in Heaven. Jesus was scourged and persecuted by the Romans, He was rejected and mocked by many of His countrymen, He suffered physical pain on the cross and shed His blood so our sins can be forgiven, He suffered the highest embarrassment by being hung on the cross, He was rejected by God the Father because He took on Himself our sins, by staying 3 days and 3 nights in Sheol. But He conquered sin, death, hell and the grave. He arose from the dead and will provide for us to arise from our sinful condition. He gave us the Holy Bible which if followed can direct us to live a holy and righteous life for God. He gave us the Holy Spirit to gently encourage us to follow Jesus Christ. We as Christians should be so appreciative for His blessings to us; we should want to please Him by loving Him, serving Him and obeying all of His commandments: If you love me, you will keep my commandments (John 14:15 ASV 1901) God the Father has elected all Christians to salvation and will give us residence in Heaven. He has provided the Holy Bible for us to read, study and to apply to the way we live our lives. He has provided the Holy Spirit to gently encourage us to be faithful to Him. He has provided for the testing of our character so we can become more like His Son, Jesus. He will make us truly alive at the First Fruits or Main Harvest Rapture and provide salvation and regeneration of our bodies and completely remove our sinful nature. Shouldn't we be very grateful for the wonderful things that God has done for us and will do for us? Shouldn't we reject sin in our lives and live for Him and to be faithful to Him? Because of what Jesus has done for us, we are not our own, we belong to Him. |
Can a One Talent Christian change his ways?
I wouldn't be writing this article if I didn't think that perhaps some of the least faithful of Christ's saints, the one talent Christians (OTC) could repent and turn to Him and be more faithful. I believe that it is possible but I don't believe that it will be easy for them to change their ways. The OTC will need to be approached most likely by a friend or relative and then somehow have explained to them that they don't appear to be walking faithfully with Jesus. The onus is possibly on you, the reader of this article. I'm sure that you don't want your spouse, parent or grandparent, child, grandchild, friend or loved one to be left behind to be persecuted by Antichrist during the Tribulation or to suffer humiliation at the Judgment Seat of Christ or be left out of being honored by Jesus during the millennial kingdom on this earth or eternity in Heaven.
To approach them you will need to do the following:
You will need to show that you live the faithful life that is pleasing to God. You will then need to pray to God for direction. Studying the Holy Bible will give you the spiritual energy to talk to those that are not walking faithfully with God. It won't be easy, and you will probably fail at the beginning. Just keep talking to them, but don't be too pushy. Be kind and don't react to them possibly telling you to "get lost or leave me alone." Discuss your concerns for this person by expressing your concern for them with faithful friends of yours; they might be able to give you some helpful suggestions on how to approach the OTC. Your effort might not show fruit until the Tribulation, when they are left behind to be tested. At the very least, you need to pray often for them.