“His heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18)

The early church thought about Heaven constantly. The Blessed Hope is the subject of over half the salvation Scriptures in the New Testament. It was one of the reasons they could sing praises to God when they walked into Roman arenas, knowing, without a doubt, that they would soon be with their Lord. They knew, they had “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven” (1 Peter 1:4).
Christ told them, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). For many, overcoming the world meant remaining submitted to their Lord, even when they were tortured by Satan, to force them to deny Christ. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11).

Today, it’s estimated that over 100,000 Christians are martyred for their faith every year. Would you remain submitted to the Lordship of Christ if you were tortured? The way you can tell, is if you’re not submitted to the Lordship of Christ when it comes to avoiding sin, you would deny Him if you were tortured. “The cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral … shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8).

There’s still time to repent, so you won’t have to hear Christ say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:23).