Answer: The church receives its reward after our Lord’s return in the harvest of the Gospel Age (Item F in the above chart).  One of our Lord’s primary activities after his return is to raise those who sleep in Jesus and complete his church.

The apostle Paul mentioned that he would not receive his reward, the crown of righteousness, until our Lord’s return: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;  (8)  in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:7,8 NASB)

Paul explains the process by which the church is rewarded in 1 Thess. 4:14-17 (NASB): “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.  (15)  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.  (16)  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  (17)  Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”

When our Lord returned, the dead in Christ including the apostles and members of the early church were raised from the dead. Then the remainder of the church, those alive during our Lord’s second presence, are rewarded as they die. They must be faithful unto death but they do not need to sleep in death. (Rev. 2:10) Paul explains this change in 1 Cor. 15:51-53 (NASB): “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep [in death], but we will all be changed [from fleshly to spiritual],  (52)  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  (53)  For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Once the complete church is raised from the dead, they will be joined together with the Lord in the marriage of the lamb. Rev. 19:7,8 (NASB) says: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”  (8)  It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” United with our Lord and members of God’s divine family, the church will have both the Father’s and our Lord’s name written on their forehead showing they belong to both. (Rev. 3:12)

Finally, when our Lord comes with the completed church to take charge of all man’s affairs at the end of the Gospel Age, he will sit on the throne of his glory and the church will likewise sit in his throne as kings and priests and reign with our Lord for 1,000 years. (Rev. 3:21) “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels [completed church] with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.” (Matt. 25:31 NASB) “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matt. 19:28 (NASB)

For more information, please see the related booklets and videos listed below.

Booklet The Church	Video Bringing Life and Immortality to Light	Video Buried With Him in Baptism
Booklet Born of the Spirit	Video Elect According to the Foreknowledge of God	Video Can a Man Be Justified with God?
Booklet The Grace of Jehovah	Video The Sarah Feature of the Abrahamic Covenant	Video Doctrine of Character Development

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