The ultimate prize in the New Heaven and the New Earth will be to those that are His Bride and that inherit an estate in New Jerusalem. The majority of the saints are woefully ignorant of this reward and the cost of such an exceptional honor. The golden city of New Jerusalem will be the light of the universe and its residence will have His name stamped in their appearance. They will have a new name that expresses their family relationship to the Bridegroom. The Bridegroom and His Bride will be held in the highest honor throughout the New Earth and the New Heavens. Jesus Christ revealed to John a small window into this mystery. John reported this picture in these following words. “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it” (Revelation 21:24).

New Jerusalem is the BrideÂ’s gift from the Bridegroom. These saints were not just saved as is true with every believer; they have forsaken all to follow Him. They have made the ultimate sacrifice to be His chosen, and they shall not be disappointed. The Apostle Paul warned us of the cost of losing the great rewards available to the believers. He said, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:13-15). Such a warning ought to fill us with the fear of God and a passion to pay the total price of discipleship.

Toward the end of this letter to Corinth and the saints, the author Paul reminded us that all the saints would receive different rewards. The writer, by the Holy Ghost, was describing our future resurrection. He declared “But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:38, 40-42a). Never in the Scripture are His saints treated like a nameless multitude. We are individual, and we will be treated by our Lord as special and unique, and our resurrection and reward will reflect an exact equality with our labor and sacrifice. God’s great universe will not be filled with copycat saints but with His eternally redeemed family, every glorified person with their own reward.

When Jesus Christ was speaking specifically of the Bride—as Matthew recorded in chapter twenty-two—He ended His great explanation concerning our being ready and dressed in bridal attire by stating, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). Every saint of God is called because there is only one foundation, but how we build upon that foundation is the duty of each believer. The Word of God clearly warns, “But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon” (1 Corinthians 3:10). We are saved by grace alone, but we will be rewarded by our works alone. There will be no benefactors to slip your name in under the cover. A closing warning is repeated in the last chapter of the last book. “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:19). Here is a believer that had a part in the Holy City (the Bride) but who lost it because they denied “the words [or part of the words] of the book of this prophecy.”

Every saint is called to be part of the Bride. The highest honor of redemption is the prize that is ordained for one and all. The Blood that washed each and every soul knows no restriction to a lesser honor. We are called to the glory of a Bride dressed and prepared for the Bridegroom. Our surrender to such an honor is a decision made in the secret chambers of the human heart. Apostle Paul, who described the rewards to his readers, also set his own heart on the ultimate prize. He said, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). The Bride will be a “beauty” of ever marvelous grace. The Lord Jesus Christ is, as I write, preparing a church for Himself. “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). Her beauty is equal to His prepared city where this Bride will dwell with the Bridegroom. He and His Bride together will welcome the New Earth’s multitudes to visit this transcendent golden city that lights the universe.

There is no authority in the Christian’s life except when that Christian is absolutely committed to authority. We have authority when we are under authority because all powers flow downward from the Creator. Apostle Paul spells it out clearly when he states, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power [authority] but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1). He goes further and says “Whosoever therefore resisteth the power [authority], resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation” (Romans 13:2). This statement follows the twelfth chapter of the Book of Romans that deals exclusively with the Body of Christ, the visible church. Almost every difficulty in the church and in Christians lives relates to this truth.

The average saint is powerless because he or she has never learned the disciplined life. The bedrock of discipline is the tender heart that relishes and finds security in submitting to those over them in life’s experiences. There are powers we must respect at every stage of our life. The child learns to obey mother and father, and the mother and father teach them to obey teachers and pastors. The first job they acquire—someone is their supervisor. Success in that job starts with listening and obeying that leader. They may be good or bad, but the worker will gain marvelous experience by rightful obedience.

No one should ever obey a command that involves sin, but their resistance must be gentle and respectful based upon pure Biblical convictions. No business is successful without absolute lines of authority. If you cannot respect and obey your supervisor on the job, then do what is right and resign in a businesslike manner. You will be a hindrance to that business or ministry until you remove yourself. If you do not make sure that it is not you that must change, you are laying the groundwork for future failures.

Most homes today are dysfunctional because there are no clear lines of authority. Husbands and wives are being taught by the world that they are co-parents or equal partners. This is blasphemy against God’s established lines of authority. The infallible Bible states, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3). Jesus Christ in His earthly pilgrimage proved perfect submission to His Father. Even at this moment in His authority over the church He is clearly under authority to the Father. The man—every man—is obligated to be under authority to Jesus Christ and the woman under the man. A father or husband that exerts his authority to his family but who refuses authority over himself will be either laughed at or hated. The same is true for the wife, the pastor and everyone else. If you resist authority it will destroy you—maybe slowly—but with certainty. It may just show up in your body or your emotions, but it will, in the end, finish you off.

The church world must be the world’s example of Biblical authority. Never do you see elders elected but always appointed. An elder serves at the request of an apostle or pastor but that apostle or pastor must be under pure authority before Christ, or it all becomes a joke. The word pastor is the exact same word in the Greek as shepherd. Jesus Christ alone is the ultimate Shepherd. A man called to be a pastor or under-shepherd must be of the purest lot who has surrendered all to Christ. If he does not know “Christ’s voice,” he has no right to be “His voice.” In fact, the Bible calls the saints under their pastor to pray diligently for him because of the heavy answerability he will be required to give before Christ.

In todayÂ’s church world, there are many pastors that call their wives co-pastors. Nothing could be more contrary to the Holy Book. A manÂ’s wife is his helpmate; never his co-anything. He must love her as Christ loves the church but never reduce himself to an equal relationship. That is not fair to her and it only adds to her even greater burden of being a mother and his God-appointed helpmate. Our Father and our Lord will not tolerate His saints to order their affairs by the politically correct destruction that is guiding the developing New World Order.

The Salty Saints have one roadmap and it is the Bible. Do not resist the Biblical lines of authority because to resist is to be destroyed. Power and authority will be mightily manifested in your life if you discipline yourself. Those under you will be blessed as you bless those over you. It all flows from the Father Himself, and He is the heavenly Father and the only final authority.