Another place it shows up is in Solomon's temple; and you remember in the Kingdom age, when Solomon built his temple - it was magnificent! It was the most amazing, beautiful thing. It said: there was so much silver, they didn't bother to count it. They had gold everywhere.
1 Kings 10:4-13 - “when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house he built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters, their clothing, the cupbearers, the way he went up to the house of the Lord, she fainted.”
There was no more spirit in her; and she said: wow! It's a true report, that I heard in my own land, about your words and wisdom. I didn't believe it, so I came and saw it with my own eyes - and half of it wasn't even told to me! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of what I have heard. Happy are your men, and happy your servants, who stand before you, and hear your wisdom.
Jesus is obviously much greater than Solomon, and yet this is what the Queen of Ethiopia said: Oh! I've seen kings, and I've seen glory... amazing things; but she said: I have never seen anything like this! This is stunning.
We'll get to the last couple of key points now...
There are different degrees of eternal rewards. There are different types of eternal rewards. ‘Different degrees’ means ‘more or less’. There’s no ‘equal field’. The only equal field we have is here on earth - when everyone can aspire to be great. That's the amazing thing - all of us have a call to greatness - all of us can be great!
There's nothing wrong with wanting to be great. It's wired into you, to be great. It's wired into you, to want honour. It's wired into you, to desire glory, because you're made in the image of your Father. However, it's how you get it!
In the coming kingdom... the Bible, in many ways, indicates that not everyone will be the same. There will be some who are first; and some who are last. Some who are first - and first means: most important; and last means: least important.
Matthew 19:30 - “many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
There are degrees of eternal rewards. Some will be first in authority, and glory, and intimacy; others will be last. Some will be in the throne with Him, others will be watching and praising around the throne - there's a difference! There will be the least; and the greatest.
Revelations 19:5 - “...and a voice came from the throne, saying: praise God, all you His servants - those who fear Him, both small and great.”
There are some ‘great’ servants of God; and there are some ‘small’ servants of God. There's greatness, and smallness; some will be small, some will be great.
Matthew 5:19 - “In the kingdom of heaven, there are ‘least’, and there are ‘great’. Whoever breaks the least of these commandments, and teaches men, shall be called ‘least’ in the kingdom. Whoever does, and teaches them, shall be called ‘great’ in the kingdom.
Even Jesus said: some will be called ‘great’, and some will be called ‘least’; and it has to do with whether you live out what you're saying.
What makes a person ‘great’, and what makes a person ‘least’, is their life choices. It's got nothing to do with your family of origin, your money, your job, your talents, your gifts... your anything! It totally has to do with the life choices that you made. Did you make ‘great’ choices? Did you make ‘bad’ choices?
Here's another comparison that the Bible points out. Some will sit with Jesus, ‘in’ His throne room; others will just be saved, they'll be ‘around’ the throne. We saw in 1 Corinthians 3:15, it said there: “they will be saved, yet so as by fire they'll lose their reward. Yet others will sit with Jesus on His throne and rule the nations with a rod of iron.”
Revelations 2:26-27 - “...to him that overcomes, will I give to sit with Me in My throne, and he shall ‘rule the nations’ with a ‘rod of iron’.
Notice there, overcomers are ‘ruling’ with Jesus, in His throne - sharing His governance, in the coming kingdom; and then there's others, who barely scraped in! Who do you want to be - a ‘barely scraped in’; or do you want to be in a position of great honour, great authority?