Specifically, this is the dead of the second resurrection, the resurrection of the unjust, the resurrection unto the second death mentioned in Revelation 20:5-6, 12-14, and John 5:29b. Matthew 7:1-5 Do not judge lest you be judged. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? The Judgment Seat of Christ is not related to salvation but to the bestowal of rewards, and every Christian is assured that he will receive some reward (1 Cor. Though we will not be judged in the sense of punished for sin at the Bema since the Lord has born that for us, we must never take sin lightly because there are many consequences. (5) Loss of Desire and Motivation for Service. 24:21), and it will be culminated by the personal return of Jesus Christ to earth (Matt. John 1:12: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, {even} to those who believe in His name. 2:2). 5:3; Rev. The purpose and the basis is the most critical issue of all and brings us face to face with the practical aspects of the Bema. In Revelation 20, John mentions a place called the Lake of Fire. and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. (2) The Incorruptible Crown (1 Cor. Whats the basis on which the Bema is conducted? As Paul declares in Romans 5:1-2: Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. Some will reign with Him, but, because of loss of rewards, evidently some will not. When the Bible speaks of the last judgment, it is not similar to taking a final test to see whether we pass or fail. That type of judgment has already taken place. This last judgment is the public recognition of decisions long-since made. The last judgment is also known as the Great White Throne judgment. gimp add alpha channel to selection. It means to remain in Him from the standpoint of drawing on His life as the source of ours and then to obey Him out of that relationship of dependence. 27:19; John 19:13), its use in the epistles by Paul, because of his many allusions to the Greek athletic contests, is more in keeping with its original use among the Greeks. The judge is the Lord Jesus Christ (John 5:22-23, 27). This is Gods judgment to cast Satan down from his position in heaven as the anointed cherub with all those angels who followed him to this earth and its atmosphere as the primary abode of their operations (cf. Though the death of Christ does not obliterate the presence of the sin nature and though it is still a powerful enemy (Rom. The very desire to escape eternal damnation is a legitimate and urgent self-interest. 2 Peter 3:7 But by His word the present 2:10). 5:10; cf. When they enjoyed each other and the fruit trees and blessings of the garden, they acted in their self-interest but they did so in dependence on and in obedience to the Lord. In one sense, the Thessalonians will be Pauls crown, and the effect at the Bema and throughout eternity will be rejoicing or exultation over their presence in heaven. (8) The Day of the Lord (Joel 1:15; 2:1; 1 Thess. The penalty for the believers sins has been fully paid for by Christ, the believers substitute. If you have not, may I encourage you to read Appendix A, investigate the claims of Christ, and receive Him as your Savior by faith. Then in anticipation of His death on the cross, the Lord spoke of Satans judgment and doom in John 12:31; 16:11, and Luke 10:18-19. These and only these are accepted by God and will spend eternity with Him (cf. 2:5). and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. This event will occur immediately following the rapture or resurrection of the church after it is caught up to be with the Lord in the air as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Do not judge so that you will not be judged. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Romans 14:1-5 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. The real issue is whether ones name is in the Book of Life, not ones deeds. 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. 12 Zane Hodges, Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, Autumn, 1991, p. 7. Note that these two things go together. Undoubtedly, then, the Scripture will be used to demonstrate the clearness of the plan of God and that man is without excuse. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. But even this will be Gods judgment and the expression of His wrath. Scripture teaches that all sins, both confessed and unconfessed, have been forgiven and taken care of by the work of Christ on the Cross so the Christian will never face those sins again at the judgment. Though believers are under no condemnation in respect to their sins, having been justified by faith (John 3:18; 5:24; Rom. Although there is undeniably some measure of remorse or regret, this is not the overriding emotion to be experienced throughout the eternal state. WebThe number forty is mentioned 157 times in Scripture. Paul shows us in Romans that all categories of peoplethe good, the bad, and the uglyare really in the same boat and on their way to eternal separation from God. The world seeks to find answers to its problems through the one world movement of the last days and apart from the true God as He has revealed Himself in Christ. Micah 7:19 He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. They are resurrected, gathered before the throne and actually behold the dissolution of heaven and earth as a foreboding preparation for their judgment. We may rule over galaxies, celestial bodies, the heavens, and definitely over angels, and the world (cf. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. He would just be delighted to be there and do what he was doing. Rom. (1) The Crown of Thorns (Matt. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 14:4), but Ezekiel 20:34-35 shows God brings Israel out from the nations where she has been scattered throughout the times of the Gentiles (gathers her to the last person, Ezek. 16 In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men. Hope will at last become reality for all those who are delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Rom. 4:16); (3) the resurrection of tribulation period saints (Rev. This is none other than the Lord Jesus who is even now examining our lives and will bring to light the true nature of our walk and works when we stand before Him at the Bema (Rev. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. This word was taken from Isthmian games where the contestants would compete for the prize under the careful scrutiny of judges who would make sure that every rule of the contest was obeyed (cf. 28:13). For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Nevertheless, as mentioned earlier concerning the judgment of Satan, God has manifested His power by defeating Satan and his hordes. At this resurrection the soul and body are reunited and the person is brought before the throne. (Emphasis mine.). It is particularly a time of judgment on those who dwell upon the earth which seems to be a technical term in Revelation meaning earth dweller, a reference to those who have no interest in the things of God (cf. (5) The Crown of Righteousness (2 Tim. In August of 2001 he was diagnosed with lung cancer and on August 29th, 2002 he went home to be with the Lord. This was the royal crown, the crown of a king. 4:10), Paul may also have in mind a personal crown or reward that he will receive because of their presence at the return of the Lord. 24:21. IV: Ecclesiology-Eschatology, Dallas Seminary Press, Dallas, TX, 1948, p. 406. But what did Paul mean by this? 4:10, 11). 2:19-20; 1 Tim. Isaiah 53:4-6 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. Jn. We may have confidence. Confidence is parrhesia and means courage, boldness to speak. Point: Though none of us are perfect or ever will be, still, faithfulness to abide and obey the Lord will give confidence of rewards. Abide in Him. Abide is a synonym for fellowship which is the subject of the book (1:3-7). To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 17). 3:13-15 each mans work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each mans work. 1:9-16; Gal. Now, the word "judge" in its various forms (judgeth, judging, judgment, judges, The Bible teaches us that God loves all people and wants to bring them into a harmonious relationship with Himself. This crown is a reward given for witnessing, follow-up, and ministry to others. Within the church, there exists a good deal of confusion and disagreement concerning the exact nature of the Bema. 12:1-2; Matt. The resurrection program and the thus the reward of Old Testament saints occurs after the tribulation, after church age saints are already seen in heaven and rewarded and returning with the Lord to judge the earth (cf. This is why earlier the Apostle called them fleshly (the Greek sarkikos, adapted to, controlled by the flesh) (3:3). The judgment of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1424). Q. The graduates do not leave the auditorium weeping because they did not earn better grades. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 3:12f; 2 Cor. Biblically, the word tribulation comes from the Greek word thlipsis which means affliction, distress. In the Bible it is used (1) in general of any kind of testing or affliction or distress which people experience throughout life, and especially of the church and her problems in this world (John 16:33; Rom. Why? The Point: Jesus who is God is our examiner and rewarder. When God put Adam and Eve in the garden, He furnished them with every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food (Gen. 2:9). The refusal to accept the truth destroys the power to discriminate between truth and error.1. Terms used of this period. Related Topics: Dispensational / Covenantal Theology, Eschatology (Things to Come), J. Hampton Keathley III, Th.M. Stresses their eternal value and security. 5 Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come, Dunham Publishing Co., Findlay, OH, 1958, p. 411. The main point to see here is that this entire period is the expression of Gods wrath in increasing degrees of judgment to be poured out on the world. The Bible describes one judgment that takes place at the return of Jesus and Or, to put it another way, it is a record of those who have not rejected Gods plan of salvation and have responded to Christ in faith; for these their faith is reckoned for righteousness and their sins have not been imputed to them (Rom. 2:26). 14:7, 10; 19:2). While salvation is a gift, there are rewards given for faithfulness in the Christian life and loss of rewards for unfaithfulness. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. In other words, God has removed Satan and his demons, the False Prophet and the Beast, and is about to judge the rest of the unbelieving dead. (3) The Promise of Accolades or Commendations. The point is the Great White Throne Judgment does not occur on earth or in heaven as we know it, but somewhere beyond, perhaps in extreme outer space. 1:18-3:9, 23). The Books: The identity of the books is not specifically revealed and we can only speculate from a comparison of other passages of Scripture and from the nature of these verses. This judgment proves them sinners and in need of the righteousness which God freely gives through faith in Jesus Christ. 15:23); (2) the resurrection of the church age saints at the rapture (1 Thess. (5) It yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. But these were not the only consequences of failing to judge sin in their lives. 25:1-30; Ezek. (1) The first book opened will probably be the Scripture, the Word of God, which contains the revelation of Gods holy character, the moral law, the declaration of mans sinfulness, and Gods plan of salvation through faith in Christ. (b) The voice of the verb is passive. Unconfessed sin stands as a barrier to fellowship with the Lord and His control over ones life. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Some believe in a partial rapture theory which says that only those in fellowship with the Lord will be raptured as a form of punishment for their sin. Though believers are saved and justified by faith in Christ as the crucified Saviour, the Scriptures assume that Christians will battle with sin and will not always be victorious. Revelation 20:14 And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The Principle. was a 1966 graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and a former pastor of 28 years. Some today refuse to distinguish between the general tribulations of this age that the church will endure, and the unique, universal, and unprecedented Tribulation that will come. To underdo the sorrow aspect is to make faithfulness inconsequential.18. Heaven and earth are seen fleeing from the face of Him who sits on this throne (20:11). All that was done through the energy of the flesh will be regarded as worthless for reward, while all that was done in the power of the Holy Spirit will be graciously rewarded. 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