The Bible speaks of a special judgment that God will hold for believers only. It is known as the judgment seat of Christ, or the judgment seat of God. Paul wrote.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what we have done whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10).All believers will stand before God and be individually judged.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God (Romans 14:10).
What will happen at this judgment seat? Who will be judged? The Scriptures have the following to say.
Church Only
The participants in the judgment seat of Christ are members of the New Testament church. These are people who have trusted Christ as Savior from the Day of Pentecost, until the coming of Christ for His church. It does not include the Old Testament believers. They will have a separate time of judgment and reward.
Our Actions Will Be Judged
The Bible says that God will reward the actions of believers.
and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely You will reward each person according to what He has done (Psalm 62:12).
Jesus said.
For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what He has done (Matthew 16:27).Paul wrote.
Knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are slaves or free (Ephesians 6:8).
At The Rapture Of The Church
At some time in the future, the Lord will come back for those who have believed upon Him. He will change their bodies from corruptible to incorruptible.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord Himself, with a shout, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
After this event, those believers will go to the judgment seat of Christ. Judgment always comes after resurrection.
Not Judged For Sin
This is not a judgment to determine who will enter heaven. The sins of believers will not be an issue at the judgment seat of Christ - they have already been forgiven. The Bible says.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:10-12).
Our sins have been removed. Micah wrote.
He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).
Destiny Of Christian Has Been Settled
With the death of Christ on the cross, the destiny of the Christian has been once-and-for-all settled. There is no condemnation for those who have believed in Christ. Paul wrote.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).Have Eternal Life
Those who have trusted Christ now possess eternal life.
I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; He has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24).Curse Removed
The curse against believers has been removed.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree" (Galatians 3:13).Price Paid
Jesus has paid the price for our sins.
He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24).Sin Offering
He presented Himself as a sin offering on our behalf.
For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The believers judgment, with respect to sin, is long past.
Rewards
Therefore, the judgment seat of Christ is not designed to punish believers, but rather to reward them for their faithful service. All of us will give an account of what we have done after trusting Christ as Savior. Therefore, the judgment seat of Christ is a judgment of believers works after salvation. Paul gave this analogy.
According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it . . . Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and fire will try each one's work, of what sort it is (1 Corinthians 3:10,12,13).
The Bema Seat
The judgment seat is known as the "bema." The word is also translated court or tribunal. The platform could be either public (John 19:13) or private (Acts 25:22).
Tribunal For Rewards
The bema is a tribunal for rewards. In the large Olympic arenas, there was an elevated seat on which the judge of the contest sat. After the contests were over, the successful competitors would assemble before the bema to receive their rewards or crowns. The bema was not a judicial bench where someone was condemned; it was a reward seat. Likewise, the Judgment Seat of Christ is not a judicial bench. The Christian life is a race, and the divine umpire is Jesus Christ. After the race is over for each believer, He will gather every member before the bema for the purpose of examining each one and giving the proper reward to each.
Some Suffer Loss
Not everyone will receive the same reward. At the judgment seat of Christ, there will be those who suffer loss.
If anyone's work is burned, they will suffer loss; but they themselves will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:15).Fire
The judgment will be by fire. Fire is used in Scripture as a symbol of judgment. Sodom and Gomorrah were judged with fire.
Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah - from the LORD out of the heavens (Genesis 19:24).
The Bible describes the glorified Christ in this manner.
His head and His hair were white as white wool, white as snow; His eyes were like a flame of fire (Revelation 1:14).
Fire often symbolizes the holiness of God.
For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24).
Without Shame
Believers want to appear without shame before this seat.
And now little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming (1 John 2:28).
Full Reward
Believers will receive a full reward for their deeds of faith.
Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we have worked for, but that we may receive a full reward (2 John 8).Be Careful Not To Lose Reward
Scripture warns believers about losing their reward.
Behold, I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown (Revelation 3:11).
This is loss of reward, not of salvation.
Illustration
We can illustrate the loss of reward in the following manner: Let us say you have recently built a new two story house. While on the second floor, you smell smoke. Looking downstairs you see that the first floor is on fire. You jump out the second story window to save your life. You then watch your new house burn to the ground. Obviously you will have mixed emotions. You're thankful that you were able to jump and save your life, but you sad because your new house is destroyed. This is similar to those believers who are saved but have nothing to show for it. They squandered their opportunities to live for Christ yet they are enjoying the benefits of heaven with Jesus.
Position Of Honor
All who experience the judgment seat of Christ will possess the privileges and honors as children of God. Jesus said He will acknowledge those who have believed in Him before His Father, and before the angels.
Therefore whoever confesses Me before humanity, I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32).
Gifts To Be Received
The Apostle Paul, speaking of God's gifts, said.
But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God' (1 Corinthians 2:9,10).
Rewards Proportionate
The rewards that the believer receives will be proportionate to the faithfulness they show in this life. The key is faithfulness to the gifts God has given.
Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2).
Different Degrees Of Rewards
Jesus spoke of different degrees of rewards in a parable that He gave.
Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities (Luke 19:17).
To another one he said.
His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities' (Luke 19:19).
Crowns
The rewards believers will receive are called crowns. Paul wrote.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store 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 longed for His appearing (2 Timothy 4:7).
Book Of Life
Those who overcome will have their names written in the Book of Life:
You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels (Revelation 3:4,5).
Believers will be clothed in white garments, having their names written in the Book of Life. In addition, they will be acknowledged before the Father and the holy angels.
After Rapture
The judging of believers will occur after the rapture of the church, but before the Second Coming of Christ to the earth. In the Book of Revelation we are told.
Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) (Revelation 19:7,8).
We are told that the bride is clothed with righteous deeds. The church, therefore, has already been at the judgment seat of Christ because they are ready for the groom when He comes. Hence the judgment takes place sometime before the Second Coming of Christ.
Summary
The judgment seat of Christ is a time of examination and reward. From Scripture we can conclude the following concerning the judgment seat of Christ, the bema.
1. The Lord will resurrect the bodies of the saints who have died during the church age, as well as change the bodies of those still alive.
2. They will meet the Lord in the air and proceed to the judgment seat of Christ.
3. This judgment will consist of rewards for faithful service. There will be no condemning anyone.
4. Rewards will consist of crowns given to believers based upon our faithful service to Him. The rewards will be proportionate to our faithfulness.
One of the prominent doctrines of the New Testament is the Doctrine of Rewards and the Judgment Seat of Christ. It is a doctrine often ignored or, when taught, it is misrepresented because of the term “judgment” that is used in translating the Greek text. Commenting on this Samuel Hoyt writes:
Within the church today there exists considerable confusion and debate regarding the exact nature of the examination at the judgment seat of Christ. The expression “the judgment seat of Christ” in the English Bible has tended to cause some to draw the wrong conclusion about the nature and purpose of this evaluation. A common misconception which arises from this English translation is that God will mete out a just retribution for sins in the believer’s life, and some measure of retributive punishment for sins will result.1
As it will be shown below, though it is tremendously serious with eternal ramifications, the judgment seat of Christ is not a place and time when the Lord will mete out punishment for sins committed by the child of God. Rather, it is a place where rewards will be given or lost depending on how one has used his or her life for the Lord.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, the Apostle Paul drew courage and was motivated by the fact of rewards at the return of the Lord for the church which he mentions in every chapter in this epistle and becomes the primary subject of 2 Thessalonians. The Lord’s return and what this means not only to the world but to us individually is a very prominent subject of the New Testament.
It is significant that among the final words of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, we find these words of the Lord:
Rev. 22:12 Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
While salvation is a gift, there are rewards given for faithfulness in the Christian life and loss of rewards for unfaithfulness. Rewards become one of the great motives of the Christian’s life or should. But we need to understand the nature of these rewards to understand the nature of the motivation. Some people are troubled by the doctrine of rewards because this seems to suggest “merit” instead of “grace,” and because, it is pointed out, we should only serve the Lord out of love and for God’s glory.
Of course we should serve the Lord out of love and for God’s glory, and understanding the nature of rewards will help us do that. But the fact still remains that the Bible promises us rewards. God gives us salvation. It is a gift through faith, but He rewards us for good works. God graciously supplies the means by which we may serve Him. Indeed, He works in us both to will and to do as we volitionally appropriate His grace (Phil. 2:12-13), but the decision to serve, and the diligence employed in doing so, are our responsibility and our contribution and God sees this as rewardable. Compare the following passages:
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
Colossians 1:29 And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.
Key Verses on Rewards: Rom. 14:10-11; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; 2 Cor. 5:9-10; 1 John 2:28; Rev. 3:11-12.
The Meaning of the
Judgment (Bema) Seat
Both Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:9 speak of the “judgment seat.” This is a translation of one Greek word, the word bema. While bema is used in the gospels and Acts of the raised platform where a Roman magistrate or ruler sat to make decisions and pass sentence (Matt. 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.
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. 2 Tim. 2:5). The victor of a given event who participated according to the rules was led by the judge to the platform called the Bema. There the laurel wreath was placed on his head as a symbol of victory (cf. 1 Cor. 9:24-25).
In all of these passages, “Paul was picturing the believer as a competitor in a spiritual contest. As the victorious Grecian athlete appeared before the Bema to receive his perishable award, so the Christian will appear before Christ’s Bema to receive his imperishable award. The judge at the Bema bestowed rewards to the victors. He did not whip the losers.”2 We might add, neither did he sentence them to hard labor.
In other words, it is a reward seat and portrays a time of rewards or loss of rewards following examination, but it is not a time of punishment where believers are judged for their sins. Such would be inconsistent with the finished work of Christ on the Cross because He totally paid the penalty for our sins. Chafer and Walvoord have an excellent word on this view:
With reference to sin, Scripture teaches that the child of God under grace shall not come into judgment (John 3:18; 5:24; 6:37; Rom. 5:1; 8:1; 1 Cor. 11:32); in his standing before God, and on the ground that the penalty for all sin—past, present, and future (Col. 2:13)—has been borne by Christ as the perfect Substitute, the believer is not only placed beyond condemnation, but being in Christ is accepted in the perfection of Christ (1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:6; Col. 2:10; Heb. 10:14) and loved of God as Christ is loved (John 17:23).3
Again, Chafer writes concerning the Bema, “It cannot be too strongly emphasized that the judgment is unrelated to the problem of sin, that it is more for the bestowing of rewards than the rejection of failure.”4
The Time of the Bema
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.
Arguments in support of this view:
(1) In Luke 14:12-14, reward is associated with the resurrection and the rapture is when the church is resurrected.
(2) In Revelation 19:8, when the Lord returns with His bride at the end of the tribulation, she is seen already rewarded. Her reward is described as fine linen, the righteous acts of the saints—undoubtedly the result of rewards.
(3) In 2 Timothy 4:8 and 1 Corinthians 4:5, rewards are associated with “that day” and with the Lord’s coming. Again, for the church this means the event of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
So the order of events will be (a) the rapture which includes our glorification or resurrection bodies, (b) exaltation into the heavens with the Lord, (c) examination before the Bema, and (d) compensation or rewards.
The Place of the Bema
It will occur somewhere in the heavenlies in the presence of the Lord. This is evident from 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and Revelation 4:2 and 19:8.
The Participants at the Bema
(1) All the passages dealing with the Bema or rewards are addressed to believers or pertain to believers of the church (Rom. 14:10-12; 1 Cor. 3:12f; 2 Cor. 5:9f; 1 John 2:28; 1 Thess. 2:19-20; 1 Tim. 6:18-19; Tit. 2:12-14 [note the emphasis on good works]).
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. Rev. 19:8 with Dan. 12:1-2; Matt. 24).
(2) All believers, regardless of their spiritual state, will be raptured and will stand before the Bema to give an account of their lives and will either receive rewards or lose rewards. 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. As mentioned above, this is not only contrary to the finished work of Christ who once and for all paid the penalty for our sins, but it is contrary to the teaching of 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11.
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.
The context suggests that Paul has in mind the return of Christ for the church—the rapture (1 Thess. 4:13-18). The rapture is the means of our deliverance from the wrath he discusses in chapter 5:1-3. Further, the words “awake or asleep” of verse 10 refer to a spiritual or moral condition, not whether one is alive or dead when Christ returns as in 4:13-14. This is clear from both the context of 5:4-8 and by the fact he changed the words he used for sleep. He used the Greek katheudo in 5:10 rather than koimao, the word he used metaphorically in 4:13-14 of physical death. Though katheudo was used of physical sleep and even death, it was also commonly used of spiritual apathy or carnal indifference to spiritual matters, and this is clearly the context of chapter 5. The point, then, is this: Because of the perfect and finished nature of Christ’s death (note the words “who died for us” of verse 10), whether we are spiritually alert or not, we will live together with Him through the rapture to face the examination of the Bema.
The Examiner or Judge at the Bema
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. 1-2; 1 Cor. 4:5f; 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 John 2:28). In Romans 14:10 the Apostle called this examining time the Bema of God while in 2 Corinthians 5:10 he called it the Bema of Christ. The Point: Jesus who is God is our examiner and rewarder.
The Purpose and Basis of the Bema
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. Some crucial questions are: Why are we brought before the Bema? Is it only for rewards or their loss? Will any punishment be meted out? Will there be great sorrow? What’s the basis on which the Bema is conducted? Is it sin, good works, or just what?
The Problem
Within the church, there exists a good deal of confusion and disagreement concerning the exact nature of the Bema. The use of the term “judgment seat” in most translations, ignorance of the historical and cultural background concerning the Bema, and foggy theology regarding the finished work of Christ have all contributed to several common misconceptions which, in one way or another, see God as giving out just retribution to believers for sin, or at least for our unconfessed sin.
Three Views of the Bema
For a summary of three major views, let me quote Samuel L. Hoyt from Bibliotheca Sacra.
Some Bible teachers view the judgment seat as a place of intense sorrow, a place of terror, and a place where Christ display all the believer’s sins (or at least those unconfessed) before the entire resurrected and raptured church. Some go even further by stating that Christians must experience some sort of suffering for their sins at the time of this examination.
At the other end of the spectrum another group, which holds to the same eschatological chronology, views this event as an awards ceremony. Awards are handed out to every Christian. The result of this judgment will be that each Christian will be grateful for the reward which he receives, and he will have little or no shame.
Other Bible teachers espouse a mediating position. They maintain the seriousness of the examination and yet emphasize the commendation aspect of the judgment seat. They emphasize the importance and necessity of faithful living today but reject any thought of forensic punishment at the Bema. Emphasis is placed on the fact that each Christian must give an account of his life before the omniscient and holy Christ. 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. Those who hold this view believe that the Christian will stand glorified before Christ without his old sin nature. He will, likewise, be without guilt because he has been declared righteous. There will be no need for forensic punishment, for Christ has forever borne all of God’s wrath toward the believer’s sins.5
This last view I believe to be the one that is in accord with Scripture. Reasons for this will be set forth and developed as we study the nature, purpose, and basis for the Bema. But for now, lest we draw some wrong conclusions, we need to be ever mindful that God’s Word clearly teaches there are specific and very serious consequences, both temporal and eternal, for sin or disobedience. Though we will not be judged in the sense of punished for sin at the Bemasince the Lord has born that for us, we must never take sin lightly because there are many consequences.
The Present Consequences of Sin or Disobedience
While the following is not exhaustive, it demonstrates that sin in the life of a believer is not a small issue.
(1) Loss of Fellowship With the Lord. Known sin in one’s life causes a loss of intimate fellowship with the Lord with the consequent loss of His joy and peace (Ps. 32:3-4).
(2) Divine Discipline From the Lord Here in Time. We should not think of discipline as punishment. Discipline from God is the gracious work of a Father to train and develop His children. Sometimes this comes in the form of various kinds of testing, trials, failure, and predicaments which He uses to correct us, to train us, and, if we have been going our own stubborn way, to increase our misery. The goal, however, is always to bring us back to Him (Heb. 12:5-11). If the believer remains unrepentant, this can lead to the sin unto death as with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), and some of the believers at Corinth who were failing to confess their sin and get right with the Lord (1 Cor. 11:28f; cf. also 1 John 5:16-17).
(3) Loss of Power and Production. When we fail to deal with our sinful ways through honest confession, we grieve the Spirit’s person and quench His power in our lives. This means that rather than operating by faith in God’s provision, we end up operating in the energy of the flesh. We turn to our personal bag of tricks by which we seek to handle life (Gal. 3:1-5; 5:5-15; Jer. 2:12-13). This results in the works of the flesh and their awful and fruitless consequences (Gal. 5:19-21, 26). Without the abiding life, the life of faith and obedience to the Savior, we can do nothing (John 15:1-7).
(4) Loss of Opportunities. When we are in charge of our lives rather than the Lord, we become insensitive to people and opportunities of ministry—we lack vision. Carnal believers have no vision other than their own personal agendas and selfish goals (cf. Jn. 4:34f).
(5) Loss of Desire and Motivation for Service. Carnal believers are occupied and controlled by their own self-centered desires (Gal. 5:16f). Perhaps this is a good place to discuss the concept of selfishness and rewards for some see an appeal to rewards as selfish and therefore carnal.
Zane Hodges has some good thoughts on this concept:
Scripture does not teach us to be uninterested in our own happiness or well-being. The very desire to escape eternal damnation is a legitimate and urgent self-interest. The instinct to preserve our lives is the same. Nor are pleasure and enjoyment illegitimate experiences.
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). They could enjoy themselves freely provided they abstained from eating from the one forbidden tree. Similarly, Paul tells rich people that “God … gives us richly all things to enjoy.” (1 Tim. 6:17, italics added).
Selfishness ought not to be defined simply as the pursuit of our own self-interest. Instead, it should be defined as the pursuit of our self-interest in our own way, rather than in God’s way. Since “love” is a preeminent virtue in Christianity, true selfishness often involves a pursuit of self-interest that violates the law of love.6
Self-interest in God’s way is legitimate. Self-centeredness or selfishness is preoccupation with self at the expense of others and God’s will in one’s life. When Adam and Eve chose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they acted in self-centered independence which was idolatry and sin. 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.
(6) Broken Relationships and Disharmony. Carnality causes broken relationships and pain to those around us—our families, friends, associates, and co-workers in the body of Christ (Gal. 5:15; Heb. 12:15b).
(7) Loss of Physical Health and Vitality. Of course all sickness, weakness, or suffering is not a product of sin, but it can be and often is (1 Cor. 11:29-30; 1 John 5:16-17; Prov. 17:22; 14:30).
(8) Loss of Rewards at the Bema. 1 Cor 13:13-15: “each man’s 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 man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire .”
The Purpose of the Bema
It is not punitive. It is not to judge believers for sin of any kind, confessed or unconfessed. “Scripture teaches that for the believer God’s justice has already been fully and forever satisfied at the Cross in relation to the believer’s sins. If God were to punish the believer judicially for his sins for which Christ has already rendered payment, He would be requiring two payments for sin and would therefore be unjust. Such a concept (punishment for sin) erroneously disparages the all-sufficiency of Christ’s death on the cross.”7 Christ paid the penalty for the believer’s pre- and post-conversion sins. The believer will forfeit rewards which he could have received, but he will not be punished in the judicial sense of “paying” for his sins.
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.
The following verses demonstrate the basic principle of the complete and finished nature of Christ’s work:
Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
Romans 5:19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
Colossians 2:10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
These verses state the complete results or conclusion:
Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more.
Hebrews 10:17-18 And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Isaiah 44:22 I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud, And your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Micah 7:19 He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, Thou wilt cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea.
Isaiah 38:17 Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; It is Thou who hast kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back.
These verses show we cannot come into judgment. Why? Because Christ has born our judgment by being made a curse in our place:
Romans 5:1 Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
John 3:18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
Then why do we have to confess sin in this life? And why does God judge believers for unconfessed sin as with Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 and some of the believers in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 11:28f? Because this is a completely different matter.
(1) Unconfessed sin relates to fellowship in this life, not one’s relationship or standing with God.Unconfessed sin stands as a barrier to fellowship with the Lord and His control over one’s life. As Amos 3:3 says, “can two walk together unless they be agreed?” Obviously the answer is no. Confession means we agree with God concerning our sin and want to get back under God’s control. “Daily forgiveness of those who are within the family of God is distinguished from judicial and positional forgiveness which was applied forensically to all of a person’s sins the moment he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.”8 We need to distinguish between fellowship forgiveness and legal or forensic forgiveness that justifies us and gives us a standing before God through Christ.
Key Scriptures: Heb. 12:5f and 1 Cor. 11:28-32. These passages:
- Explain the nature of God’s judgment of believers in this life. It is discipline designed to train and bring believers back to a walk with God.
- They teach us the basic cause of discipline is failure to examine and confess known sins because that hinders our fellowship with God.
- “Condemned along with the world” in 1 Corinthians 11:32 most likely refers to the judgment of Rom. 1:24f, moral degeneration and the gradual breakdown in the moral fiber of men when they turn away from God. The same thing happens in the life of believers, but God brings discipline to stop the process.
(2) God does not judge us for our sin in the sense of making us pay the penalty for that sin.
Scripture teaches that Christ’s death was all-sufficient, completely satisfying God’s wrath toward sin in the believer. The question of sin in regard to God’s justice has been forever satisfied in the mind of God by the all-sufficient sacrifice of His Son. The penalty for the believer’s sins has been fully paid for by Christ, the believer’s substitute. The Christian has been in court, condemned, sentenced, and executed in his substitute, Jesus Christ. God cannot exact payment for sins twice since payment has been fully and forever paid. The believer is seen by the Father as clothed in the righteousness of Christ. God can therefore find no cause for accusing the Christian judicially any more than He can find cause for accusing Jesus Christ. Therefore, at the judgment seat of Christ forensic punishment will not be meted out for the believer’s sins.9
Rather, God disciplines us as a father disciplines his sons to bring us back into fellowship that we might be conformed to His Son. It is a family matter.
The Positive Aspects of the Bema
(1) To evaluate the quality of every believer’s work whether it is good or bad, i.e., acceptable and thus worthy of rewards, or unacceptable, to be rejected and unworthy of rewards. Actually an evaluation is going on every day by the Lord (cf. Rev. 2-3).
(2) To destroy and remove unacceptable production portrayed in the symbols of wood, hay, and stubble. All sinful deeds, thoughts, and motives, as well as all good deeds done in the energy of the flesh will be consumed like wood, hay, and stubble before a fire because they are unworthy of reward. Why? This will be answered as we consider the basis on which rewards are given or lost.
(3) To reward the believer for all the good he or she has done as portrayed by the symbols of gold, silver, and precious stones, that which is valuable and can stand the test of fire without being consumed.
Scriptures:
1 Cor. 3:13-15 each man’s 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 man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.
“Evident” is phaneros which means “known, plain, visible, revealed as to it nature.” “The day” refers to a day well known and refers to the day of the Bema after the rapture of the church. “Declare it” is deloo which means “to make evident, clear.” “Be revealed” is apokalupto and means “to unveil.” “Test” is dokimazo and means “to test for the sake of approval.” “The quality” is hopoios, a correlative and qualitative pronoun meaning “of what sort or kind.”
1 Cor. 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.
“Bring to light” is photizo, “to bring to light, make visible.” “Disclose” is phaneroo, “to manifest, reveal.” The issue should be extremely clear from these two verses: The Lord will evaluate the quality and nature of every person’s work. Compare also:
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Revelation 22:12 Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
The Negative Aspects of the Bema
There are a number of passages that refer to the negative aspects of the Bema which need to be mentioned and explained. In these passages we read such things as “give account of himself,” “suffer loss,” “shrink away from Him in shame,” and “recompense for his deeds … whether good or bad.”
Will believers experience shame, grief, remorse at the Bema? If so, how do we reconcile this with passages like Revelation 7:17, “God shall wipe away every tear from their eye,” and Revelation 21:4, “and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away,” or with Isaiah 65:17, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind”?
The negative effects involve the following:
(1) The loss suffered in 1 Corinthians 3:15 refers to the loss of rewards, not salvation as the verse goes on to make clear. Please note that the clause “he shall suffer loss” would be better rendered “it (the reward) shall be forfeited.”
(2) The disqualification mentioned in 1 Corinthians 9:27 means disqualified from rewards, not loss of salvation. This is clear from the context and the analogy to the Greek athletic games.
(3) The “recompense” (NASB) or the “receive back” (KJV) of 2 Corinthians 5:10 refers to the dispensing of rewards or their loss. The verb used is komizoand means “to carry off safe,” “to carry off as booty.” In the middle voice as here, it meant “to bear for oneself,”10 or “to receive back what is one’s own.”11Compare Matthew 25:27 and Ephesians 6:8.
(4) That dispensing of rewards is in view is also evident from the Greek words in 2 Corinthians 5:10 translated “good” (agathos—valuable like good fruit) and “bad” (phaulos—unacceptable like rotten or spoiled fruit). The idea is not good in the sense of righteousness versus bad in the sense of evil or sinfulness. For those ideas Paul would have most likely used kalos, “good,” and kakos, “evil.” For good works, those valuable like good fruit, we will receive back rewards, but for bad works, those rotten and worthless, we will receive no rewards or the loss of rewards.
This is no more a punishment than when a student turns in a worthless assignment and receives an F or a D. His poor work results in a just grade or recompense. This is what his work deserves. There used to be a sign in the registrar’s office at Dallas Seminary which read, “Salvation is by grace … Graduation is by works.”
(5) 1 John 2:28. This verse undoubtedly refers to the Bema and shows there will be both boldness as a result of abiding, and shame before the Lord as a result of failing to abide.
“And now little children.” John is writing to believers. This is his term of endearment for his readers as born again people.
“Abide in Him.” “Abide” is a synonym for fellowship which is the subject of the book (1:3-7). 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. This is the basis of rewards or the cause of their loss, the abiding, Christ-dependent life.
“So that” points us to the purpose, the return of the Savior and what it will mean.
“When He appears.” The “when” points to the imminency of the return of the Lord. It is literally “if He appears.” The conditional clause does not question the reality of Christ’s coming, only the time of it and thereby points to its imminency. “Appears” refers to the rapture which leads quickly into the Bema.
“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.
“And not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming (presence).” Please note several things here. (a) The verb is what we call in Greek an aorist subjunctive, and with the basic meaning of this verb, the grammar points to a future act, but not a continuous state. This in no way suggests a permanent condition. (b) The voice of the verb is passive. The subject receives the action, that is, he is made to feel shame. But how? (c) There are two views:
(1) The believer who fails to abide is made to feel shame by the Lord, i.e., the Lord puts him to shame. This would be somewhat punitive and does not fit the concept of the Bema nor the promises of the Lord that we will not come into judgment.
(2) The believer who fails to abide experiences shame by the revelatory nature of Christ’s presence at the Bema. This is caused by the realization of what his own failure and sin has cost him in terms of the loss of rewards and loss of glory to the Lord. But this will only be momentary or short-lived at best in view of passages like Revelation 7:17; 21:4 and Isaiah 56:1.
Hoyt has a good summary of what this passage is talking about and involves:
The Bible suggests that there will be shame at the judgment seat of Christ to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the measure of unfaithfulness of each individual believer. Therefore it should be each believer’s impelling desire to be well-pleasing to the Lord in all things. Although Christians apparently will reflect on this earthly life with some regret, they will also realize what is ahead for them in the heavenly life. This latter realization will be the source of boundless joy. English strikes a proper balance on this subject.
“Joy will indeed be the predominant emotion of life with the Lord; but I suspect that, when our works are made manifest at the tribunal, some grief will be mixed with the joy, and we shall know shame as we suffer loss. But we shall rejoice also as we realize that the rewards given will be another example of the grace of our Lord; for at best we are unprofitable servants” (E. Schuyler English, “The Church At the Tribunal,” in Prophetic Truth Unfolding Today, ed. Charles Lee Feinberg [Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1968], p. 29)
The elements of remorse, regret, and shame cannot be avoided in an examination of the judgment seat of Christ. But this sorrow must be somewhat relative because even for the finest of Christians there will be some things worthy of unceasing remorse in the light of God’s unapproachable holiness. This would mean that the finest of Christians could be sorrowful throughout eternity. However, this is not the picture that the New Testament gives of heaven. The overwhelming emotion is joyfulness and gratefulness. Although there is undeniably some measure of remorse or regret, this is not the overriding emotion to be experienced throughout the eternal state.
The emotional condition of the redeemed is that of complete and unending happiness. Emotion proceeds from the realization of facts in personal experience. 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. 8:18-25). Elimination of the curse, pain and death will also remove sorrow, tears and crying (Rev. 21:4).
The judgment seat of Christ might be compared to a commencement ceremony. At graduation there is some measure of disappointment and remorse that one did not do better and work harder. However, at such an event the overwhelming emotion is joy, not remorse. The graduates do not leave the auditorium weeping because they did not earn better grades. Rather, they are thankful that they have been graduated, and they are grateful for what they did achieve. To overdo the sorrow aspect of the judgment seat of Christ is to make heaven hell. To underdo the sorrow aspect is to make faithfulness inconsequential.12
The Nature of the Rewards
What are they and how are they described in Scripture? They are described in terms of generalities. What we know about rewards is given in terms that are more general than specific. These are:
(1) The Promise of Crowns. This seems to be used as a symbol of victory, authority, and responsibility.
(2) The Promise of Heavenly Treasure (Matt. 6:20; 1 Pet. 1:4). Stresses their eternal value and security.
(3) The Promise of Accolades or Commendations. This is seen in those passages where a reward is administered in the form of something like “well done thou good and faithful servant …” (cf. Matt. 25:21; Lk. 19:17; 1 Cor. 4:5b).
(4) The Promises to Overcomers. These could refer to special blessing of rewards to those believers who overcomer special trials and tests rather than a general promise to all believers. See Rev. 2:7; 2:11, 17, 26.
(5) The Promise of Special Responsibilities and Authority of the Lord’s Possessions (cf. Matt. 19:28; 24:45-47; 25:21, 23; Lk. 19:17-19; 22:29-30; Rev. 2:26).
Analogies to Consider
(1) A Thanksgiving Dinner. At a Thanksgiving dinner, each person eats a different amount, but each is satisfied. After our glorification, there will be no sinful nature to produce envy, or jealousy, or resentment, or feelings of dissatisfaction. We will each be enthralled with God and our glorified state.
(2) A Bat Boy at the World Series. Any young man who loves baseball would probably be thrilled to be a bat boy in the World Series, but he would not be jealous or resentful because he was not one of the stars of the game. He would just be delighted to be there and do what he was doing.
(3) A Graduate at Commencement. All the graduates are there and excited about graduating, yet at the time of rewards, some sorrow might be experienced, but it is quickly overcome by the joy of the event.
(4) Our Spiritual Gifts. Our rewards may be likened to our spiritual gifts. Our rewards seem to primarily be a matter of responsibility and maybe opportunities, but they will not be like badges or medals we wear as in the military. Remember that all of our crowns will be cast at the feet of Christ, for only He is worthy (Rev. 4:10-11). Also, Matthew 25:21, 23 and Luke 19:17-19 show us our rewards consist of authority over either many things or many cities. They may include galaxies of the universe. All believers will live in the millennium and in eternity with the Lord. Some will reign with Him, but, because of loss of rewards, evidently some will not.
(5) In Scripture, the church is viewed as the heavenly kingdom and a universal priesthood. This may indicate something of our authority. We may rule over galaxies, celestial bodies, the heavens, and definitely over angels, and the world (cf. 1 Cor. 6:2-3; 4:8).
(6) Israel is the earthly kingdom and will undoubtedly have authority over portions and sections of the millennial kingdom and the eternal kingdom as emphasized in Matt. 25:21; Lk. 19:17-19; and Dan. 7:18, 22, 27.
The Crowns of the New Testament
The Words Used for Crowns
(1) Stephanos. This was the victor’s crown, the wreath given to the victorious athlete before the judge at the Bema. It is the word used of the crowns promised to believers for faithfulness in the Christian life.
(2) Diadem. This was the royal crown, the crown of a king. It is used of the seven diadems of the Beast in Revelation 12:3 and 13:1. But, to stress that Christ is King of kings, this word is also used of the many diadems the Lord will wear at His return (Rev. 19:12).
The Principle. The Lord Jesus is the victor, and our victory is really His victory which is appropriated by faith. Crowns are given as rewards for faithfulness to appropriate God’s grace and Christ’s victory in the Christian life. They remind us of our responsibility to abide in the vine.
The Crowns and Their Significance
(1) The Crown of Thorns (Matt. 27:29; Mk. 15:17; Jn. 19:2, 5). Speaks of Christ’s work on the cross and stands for His victory over sin, Satan, and death.
(2) The Incorruptible Crown (1 Cor. 9:25). Two things: (a) This describes all the crowns. It contrasts our crowns with the temporal and temporary treasure of this life. (b) It is also a special crown given for faithfulness in running the race and exercising self-control in order to serve the Lord and finish the race.
(3) The Crown of Exultation or Rejoicing (1 Thess. 2:19; Phil. 4:1). This crown is a reward given for witnessing, follow-up, and ministry to others. In one sense, the Thessalonians will be Paul’s crown, and the effect at the Bema and throughout eternity will be rejoicing or exultation over their presence in heaven.
But what did Paul mean by this? In view of his use of “crown” (stephanos, the victor’s wreath) in other places, and the fact believers will cast their crowns before the Lord (Rev. 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. Though, in this passage the Apostle does not say he would receive a crown, this is suggested, if not here certainly in other passages. Though some of them were not living as they should, looking ahead and seeing them in glory brought joy and would bring great rejoicing.
(4) The Crown of Life (Jam. 1:12; Rev. 2:10). This crown is given for enduring testings (trials) and temptation. The crown is not eternal life which is a gift through faith alone in Christ alone (Jn. 4:10; Rom. 3:24; 5:15-17; 6:23; Eph. 2:8), but a reward for enduring trials and overcoming temptation.
(5) The Crown of Righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8). This crown is a reward given for faithfulness to use our gifts and opportunities in the service of the Lord and for loving His appearing. Note that these two things go together. To love His appearing is to live in the light of it.
(6) The Crown of Glory (1 Pet. 5:4). This crown is a reward promised to Elders for faithfulness in the discharge of their responsibilities in shepherding the people.
(7) The Casting of Crowns (Rev. 4:10, 11). Because Christ alone is worthy and because we can only be fruitful when we abide in Him allowing His life to fills ours, we will all cast our crowns before Him in recognition that all we have done is by His grace.
(8) The Many Crowns or Diadems (Rev. 19:12). The crowns of royalty which stand for Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lord who alone has the right to rule and judge the world.
3 Lewis Sperry Chafer, Major Bible Themes: 52 Vital Doctrines of the Scripture Simplified and Explained, rev. John F. Walvoord, editor, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1974, p. 282.
4 Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. IV: Ecclesiology-Eschatology, Dallas Seminary Press, Dallas, TX, 1948, p. 406.
6 Zane Hodges, Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, Autumn, 1991, p. 7.
10 G. Abott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, T & T Clark, Edinburgh, 1937, p. 252.
11 Fritz Rienecker, Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament, Cleon L. Rogers, Jr., editor, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1980, p. 468.
12 Samuel Hoyt, “The Judgment Seat of Christ in Theological Perspective,” Part 2, Bibliotheca Sacra, electronic media.
In the Marriage of the Lamb you may be thinking particularly of the consummation of the marriage between Christ (the Lamb) and the church, which takes place in heaven after the bema seat of Christ. However, a larger view of the marriage begins at Christ’s first coming and ends at the creation of the New Heaven and New Earth. This is the view we will present here, which, as we will see, is patterned after a typical Jewish wedding. We will present it in seven parts; first describing to you the Jewish practice, followed by how the churches marriage with Christ corresponds to that practice. The wedding begins with the betrothal.
The betrothal period for a Jewish marriage is the period between the time of the arrangement of the marriage and the actual marriage ceremony and consummation. That betrothal period in ancient days was sometimes quite long, especially if arrangement were made while both parties were small children. In other cases, the period was short, like only a year.
The betrothal begins upon the decision of the groom’s father to make the arrangements and pay the price to the bride’s family for the bride. Sometimes the groom and the groom’s father will travel together to visit the bride and her family. Other times only the groom’s father will go. Nevertheless, both the arrangements are made and the price for the bride is always paid by the father of the groom. And when those things are completed, this establishes the marriage covenant and the betrothal is binding. In many respects they are married.
Now the corresponding experience of the believer’s marriage to Christ is that God the Father from the beginning of time has loved us; and He offers his Son to us (Jn. 3:16). His Son, Jesus Christ, is both the payment price for us and is our eternal groom. If we accept the Father’s offer of His Son by believing in Him, then His blood saves us from sin, we enter into an eternal marriage covenant with Him, and that covenant means that we are betrothed to Him until He comes and takes us to Himself with the Father in eternal wedding bliss. If you are a believer right now, know that you are presently living in the betrothal period. We are now waiting for Him to return to us.
The Groom Returns to The Father
In early Jewish tradition, after the marriage covenant is made, the groom returns to his father’s house and remains there separated from the bride for twelve months. During this time the bride prepares herself for the upcoming wedding, and the groom is also busy preparing a place for the bride; yes, she will live with the groom’s parents in the groom’s father’s house.
In terms of the groom’s marriage to the Church, the period we are now in is that period where we are physically separated from Him. After He died on the cross, paying the price for our sins, which was the purchase price for our marriage to Him (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23; 1 Pt. 1:18; 2 pt. 2:1; Rev. 5:9), He left this earth and ascended through the clouds into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). He is now with His father preparing a place for us (Jn. 14:2-3). We, His betrothed should also to be preparing ourselves for him. We are not to be troubled, but to believe in God (Jn. 14:1), and in every way to make ourselves ready for him (Rev. 19:7).
The Groom Comes to Get the Bride
In the typical ancient Jewish wedding, after roughly 12 months of preparation, the bridegroom would come unexpected to the bride’s house to get the bride. But his coming would be preceded by a shout, something like, “Behold the bridegroom comes!” We don’t know how long of a time span there was between the warning shout and his coming, but I suppose all brides hope there would be enough time to get herself ready for him.
At any rate, with her mother’s help, she would adorn herself with fine clothing and perfume and with a crown on her head (Gen. 24:22; Ezek. 16:11, 12). And then, when she went off with the bridegroom, a grand procession of relatives and friends would follow them all the way to the bridegroom’s father’s house. Usually, her face would be veiled and there would also be dancing and singing along the way.1
Now, though some would disagree, it is easy to see that the Jewish pattern here points to the Rapture of the church. Just as the groom comes unexpectantly to get the bride in the Jewish wedding; so, in the believer’s marriage to Christ, Jesus will come from heaven unexpectantly to receive us and to bring us to His Father’s house. John 14:2-3 explains it plainly:
In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
There are two other well known Scripture passages that explain His coming for His bride in more detail: 1 Corinthians 15:52-55 (which describes mainly our transformation), and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (which describes mainly how He takes us).
First of all, as is the case of the Jewish wedding, before he takes us, He will be announced both by a shout and by a trumpet blast. Next, all believers in Christ who are dead will be resurrected, given new immortal bodies, and will be snatched up to heaven to meet Jesus. Then thirdly, just after the dead are raised, those who are alive will instantly be changed, that is, they will also be given new immortal bodies, and they too will be taken up to meet the waiting groom.
Now 1 Thessalonians 4:17 tells us that we all will meet the Lord in the air. I’m not sure what this means, but I think it means that He will come to us from heaven, stop somewhere above the clouds, and then He will call us, or zap us up to Him. Then, from that place in the air, we will all zoom up to heaven where we will “always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17).
The Cleansing of the Bride
The Jewish bride, and sometimes the groom, will historically participate in a ritual bath called the mikuah within four days of the wedding. The bath is not only for outer cleansing, but is an act of introspection and reflection before taking the big step of marriage.2
In our marriage to Christ the cleansing is not by water but by the fire of God’s judgment and by His penetrating light. This is the bema judgment, where all our hidden motives will be revealed under His light (1 Cor. 4:4-5) and where the quality of our works will be tested by fire to see if they are good or bad (1 Cor. 3:12-15).
The Wedding Ceremony
Each Jewish wedding ceremony may be different, ranging from very basic to very elaborate. The most basic will probably include the following three elements.
The canopy. The couple will first go under a canopy, symbolizing a new home being built by the couple.
The exchange of rings. This symbolizes purity and honesty in the relationship.
The breaking of a glass. The new groom will forcefully step on a glass and break it. This symbolizes joy being tempered. They are to have joy with each other, but not too much, since they are to remain in morning because of the destruction of the temple in 70 A. D.3
Unlike the public Jewish wedding ceremony, the ceremony between Christ and the church will probably be private. Hence, we don’t know what will be said; it remains a mystery.
The Consummation of The Marriage
In the Jewish wedding, there is usually a big celebration of the couple’s first union, and there may also be a lot of joking about it. In other practices they will make a big deal about highly decorating the bridal chamber and many will be involved in the practice.
The consummation between Christ and the church will no doubt be celebratory and glorious, but also very private and sacred. We don’t know any more than that. It is a great mystery to us.
The Marriage Feast
In Old Testament days Jewish weddings were a big deal. They were well organized and all who were invited must wear special wedding garments (Matt. 22:12). During the entire feast, which lasted for an entire week (Judg. 14:17), there was always plenty to eat and drink (Jn. 2:8-9), and a joyous celebration was continual.
Now I’m not sure if there is anything symbolic about the week-long wedding feast, that is, what it tells us about the length of the wedding feast of the Lamb and the church; but we are quite certain that it will last for a thousand years—all during the Millennial Kingdom. And certainly, it will be a time of great celebration and of great plenty on the earth; where not only the bride (the church) is loved, but where all His believers are welcomed and rejoiced over.
And that brings us to the question of who will be the bride in the Millennial Kingdom, and what shall we call all the other believers. It is my belief that the bride will be only the Raptured one’s—the church. All other believers, which will consist of the resurrected Old Testament saints, the martyred and resurrected Tribulation saints, and also the living mortal believers (Jews and Gentiles) who came alive out of the Tribulation. These all will be the wedding guests and friends of the bride and groom (corresponding to Matthew 22:11-12).
Now it may seem unfair that only the Raptured church will be chosen as His bride and not the others. However, we must not question God’s sovereign choices. Despite that, we know that Israel will later appear with the church in the New Jerusalem; for the city’s mention of twelve pillars (with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, Rev. 21:12) and also twelve foundations (with the names of the twelve apostles, Rev. 21:14) proves it. As one author has written,
After the Millennial Kingdom has come to a close and a new heavens and new earth are created, the holy city, the New Jerusalem, is prepared by Jehovah as a bride adorned for her husband—the Lamb (Rev. 21:2-27). The long-unfulfilled promises of the restoration of Jerusalem, which found their initial fulfillment in the Millennial Kingdom (Isa. 62:1), will come to final fruition in the New Jerusalem where all the redeemed of all ages are in union with God and the Lamb Who are its temple (Rev. 21:22). This is the ultimate consummation of all the redeemed.4
1 Fred H. Wight, Manners and Customs of Bible Lands (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1953), pp. 131-133.
2 Jessy Judaica, “The Wedding Mikvah Tradition,” at http://www.jessyjudaica.com/blog/2015/03/09/the-pre-wedding-mikvah-tradition/.
3 Wikipedia, “Jewish wedding,” at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_wedding.
4 The Marriage of the Lamb, “Israel, the Church, the New Jerusalem,” at https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/revelation/related-topics/israel-the-church-the-new-jerusalem.html#4.10.6
Will there be tears in heaven at the bema?
This is a difficult topic, and in order to answer it we must look at a few Scriptures to get a clear understanding of it. First of all, the main passage in Revelation 21:4 that we generally go to that mentions tears must be taken in its proper context. What this verse is telling us is that in heaven, or in the eternal state, there will be no tears, nor will there be death or mourning or crying or pain. Now the question is, when will these things be wiped away or taken away? Well, it seems logical to me that they will disappear instantly when we are translated into the eternal state…or into heaven.
Another passage that confirms what we are saying is 1 Corinthians 15:52-55. It is the famous Rapture passage. It speaks of our changing into what is “imperishable,” and when we put on “immortality.” Then it says, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” Hence, this Rapture passage confirms that death is wiped away in the instant of our transformation at the Rapture. Now it doesn’t say anything about our tears or crying or pain being taken away, but it is understood.
Now if this is all true, how do we reckon this with what so many are saying about the fact that many will suffer loss at the bema and will be crying over their loss. For as the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:15 and 4:5, God will “bring to light the hidden things” of the heart, and He will see man’s hidden motives. And if any man’s works are not of good quality and are burned up in the fire of His judgment, then they will suffer a great loss. They will be saved, yet they may not have too much of a reward. Therefore, I think they will feel a great regret and may cry over it.
So, this seems to pose a huge problem. Since the bema supposedly takes place just after the Rapture, and the moment of the Rapture we said is when we are transformed, then we are saying that some will cry while they are in their eternal state. But that can’t be. We just said that there won’t be any tears in heaven.
Okay, the way I see it, there are two possible ways we can solve this conundrum. One way to look it is this way: If we are saying that there are no tears in heaven, and the bema is in heaven, then we have to believe that though some will suffer loss and will know of their loss, they will not cry. They will have so much of the joy of the Lord in them that they will not cry. God will keep it from them. In this scenario, we will have to assume that the tears that are wiped away (in Revelation 21:4) are the tears of the former life and will have nothing to do with what happens at the bema. Those tears are wiped away at the moment of our transformation.
But here is a second way to look at it: Let us suppose that the bema does not take place in heaven. Suppose the bema transpires in a timeless state at the same moment as the Rapture and our transformation. Think of it this way: if it happens in a timeless bubble, there won’t be any problem fitting it all in. If we think of the judgments in terms of time, we naturally will think that it will take a great while to judge everyone. But if it all happens in a timeless bubble, no problem. And of course, it can be done…by a miracle of God.
So, in this scenario some will cry at the bema, but since the bema will not take place in the eternal state, but in a timeless bubble just before (in a fraction of a second before) the eternal state, there is no problem saying that the tears He wipes away may be the tears shed at the bema.
Recognizing the Jewish focus of the Tribulation is important, because many today believe the Church has replaced Israel in Scripture. While it is true that the Church is spiritually considered Israel (Romans 2), this is different from the promises God made to the physical descendants of Abraham found throughout Scripture. Those who do not see the difference between spiritual and national Israel believe that the Church will receive both the punishments and rewards promised to Israel. This is known as "replacement theology."
The major flaw in "replacement theology" came to light in 1948, when Israel became a nation again. This event, along with the re-gathering of the Jewish people in the last century, literally fulfilled many prophecies that prove that the Church has not replaced Israel. Anybody that still holds to "replacement theology" ignores God's promise that He will call Israel His people again after at time of rejection (Romans 9:25-26, Jeremiah 30:7, 10-11).
First Half of "Daniel's 70th Week"
Covenant brokered by the antichrist begins "Daniel's 70th Week":
As mentioned in the last section, the Tribulation begins with a covenant brokered by the antichrist with Israel:
Daniel 9:24-27 - "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. "Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate."
God revealed to Daniel that He gave Israel 70 weeks in which He would punish their transgressing of the Law, before the Messiah would come to rule. History has shown us that the 70 weeks are 70 "weeks" of years, or 490 years. There were 483 years from the time of the command to Nehemiah to restore and build Jerusalem after Israel's 70-year exile, until Jesus died.
During those 483 years, God punished Israel under the yoke of Gentile rule. After the cross, God turned away from Israel because they rejected His Son (Romans 11). It didn't take long for the nation to crumble after God abandoned them. Seven more years are left of the 70 "weeks" of punishment. During these last seven years, God will turn back to Israel. However, God will punish Israel along with His enemies through the Tribulation judgments. Today we live in the gap between the 483 years and the last seven years:
The last seven years will begin with the covenant brokered by the antichrist with Israel. The antichrist coming as a peacemaker is part of the first Seal judgment released by Jesus. Having a bow with no arrows may suggest that the spirit working through the man of the antichrist will use diplomacy as a weapon at the beginning of the Tribulation, instead of war:
Revelation 6:1-2 - Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
The only other place we read of this covenant is in the following passage:
Isaiah 28:14 - ...hear the word of the LORD, you scornful men, who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden ourselves."
Isaiah 28:18,22 - Your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it.... Now therefore, do not be mockers, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts, a destruction determined even upon the whole earth.
Isaiah 26-29 shows God judging Israel and the "whole earth," which places these chapters in the Tribulation period. It appears that Israel makes the "covenant with death" because they mistakenly believe it will make them secure by becoming a refuge for them. But the problem is that Israel does not seek security in God, so it will lead to death.
Anybody who has followed the affairs of Israel has seen many world leaders attempt to bring peace to the Middle East over the last several decades. Their goal has been to push Israel to divide her land. The following passages suggest that the "covenant with death" brokered by the antichrist will finally see fruition of this peace treaty that will involve dividing the land:
Daniel 11:36-39 - "Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.
Joel 3:2 - I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land.
However, as shown in the "Great Middle East War," which I believe will occur near the beginning of the Tribulation, Israel defeats all her neighbors and greatly expands her borders, including the land claimed by the Palestinians. Therefore, even if the current peace process to create a Palestinian state resulted in a brokered covenant, it would be broken by Israel shortly after in the "Great Middle East War," and not remain viable into the Tribulation period. Therefore, the "covenant with death" cannot be the peace agreement the world has championed for.
It makes more sense, in light of the "Great Middle East War," that the confirmed covenant in Daniel could actually be the land covenant that God made with Abraham (Genesis 17:8). Israel's borders would become similar to the borders of the kingdom during David's reign in the Old Testament. (Click here for maps.) If the "covenant with death" is actually the Abrahamic land covenant, then division of the land will probably take place later in the Tribulation during the conquest of the antichrist prophesied in Daniel 11:29-45.
As an interesting aside, the antichrist will be unable to conquer current day Jordan (Daniel 11:41). Later, we will see that God will supernaturally protect a Jewish remnant during the second half of the Tribulation in Petra, which today is in Jordan. In other words, the antichrist will conquer all the land Israel gained in the "Great Middle East War,"except for the current area of Jordan, where God will protect the Jewish remnant.
God will send a strong delusion to those that rejected Christ:
After the rapture occurs, people will clamor for answers to this supernatural event and the earth-shaking events that follow. The Bible says there will be great signs and delusions to deceive those who reject the truth. In other words, for those people who choose to reject the truth, God will harden their hearts, just like He did to Pharaoh (Exodus 4:21). God will do this by allowing deceptive signs that unbelievers can physically see and easily believe because they didn't trust in Him by faith. Like Pharaoh, they will make up their mind to reject the truth, and God will simply give them over to their foolish disbelief:
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 - The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Jesus tells us that these signs and wonders will be so great as to "deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22). Later, we will see that the "elect" are Jewish. It doesn't seem likely that the Jewish remnant would easily be deceived, as they will have to trust God's Word to flee to safety in the first place (Matthew 24:16-19, Mark 13:14-17). In fact, the Lord said that the signs will be so convincing, that if not for their faith and heeding God's Word ahead of time, believers would likely be swept away by the deception too.
There are several theories about what some of these deceptive signs and wonders might be. The most probable in my view is when the antichrist, or beast is mortally wounded, but later healed:
Revelation 13:3 - And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
The second beast, known as the false prophet of the antichrist, will do great signs and wonders to persuade the world to make an idol of the first beast and worship it:
Revelation 13:11-14 - Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
The passages below show that the antichrist will apparently die from his mortal wound, but come back to life, returning from the bottomless pit:
Revelation 11:7 - When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.
Revelation 17:8 - The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Satan cannot counterfeit a resurrection because only God has that power (John 11:25). Therefore, it seems probable that God will resurrect the antichrist, but the antichrist will take the credit, hence being a lie (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
Some believe the "strong delusion" is that demonic beings arrive on the scene at the beginning of the Tribulation purporting themselves as aliens. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to not believe the lie, if physical alien beings arrived in space ships with convincing deceptive answers to disappearance of Christians in the rapture? The Bible does say that Satan is the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:1-2). The many documented incidences of UFO and alien abductions that are on the rise these days, along with the decades of public conditioning for such a scenario, give some credence to this theory. If this scenario plays out and the "aliens" come with spiritual answers for the supernatural occurrences, I could see how the masses could easily be lead into the global cult of "Babylon the Great," which we will touch on next.
Scientific delusions are possible too. Scientists have spent the last several decades building a particle accelerator called the "Hadron Collider" in Switzerland. There are a few concerned scientists who protested, claiming that this atom smasher could potentially make microscopic black holes. I imagine that after the rapture happens, these same scientists could blame the Hadron Collider for producing black holes that sucked up the missing people. I don't think this idea would last very long with all the "signs and wonders" going on, but it could initially lead people in the wrong direction.
Another recent craze and possible delusion is the Mayan Calendar. The Mayan Calendar ended at the same time our solar system came into alignment with the galactic plane in December 2012. Some scientists predicted an increase in tectonic activity, extreme weather, and possibly even a reverse in our magnetic poles in the years surrounding the alignment, which reminds me of the birth pangs described in Matthew 24. So you can see that if the rapture occurs within a few years around 2012, people could easily be deluded by either the scientific explanation for what is happening, or get drawn into some "New Age" cult that develops around the Mayan Calendar.
The Babylonian religion will rise:
The supernatural signs and wonders will not only be deceptive, but also give rise to a global cult. I believe the supernatural war of Ezekiel 38-39 will occur soon after the rapture, possibly at the beginning of the Tribulation, as I discuss in the "Gog and Magog War"study. There will be no such thing as an atheist after this supernatural war.
Islam will be severely judged, since many of the members of the confederacy of the "Gog and Magog War" are Muslim nations who will be left to reconsider their belief system. Many will find their answers in the truth of the Gospel and get saved (Revelation 7:9-17), but many more will be swept away and deceived by the signs and wonders, as we saw in the last section.
Revelation 17 shows that a harlot called "Babylon the Great" rules during the first half of the Tribulation. Throughout the Old Testament, we see that a "harlot" was someone who sought after foreign gods, instead of the "One True God." Therefore, the harlot in the Tribulation is a religious system that follows after a false god, or gods. To further understand what this religious system is, we need to go back to Genesis 10, to the account about the mighty hunter named Nimrod, who built and ruled over Babel, the city later known as Babylon.
Turning over to Genesis 11, we see that the people of this city tried to build a tower to the heavens. The reason the people built the tower was because they wanted to make a name for themselves. God had commanded them to spread out and fill the earth in Genesis 9. Instead they decided to stay in one area. By making a name for themselves with the tower, the people shook their fists at God in rebellion. This original Babylonian system was simply the gathering of the people under the leadership of Nimrod to do their own will and not God's will. To stop the rebellion, God confused their language and forced them to scatter over the earth, which He had commanded them to do in the first place.
Historical accounts tell us that Nimrod's wife, Semiramis, believed that after Nimrod died people should worship him as a god. When her son Tammuz was born, Semiramis claimed that he was supernaturally conceived and people worshipped both Tammuz and his mother as gods. This was the beginning of idolatry and mother/son worship, which resonates within many of the ancient religions of the past as well as many religions today - even in the Roman Catholic Church.
Some Catholics make Mary more prominent than Jesus by praying to, or even worshiping her. Interestingly, even the Muslims have a special reverence for Mary, as they believe Jesus was a prophet. There are also many "New Age" cult groups that worship the earth as a goddess. The point here is that the Babylonian system that started under Nimrod, will come full circle as the religious system that Satan uses to deceive the masses at the beginning of the Tribulation, and most of the world religions could be brought together under the shared belief that Jesus was born to a virgin, or a goddess.
Revelation 17:6 tells us that the harlot is "drunk with the blood of the saints... and the martyrs of Jesus." Apparently, followers of "Babylon the Great" will consider anyone that doesn't join them a traitor, or infidel worthy of death. The Muslims already believe that, but Christianity has also had an ugly history of killing those who would not convert to their religion. A strong delusion will surely come at the beginning of the Tribulation that will bring all faiths together and cause the followers of the new religion to insist that all should convert or die.
Amazingly, many of the faiths of the world are already trying to find common ground for peace and understanding. Some believe that world peace is impossible without peace between all religions first. Interfaith conferences and events are rapidly on the rise. Many accusations have come against churches, or other religious groups that refuse to join in these activities of being intolerant, extreme, or hateful. Ironically, the religious system that will rise out of this growing movement at the beginning of the Tribulation will be all of those things.
Before God's judgment begins, there is a scene in Heaven with a scroll that has seven seals on it (Revelation 5). Curiously, John begins to weep because he thinks there is no one worthy to open the scroll. What is in the scroll that would cause John to weep?
In Jeremiah we read about the prophesied exile of Israel to Babylon. Before the exile, the Lord told Jeremiah to buy a field from his cousin. The exchange occurred as follows:
Jeremiah 32:10-15 - And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales. So I took the purchase deed, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open; and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison. "Then I charged Baruch before them, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days." For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land."'
So we can see that this sealed deed was a "purchase deed" to the land. Being the next of kin, Hanamel was able to buy the land so that he or another relative could claim the land back after the exile. Similarly, Adam was given the earth to rule over. But after the fall, God revoked the "purchase deed" to the earth and Adam lost his dominion. Jesus, being the only next of kin to Adam who was sinless, paid for the "purchase deed" with His own blood. That is why Jesus is the only one worthy to take to scroll and open it, to redeem both the earth and men back to God (Revelation 5:9).
Over the course of the book of Revelation, we find that opening this scroll will ultimately redeem the earth from it curse. However, each broken seal results in judgment from Heaven. Once Jesus reaches the 7th Seal, seven more judgments come, called the Trumpet judgments. After the 7th Trumpet, seven more judgments come, called the Bowl judgments. In other words, the Seals of the "purchase deed" of the earth contain all the judgments described in Revelation. It is important to note that Jesus Himself breaks each Seal. Therefore, Jesus is the one administering judgment through the catastrophes described throughout Revelation. After the judgments are over, Jesus returns to redeem and reclaim Earth, which Adam lost at the fall in Genesis.
As mentioned earlier, the purpose of the Tribulation is to punish Israel's iniquity and God's enemies. Punishment comes through the judgments in Revelation. Also, recall that the dispensations of grace and judgment cannot work concurrently. The following verses confirm why the Church is not on Earth while God is pouring out His wrath:
Romans 5:8-9 - But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 - For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 - For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
Revelation 3:10 - Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
Psalm 27:5 - For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
Isaiah 26:20-21 - Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. For behold, the LORD comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain.
Zephaniah 2:3 - Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD's anger.
To summarize, God has promised His people that they will "be saved from wrath," He "delivers us from the wrath to come," He "did not appoint us to wrath," He will keep believers "from the hour of trial" that will test everyone on Earth, He will hide believers in the heavenly tabernacle in the "time of trouble," believers will be hidden until the "indignation has passed," where the Lord will "punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity," and believers "will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger." It cannot be any clearer - the Church will be in Heaven during the Tribulation, while God is pouring out His wrath on Earth.
Some people try to categorize the judgments in Revelation as "man's wrath" versus "God's wrath," instead of all being from God. As pointed out earlier, the sealed "purchase deed" holds all the judgments in Revelation. Jesus, who is God, personally breaks all the seals. Therefore all the judgments are the wrath of God. While the "wrath of man" is the cause of many of the sorrows in this world, the Bible teaches that God can use man to carry out His wrath. The passages below clearly show that God has and will carry out His judgments through men:
Habakkuk 1:5-6 - "Look among the nations and watch - be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs."
Revelation 17:15-17 - Then he said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
Let's take a moment to further discuss the difference in how God deals with the Church in the "dispensation of grace" versus the believers in the Tribulation. Recall, the blood of Christ has reconciled and sanctified the Church, making us righteous before God. There is no need for the Church to make "reconciliation for iniquity" in the "dispensation of grace" like Israel in the "dispensation of judgment" (Daniel 9:24). This does not mean that God does not punish the Church at all. In fact, the Bible teaches that God will chasten believers as a loving father who corrects his children:
Hebrews 12:6-7 - "For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
Just as being disciplined by parents is uncomfortable or painful, chastening from the Lord is no different. However, During the "dispensation of judgment" believers are not chastened, or simply martyred for their faith like many Christians today - God will give them over to unrestrained evil who will seek to exterminate them all:
Revelation 6:9-11 - When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 - For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
Daniel 7:21-22 - "I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom."
Revelation 13:7 - It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
It is interesting to note, Jeremiah prayed to see vengeance on those who tried to kill him, and the Lord answered this prayer, as He will the martyred saints' prayer under the altar:
Jeremiah 11:19-23 - But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more." But, O LORD of hosts, You who judge righteously, Testing the mind and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You I have revealed my cause. "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the men of Anathoth who seek your life, saying, 'Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, lest you die by our hand' - therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine; and there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring catastrophe on the men of Anathoth, even the year of their punishment.' "
On the other hand, during the "dispensation of grace," Paul admonishes believers to show love to our enemies:
Romans 12:19-20 - Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."
Imprecatory prayer, or prayer calling for judgment, is not found in the New Testament, except for in the book of Revelation, which covers the "dispensation of judgment." The "dispensation of grace" is over before the martyred saints ask the Lord to vindicate their death. The fifth Seal is judgment against the "earth dwellers" over the course of the Tribulation, with vengeance specifically taken against "Babylon the Great": the harlot religious system based in Babylon (Revelation 19:1-3) and Babylon the city (Revelation 18:10, 20).
THE COMING RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.
The Rapture of the Church refers to the events prophesied in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 -18; John 14:2-3. Even though there are other passages, we will focus on these two verses for our summary study.
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, 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 will be with the Lord forever.”
Notice: three times Paul stated that Christ would come for us and call us up; into the clouds; into the air. Christ, here is not said to come down to the earth. Furthermore He calls the Church UP to meet Him. Read it again in your Bible, especially if you have a copy of the KJV Study Bible. The KJV Study Bible is my preferred version, followed by the NASB Study Bible.
The concept of the Rapture was first announced by Christ Himself, in John 14:2,3. The disciples had gathered in the Upper Room to observe the Passover. For the first time it was revealed that prior to the Second Coming there would be a removal of believers in Christ from the earth. They would meet the Lord in the “air” and go to the place He was going to prepare for them, an obvious reference to heaven.
The truth of the rapture of the Church is a wonderful revelation presented to us by Christ Himself, and explained in more detail by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians.
Today, this is where we are in prophecy – awaiting the Rapture – the shout and the trumpet. But, be reminded as stated above, the Rapture has been the expectation of every generation since the first century, when these words were originally written.
THE GREAT TRIBULATION
“The Great Tribulation.” A proper understanding of what happens in the Great Tribulation and the terrible judgments that will fall in that period make any thought of the Church going through this period unthinkable.
Suffice to say for clarification: The Rapture and the Second coming may be more easily understood in this way:
Rapture is the event in which Christ takes the Church from earth to heaven; whereas the Second Comingis an event in which Christ brings the Church from heaven to earth.
At the Rapture, Christ will descend from heaven to the air above the earth, command Christians who are LIVING to be TRANSLATED—-that is, to receive instant transformation of their bodies. Both the living and the resurrected dead will rise from the earth, to meet the Lord in the air, and proceed in triumph to heaven. Upon arrival in Heaven, the “Judgment Seat of Christ” and The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be fulfilled.
Meanwhile, back down on earth seven horrible years of Great Tribulation will take place and carry the world to its final climax by The literal Second Coming of Christ to establish His long awaited Kingdom here on Earth in Jerusalem.
JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST (JSC)
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 9:27: “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people.
The Bible makes clear that all will be judged, but not at the same time, not at the same place. And the basis of the indictment is much different at these two Judgments.
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, where we read that all Christians will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ: “ So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
(JSC) JUDGMENT OF REWARDS? Or Loss of Rewards
This judgment is not about morality! Sin is/was paid for at the Cross. This judgment is for Christians who have been forgiven their sins “all sins.” Therefore, this judgment is related to REWARD. This is indicative of the words: “good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10 ). In the original, these words express “value” not morality. The question becomes whether or not the value is acceptable or worthless in the sight of God. Good receives reward. Bad, means loss of reward.
How does Christ determine rewards? The short, quick answer is: deeds accomplished while in fellowship (walking by/in the Spirit. All born-again Christians have been justified! We have Christ’s Righteousness (doctrine of imputation).
1 JOHN 1: 9 USAGE DETERMINES REWARDS!
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that He cannot save; neither His ear closed, that He cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear (Isaiah 50:1-2).
The purpose of 1 John 1:9, is restoration. It is written to believers. It is not how we are saved. It is how we are restored to Fellowship with the Lord. By naming our sins to the Lord, we are cleansed of all unrighteousness. Sin always causes separation from the Lord, but the Lord made provision for the believer’s WALK in 1 John 1:9, just as He made provision for the unbeliever’s salvation – the Cross (Romans 5:8).
The Holy Spirit executes the Christian Life!
Sins were paid by Christ on the Cross! After salvation, sin causes a temporary loss of fellowship. Therefore to walk with Christ, daily we must confess our sin (1 John 1:7-10). The Greek word confess, means to name, to agree, to admit, to recite. When we do, we are then restored by the Holy Spirit to fellowship, and we can continue walking with the Lord through fields of Grace. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).
Confession is what yielded to God is referring to. “Yielding” is simply to name or admit our wrong doing….1 John 1:7-10. The result: the Holy Spirit is back in control of our thinking and our actions. The Holy Spirit gives us stability!
In Revelation 3:20: “Christ stands at the door knocking” and He wants us to open our heart-door so He can come in and fellowship with us. To open the door we simply utilize 1 John 1:9 and fellowship is restored by the Holy Spirit. Don’t sit at the table alone without the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit is in control, our deeds done in the spirit are REWARDED IN HEAVEN at the JSC.! This is what John 4:23 and 24 is expressing. When the Holy Spirit controls we are in fellowship (in literal worship mode).
BE TRUTHFUL WITH GOD!
God already knows your errors. So, admit 1 John 1:9) your faulty thinking and actions. Now, move on and be happy in the Lord.
With these things clearly in mind, we can now better understand the true purpose of the JSC. Rewards given or lost at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Judicially, all our sins (past, present, future) have been forgiven by Christ’s sacrificial physical and spiritual death on the Cross.
”In all thy ways acknowledge (Give God the credit for everything in your life). Him and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). Our experiential walk with Christ is all about our relationship with Christ. Being filled with the Spirit, is true worship. Fellowship is a God designed lifestyle for the believer and it is accomplished by the filling of the Holy Spirit – not us, but the Spirit in us. We worship and serve God in Spirit and in truth.
The Holy Spirit must be allowed to perform God’s Plan for your life and in so doing God receives the glory, and you receive rewards in Heaven at the JSC. This is God’s Grace Plan for the believer.
Great White Throne Judgment (GWTJ)
The GWTJ is for the unbeliever, who’s sin (s) has never been forgiven, even though his sin (s) has been paid, the debt was not erased, not covered by the blood of the Lamb, because the unbeliever has not believed in Christ (Acts 16:31).
Those who live life their own way without Christ, without ever receiving Him as Savior, without the forgiveness of their sins, are condemned already (John 3:18). They have much to regret, but at the GWTJ it will be too late, and those people will wish they had never been born. What a tragedy, that people reject God’s “gift” offer – salvation through Jesus Christ. (John 3:14-18, 36; Ephesians 2:8-9).
Men are already condemned at physical birth, because they are born into sin (John 3:18; 9:34); (the imputation of Adam’s original sin). The believer has been born again (a new species in Christ), and has the imputedrighteousness of Christ, who never sinned and was qualified to die to save us. Therefore, to be fair with every human being, God sent His Son to die, to take each person’s place on the Cross. What an awesome God we believe and serve! Therefore, mankind is without excuse! Each person must stand on the Cross-work of Christ, or stand on his own merit. It is difficult to stand when you are dead in sin!
Every person ever born in the flesh, will stand at one of the two judgments. Where do you stand with God?
FUTURE EVENTS FOLLOWING THE RAPTURE
Volumes have been written about the End Times. For purposes of this study we will only give you the chronological order of events to come after the Church is Raptured out of harm’s way. .
Immediately after the Church is removed from earth to heaven, the Great Tribulation described as “The time of Jacobs Trouble,” will commence. This is a period of 7 years. Much is recorded in Scripture regarding this terrible time that is yet future, but perhaps not very far.
This period ends with the Second Coming of Christ with vengeance on the world of unregenerate mankind.
Christ will destroy all his enemies – the enemies of His people. This is called Armageddon. Christ will then establish His earthly kingdom for one thousand years called the “Millennial Reign of Christ, centered in Jerusalem.
This is followed by the Great White Throne Judgment.
The GWTJ is the climax of history. Then God will create a new Heaven and a New Earth and so shall we ever be with the Lord in total bless, thanks to God’s Plan of Grace centered in His Son Jesus Christ.
For those of you who really want to go into the future and search out Scripture on the End Times, I recommend two Books. Both are by the same author and Bible Prophecy Scholar: John F. Walvoord. “Major Bible Prophecies – 37 Crucial Prophecies That Affect You Today; “ and “ARMAGEDDON, OIL AND THE MIDDLE EAST“ …What the Bible says about the future of the Middle East and the End of Western Civilization. Both books are published by Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. These future events are unparalleled and I strongly recommend that you order your copies now, or call your local Christian used book store.
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