The Bema Seat
of Christ
The coming of
Christ will be an occasion of jubilation for all saints. When the graves are
opened and the dead in Christ shall rise first and the living saints shall be
caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air, the meeting of a
bride with her bridegroom.
BUT, what exactly
happens after the Rapture….??
Do
all Christians receive the same
rewards for what they do after they become spiritually born again? You may be
surprised to know - the answer is: NO.
The
first event to occur after the Rapture is the Tribulation here on
the earth and, at the same time, the Bema Seat Judgment or Judgment of
believers in heaven. 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us “ For we (Christians) must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,so
that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether
good or evil.” The outcome of this judgment will determine their place,
their role, their status and their position in the coming Millennial Kingdom.
FUTURE
REWARDS or LOSS OF REWARDS FOR CHRISTIANS is a topic many Bible preachers &
teachers do NOT want to address.
Furthermore - we firmly believe that Satan does NOT want Christians
getting a handle on this important truth, which is: Not every Christian believer is going to receive the same rewards as
every other Christian at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Let
us pause to carefully read the Holy Spirit’s message concerning Christian work
and its rewards:
Who will be the Judge and who are
going to be Judged there?
The Judge. Our Lord Himself said: “The Father judgeth no
man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22 KJV).
The
Judged. Only believers
will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. In both verses where this
judgment is mentioned (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10), the words are addressed to Christians only.
The Bible tells us that at least five books will be opened at this Bema Seat Judgment:
The Bible tells us that at least five books will be opened at this Bema Seat Judgment:
- The Book of the Living (Psalm 69:28),
- The Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 20:12),
- The Book of Tears (Psalm 56:8; 2 Kings 20:5),
- The Book of Deeds (Daniel 7:10), and
- The Book of Remembrance (Malachi 3:16).
Notice,
by the way, there are two “books of life.” These are the books that Christ will
use in order to judge our lives fairly (Exodus 32:32–33; Psalm 139:16) because
they will tell the absolute truth about our lives. They will reveal our
motives, our doctrine, our works, our stewardship, our service, our
accountability, and our sanctification. Each of these areas will be
scrutinized.
Every Christian’s position in the Millennial
Kingdom will be determined at the Bema Seat.There will be a marked
difference—varying degrees of glory—between the nominal Christian and the spiritual
Christian.
This judgment cannot be confused with
the Great White Throne. The unbeliever's judgment of works comes at the Great
White Throne (Revelation 20:12). The believer will not be condemned at the
Great White Throne, but nonetheless he still faces a judgment of works himself,
at what is called the ‘Judgment Seat of Christ’ Or ‘Bema seat of Christ’. This judgment is a judgment of
individual believers who have been part of the church, from Pentecost to the
Rapture.
The Greek word BEMA is used to describe the
Judgment Seat of Christ. ‘Bema’ basically means a law
tribunal where a defendant and the accuser stand in front of a magistrate in a
court.
A
second meaning drawn from classical Greek usage of the word is that the ‘Bema’ is the evaluation stand for athletes. The athletes in Greek and Roman
games passed the judges' reviewing stand in order to win the rewards
appropriate to how well they have run the race.
This athletes'
reward ceremony aspect of the Judgment Seat of Christ is based upon Scriptures such
as 1Cor 9:24-27 :
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run in such a way that you may win.Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I discipline my body and subdue it (make it my slave), lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run in such a way that you may win.Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I discipline my body and subdue it (make it my slave), lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."
The
notion of a legal tribunal is also implied by key passages in Corinthians :
"According
to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a
foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each one take care how he
builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid,
which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw---each man's work will become
manifest (openly
visible), for the Day (of the Lord) will disclose it, because it will
be revealed (unveiled) by fire, and the fire will
test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built
on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is
burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as
through fire." (1Cor 3:10-15)
"For we must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or
evil.” (2Cor 5:10)
By nature God is both holy and just. He can not
act contrary to who He is as a Person. Therefore it is inevitable that He must
evaluate men and nations from time to time. The Lord's
evaluation of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 makes clear that he is
watching and evaluating us. He is "keeping score." As an instructor
gives grades to his students, so Christ gives grades to the churches. To
Christians, Jesus says, "I am he
who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works." (Revelation 2:23).
Many people think God will never judge them at
all, or that he can overlook sin and forget to honor his servants because He is
longsuffering and reluctant to judge (He
prefers showing mercy). This view is very far from reality. When God does judge…He is very thorough.
Scripture
teaches with unmistakable clarity that
all believers in Christ will give an account of their lives to their Lord.
(Romans 14:10-12) We will be judged by
him according to our works, both good and evil. (2Cor 5:10). The result of this will be the gain or loss
of eternal rewards (not eternal life).
(1Cor 3:12-15; 2Cor 5:9-10; Romans 14:10-12).
(1Cor 3:12-15; 2Cor 5:9-10; Romans 14:10-12).
Paul adds: "For we are His (God's) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10)
A
moment after we die we will know exactly how we should have lived. But it will
be too late to go back and live life here over again. Thankfully, God has given
us his Word so that we don't have to wait until we die to know how we should
have lived.
Martin
Luther said that on his calendar there were only two days: "today"
and "that Day." May we
learn to live now in light of eternity. May we learn to live our short todays
in light of the long tommorow.
Every
Christian is given the opportunity of building a Christian life, like a house,
upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. The
foundation in each of our lives, if we are believers, must be Christ––already a
“tried” stone. But the fire
is going to test the superstructure we have added to that foundation.
Every idle word, every secret, and every hidden motive will be exposed and
tried. The Lord will look at our motives, our hidden secrets, our faithfulness,
our words, and then He will test our deeds.
“But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words, thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37 KJV).
“But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words, thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37 KJV).
Thinking about
the foundation that our works must be built upon reminds us of the story of the
wise man in Matthew 7. When the storm came, his house did not fall because it
was built upon the rock (Matthew 7:24-25). But the foolish man built his house
upon the sand and when the rains came and the winds blew, it fell and it fell
hard (Matthew 7:26-27). Christ must be the foundation and the source of
everything we do! Otherwise our
house will fall, not only in this lifetime, but in the next as well.
The believers who
have “built their houses upon the Rock” are those who are experientially
sanctified, partakers of Christ’s Life, and have produced fruit in their lives.
They can have confidence and boldness on that day of judgment because they have
already judged themselves through prayer and have already recognized their sin
and dealt with it (1 John 4:17). Thus, their works will be “gold, silver,
precious stones.”
If they have not
made proper judgment of themselves here (have not applied
1 John 1:9) and their lives have not produced righteous works, then God will be
forced to make that judgment for them there.(1Cor 11:31).
Hay,
wood, and stubble/straw are insubstantial building materials which are neither
structurally sound nor fireproof. These materials represent all our self
efforts---whether on behalf of our own interests or in the service of God. Whereas,
gold, silver and precious stones---which do survive fire---are those permanent
enduring things which God is building in us and in others. The Lord has
promised to shake our entire universe one day so that only what He has built will
remain:
“Yet
once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. This phrase,
"Yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are shaken, as
of things that have been made, in order that the things that cannot be shaken
may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be
shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and
awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:26b-29)
Note : All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the English Standard Version of the Bible.
This will be a time when God makes known
"the thoughts and intentions of the heart." All those activities in
our lives undertaken in the energy of self-effort will be burned up and lost to
us forever. It is perhaps because he knew more than we do about the awesomeness
of facing God and leaving our present world of darkness and illusion for the
glorious light of holy reality, that the Apostle Peter urged his readers to
look forward to, and count upon the "extra" grace that is coming to
us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13)
“Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes and the motives of men's hearts. Then each one will receive his commendation from God." (1Cor 4:5)
“Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes and the motives of men's hearts. Then each one will receive his commendation from God." (1Cor 4:5)
God will commend, not condemn his people when they enter heaven.
But
it is obvious that some Christians have little desire to serve their Lord
fervently and whole-heartedly in this present life. Others serve God their
entire lives, hardly ever faltering or compromising, giving to Him all they
have to give, even losing their lives if that is required of them. Doing the
will, good can be evaluated to have been "good" and
"acceptable" and "perfect," according to Romans 12:2. The
"good works" done by the believer are, however, not what he or she
does for God (in the energy of the flesh) but
the works Jesus is permitted to do through us. Only what Jesus does survives,
all else is burned up.
"Whatever
you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the
Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord
Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and
there is no partiality." (Colossians 3:23-25)
This
present life is not where our goals, hopes and dreams and fulfillment are to be
found---God's purpose for us is to regain our lost humanity and become whole
persons who will live forever in a new creation(new earth). It is not for this
life only that God is preparing us, but for something far more glorious and
splendid and far beyond our comprehension. This is all made possible not by our
best efforts but by the grace and mercy He has already lavished upon us and is
ready to supply anew if we will but ask.
C. S. Lewis writes in this connection…
C. S. Lewis writes in this connection…
"It
may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory
hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about
that of his neighbor. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor's glory
should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and
the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a
society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most
uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it
now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a
corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.
"All
day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these
destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is
with the awe and circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our
dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.
There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations,
cultures, arts, civilizations---these are mortal, and their life is to ours as
the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, marry, snub, and
exploit- immortal horrors or everlasting splendours." (from The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis)
God will faithfully reward those who have sought
Him with all their hearts and also recompense those who have left their first
love.
“But in a great house there are not only vessels
of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and
some to dishonour” (2 Timothy 2:20 KJV).
Gold
symbolizes sovereignty and eternal things; wood symbolizes earthly and temporal
things. In this Scripture believers are likened to vessels in a great house.
Some will be there to honour, and some to dishonour. The idea is that in the
Millennium we should not presume that we will all be alike. We won’t be. It doesn’t stand to reason that Paul the
apostle, who labored more than many of the others, would receive the same
degree of glory or responsibility as the thief on the cross who was saved only
one hour before he died.
At
the Bema Seat, believers will find out exactly where they will be for the next
thousand years. Will they enter the Millennial Kingdom but not receive an
“inheritance from the Lord”? Or will they be sovereigns (inheritors) there and
receive positions of authority and responsibility? The outcome will be on the
basis of their faithfulness, sanctification, and obedience. All will be “in the
kingdom,” but there will be no equality, some will occupy positions of honor
and glory, while others will miss out.
Each of us will “reap what we have sown” at the
Bema Seat (Galatians 6:7). The Lord will use the following criteria to judge
us: Were our works done by the power of His Spirit or were they done in the
flesh? In other words, what was the source of our strength and who actually produced the work in our
lives?
Our labor—our works of righteousness—must be
motivated by His Life in our hearts and then produced in our lives by His
ability and His power, not our own. (John 3:21) If this is the case, then we
will be clothed with fine linen of righteous deeds “for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints.”(Revelation 19:8). Whereas, if the flesh is the source
of our works, then we will produce unfruitful works and be found naked. (See
Revelation 3:17; 16:15) We will inherit in the Kingdom
only on the basis of Christ's work in us and through us, not by any works which
we have done.
The result of
this judgment either will be to receive the “reward of inheritance” (Colossians
3:24) or to “suffer loss” and eventually be separated from the joy of His
fellowship. Unfaithful Christians whose works are burned will be found
spiritually naked and ashamed, but can be certain that even this nakedness will
not separate them from God’s Love (Romans 8:35–39).
The
bottom line is: in order to have “confidence” at the Judgment Seat of Christ,
Scripture tells us we must not only learn how to allow the Spirit of God to
perform “good works” in our lives, but we must also learn how to allow Christ
to “conform us into His image.” Then, our Love (which is really His Love) will
be made perfect and complete through us (1 John 4:17).
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IN
SHORT :
What we are
sharing here is that, first of all, there is going to be a literal Messianic
Kingdom here on earth for a thousand years. All believers will be raptured and
all believers will enter that Kingdom. However, only the
true overcomers (those who recognize their continual choices and
choose to follow Christ) will be able to inherit regal positions. Christians ‘who
are overcome’ (or overtaken) by the world, the flesh, and the devil will have
their works burned, but they themselves will be saved.
1 Corinthians
3:13-15 KJV confirm this: “Every man’s work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare
it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall test every man’s work of what sort it is...If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he
himself shall be saved...” Thus, it’s not the person who is burned but
simply his fleshly works—works motivated
by the believer himself and then performed in his own strength and for his own
self-glorification. These are things he did in his own power and through his
own love. The burning of these fleshly works is done at the Judgment Seat of
Christ.
Our sins are
totally forgiven when we come to Christ, and we stand justified in him.
Nevertheless, Scripture says what it does about our coming judgment. This
judgment of believers by Christ is a judgment of our works, not our sins.
Therefore, Your salvation will not be at stake at the Judgment seat of Christ. If
you have once accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior YOU ARE ETERNALLY
SAVED – YOUR SALVATION IS SECURE FOR ETERNITY – NO ONE AND NOTHING CAN EVER SNATCH
YOU OUT OF THE HAND OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST…!!!
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Note : All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the English Standard Version of the Bible.
The author
has added and emphasized some words in scripture quotations in italics.
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