There are preachers teaching that there is ONE future judgement for us all. Others, there are two judgments by Christ to all people. The Biblical truth though by proper context is that there are actually THREE FUTURE JUDGEMENT SEATS Of CHRIST and each one is for a different set of people!
The Bema Seat Judgement Of Believers Living In
Our Current Dispensation Of Grace;
The Cross to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture
This is the rewards judgement seat for believers in Christ. At this judgement Christ will reward the good works since a saved person’s moment of conversion. Only the Bride of Christ will be at this judgement seat. All believers from our current dispensation of the grace of God. All those who believed on Christ from the cross until the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, which in the Greek is Harpazo, where all believers in Christ are given new bodies and we will meet the Lord in the air in the twinkling of an eye.
“13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thess. 4:13-18 KJV)
In this passage there were some who thought they missed the Rapture Event when Christ would come to take His Bride home to Heaven before the Tribulation Period, Daniels 70th week. Paul writes them in verse 14 to comfort them and to rebuke that false teaching. Dead or live, all who believe on Christ will be at the Rapture; the dead would rise and the living would be changed. Al believers dead or alive will be there. We are not missing this event as believers in Christ for the world folks!
Right after the Rapture, come the Bema Judgement Seat Of Believers By Christ. The word SIN is not even mentioned at the Bema judgement seat for believers in Scripture. Jesus already paid for the ALL the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD (1 John 2:2) and Jesus said that “WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM HATH ETERNAL LIFE” having been born again in the Spirit (John 3:5-6, 14-18). A believer’s sins were already, 2000 years ago on the cross, PAID IN FULL. A believer has become a new creation in the Spirit which has become the righteousness of God, IN CHRIST from the moment of belief on Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-21, Eph. 1:13-14). A believer ALREADY ROSE AGAIN with Christ in the Spirit and is COMPLETE In CHRIST RIGHT NOW in the present tense (Colossians 2). But our body is still corrupt and will one day at the Rapture be changed into an immortal glorified body. Until then, our mind needs renewing still by God’s Word (Romans 12) and we have work to do for Christ, with Christ in us and us in Christ.
We see at this Bema Judgement Seat that the works of believers, since they believed and were born again, will be judged. Good works with the right intentions and loving motives will receive rewards and there will also be loss of rewards for missed opportunities. Some believers who lived carnally after their moment of salvation by belief in Christ and HIS finished blood atonement for their sins, will have no rewards and will experience great regret. This is why Paul is explaining this to the Corinthians who we see earlier in the chapter were still as babes in Christ.
Yet, no one at this judgment are going to be condemned nor lose salvation. They have ALREADY been Raptured and are in Heaven with Christ in glorified eternal bodies. Paul wrote that Believer’s works will be tested by a Holy fire. Some works done with wrong intentions or with self righteousness motives will be burned as wood, hay and even stubble and will not receive a reward. Other good works with remain as silver Gold and precious stones. Apostle Paul describes this future event as Christ told him. Writing to the worst example of a group of believers, the Corinthians, Paul is telling them that yes, they are saved by belief on Christ and His blood atonement for their sins but that also , how we live after our salvation and Spiritual rebirth does matter greatly! The Corinthians were living as babes in Christ when they should be off milk and living with better understanding and eating meat as more mature believers.
“8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to HIS OWN LABOUR.
9 For we are labourers TOGETHER WITH GOD: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man TAKE HEED HOW HE BUILDETH THEREUPON.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, WHICH IS JESUS CHRIST.
12 Now if any man build UPON THIS FOUNDATION gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: BUT HE HIMSELF SHALL BE SAVED; YET SO AS BY FIRE.” (1 Corinthians 3:8-15 KJV)
This fire is the Holy Spirit within the believer with intimate details of everything we did in our life since our moment of salvation by belief on Christ alone for righteousness and justification. We see in this passage very clearly that once a person believes on Christ for righteousness that they are saved eternally. Christ lives in us as the Holy Spirit and we do have our part in allowing the Holy Spirit to do good works through us. Even so, Once saved. Always saved!
Now there are many teaching that a believer can lose their salvation and most teaching this have combined the Judgement Seats together into the Great White Throne Judgment which will be explained below. That is very wrong. There are THREE Judgement Seats in the future. NOT ONE!
For the believer that always has God in mind and is about the work of helping others come to Christ and doing good and acting in love toward others this will be a celebration much like an awards ceremony.You know what? There are many good works we may have done in our lives that we just forget. We lose memory of having done them even right. We forget. But God does not forget what we did! And He will amazingly reward us for loving others. How gracious is that! I certainly know that NO GOOD THING comes from me without Christ working through my life! All glory to Him forever! Yet, He will give US rewards for or good works. The amazing grace of God indeed!
For the carnal minded saved believer who remained as babes in the faith, living carnally, they will see others getting rewards, while they may not receive any rewards except eternal life. It is better than eternity as an unbeliever but they will have great regret. My fellow believers in Christ; TODAY, more than ever, we need to be at work for the Lord who saved us! Be bold in love towards others and help others come to the knowledge of the truth to make a decision to accept the gift of eternal life through belief on Christ crucified died and risen.
SHEEP GOATS JUDGEMENT BY CHRIST TO TRIBULATION SURVIVORS
Some are teaching that this judgement seat is the same as the Great White Throne Judgement but they are in error in doing so. In fact, doing so may mean a person is believing that they can lose salvation and that they have to work to remain saved which goes against just about every salvation passage in the entire Gospel of Grace. It goes against Jesus own teaching in John 3:5-6, 14-18, 36, John 6:37-40 and Apostle Paul’s writings in Ephesians 1:13-14, Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 Cor. 15:1-4, Colossians 2, Romans 5 & 6 just to mention a few. First it is very clear that this Judgement happens AFTER the Tribulation Period to come. The Bride of Christ is already Raptured and in Heaven before the Tribulation Period starts. This judgement seat is read about in Matthew 25. The very first word in Matthew 25 is the English translated word “THEN”. So we need to find out, WHEN IS THE “THEN”? For that, we go back into Matthew 24 (Matthew was written as one continuous work without chapter references) and that brings us back to the only timing verse in Matthew 24:29 which clearly states this is going to happen AFTER the Tribulation. The Sheep and Goats Judgement is the judging of Tribulation survivors ONLY!
TWO GROUPS OF SURVIVORS; THE SHEEP & THE GOATS:
THE SHEEP… are those who believed that Christ is coming. They came to believe the 144,000 Jewish Evangelists that God will send along with the Two Witnesses who will be preaching that the Antichrist is not the real Christ and that the real Christ is coming. Most Tribulation Believers will be martyred during the persecution by the Antichrist. Others will reject the Mark of the Beast , without which no one can buy nor sell and will survive the persecution under great distress. They will endure great persecution. They will be helping each other to survive. Helping the Brethren. Visiting those imprisoned, helping feed and cloth each other. Jesus will say to them, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40 KJV)
To these Christ gives them the Earthly 1000 year Kingdom Age on Earth. The Sheep will start repopulating the Earth in mortal bodies for 1000 years. PEACE ON EARTH for 1000 years.
THE GOATS… took the Mark of the beast in worship of the Antichrist as God, they turned in believers and Jews rejecting the Mark, to the Antichrist, they helped imprison people in great persecution. They did not give food nor shelter to the Sheep in desperate need. Jesus will say to them “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” (Matthew 25:45 KJV) Christ will kill them quickly and their unsaved Spirits will go to the torments side of Hades to await the Great White Throne Judgment in a thousand years time.
“31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matthew 25:31-46 KJV)
THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT OF THE UNSAVED
The Great White Throne Judgement Seat is sometimes also said to be a Bema Seat in that it looks like a Bema Seat, a raised platform where the King judges from. However this judgement seat clearly has a DIFFERENT ROLE than rewards of a saved believer. A very somber role. This is a judgement of condemnation where an unbelieving person who rejected Christ in their lifetime will be shown EVIDENCE of why they are condemned and this is shown by their works and deeds as evidence for sins that MUST BE PAID and how they rejected the only way to have those sins forgiven; belief on Christ and HIS blood atonement. A lifetime of sin debt! Jesus gave stern warning in Matthew 7:22-23 about relying on self righteous “wonderful works” for salvation. At this judgement the proud boastful unbelievers will be in shock to hear Jesus say to them the scariest words ever, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” I hate thinking about this. I hate writing about this event but it is clear Biblical truth. Every person stands alone in deciding to accept the gift of salvation or to reject it.
A person either has their sins FULLY PAID by accepting the gift of salvation (Eph. 2:8-9) by belief on Christ (John 3:14-18) or they reject the gift of salvation and must pay for their sins themselves. At the Great White Throne Judgement, what really determines the reason why they are being condemned is not their works, but that they rejected the only way to be saved from paying for their own sins; belief on Christ and His finished work on the cross. They are not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Every believer on Christ for justification in salvation is written in this book, the moment they believe on Christ. Those at the Great White Throne Judgement are not found in this book. That is why they are standing in judgment at the Great White Throne.
“15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15 KJV)
That is the pivotal deciding factor at this judgement.
NOTICE IT DOES NOT STATE THAT IF THEY HAD
MORE GOOD WORKS THAN BAD WORKS THEY WILL BE SAVED.
No! WORKS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH SALVATION (Ephesians 2:8-9, Matthew 7:22-23,m Galatians 3, Galatians 5:4-5). Their works are just shown at this Judgement Seat as damning evidence. Apostle Paul is clear that, “…the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 KJV)
So, my point is that a person’s works are not mentioned in this judgment seat, as a determination of salvation. Belief on Christ alone decides that!
“He that BELIEVETH ON HIM is not condemned: but he that BELIEVETH NOT is condemned ALREADY, because he hath NOT BELIEVED in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18 KJV)
But rejecting the only payment for sins (The only begotten Son of God, who is God, Christ crucified died and risen) means paying for the sins yourself. All sin MUST be paid for; either by Christ on your behalf as a gift to be received OR by yourself in self righteousness and boasting in your own goodness.
