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INTRODUCTION
Both of these events occur in heaven during the time of the Tribulation on earth U nsaved of all the ages Bem a Seat M arriage Supper G reat W hite Church^ Throne Age N T Saints O T Saints First Resurrection A rm ageddon 1000 yrs. M illennium Heaven D oom ed Hell Eternity G reat Tribulation 7 Years Satan
The Plan of the End
THE JUDGMENT SEAT (BEMA) OF CHRIST
Romans 14:10 ~ For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God 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 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 ~ According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 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. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
The Nature of the Judgment Seat of Christ
The word for “judgment seat” (Bema) is a word that was used to refer to a raised platform It was a place from which speeches were made and where justice was administered – a tribunal It referred to the official seat of a judge or a speaker’s platform Numerous times in the NT this word is used in this sense: John 19:13 ~ Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Acts 12:21 ~ On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the throne (rostrum) and began delivering an address to them.
Acts 18:12 ~ But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat Acts 25:6 ~ After he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. Another meaning of this word refers to the raised platform on which an umpire or referee sat during the Olympic games….this was the place where the winners of the various events received their rewards As was tradition in that day, contestants would appear before the platform of judgment at the end of the Olympic games to receive their reward, normally a crown of olive branches So, the “judgment seat” was not only a place from which justice was administered, it was also a place that rewards were given It is probably this meaning of the word that Paul has in mind when he says that all believers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ…It is a place of rewarding, not punishing Believers won’t stand before God to be judged for their sin (done in Christ) But they will stand before God to give an account of their actions
The Purpose of the Judgment Seat of Christ
Salvation is not the issue at the judgment seat of Christ because all who are present at it will be believers. Also, the judgment seat of Christ is not for dealing out retribution for sin The Bema seat is for the rewarding of believers for their faithfulness in this life 2 Corinthians 5:10 ~ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. The fact that Paul would one day be held accountable for his actions in this life motivated him to please the Lord He knew that what he did in this life had an impact on eternity Likewise, “all” believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ Why? vs. 10 ~ that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. The basis for our future judgment as believers is our present deeds God is going to evaluate us in the future on how we live now…Each deed will receive what it deserves It is what we did during our lifetime that is summed up as a total So at the judgment seat of Christ, our lives are going to viewed as a unit And both that which is good and that which is bad will undergo the scrutiny of Christ’s watching eye What is “good” refers to those deeds that were worthwhile, eternal, for the glory of God, what has lasting value What is “bad” refers to those deeds that were worthless, good for nothing, without any eternal value God is going to look at the course of our lives and what is worthwhile will last and what is worthless will be lost The purpose of the judgment seat of Christ is to reward those believers who have been faithful It is to evaluate their life for the purpose of determining how much reward they are due for their faithfulness 1 Corinthians 3 fills in some of the details surrounding the evaluation of a believer’s life at the judgment seat of Christ
There will be some believers whose lives are represented by wood, hay, stubble They are believers but their life was characterized by things that didn’t have much eternal value Their works and deeds were often worthless and of little value The fire of evaluation consumed all the works represented by wood, hay, stubble And when the smoke clears, it is evident that there is nothing left Loss here is not loss of salvation or heaven….the loss is a forfeiture of reward Because their works lacked substance, quality, and the essential things the Lord required, the result of the judgment seat of Christ for these believers is loss of reward They forfeited their opportunity to be rewarded by the Lord for all of eternity because of how they wasted their opportunity in this life They are saved: vs. 15 ~ but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire Their salvation is not at stake…but they have barely escaped They lived a worldly life…They wasted opportunities to live for Christ They lived for themselves…they lived for the passing pleasures of the world Their deeds were worthless and had no eternal value
THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB
Revelation 19:7-9 ~ Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” The Marriage of the Lamb follows the judgment seat of Christ but occurs prior to Christ’s 2 nd coming At this joyous occasion, church age believers are united with Christ forever Christ will be the bridegroom The church will be His bride Currently, the bridegroom (Christ) and the bride (the church) are separated, one in heaven, one on earth But at this celebration, the formal union of Christ and His church in an eternal relationship will occur A Hebrew wedding consisted of 3 parts:
- The Betrothal - a legally binding act which committed the man and woman to each other
- The Presentation – the festivities that preceded the ceremony
- The Ceremony – the exchanging of the vows The church was betrothed to Christ in eternity past The church will be presented to Christ at the Rapture The church will “exchange vows” with Christ at the final supper When that occurs, the promises of John 14:3 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17 are fulfilled John 14:3 ~ 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. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 ~ Then 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 shall always be with the Lord.
