Judgement Seat of Christ

Note: This topic is THE topic over which the Adventist church was started.

2Cor 5 "WE MUST ALL stand before the judgment seat of Christ" to given an account before God -- and this will deal with both GOOD and BAD outcomes.

In Romans 2 we are told about the GOSPEL principle of the FUTURE day of judgment and how justification works in that day -- when God judges all mankind through Christ.

In Daniel 7 - that future day of judgment is depicted with the Father seated, the books opened and in the end "Judgment is passed IN FAVOR OF the saints". Daniel 7 points out that the persecution of the saints on earth takes place all during that judgment time in heaven.

In Christ,

Bob

 

God set Israel aside because of unbelief and started a new program. He's saving Jews and Gentiles and calling these believers the Church, The Body of Christ. God will call the church home some day via the rapture and we will be judged at the Bema Seat or what is called the Judgement Seat of Christ. We will be judged for our service to Christ and receive rewards. I know since we are God's heavenly people, we will rule and reign with Christ in the heavenly places. God will even show us off as His Inheritance! What Grace! It's a very serious event and one I know we take way too lightly! After the rapture, God will again take up His dealing with Israel. His ambassadors (us the believers of this age have been called Home) and war is declared on planet earth.

 

A new program? God, the Experimenter? One fails, on to the next?

 

God doesn't fail, man does. God has set up several programs for man to follow and so far, man has failed to fully accept God's various plans. It started in the garden of Eden, where the plan was for Adam and Eve to obey God, subdue the land and avoid the tree of the knowlege of good and evil. That was the first program that man failed to acomplish.

 

The judgment seat of Christ takes place immediately following the translation of the Church from earth to Christ in the atmosphere. This judgment will include only those dead and alive in Christ from Pentecost to the Rapture three hours before the "hour of his judgement" begins. All other believers, including the tribulation saints, will participate in "God's judgment seat" (Rm. 14:10) at the Second Coming (Rev. 20:4-5).

Our judgment is not to determine salvation or what is ethically good or evil, but rather that which is acceptable and that which is worthless. The cryteria for acceptable works will be the motive behind those works - were they done to glorify self or done in the name of the Lord for his glory and honour. Things done for the glory of the flesh, regardless of what the act might be, will be disapproved.

Fire will purge the believer of the worthless works while good works will stand the test and survive. Regardless how much of the works survive all will receive their award of living in the presence of God's glory in the heavenly New Jerusalem. Moses was looking ahead to the same reward (Heb 11:26) as was Abraham (V. 10).

 

The church did not begin at Pentecost, but began with the conversion of the apostle Paul, about a year later.

Our hope is not an earthly kingdom, of Moses and Abraham, but of a heavenly citizenship with Christ.

 

Lucifer and the angels that chose to follow him - created perfect, sinless, obedient, loyal, full of joy and peace.

They chose to fall - and were cast out of heaven.

Adam and Eve created sinless, perfect, loyal, obedient, full of joy and peace in a perfect sinless - peaceful environment.

They chose to rebel against God - they become subject to death as do all the animals etc. Sin, death, carnage, starvation, extinction, predation, sickness, disease, weakness... separation from God.

God sovereignly chooses the Hebrew Nation Church of Israel as "priests" to serve God and witness to the world of a God that "So Loves the World" that He is sending His Son as the Messiah to die for our sins. They chose rebellion, rejecting the savior, rejecting light and clinging to darkness.

Their cup of iniquity was filled.

Enter the Church age.

In Christ,

Bob

 

Judgment seat of Christ - Romans 2:13-16 future to Paul's day - a specific point in time in which all mankind is judged.

Daniel 7 - the judgment seat set up and the books opened WHILE sin and sinners are warring against the saints on earth.

2 Cor 5 the judgment seat of Christ deals with BOTH the successful case of GOOD and the evil case of EVIL deeds.

Romans 2:3-11 Evil deeds have a "reward" spelled out in the text. The righteous saints also have a reward spelled out in this text.

In Christ,

Bob

 

First time I've heard this; some Christians think the church started when Christ's disciples received the Holy Spirit (Jn. 20:22).

Jesus spoke of "living water" which John explained as the coming gift of the Holy Spirit that his disciples would receive, not just to Paul (Jn:37-39; 15:26; 16:7).

Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit that would give them power to be his "witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." This is the commission given to the disciples and the Church before Paul became saved.

Before Pentecost believers were baptised with water for repentance. Baptism by the Holy Spirit, which indwells the believer began at Pentecost and not later with Paul on the Damascus road.

Before Pentecost believers were baptized in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19). Just after Pentecost, before Paul came on the scene, believers were baptized "in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38).

There are two New Jerusalems, the earthly one promised to Israel and the heavenly one that is promised to Moses and Abraham and Christians. The heavenly one is our destination at the Rapture, OT saints will be resurrected at the end of the Trib and taken to the heavenly "city" to join us.

 

There is only ONE "New Jerusalem" in the NT -- (Gal 4, Heb 12) and it is "ABOVE".

Christ started the church prior to going back to heaven. Christ commands the CHURCH in Matt 28 to GO into all the world and make disciples. The church ws launched by Christ on that day if not before.

In Christ,

Bob

 

Your correct Bob, one heavenly New Jerusalem. For the earthly one I should of said " a future redeemed Jerusalem" as in Isa. 62:1-5.

The Church is comprised of a remnant of Jews and mostly Gentiles who are indwelled with the Holy Spirit. His disciples were all Jewish and were not indwelled with the Holy Spirit until Pentecost when the Comforter came.

They were told to baptise in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost the fullness of the God head came to dwell in believers and baptism changed to "in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Acts 2:38.

 

In John 3 Christ argues that the Spirit-filled NEW BIRTH doctrine of the Gospel was already IN place in the OT and that All Jewish Bible teachers should have known it.

In Matt 10 the disciples are sent out with spiritual gifts to "heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead".

In the OT God says of Israel "I placed my Spirit IN your midst".

The outpouring of spiritual gifts in a more general way at Pentecost did not mean that the Holy Spirit was not causing the New Birth, DRAWING all mankind and convicting the WORLD of sin prior to that.

Because of the depravity of man - you could NOT have the Heb 11 list of saints walking by faith WITHOUT the indwelling Holy Spirit and New Birth which has ALWAYS been a circumcision of the heart BY the Holy Spirit - in ALL ages.

In Christ,

Bob

 

Jesus entire human life was devoted to the "Lost sheep of the house of Israel" Matt 15:24. Gentiles were treated as dogs. Look to the woman Jesus talked to in Matt 15. He was not refering to the Body Church at all, but always about the Kingdom He was here to set up. This whole church age was hidden in the Father, and begun on the road to Damascus, with the conversion of the Apostle Paul. This mystery was the Body Church, Jew and Gentile in one body. Read Romans 11

 

hillclimber

Great persecution broke out against the "church" at Jerusalem and Saul (later Paul) destroyed the "church" by going from house to house and dragging Christians off to prison (Acts 8:1-3). The church was persecuted before Saul's conversion on the Damascus road (chapter 9).

 

Absolutely correct. Saul was a Pharisee, dedicated to persecuting the church, which was trying to establish the Kingdom. He was even present at the stoning of Steven if I remember correctly. Right after that, God cut off Israel from the Kingdom, and used this dispicable man, after a brief confrontation on the Damascus Road.
His new commission was to the children of Israel and Gentiles (for the first time) and Kings.

This marks the point of transition from prophecy to mystery.