Two
principal passages recount the fact and details of this judgment (1 Cor. 3:10-15;
2 Cor. 5:10). Other relevant passages include Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5;
9:24-27; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; and Revelation
2:10; 3:11; 4:4, 10.
B. The Judgment Itself
Though not
specifically stated, this judgment will apparently take place immediately after the
Rapture of the church, since the twenty-four elders who likely represent believers
have their crowns in the scene in heaven at the beginning of the Tribulation (Rev.
4:4, 10). Further, when the bride returns with Christ at His second coming, she is
clothed with the righteous deeds which have survived the examination of this judgment
(19:8).
The site of this judgment is the bema of Christ. Earthly bemas were
raised, throne-like platforms on which rulers or judges sat when making speeches
(Acts 12:21), or hearing and deciding cases (18:12-17).
Only believers will
stand in this judgment, for Paul makes clear that it relates to those who have built
on the Foundation, Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11-12).
The nature of the believer’s
works will be examined in this judgment to distinguish worthy works from worthless
ones. These works are the deeds done by the believer during his Christian life. All
will be reviewed and examined. Some will pass the test because they were good; others
will fail because they were worthless. Both good and bad motives will be exposed;
then every believer will receive his due praise from God. What grace!
C.
The Outcome of Judgment
The outcome will be either reward or deprivation
of reward. Salvation is not in question, for those deprived of reward “shall be saved,
as though through fire.” Yet, as mentioned above, apparently every believer will
have done some things which God can praise.
Nevertheless, the deprivation
is real and may involve forfeiture and shame. Certainly it means forfeiting rewards
that otherwise might have been received. The word zemioo in verse 15 carries no idea
of suffering in the sense of physical or mental suffering. Its basic idea is loss
in the sense of forfeiture of reward which could have been received (see A.T. Robertson
and Alfred Plummer, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the First Epistle of
St. Paul to the Corinthians [Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1914], p. 65).
John
clearly teaches that rewards may be lost because of unfaithfulness during one’s lifetime
(2 John 8). His concern was that his readers would receive a full reward, that is,
receive all that could be theirs through continued faithfulness. This same idea of
loss is part of Paul’s analogy of the Judgment Seat with running a race (1 Cor. 9:24-27).
His concern was that he not be disapproved, that is, do nothing that would make him
unworthy to receive rewards. Perhaps even more vividly John wrote about the possibility
of a believer being ashamed at Christ’s coming (1 John 2:28). “The passive voice
coupled with the expression autou suggests that a believer withdraws in shame. It
suggests a shrinking back from Christ, perhaps from a sense of guilt, with the believer
producing the action [rather than Christ putting the believer to shame]” (Samuel
L. Hoyt, “The Negative Aspects of the Christian’s Judgment,” Bibliotheca Sacra, 137:129-30
[April-June 1980]).
Summarizing in a very balanced way, Hoyt concludes as
follows: “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” (p. 131).
II. JUDGMENT OF OLD TESTAMENT
SAINTS
Daniel 12:1-3 speaks of the Tribulation period (v. 1), resurrections
of the righteous and the wicked (v. 2), and rewards for the righteous (v. 3). Many
understand the resurrection and reward of the righteous to refer to the resurrection
and judgment of believers of the Old Testament at the conclusion of the Tribulation.
New Testament revelation places the resurrection and judgment of the wicked of all
time at the conclusion of the Millennium (Rev. 20:11-15). Of course it is not unusual
for Old Testament prophets to place side by side events which later revelation separates
by some period of time.
It is possible that verses 1-3 refer only to the
resurrection and rewarding of Jewish believers of the Tribulation days. They will
be rewarded for having insight for seeing through Antichrist’s deception, and for
leading others to faith during the Tribulation days.
III. JUDGMENT OF
SAINTS OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD
Revelation 20:4-6 relates the resurrection
of saints of the Tribulation period who died during that time. Because of their opposition
to Antichrist’s program, they were martyred, but God raises them from the dead just
before the Millennium begins. No specific mention is made of a judging and rewarding;
it can only be assumed to take place at the time of resurrection. (The phrase ‘judgment
was given to them” in v. 4 refers not to being judged but to the activity of saints
judging people in the millennial government.)
IV. JUDGMENT OF JEWISH
SURVIVORS OF THE TRIBULATION
Before the inauguration of the millennial
kingdom, the survivors of the Tribulation, both Jewish and Gentile, must be judged
in order to insure that only believers will enter the kingdom.
The judgment
of Jewish survivors is described in Ezekiel 20:34-38 and illustrated in Matthew 25:1-30.
Ezekiel states that it will occur after all surviving Israelites have been regathered
from the ends of the earth to the land of Palestine. Christ will cause them to “pass
under the rod” (see Lev. 27:32) to purge out the rebels. As a result, those rebels
(unsaved) will not enter the land of Israel (Ezek. 20:38) but will be cast into the
outer darkness (Matt. 25:30). In contrast, those who successfully pass through this
judgment will enter the millennial kingdom to enjoy the blessings of the New Covenant
(Ezek. 20:37). This group will not be given resurrection bodies at this time, but
will go into the kingdom in their earthly bodies and will become the parents of the
first millennial Jewish babies.
V. JUDGMENT OF GENTILE SURVIVORS OF
THE TRIBULATION
Also at the second advent of Christ, Gentile survivors
of the Tribulation will be judged by Him. Matthew 25:31-46 describes this in detail.
Joel predicted that it would take place in the “valley of Jehoshaphat” (Joel 3:2)
which may refer to the Kidron Valley on the east side of Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat simply
means “Yahweh judges.”
Both passages say that these Gentiles will be judged
for their treatment of Israel during the Tribulation period. Christ is the Judge;
the Gentiles are being judged; by all rapture schemes the church has already been
raptured to heaven; the “brethren,” the treatment of whom becomes the basis for the
judgment can only refer to Christ’s natural brethren, other Jewish people (Rom. 9:3).
For a Gentile to treat any Jewish person with kindness during the Tribulation will
place his life in jeopardy. No one will do this merely out of a beneficent attitude,
but only out of a redeemed heart. Therefore, this is not a judgment of works, but
of genuine faith which produced such selfless works (or the lack of it which produced
no such works).
Those who lack saving faith and demonstrate that lack by not
doing good works will be sent to the lake of fire. Those whose good deeds prove the
presence of saving faith will enter the kingdom. Like the Jewish survivors of the
preceding judgment they will enter in earthly bodies and become parents of the first
millennial Gentile babies.
You will notice that I have understood this judgment
to concern individual Gentiles, and not, as some translations imply, national groups
of people. The word used in the passage is translated in the New Testament by “people”
two times, “heathen” five times, “nation” sixty-four times, and “Gentiles” ninety-three
times. Other references to a judgment at the second advent of Christ depict a judgment
of individuals (Matt. 13:30, 47-50).
VI. JUDGMENT OF SATAN AND FALLEN
ANGELS
Satan and his angels will also be judged, evidently at the
conclusion of the millennial kingdom. To be sure Satan has had other sentences passed
on him, but this will be his final one that confines him forever in the lake of fire
(25:41; Rev. 20:10). The angels who are judged at this time also will experience
the same fate (Jude 6-7). Believers will apparently be associated with the Lord in
judging (1 Cor. 6:3).
VII. JUDGMENT OF THE UNSAVED DEAD
At
the conclusion of the millennial reign of Christ unbelievers of all time will be
raised and judged. Their resurrection is the resurrection of judgment spoken of by
the Lord in John 5:29. Their judgment will take place before a Great White Throne
(Rev. 20:11-15). Their Judge is the Lord Christ (see John 5:22, 27).
Those
judged are simply called “the dead”—unbelievers (in contrast to “the dead in Christ”
which refers to believers). This judgment will not separate believers from unbelievers,
for all who will experience it will have made the choice during their lifetimes to
reject God. The Book of Life which will be opened at the Great White Throne judgment
will not contain the name of anyone who will be in that judgment. The books of works
which will also be opened will prove that all who are being judged deserve eternal
condemnation (and may be used to determine degrees of punishment). It is not that
all their works were evil, but all were dead works, done by spiritually dead people.
It is as if the Judge will say, “I will show you by the record of your own deeds
that you deserve condemnation.” So everyone who will appear in this judgment will
be cast into the lake of fire forever.
