Spiritual Warfare – What are the different Judgment Days in the Bible? Part 2

	Who is being judged	By Whom	For what	When	With the result
At the Cross The believers’ sins were judged And the World and the devil	Christ	God	Our sins	At the Cross	Total justification
The World The Devil	God	Rebellion	At the Cross	Their authority was annulled
The judgment of believers’ sins as discipline, a process which relates to …	Believers	Themselves	Our continuing sins	Daily	That they will not be condemned with the world
The Judgment Seat of Christ	Believers	Jesus	For how we have lived our lives, and our motivations	After our resurrection	They will be Rewarded
The judgment of Israel, a process which is related to …	The nation of Israel	The Disciples		At the establishment of, and during, the Millennium	Justice is administered in the Kingdom
The judgment of the nations	The nations of the earth left at the Second Coming of Christ	Jesus	How they have treated ‘these brothers of mine’ (Israel?)	At the establishment of, and during, the Millennium	Entry in to the Kingdom, or eternal punishment
The judgment of angels	(Fallen) angels	Believers		At the end of time	Eternal punishment
The Great White Throne Judgment	Everybody who has ever lived, apart from believers	God the Judge of all	Disobedience	At the end of time	Eternal punishment

We ended last week with an overview of the seven eschatological (end times) judgment events that the Bible discusses. Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 6:2-3 that we will participate in some of these judgments as judges, and that should affect how we behave now.

He says in 2 Cor. 5:10-11 that the prospect of every Christian standing before the Judgement Seat of Christ is also a strong motivation for serving the Lord. So we need to understand what he meant by that, lest we end up like the servant in the parable who hid his Master’s talent in the ground, because of fear (and opened himself up to exactly what he feared!).

The judgment of believers’ sins at the Cross (Isaiah 53:4–8).

	Who is being judged	By Whom	For what	When	With the result
The believers’ sins were judged	Christ Isa. 53:4-8	God 2 Cor. 5:21	Our sins 1 Pet. 2:24	At the Cross Heb. 2:9	Total justification Heb. 8:12; 10:17; Jer. 31:33; Col. 2:14
And the World and the devil	The World The Devil John 12:31	God 2 Pet. 2:4	Rebellion Jude 6	At the Cross Col. 2:15	Their authority was annulled Heb. 2:14 1 John 3:8

Jesus took this judgment upon Himself by His crucifixion and death. “He suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). Because our sin was judged at the cross, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

In Acts 13:39 Paul says that through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the Law. In Ephesians 2:9, he tells us that we are not saved by works. And in 2 Cor. 5:21. He says that it is because God made Jesus sin for us, that we are made righteous in Him

This is eschatological in its scope as it anticipates the final judgment of the Great White Throne – the sins of those who will believe and accept are nullified (Heb. 8:12; 10:17; Jer. 31:33; Col. 2:14). The price was paid for the sins of the whole world (atonement is unlimited in its scope, as the Sacrifice was infinite Himself), but the Sentence of that great tribunal is passed on individuals (so atonement is limited in its application). Is that good theology? Or more importantly, does it agree with Scripture?

John 3:16 In this way, God loved the world – by giving His only Son, who is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world (1 John 2:2) so that he who believes on Him is not condemned, but he who doesn’t believe is condemned already (John 3:18). He who believes on the Son has everlasting life, and he that doesn’t believe shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36)

It was also at the cross that God pronounced judgment on the unbelieving world and on the enemy of our souls, Satan. As Jesus said shortly before His arrest, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31). The authority of the principalities and powers was also nullified at the Cross (Col. 2:15, although their final defeat and judgment is still future (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6)

The Judgment of believers’ sins as discipline (1 Cor. 11:29-32)

	Who is being judged	By Whom	For what	When	With the result
The judgment of believers’ sins as discipline	Believers	Themselves 1 Cor. 11:29-32   Our Father Heb. 12:5-11	Our continuing sins   To share His Holiness	Daily	not be condemned with the world 1 Pet. 4:17 James 5:9 We become like Jesus Rom. 8:29

We are liable to condemnation if we do not recognize the Body of Christ-that is, the Church-the unity of which is disturbed and obscured when there is dissension. If we judge ourselves, we escape the judgment and chastisement of the Almighty. (Meyer)

But this goes further than that.

• We are to examine ourselves (2 Cor. 13:5-6) as we cannot say that we do not sin (1 John 1:8). But there is forgiveness (v.9).
• And the Lord also steps in with His discipline (Heb. 12:5-11). But He has only our greater good in mind – partakers of His holiness and becoming like Christ! (Rom. 8:29)

1 Pet. 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? (From those to whom much is given, much will be required! Luke 12:48)

James 5:9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.

The judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Resurrected (and raptured) believers in heaven will be judged for their works. Sin is not in view at this judgment, as that was paid for by Christ, but only faithfulness in Christian service. Selfish works or those done with wrong motives will be burned up (the “wood, hay, and stubble” of 1 Corinthians 3:12). Works of lasting value to the Lord will survive (the “gold, silver, and precious stones”).

People often die with regrets – according to one hospice and palliative care doctor, common ones are broken relationships (esp. family), working too much, and not pursuing your passion (allowing others to dictate how you should live and what you should do). Someone once remarked what a tragedy it would be to get the point of dying and realise that you had never really lived.

Jesus came that we might have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). I’m sure we can all look back with regrets, but God is in the restoration business! He has promised to restore the years that the locust has eaten (Joel 2:25) and is working all things together for our good (Rom. 8:28). So we have to give those regrets to Him and stick close to Him from wherever we are in our walk of discipleship.

Paul must have loads of regrets about his past (Acts 26:9-11; 1 Tim. 1:12-14; Eph. 3:8) but, forgetting those things that were behind, he pressed on (Phil. 3:13) to know that for which he had been called by the Lord. We might think that he would have known that by the time he was in jail towards the end of his life, but he was still reaching out and encouraging others to do the same (Phil. 3:15-17). Paul completed his course with joy (Acts 20:24; 2 Tim 4:6-8) following in the footsteps of His Lord Who finished the work His Father gave Him to do (John 17:4; Heb. 12:2).

	Who is being judged	By Whom	For what	When	With the result
The Judgment Seat of Christ	Believers 2 Cor. 5:9-11	Jesus	For how we have lived our lives, and our motivations 1 Cor. 3:13-15 Rom. 14:10-12	After our resurrection 1 Cor. 4:5a	We will be Rewarded 1 Cor. 4:5b Luke 12:43-44 Rev. 3:5, 21; 19:8

Standing before the Judgment Seat of Christ

Read: 2 Cor. 5:10 – In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul states that, one day, we shall all stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ (clothed in imperishable immortality and in the righteousness of Christ – so this is not about condemnation or salvation!). In context, as we saw a week or two ago, Paul has been speaking about the contrast between our life here on earth – in our earthly tent – and that in heaven – in our eternal house. Paul goes on to state that both here on earth and in heaven our goal is to please God. The true test of whether we have fulfilled that goal will be revealed as we all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ where we will be rewarded for the things done in his earthly life, whether good or bad.

We will have to give an account of our stewardship, but I’m sure we will rejoice in the righteous assessment that He makes of our lives! (There are no tears there!) Heb. 6:10 tells us that God is not unfaithful to forget our works of love – doesn’t have to be great things, just a word of encouragement or kindness shown. Jesus says in Matt. 10:40-42 that even a cup of water given in His Name will merit its reward. Think how much he valued the widow’s mite (Mark 12:42-43)!

What and when is the Judgment Seat of Christ?

The Greek word translated as Judgment Seat is ‘bema’. In New Testament times a ‘bema’ was a raised platform at the public games, where the chief of the games stood and placed awards (Greek: ‘stephanos’ = award, reward, prize, crown ) around the necks of all the winners. The picture here is of Christ, who died for our sins, placing ‘awards’ on our heads and around our necks at our assessment. This is in contrast to the ‘Great White throne’ (Greek: ‘thronas’ = a king’s throne), where God will sit to judge unbelievers (Revelation 20:11)

The rewards for a race are awarded after all the competitors have finished the race. So it seems reasonable to consider (from the perspective of time!) that this judgment will take place after the church is raptured (1 Th. 4:13–17). It must also take place before Christ’s Second Coming, as the church accompanies Christ when He returns, clothed in fine linen, clean and bright, which is the “righteous acts of the saints” (Rev. 19:8). Thus, Christians will already have received their rewards.

All Christians will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give an account of their works on Earth (Rom. 14:10–12; 2 Cor. 5:10). They will not be judged for sin because their sins were forgiven at the time of their salvation (Rom. 8:1). Christians are secure in Christ and have eternal life (Jn. 10:28–30), so this judgment is not to determine whether someone goes to heaven or hell.

Rather, Christians will be judged completely (1 Cor. 4:5), impartially (Rom. 2:11), objectively, and separately (14:10, 12) in every area of their lives. The Lord will evaluate each person’s motives, character, conduct, words, works, and use of his or her gift(s) and talent(s) and reward each believer accordingly (not condemn). Christ keeps an ongoing record of all things in each Christian’s life during our time on Earth (Jer. 17:10; Mt. 12:36–37; Heb. 4:13).

Gold, silver and precious stones or wood, hay and straw?

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 – Paul further describes this ‘Day’ in his first letter to the Corinthian church. He writes that all our work here on earth will be tested by fire (is there an element of sacrificial fire on the altar here?), and whatever is worthless will vanish. There will be rewards, but also loss for believers. Paul wanted to ensure that the believers in Corinth would be building spiritually with gold, silver and precious stones – which represent an obedient and holy life, in the Spirit – rather than wood, hay and straw –  the things done in the flesh, disobedient words, thoughts and deeds – which would be fit only for burning. (These things may already have been rewarded by men in this life! Matt. 6:2,5).

The New Living Translation concludes Paul’s teaching here by stating, “But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames” (verse 15). In the next chapter, Paul states that, on that day, all the hidden things in our lives, including the motives of our hearts, will be revealed, but note that he goes on to say that everyone will receive the praise due to him from God (1 Corinthians 4:5).

What are these awards?

Rewards, which the Bible calls “crowns” (Revelation 3:11) will be given by the One who is “not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him” (Hebrews 6:10). The Greek word ‘stephanos’ is used nine times in the New Testament to describe awards or crowns (1 Corinthians 9:25 and James 1:12). In the public games each participant was assessed, not only to see if they had finished the race and where they had come, but also to see whether they had competed according to the rules. It was possible to finish the race, even to come first, second or third, but to be disqualified from receiving an award. Using this illustration, it means, for some believers, seeing a lot of what they thought to be good works for the Lord disappear in the fire, as they were carried out with wrong motives – greed, envy, jealousy, desire for prominence, monetary gain, or to be well thought of by others.

What type of crown awaits us?

• An eternal crown (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Here Paul uses the illustration of an athlete who disciplines his body to ensure he will win the prize. Athletes run for a crown that does not last; however, for the believer, his crown is eternal. Therefore, believers need to live disciplined and obedient lives in order to gain such a crown.

• A crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8)

Here Paul is nearing the end of his life and ministry – his testimony is that he has fought a good fight, finished the race and has kept the faith. The award to look forward to now is the crown of righteousness which Paul states is for all who have longed for Jesus’ appearing. To long for His appearing means to live in pursuit of pure and holy lives without which we will not see him (Hebrews 12:14).

• A crown of life (James 1:12)

James states that the crown of life is for those who endure testing and persecution remaining steadfast in their faith until the end. Just keep going!

• A crown of never-ending glory (1 Peter 5:4)

Peter, in writing to church elders (under-shepherds), states that the Chief Shepherd, Jesus, will present a crown of unfading glory to all those who have faithfully fulfilled their calling as under-shepherds – caring for the sheep, eagerly serving them, setting a clear example for others to follow.

• A crown of rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

Here Paul encourages the Thessalonian believers by stating that they, themselves, will be his crown of rejoicing and boasting as they are raptured at the return of Jesus. Paul’s reward would be the joy of seeing those he has discipled caught up into the presence of the Lord.

• A crown to be held on to (Revelation 3:11)

Jesus directly addresses the church at Philadelphia affirming that their faithful keeping of God’s Word and confessing of the name of Jesus in the face of opposition has already earned them a crown. However, in order to hold on to this award, they must patiently persevere until the end. Jesus, Himself, promises to protect them in the time of severe trial which will precede His return.

Besides crowns, other rewards of position and authority will be granted to Christians who will serve in the Millennial Kingdom. (Matt. 25:21,23; Luke 12:43-44; 19:17, 19) and promised to those who overcome (Rev. 3:5, 21)

What do we do with them? Cast them down at the feet of Jesus! (Rev. 4:10)

Jesus is returning very soon and He will bring His rewards with Him (Revelation 22:12). A question here is ‘Am I among the faithful, the chosen, the few, ready and waiting, prepared for Jesus’ review of my life here on earth’? If we continue to abide in God, by living obedient and holy lives, we can have confidence before Him on the day of judgement (1 John 4:16-18).

How we need to be like the athlete in Hebrews 12:1, who has not only put away all iniquity and sin, but has laid aside everything which could hold him back on the race track, straining every spiritual muscle to reach the finish line – eyes firmly fixed on Jesus, who is standing at the finishing line, waiting to greet and reward us!