A dear lady, whom I've met through the Empower channel that broadcasts my vlogs, expressed some confusion over the heavenly rewards. Inexplicably, she asked if I would clarify. Surely, there are many others who could do this better. But, out of my appreciation for her and our friendship, here goes. (Back to Colossians 3 in a couple of days)
You know how, in school, we would (usually in May or June) have Awards Day? The whole school or grade level would march into the gym and year-end awards would be distributed. That's the way I think of the Bema seat of Jesus Christ.
It is plain in the New Testament that there will be a "judgment" for Christians. In fact, there is a total of seven judgments detailed in scripture, and this Bema Seat "judgment" is one of those seven. I'll write about the others in a future post.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil.
2 Corinthians 5:10
Oh, but wait! I can't help but stop and write about the first judgment! The first one is the absolute best judgment. You won't be a beneficiary of this first judgment unless you have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. It occurred through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The recipient of that first judgment was SIN, the sins of all believers in Christ. Sin was judged and defeated at this first judgment. The Scriptures are very clear that no child of God will be punished for his sins after this life (Psalm 103:10-12; Isaiah 38:17; Isaiah 44:22; Micah 7:19; Hebrews 8:12; 1 John 1:7). For those people who accept His finished work on their behalf, Him "who was made sin for us" (2 Corinthians 5:21), they have all of our sins forever forgiven. That first judgment of sin gives us a place at the Bema seat judgment (or the awards day assembly). Everyone there is a winner, in that respect. There are no losers, in the ranks of Christians, because Jesus Christ took the judgment of God for our sins.
So, since the Christian's sins were judged at the first judgment God carried out, all true Christians will also be present at the Bema Seat judgment. When will the Bema occur, and why is it called that?
Let's first consider its name. The other six judgments are actual judgments of sin, except for the Bema. Really, it is somewhat misleading to call the Bema a judgment; a more accurate term might be an evaluation or examination. The Greek word, "Bema" means "a raised platform mounted by steps", or "dias". It describes the place where the judge would sit. We see this usage in Acts 18. (Imagine an earthly judge walking up the steps to sit at his "bench" in the earthly courtroom.) That's why this heavenly occasion is often called the Bema Seat judgment. But, here is another visual...
In 2 Corinthians 5, a bema was where the dignitaries, rulers, etc. would sit during an athletic contest, such as the Olympics, and hand out awards. (We are in the midst of the 2016 Olympic games as of this writing.)
I think you are getting the mental picture.
WHO is going to, then, examine us? Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ will be our Judge (2 Corinthians 5, Matthew 16:27, Romans 14:10-12, Ephesians 6:8).
WHEN and WHERE will this Bema Seat judgment occur? A key verse here is 1 Thessalonians 4:13, which describes us rising up to meet Jesus in the air, whether we are dead at the time of His return, or alive at that time. (Isn't it amazing to contemplate how some Christians will never experience physical death?) A second key verse is Revelation 22:12, (which speaks of this same event described in 1 Thess. 4,) "Behold I come suddenly, and my reward is with me to give." So, after we are snatched up, raptured ("harpazo'ed"), we will, from that point on, ever be with our Lord Jesus. And, sometime after that "snatching up", we will find ourselves before our Savior at the Bema Seat.
If you have not yet figured this out...the Bema Seat examination/evaluation will be a REWARDS judgment...a commemoration, not a condemnation. At the very most basic, all Christians will be there, and will know that they have a home in Heaven with Jesus, forever (John 14:2-3). Hallelujah! However, in many places in Scripture, we are told that there will be specific rewards given to some Christians, called "crowns", "white linen" or positions of authority.
I wrote about these briefly in this post:
http://resplendentdaughter.blogspot.com/2015/08/honors-day.html
In tomorrow's post, I'll focus specifically on the 5 crowns!
Lord Jesus, thank you for taking on the cross the judgment for my sins, so that I would not have to face the wrath of God for them. I'm eternally grateful for Your sacrifice, although I cannot even begin to understand it. Lord, there is a whooooooole lot I don't understand these days, as I look at the world around me. The answer is: more of You, and that's what I want. Not crowns, not rewards. You are the reward. To love You, to serve You forever .... "Better is one day in your courts, than thousands elsewhere." (Psalm 84:10) Amen.
Sources:
https://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/1327/believers-rewards
http://www.gotquestions.org/heavenly-crowns.html
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