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Before going on to the Great White Throne Judgment, I feel I need to say something about works and judgment and judging. These terms are used throughout the scriptures involving Eternal Judgment.

Works
When the Bible talks about works it is often in relation to the Old Testament and the Law. Works in particular good works or works of righteousness were very important in obeying the Law of Moses. The practicing Jew was expected to do at least one Mitzvah each day, that is a good deed. For example, a mitzvah could be showing kindness to a stranger.

Of course, if there are righteous deeds there must be unrighteous or evil deeds which are contrary to the Jewish Law. When one knowingly and willfully performed an evil deed, it resulted in condemnation.

So, observing the Torah, the Hebrew Bible was filled with regulations or works to protect the Jew from condemnation. Tradition has it that there are 613 Laws based on the first 5 books of the Torah or what we call the Old Testament. Every practicing Jew had to observe those laws to be considered righteous.

Now let’s jump to the New Testament. Should a Christian do good works? The answer is of course- yes! What is important to note though is that works, righteous or unrighteous, are not the basis of our salvation! In the New Testament, our salvation depends on repentance and believing in Jesus Christ alone. We repent of our sins, not believing or trusting in Him, and now turn our lives to Him.

So now how do works come into the picture, especially as it relates to Eternal Judgment? Works are the evidence of our faith! As a Believer we want to please God and so we order our lives in words and deeds to please Him.

Now here is where it gets tricky for us human beings. When we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, are we instantly changed in the natural? Spiritually the change is instantaneous, but habits and practices over a lifetime take time to overcome.

As Christians, it is often difficult to not judge another’s behavior and then conclude they are or are not true Christians. The question is are they a new Christian and pretty rough around the edges, or a mature Christian and should know better? Or are they in fact not Christians?

We tend to measure maturity by years lived, but Christian maturity is based on a relationship with Jesus. I remember a saying,” It’s not how long you’ve been on the road, but how far you’ve traveled”. There are some individuals that may have accepted Christ 20 or 30 years ago but have not traveled or matured very much. They may not look like model Christians!

Judging
When the Bible talks about judging it is often in the context of condemnation, in other words, heaven or hell. The scriptures are clear we are not to judge anyone based upon their words or works (Matt 7:1-5, Luke 6:36). This is because we can only see the outward workings, but only God is able to examine the heart, or motivation (1 Cor 4:5).

We can never know if another person is “saved” or not. God is the judge of the motives and the intents of the heart. every believer is “a work in progress”. This is not to excuse bad behavior but to realize that we don’t know the end of someone’s life.

What we are encouraged to do is examine the fruit in a “believer’s” life. That is to look for the fruit of the Holy Spirit which comes with Christian growth, love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23).

Saul become Paul
Perhaps you’ve heard it said that we “should not judge a wine before its time”. This simply means that the wine won’t taste very good until it has matured. This is exactly the point I am trying to make. As an example, this statement fits very well into the life of the Apostle Paul.

If you were to look into the first part of Paul’s life you would know that his name was Saul. Saul was a religious, fanatical Pharisee. As a matter of fact, he described himself as a Hebrew of the Hebrews. He took it upon himself to wipe out a new radical cult called Christianity, which he saw as a threat to Judaism.

Then there was that fateful day while on the road to persecute the Christians in Damascus, he encountered the risen Christ (Acts 9:1-19).

Then everything changed for Saul, his name, his identity, his destiny. He would eventually embrace everything he sought to destroy. He would inspire thousands for Christ and suffer greatly for the cause of Christ. He would also be responsible for writing most of the Epistles or books of the New Testament. Yet and a very big yet… after his conversion most Christians at the time would not even associate with him (Acts 9:26). He didn’t look like a Christian, didn’t act like a Christian, yet He was sold out for Christ.

He went into isolation separated from the mainstream Christians at the time. He spent time with the Lord and received profound revelations from God. And so, he matured and matured until some 14 years later he came out of the “closet” so to speak, and began his ministry (Gal 2:1).

The point is that almost everyone condemned this Saul/Paul character. He can’t be a Christian, look at what he has done to Christians! But God knew who Paul would become. God did not look at the externals but was able to see a heart that would be sold out for Jesus. In the same way, we as believers need to be very careful about judging others, in a sense when we judge condemnation, we are taking the job that only God can do perfectly.

If this “Nugget of Truth” has been helpful to you, please like, share, subscribe, or follow so that others might benefit too. Thanks… and God Bless you.

The six doctrines are the following:

1. Repentance from Dead-works
2. Faith in God
3. Baptisms
4. The Laying-on of hands
5. The Resurrection
6. And now the subject for today- Eternal Judgment

In the last episode, I mentioned the “Rapture.” Which refers to the fact that when Jesus returns again, He will “Take-up” or Rapture those who belong to Him. After which trials and tribulations will befall the earth, as described in the book of Revelations. Those who have died “in Christ” as well as those who are alive will be Raptured at that time! The word Rapture literally means that they will be “caught up in the air”. The scriptures that speak to the issue of the Rapture are as follows:

1. Matthew 24:30
2. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
3. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
4. 2 Thessalonians 1:7
5. 1 Peter 1:13
6. Revelation 1:7

The Bible is clear that all Believers and non-Believers will experience a resurrection. Then a Judgment will follow. There will be two judgments; one called the Bema Judgment for the righteous or Believers. The other is the White-Throne Judgment for those who have denied or rejected Jesus Christ.

The Bema Judgment or Believer’s Judgement

The good news is that as Believers in Christ our judgment will not determine our salvation. Jesus dealt with the issue of sin and we are forgiven. Our judgment will be based on how we lived our lives for Him, Jesus. Our Judgment is a judgment for rewards!

This judgment is called the Bema judgment because of 2 Corinthians 5:10. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad”. The original Greek uses the word Bema for the English word seat; hence we have the Bema Judgment.

1 Cor. 3:12-15 describes the judgment of the believer for the “works” he or she has done. Jesus is the foundation upon which we build our lives. Gold, silver, and precious stones represent those deeds done in obedience to Jesus. Hay, wood, and straw represent those works done for self. “Now if anyone builds on this foundation (Jesus) with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day (Bema Judgement) will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss (of reward); but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire”.

While some works may be burned up and account for nothing before God, the individual is still saved!

Now there is some difference of opinion as to when this Bema judgment takes place and exactly what the rewards are. Is it at the point of death or are we all judged together at some later period? Whatever the timing of the Bema judgment or the nature of the rewards they are unimportant compared to the fact that Heaven will be open to us. We will spend eternity with God and we will not face the White Throne Judgment for those who are condemned to Hell.

Making the decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, in this life, is the single most important decision you can make in your life. It is a decision that effects your eternity. Jesus died for your sin so that you could be an over-comer in this life and secure your place in Heaven in the next life. If you have not made that decision, I encourage you to do it now. Remember it begins with repentance and believing that Jesus died for you. You repent by acknowledging that Jesus is the Savior for sinners and that you are a sinner. You believe by trusting that Jesus died for you personally and that you are forgiven, and that He has given you a new beginning in life!

Please do take the time to think about, meditate on this Nugget of Truth throughout this day.

We will be looking at the White Throne Judgment for those who have rejected Christ in our next Episode.

God Bless you!

We will continue to look at 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul’s thorough teaching on the resurrection. As I did in the last post I will be paraphrasing the major sections of Paul’s defense of the resurrection of Jesus as being an essential prerequisite to our resurrection as a Believer.

To review- In verses 1- 34 Paul makes the following important points:

1. Jesus died for our sins as prophesied by scripture, He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day.
2. Jesus was physically seen by over 500 people after His resurrection.
3. If Jesus did not rise again, then everything about Christianity is a lie, and we are hopelessly lost in our sin.
4. Jesus is the “first fruit” of the resurrection, meaning that because He rose first, we who belong to Him will follow His example and rise again too.

Then Paul makes the following statement in verse 26, “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death”. In that statement is the promise of the resurrection and eternal life in Heaven with Him.

THE NATURAL BODY FIRST, THEN THE GLORIOUS BODY
In verses, 35-49 Paul reinforces the “natural first, the spiritual second principle”. He uses the analogy of the seed, a grain of wheat, in the sense that the seed must “die” first in order to release the potential of its fruit. In the same manner, our physical body contains the potential of the resurrection body within it and therefore the physical must die before the spiritual can be released.

Paul uses the contrast between Adam in the Garden of Eden and Jesus the Christ. Beginning in verse 45 Paul states, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam (meaning Jesus) became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man”.

DEATH IS DEFEATED- OUR FINAL VICTORY
The Apostle Paul closes out his discourse on the resurrection by pointing to the overcoming victory found through Jesus and that is His victory over death becomes our victory as well!

A reasonable question about the resurrection is, “what will the resurrected life be like”? While there is much we would like to know, what is given to us is what we need to know. We know that God is spiritual (John 4:23-24) but spiritual does not mean immaterial or non-physical. Jesus is our example and the post-resurrected Jesus was physical. He was recognizable, He ate with His Disciples and yet at the same time could walk through walls and appear and disappear at will. So it would appear that the spiritual is not limited.

In verses 51-52 is the promise that not all believers will experience physical death. When Jesus returns again (Second Coming) there will be a taking up otherwise known as the rapture! (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). Paul says, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”. How exciting it is to anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ, but either way if we should die before He comes we win, if we should be raptured we also win! 

Paul then closes with the following in verse 55-57, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then in verse 58, we are encouraged to keep up the good work in Christ, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (there will be a reward).

Let me close now with a promise from Jesus’ lips, “I have a place for you in my house…” John 14:2-3 Jesus says, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And 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”.

Those who don’t know Christ as personal Lord and Savior are often filled with terror at the prospect of death. For us as Believers, our faith is in the resurrection. For us, death is not the end of things but simply a change of address!

“Faith is the deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time”. Oswald Chambers

As we have said before, theologians refer to the study of “End Times” as the study of Eschatology and the resurrection is a central part of that study. We learn much about the end-times from the following books of the Bible, Daniel 12, Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4, and of course the book of Revelation 4-22. There are also many other verses scattered throughout the Bible that speak to the coming events.

Now the central truth to the study of Eschatology is of course the Resurrection. The word resurrection means “to rise again”! The Bible makes it very clear that each one of us will “rise again”. Physical death is not the end of life!

1 Corinthians 15 is the Apostle Paul’s thorough teaching on the resurrection. Rather than read, all 58 verses let me paraphrase the major sections of Paul’s defense of the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is an essential prerequisite to our resurrection as a Believer.

1 CORINTHIANS 15
In verses, 1-11 Paul preaches The Risen Christ and the reason for our faith. Paul list three doctrines of faith and then recounts all the witnesses who saw Jesus after His resurrection. The doctrines of faith are: one- Jesus died for our sins as prophesied by scripture, two- that He was buried and three-that He rose again on the third day.

The witnesses were Peter, then by the rest of the 12 Apostles, then He was seen by over 500 people at once. Then seen by James, all the Apostles again, and then finally by Paul himself. In a nut-shell, our faith foundation is the fact that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament and that He was clearly seen by so many witnesses after His resurrection.

THE RISEN CHRIST, OUR HOPE
In verses 12-19 Even in Paul’s time, there were those who claimed the resurrection did not take place. To counter that thought Paul assumes a false hypothetical case to show what the impact would be if the resurrection did not occur. Christianity totally depends on the physical resurrection of the dead body of Jesus; otherwise, it is all a lie. Paul states in 17-19, “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep or died in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable”.

THE LAST ENEMY DESTROYED
The term firstfruits represent the first ripened part of the harvest, the first fruits are the evidence that the entire harvest is on the way. According to the Old Testament, the first fruits in connection with the Passover were used to consecrate the coming harvest. Jesus died on the Passover, and His Resurrection is the first fruit of the promise of our own resurrection.

In verses, 20-28 Paul uses the term first-fruits to describe Jesus’ resurrection. The first-fruits represents the first of the harvest. Well if Jesus is the first-fruit then the inference is that those who belong to him will follow! Then Paul makes the point that through Adam, a man (Genesis), came death and through Jesus (also a man) will come new life or the resurrection. This will take place when Jesus returns again otherwise known as the Second Coming. Then in verses 23-26 Paul states the following, “But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” In that statement is the promise of the resurrection and eternal life in Heaven.

Verses 29-34 Paul introduces an issue that has caused questions among theologians for ages and that is the issue of “baptizing for the dead. There are a number of interpretations none of which we can figure out, but whatever the proper interpretation, Paul’s point is clear, all of life is futile if there is no resurrection. Paul makes the sarcastic statement “If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” Of course, that is how many live their lives. Living for the day with no thought to the future and Paul states that it is to their shame.

To be continued…

Theologians refer to the study of “End Times” as the study of Eschatology. We learn much about the end-times from the following books of the Bible- Daniel 12, Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4, and of course the book of Revelation. There are many other verses scattered throughout the Bible that speak about future events.

Before we speak about “the Resurrection” it is important to put things in context. In particular the relationship between the Natural and the Spiritual. Keep in mind that both the Old and New Testament are the inspired Word of God and neither should be neglected. However, as you read the Old Testament (or Old Covenant) keep in mind that the Old Covenant is the shadow of the light found in the New Covenant.

The Old Covenant was for the Jews under the Law of Moses. Whereas, the New Covenant is for Christians under Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:46, that we start in the physical and end up in the spiritual”. This is a pattern you will see as you compare the Old and New Covenants. The Old Covenant is about the natural while the New Covenant is about the spiritual.

The natural shows us our inability to follow the Law perfectly and so, we fall short of God’s righteousness that’s called sin. The spiritual enables us to walk in righteousness by virtue of God’s Holy Spirit.

The Old Covenant or Testament is about the Law of Moses and the Nation of Israel. The New Covenant or Testament is about Jesus Christ and the Church.

Here is a list of eight examples of the “natural first then the spiritual” principle. Hopefully some of them will resonate with you. Time limits my ability to spend much time with each of them at this time.

1. the Old Testament was about the physical Kingdom of Israel vs the New Testament focus on the Spiritual Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
2. The Old Testament is about the coming of a Messiah an earthly king, the Jews were looking for a physical flesh and blood King to rule them vs the New Testament is about the coming of the Christ or Messiah a Spiritual King to rule His Church.
3. The Old Testament (Covenant of Law) focus is on the natural- doing the Law vs New Testament (New Covenant) focus is on being led by the Spirit of God.
4. Moses led the people of Israel out of physical bondage in Egypt vs Jesus led us out of the spiritual bondage of Satan and sin.
5. Moses received the message of the Law (legalism) vs Jesus received the message of Grace (spiritual).
6. In the Old Testament the Tabernacle or the Temple was the physical place where God was vs In the New Testament you are the temple of the Holy Spirit, God lives in you.
7. Under the Law, righteousness was obtained by obeying the Mosaic Law vs Under Grace the righteousness of Christ is credited to us by faith.
8. Finally, Natural birth vs Spiritual birth (Born-again). Here is a useful expression: if you are born once you will die twice, if you are born twice you will die once. Let me explain- if you are born once, a natural birth, you will die a physical death and then a spiritual death. Whereas, if you are born twice, natural birth, and then Born-again, then you will die once a physical death and then live forever with God.

In our next post we will look at what the Apostle Paul had to say about the resurrection in, 1 Corinthians chapter 15. His teaching is on the certainty of the resurrection of Jesus and therefore the confidence we can have for our own resurrection.