Transcript

ANNOUNCER: The Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment. What are these judgments and when do they happen? Let’s talk about it today here on Grace in Focus, glad you’ve joined us, friend. This is the radio broadcast and podcast ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. We’re located in North Texas, and we have a website, faithalone.org, lots to learn about us there. Many resources for you to find there, including hundreds of articles and our store, where you can find Bob Wilkin’s latest book, The Gospel Is Still Under Siege, faithalone.org.

Now let’s get right to our discussion today with Bob Wilkin and Steve Elkins.

BOB: Steve, I think you’ve got a question from Clay?

STEVE: That’s right. Clay says, “apparently the White Throne Judgment is at the end of the Tribulation.” He says,”Now I agree with you that there are two judgments and two separate events”, talking about the Believer’s Judgment, “but our Bible study, what we couldn’t determine, is when the other judgment will take place, the one for believers. That is the one for those whose name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Is it mentioned somewhere?

BOB: Yeah, that’s a good question. Clay, first of all, the judgment of unbelievers is called the Great White Throne Judgment because John says, “I saw a great White Throne and Him who sat upon it”, and that’s Revelation 20 verses 11 to 15. Now, Revelation 20, the first 10 verses deal with the Millennium and the aftermath of the Millennium. And the Millennium is a thousand year reign of Christ. So the Great White Throne Judgment occurs, not just after the Tribulation, but after the Tribulation, then the Millennium, then the Great White Throne Judgment.

STEVE: And he might have meant that in the question. He did say Tribulation, so that’s why we wanted to clear that up.

BOB: But the Judgment Seat of Christ occurs after the Rapture. Some people hold the view, a very small number of people, myself and John Claeys and a few others, that the Judgment Seat of Christ will occur after the Tribulation on earth during the 75-day gap between the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the Millennium, according to Daniel chapter 12. But most dispensationalists believe, and I know you’re one of those, that the Judgment Seat of Christ will occur during the Tribulation, right?

STEVE: Yeah, during the Tribulation or simultaneously with His appearance at the Rapture, like there are some verses that say, 1 Thessalonians 2, “Who is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing at Christ’s appearance? Is it not even you?” Well, that might not be the judgment seat spoken of, even though the word crown is used. He might just be saying, I won’t be so happy to see you guys, but in the ministry I’ve had, it’s going to be a crowning moment. Or, like in 1 John 2, it says, “Little children abide in Him”, that means keep his commandment, “so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink back in shame.” Well, that’s when He appears. And then 1 Peter has some passages too that speak about at the revelation of Christ. That’s when our praise and glory and honor will come to us. So, there are some indications there that the appearance of Christ, well, at first glance you would assume that’d be at the Rapture or just shortly thereafter.

BOB: Okay, right. Now, by the way, the term, the Great White Throne, or the Great White Throne Judgment only occurs that one time in Revelation 20:11-15. But there are many references by the Lord to the fact that there is a coming judgment and that everyone will be judged according to their works. And the apostles also talk about that in the epistles. And so, there’s two separate judgments, as Clay mentions. The judgment for believers is called the Judgment Seat of Christ. That expression only occurs twice. It’s found in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, and Romans 14:10-12. Now, in the critical text, it says the Judgment Seat of God in Romans 14:10-12. But in the majority text it says the Judgment Seat of Christ. Either way, it’s talking about the same thing. But John talks about your day of judgment, 1 John 4:17-19, and that refers to the Judgment Seat of Christ. The Judgment Seat of Christ will be sometime between the Rapture and the beginning of the Millennium, so that when the Millennium starts, all those who have been chosen to rule and reign will be in position to rule and reign.

STEVE: You know, another thing that might come to bear here, and I know there’s a couple of good views on this that one could have. But in Revelation 4, there are many dispensational writers who would see 4:1 and following, when the Lord says come up here, exclamation mark, to John, that John’s representative of the church, and that that could be the Rapture. Many of the old writers like Gabelein, Chafer, Ironside and others, you know, took it that way. So if that pictures the Rapture, then later in chapter 4, actually on into chapter 5, the 24 elders are already rewarded. They’re crowned, they cast their crowns before Jesus as a salute. It seems to be an ongoing kind of salute they give. And it says in the majority text in Revelation 5, the 24 elders say, “For Thou hast redeemed us from every tribe and tongue and kindred nation.” So it seems that they’re representative of rewarded overcomers, the ones that are talked about in chapters 2 and 3.

BOB: Right. You know, my view is they are representative of that, but they aren’t that. I think they’re the 24 elders or angels representing the overcomers from both Israel and the Church. But either way, we know that the Judgment Seat of Christ is not to determine eternal destiny. That’s set the moment we believe in Christ. In fact, Jesus said in John 5:24, “He who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me, has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment” or could even be translated condemnation, “but has passed from death into life.” Believers won’t be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment.

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BOB: A judgment seat wasn’t just like an awards platform like at the Olympics. It was a place where judgment took place, and it could be judgment where negative consequences occurred. But at the Judgment Seat of Christ, the negative consequences will be things like being rebuked by Christ, and not being chosen to rule and reign, that kind of thing. But any grief that believers have at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be extremely short-lived, because we’re going to have glorified bodies, and we will be perfectly accepting that if we’re not going to reign with Christ, it’s not going to bum us forever. We’ll be like, okay, we’re not going to reign with Christ, but we’ll be with Him forever, 1 Thess 5:10. And by the way, the Great White Throne Judgment isn’t really about eternal destiny either. Do you have your Bible there? Look at Revelation 20:11-15. Read about the books and the book.

STEVE: “Then I saw a great white throne in Him who sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead”, notice it’s the dead who are there, “The dead, small and great, standing before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works”, I think King James has deeds, “by the things which were written in the books.”

BOB: So first of all, the people are judged by what’s in the books. But notice the basis of who’s sent to the lake of fire and who’s not, that’s verse 15.

STEVE: “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life, that other book, was cast into the lake of fire”.

BOB: So the book of works or deeds does not determine eternal destiny. That determines the degree of torment that people will experience in the lake of fire. But the Book of Life will determine eternal destiny. And we’re not told here, but obviously once someone believes in Christ, he’s in the Book of Life. And if a person dies never having believed in Christ for his eternal destiny, then that person doesn’t end up in the Book of Life until they’ll end up in the lake of fire. So Clay, I would urge you to study this issue out. There’s some good books. Zane Hodges wrote a book called Grace in Eclipse, dealing with rewards. I wrote one called The Road to Reward. There’s a book by Paul Benware called The Believer’s Payday. And we have lots of articles on our website. But it’s important to recognize that although everybody’s going to be judged according to our works, we’re going to reap what we’ve sown, none of that determines destiny. It’s, we’re judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ to determine our degree of reward. Unbelievers are judged at the Great White Throne Judgment to determine their degree of torment.

STEVE: And as we know from Scripture, both of the judgments are based on our works.

BOB: Right, they are based on works. Remember Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-27, “Then the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will recompense each according to His deeds.” Well, I don’t think that’s just talking about believers, even though He’s talking to the disciples there, it also refers to unbelievers.

STEVE: That’s an Old Testament truth too, that Paul quotes, for instance, in Romans, that everyone is going to be judged according to their deeds.

BOB: Right, yeah, you find this all through the Scriptures.

STEVE: Ecclesiastes.

BOB: Yeah, in fact, Ecclesiastes ends that way, doesn’t it? So what is it, chapter 12 verses 12 and 13, I think, do you have it there?

STEVE: “Fear God, keep His commandments for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

BOB: Also look at Daniel 12 verses 2 and 3. It talks about the resurrection and rewards.

STEVE: Yeah. “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall await”, by the way, a great Old Testament verse on resurrection, “some to everlasting life, and some to shame, and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine, like the brightness of the firmament”, that’ll be the stars, “and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

BOB: And by the way, the Lord alludes to that in Matthew, in a passage that’s a rewards passage. So that shows that this is an eternal rewards passage. Well, Clay, I think the main thing to keep in mind is, yes, there will be judgment after this life is over, both for believers and unbelievers, but the purpose of judgment of works is only to determine fair recompense. Jesus said in Matthew 10 and Matthew 11, it’ll be more tolerable for some in the day of judgment than for others. He’s alluding there to the Great White Throne Judgment. It’s going to be tolerable for all in the lake of fire, but more tolerable for some than others. The opposite would be true in terms of the Judgment Seat of Christ. It’ll be more glorious for some than for others, right? Some believers are going to have more abundant joy than others, but all believers are going to have joy. All unbelievers are going to have torment, but some will be more tolerable and some less tolerable.

STEVE: I used to have lunch with Zane Hodges, at least once a month, and I’d always bombard him with questions. But one day, I’m leaving his office and I say, “Zane, I always ask you questions, do you have one for me?” He says, “Okay, Steve, if Christ died for everyone’s sins, then why are some still sent to the lake of fire?” And without missing a beat, I said, “Because their names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. And he says, “Bingo.”

BOB: John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” So He’s made us all saveable, but that doesn’t mean He saved us. We have to believe to get everlasting life. Well, thanks Clay, and thank you all, and let’s all keep grace in focus. Amen.

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