The Judgment Seat Of Christ

By God’s grace and our faith we are saved and our names are placed into the Book of Life and we are then responsible for keeping our Father’s commandments. And very interestingly the last two chapters of the Bible record how three groups of Saints were judged for their works at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Two of these groups were sentenced to live forever in the Eternal Age on the New Earth and walk in the light of the City of God that has come down from heaven to earth. One of these two groups was found obedient in keeping their Father’s commandments and: blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the City. (Rev. 22:14) But the other group was found wicked and disobedient and they have no right to the tree of life nor may they enter into the City of God. (Rev. 22:14) So: without (The City of God) are dogs, sorcerers and whoremongers and murders and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.(Rev.22:15) And the Apostle Paul had warned the Saints of Corinth decades earlier about the severe punishment in heaven for disobedience and said: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9 & Ephesians 5:5) Later we will see that the names of God’s disobedient children are blotted out of the Book of Life.

And finally, a third group of Saints were judged worthy to live in the City of God and to rule and reign with Jesus as his Bride. They are the Overcomers that Jesus had promised: would sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne, Rev.3:21. They are further described in Rev. 22: 3-5 as follows: the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it (City of God) and his servants shall serve him. And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. …. and they shall reign forever and ever.

So the Bible is clear from beginning to end that God’s children are required to keep their Father’s commandments and if they do keep his commandments, according to Jesus in Matthew 5:19, they will be great in heaven and if they do not keep his commandments, they will be the least in heaven. So obedience in this world after one is saved determines his status in the next world because Saints are God’s “workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

And now God is watching and recording his children’s works and he will reward or punish them, in heaven, accordingly just as Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.

And 2 Corinthians 5:10-11, likewise, says: We (Christians) labour, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of God. For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.

And Jesus, himself, said: Behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. Rev. 22:12

And Acts 24:15 further warns the Christian that there will be two resurrections of the Saved: one of the just and one of the unjust.

And Daniel 12:2 describes the two resurrections as follows: Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

And 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 further warns disobedient Saints that: if any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. In other words, if a Christian is so wicked after he is saved that all of his works burn up he not only suffers a loss of rewards in heaven, he is physically punished by fire.

And Hebrews 10:26 repeats this fiery warning as follows: If we (Christians) sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries. (And the context continues to verses 30&31 to say) The Lord shall judge his people and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.