Jesus will first judge all believers in heaven at the bema judgment seat of Christ to hand out rewards earned by good works on earth. Some confusion about the judgment of all men by Jesus Christ stems from the fact there’s not one judgment but two judgments, at two different times for two different groups of people. Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. Everyone will get exactly what they deserve for their works done in the body.Ģ Corinthians 8:12 – For if there is first a willing mind, it is acceptable according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.Ģ Corinthians 5:21 – For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Everyone will get equal treatment and all will be treated fairly. Like the Father, Jesus will also judge, “without respect of persons.” The attributes of Jesus Christ as the Son of God guarantee that all the evidence will be gathered and carefully evaluated whether you’re the Pope or a poor beggar on the street. The Bible says that Jesus is the “righteous judge,” and therefore all of his judgments will be fair and they will be final. He who was judged has the right to judge all humanity because he is both the Sovereign and the Savior. Jesus Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb of God who died and rose again. Jeremiah 32:19 – You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. John 5:26-27 – (Jesus speaking) – For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. God did this because of his love, mercy and justice. When Jesus died for our sins God committed all judgment of man to his Son based on Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross for us. Jesus Christ is the one true righteous judge of mankind. Nobody will have to appear before Allah or any of the other false gods because they’re all fake. All the men who have ever lived will have to appear before Jesus Christ for judgment. Second, the decision of the judge sitting on the bema judgment seat was final. Pilate’s authority, for instance, came directly from Caesar. First, the person in the bema seat doing the judging had “authority” given to him by a higher authority or the ruler. There were two characteristics of the bema judgment seat that people today don’t realize but everyone in Jesus’ day fully understood them. Matthew 5:16 – (Jesus speaking) – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Jeremiah 17:10 – I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. In the Roman coliseum Caesar sat on the bema judgment seat and gave a thumbs up or thumbs down to indicate whether the losing gladiator lived or died. When Pilate condemned Jesus to crucifixion he did it from the bema judgment seat. From there he watched the games and awarded prizes to the winners. In sporting events the umpire or judge presided from a raised platform which was also called the bema seat. Earthly bemas were raised platforms on which rulers or judges sat to make speeches or adjudicate legal cases. In ancient times, the “bema” was a step or platform used in political and athletic arenas. People living today don’t have a clue what that means but the people living in Palestine in the first century knew exactly what was meant by the term, “bema judgment seat.” That’s why the Apostle Paul used it in his analogy of Jesus judging all believers after they are in heaven.Īcts 12:21 – So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.Īcts 18:12 – When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat. Let’s use the bema judgement seat of Christ as a good example. The Bible uses parables, metaphors and analogies that were recognized and understood by the people living in the times the Scriptures were written. The New Testament is almost 2000 years old and the Old Testament is much older (1400 BC to 400 BC). Any time you read the Bible you need to interpret the books in the context of the society, culture and time in which they were written, along with the intended audience.
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