[Shark's Cove, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii]
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." - 2 Corinthians 5:10
Some call it the "Bema" Seat of Christ. Most of us are more familiar with just the term Judgment Seat of Christ. The term Bema comes from way back in Biblical times at the Olympics then, where a judge sat on what they called the Bema seat at the finish line of the races. The judge would determine who came in first or second, and on down the line, and then give out the rewards accordingly. It is a fitting example of when we face our Judge at the end of our life or right after the Rapture of true believers, when we receive our reward (or not) from the good Lord.
If you are a born again true believer in the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ and believe in and follow Him, there is no reason to be afraid of this judgment. It is a time for Christians to receive their rewards. It does not determine salvation; which was accomplished and determined by Christ's sacrifice on our behalf on the cross at Calvary and our faith in Him. (John 3:16).
It is the Great White Throne Judgment of unrepentant sinners at the end of all things that wicked men should fear. Please read about this Judgment at Revelation 20:11-15.
Revelation 20:15 says, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
The following by prophecywatchers.com is excellent information on this subject. Host Gary Stearman interviews Sam Hoyt, an author who has written on the Judgment Seat of Christ.
I listen to pastors on line and watch their videos, and the ones that appeal to me most are the ones who are not afraid to "tell it like it is". True doctrine, even if it hurts in its bluntness in order to correct a life gone astray. One major problem in most churches today is watered down sermons, with no depth and no motivation for anyone to commit their lives in full surrender to the good Lord. In other words, a watered down gospel to appeal to the masses and "tickle their ears" - giving the people what they want to hear instead of what the Holy Word of God admonishes us to do; what kind of life we should be living. A holy and dedicated life to God and Jesus. If my articles on this blog seem harsh sometimes, particularly where worldly professing Christians are concerned, it is because I belong to the school of telling it like it is, wheretheWord of God is concerned. Its done out of love - tough love - so that no one loses their souls. Many Christians do not read their Bibles and do not realize how God hates for us to be worldly. (James 4:4)
If you are a true, born again believer in Jesus Christ the Savior, you cannot lose your soul because the moment you believe in Him, you are sealed forever as a child of God. But there are many who are not truly saved who profess to be Christians; they think, perhaps, that just a head knowledge (purely an intellectual concept) of Jesus will be all that is needed to get to heaven. So they are worldly, and many do not know any better. We need to mentor them and help them to a right relationship with the Lord.
I took a long and winded way to introduce the next video by Leonard Ravenhill, a pastor who passed away in 1994. He was from Britain and moved to the United States in 1950. Ravenhill told the truth of God's Word with passion and accuracy and he did not water down the Holy Word. Here is a 12 minute sermon clip by him on the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Here are some quotes by Ravenhill:
"There are only two kinds of persons: those dead in sin and those dead to sin."
"No man is greater than his prayer life."
"I doubt that more than two percent of professing Christians in the United States are truly born again."
"A man who is intimate with God is not intimidated by man."
[Just a note here, my computer is acting up and will not let me correct errors - it especially will not let me separate words that are run together. I apologize if it is distracting.]
Talking about the Judgment Seat of Christ at this time is very appropriate because Jesus will return very soon to rapture true Christians to heaven to be with Him for all eternity.
Are you Rapture ready?
To be ready for the Lord's return, you need to be a born again believer in the sacrifice of Christ at Calvary.
You need to admit that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior.
You need to believe in Jesus with all of your heart and mind and soul; that He truly is the Savior of all who put their faith and trust in Him.
You need to call on the name of the Lord and commit your life to him.
Romans 10:9,10, 13 tells us (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10)For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Have a blessed and Christ centered weekend....... and life !!
