Now that the fake judgment day, May 21st, has come and gone without a ripple (or a rapture for that matter), let’s talk a bit about the real Judgment Days. That’s right, according to the Bible, there are two of them.
There’s a Judgment Day for the believers that the Apostle Paul nicknamed “the judgment seat of Christ” in 2 Corinthians 5:10. And there’s a Judgment Day for unbelievers that Christians have nicknamed “the great white throne judgment” based on Revelation 20:11-15. Each of these judgment days is intense and awe-inspiring, but they each serve a different and dynamic purpose.
Here’s the bottom line difference: the judgment seat of Christ is a rewarding stand for the believer while the great white throne judgment is a criminal court of law where sentences of everlasting destruction are passed out. This conclusion is not only clear contextually but with the actual Greek words used to describe each judgment.
The word “bema” is what Paul uses to describe the judgment seat each believer must stand before someday. It’s the stand where Olympic judges evaluated who won the race in the Greek Olympics. It was the stand where each winner of each race would stand after the race and be rewarded.
Bema smacks of reward. In 2 Corinthians 5:10 Paul writes, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” This is where we get rewarded for serving Christ. Don’t get me wrong; every believer will be equally loved in heaven (Matthew 11:11), but not every believer will be equally rewarded.
You see this clearly in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 when Paul paints a scenario of the judgment seat of Christ, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”
Here you see that some believers will receive their reward for a life well lived for God (gold, silver, costly stones) while other believers will enter into heaven with little reward and their clothes smelling like smoke (got that line from the great J. Vernon McGee.) But whether a lot or a little, Paul said, “Therefore, judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:5
Now please don’t misunderstand the meaning of the judgment day for the believer. We are not saved by our good deeds. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes that crystal clear. We are saved by faith alone in Christ alone based on his death on our behalf on the cross. We believe, and we receive the free gift of eternal life. But after we believe and receive, we can then achieve all of the rewards he has stored up for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-4).
Some of you more pious ones may be clucking your tongue and saying to yourself, “Well, I’m not motivated by rewards. I’m motivated by my love for Jesus.” Be careful. Jesus himself commanded us to store these rewards up when he said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
What should we do about Judgment Day if we are believers? Let us be fueled by it! Let us live everyday in light of that Day. Let us reach as many as we can before it’s too late. After describing Judgment Day, Paul declared, “Therefore, because of the fear of the Lord, we persuade men…” 2 Corinthians 5:11. Reach your friends, classmates, teammates, family members, co-workers, and neighbors before that great and awesome Day.
On the other side of the Judgment Day coin is the great white throne judgment…
