On the Day of Jesus Christ, after the dead have been raised, after the church has been raptured, the Lord Jesus shall sit down on His unique judgment seat, where we will stand before Him individually to receive our rewards. This brings us back to the question, "Why a judgment seat?" If our sins are forgiven, and there is no penalty attached to them, what is the point of standing before Christ for a review of our lives? The incredibly good news for the believers is that this judgment seat is not for the purpose of punishment, but for the distributing of rewards for services rendered! Jesus declares, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work" (Revelation 22:12). In Revelation we read, "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood" (Revelation 1:5). You will be as though you had never committed sin. There will be no hell, no purgatory, no punishment nor even mention of our sins. This forgiveness wipes out all penalties associated with sin. John writes, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
WHEN DOES THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST TAKE PLACE SERIAL
And whether your sin is that of serial murder, or merely nagging your husband too much, the Bible makes it clear that the blood of Jesus Christ is of sufficient potency to cleanse, forgive, and remit all sins.
Forgiveness never comes to the deserving it is always for the undeserving.
Surely this man does not deserve to be forgiven!īut of course that is the point of forgiveness. His murders cut short the lives of precious young ladies, tore families apart, and left marks of grief that time will never heal. Now no doubt some would object to the idea of God forgiving a man who had committed such heinous crimes. In the years that followed he became a model prisoner, served as a chaplain's assistant, counseled troubled prisoners, and served as a bright light in a very dark place. His very demeanor changed and David Berkowitz gave every indication that he had been truly born again. He eventually gave his life to Christ and experienced a dramatic conversion. He was given a Bible and began to read it, especially in the book of Psalms. But while in prison a strange thing happened to this troubled man. What took you so long?"īerkowitz was sentenced to multiple life sentences and sent to prison. As they surrounded his car, his first words were, "You got me. For a year the city lived in fear until finally one day the police caught up with David. His real name was David Berkowitz, and he claimed that a powerful demon who possessed his neighbor's dog was giving him orders to kill women. Years ago a killer stalked the streets of New York who became known as the son of Sam. The blood of Christ washes us from our sins to such a degree that we are placed in a state as though we had never committed sin at all. The forgiveness provided for us through Jesus is thorough, complete, and goes far beyond a mere pardon. As Corrie Ten Boom used to say, "when we confess our sins, God casts them into the depths of the sea, and puts up a sign: NO FISHING ALLOWED." The Bible declares, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7). The question that arises for many is, "Why should there need to be such a judgment seat? Are we not forgiven of our sins? Are we to be punished for them after all?" The answer is that we are indeed forgiven of our sins upon receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior. Christ shall sit as Judge, and we shall stand before Him as the judgee. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Paul used this concept to describe what would take place in the life of each believer on the Day of Jesus Christ. In Paul's day, kings and city rulers sat on special seats or thrones known as judgment seats to give out rewards for athletes for their superior performances, and also to sit as judge over legal controversies and accusations. In this brief teaching we shall consider the third event of this amazing day – the judgment seat of Christ. Secondly the living believers will be transformed and taken from the earth in an instant, to be with Christ in the heavens. First, the bodies of those who have died in Christ will be raised and perfected, and will clothe the spirits of the saints. On this amazing Day, unlike any other day in earth's history, three great events will occur. In Paul's epistles, the apostle made reference again and again to the Day of Jesus Christ.