“The throne of His glory” on earth, where the living nations shall be gathered before Him— “the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” (Matt. 25:31-4631When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:31‑46).)
The “great white throne,” where “the dead, small and great,” from land and sea, shall “stand before God.” (Rev. 20:11-1511And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11‑15).)
The tribunal of the judgment seat of Christ, before which Christ’s own people shall be manifested, is the object of our present consideration. When this tribunal is set up, “the first resurrection,” that “of life,” will have taken place, and the saints shall be glorified. Hence with Christ, and made like Him, the people of Christ shall stand before Him, and thus at the very threshold of the subject the believer is privileged to dismiss all craven fear from the heart as he engages his thoughts with Christ, our Judge.
Let us note some of the words of Scripture which entitle us to approach this consideration without fear.
The believer shall not be judged at the great white throne.
Jesus has said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24).) These words of His occur in a discourse, which teaches us that every human being must have to do with Him, either as the Life-giver, or as the Judge. All men who are in their graves, He tells us, will be called forth by Him either to the resurrection of life, or to the resurrection of judgment (verses 28, 29), but those who hear His words now in the day of salvation, and who have Him as their Life, shall not come into judgment. These will be reckoned among the “blessed and the holy... who have part in the first resurrection.” (Rev. 20:66Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6).) Over them “the second death hath no power” (verse 6), and Christ, our Life, has Himself told us “they are passed from death unto life.”
Our future destiny depends upon our having, or our not having, Christ as our Life in this world. The dead who will be assembled before the great white throne will be judged, every man, according to his works, and unless we have eternal life, we can only have part in the second death. Is Christ our Life? If not, our works, though, as men would speak, good, are but dead works. All such works will be utterly unavailing before the great white throne. Is Christ our Life? Then our name is written in the book of life. “Not come into judgment,” “never perish,” are words that give confidence, for to come before the great white throne is but to perish.
God’s perfect love gives boldness in the day of judgment.
The Scripture further assures us that God’s perfect love casts out fear. “Herein is love with us” (margin) “made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:1717Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. (1 John 4:17).) We are God’s children, and as is Christ, who has borne our sins and is ascended on high, so are we. We are granted the most absolute assurance as we contemplate judgment, for Christ Himself in glory is presented to us as the measure of our confidence, for as He is, so are we in this world. Unless we are resting in Christ our Life, and in the love of our God and Father, we shall be unable rightly to contemplate judgment; nay, we shall be filled with fear as to the eternal future, instead of being anxious that we now may be acceptable to the Lord.
We can only touch upon this great theme, and will suffice ourselves with a few words on work and ways.
Rewards will be granted.
In ordinary things we use the idea of a judge both towards criminals and towards competitors, both in respect of sentencing to punishment and of awarding prizes. Competitors occupy a very different place before their judge from criminals before theirs; competitors occupy a worthy place. The believer will never stand as a criminal before Christ, his Judge, but rather, if we may so express it, as a competitor for His “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Yet the prize of His approval shall not be given as the prizes of earth are awarded, to merely a few who have excelled their fellows, but to all who have pleased their Lord. A cup of cold water given to a disciple of Christ in Christ’s name shall not lose its reward in that day. Jesus will not forget one single act of love done in His name. The question is, Is Christ pleased? On the other hand, very much that is recognized on earth as good Christian service will be utterly rejected in that day. “Every man’s work shall be made manifest... and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” (1 Cor. 3:12-1512Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12‑15).) Some “shall receive a reward”—some “shall suffer loss.” The bad workman shall be saved—the bad work shall perish; “He himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.” The good workman’s good work shall “abide.”
We may say, without the remotest lack of charity, that very much of so-called Christian work is not intended for lasting purposes. Eternity, not to speak of the Master’s pleasure, does not enter into the question of very much religious effort. The Lord says, “I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should abide.” (John 15:1616Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. (John 15:16).) Hence, the Christian should seek that His work may be pleasing to his Master and Judge.
Motives and secrets shall be manifested.
Many of us are so very insignificant as servants of Christ that we are almost apt to forget the importance of our little work before Him. But it is not merely as servants we shall stand before Him, we shall be manifested as to our ways. Each one shall have to give an account of himself to God. We are transparent to Him now—we shall be transparent to ourselves then. In this light of His presence we shall see ourselves as He sees us. There shall be no secrets then. All shall be out in the light of His holiness. The most holy Christian is he who is most truly walking according to the light, and is shone through and through by the light; And what shall be our own sentence on ourselves and our sins in that day? We can be righteously severe upon the sins of others now, but then we shall judge ourselves truly. There will be none of the unholy excuses in our hearts then, which so often now are advanced to cover some wrong doing or saying; no, we shall view ourselves with the eye of our Lord. Yet, there will be no fear, for His perfect love will cast out fear as we review our past. We shall be in the glory, and shall be glorified with Him on that day, but we shall bow according to His perfect judgment.
The Christian should keep the reality before his soul, of the coming day, when Christ will be his Judge, for when faith dwells upon it the contemplation induces to godliness, righteousness and truth.
The tribunal of the throne of His glory shall be set up on the earth when He comes again “in His glory” to establish His rule over this earth, for He shall reign in righteousness, and shall “send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.” (Matt. 13:4141The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (Matthew 13:41).) Then He will reign the King of Jehovah upon His holy hill of “Zion.” (Psa. 2:66Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. (Psalm 2:6).)
The tribunal of the judgment of the great white throne will occur after “the earth and the heaven” have “fled away; and there was found no place for them.”
Eternity, as we speak, shall have begun then for the sons of men. The “resurrection of judgment” shall have taken place; this world and its concerns shall be then things of the past, and for those who have lived and died without Christ, judgment shall usher in an eternity without Christ, for “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”