In previous issues we have passed down along the line of time from the beginning of the "times of the Gentiles," about 606 B.C., all the way to the eternal state—the "new heavens and new earth." Now with the Lord's help we shall go back and notice some points that were either omitted or passed over with only brief mention.
Previously we considered our blessed hope—the expectation of soon hearing that shout in the air and being caught up, with all the redeemed, to meet our Lord in the air. That blessed moment is now nearer by some months than it was then. "Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." After considering the Lord's coming for His own, we followed future development of things on the earth, but now let us turn our thoughts to heaven and the "judgment seat of Christ."
"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 Cor. 5:10.
"For we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ [God; J.N.D. Trans.]... So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." (Rom. 14:10-12.)
The language is plain and conclusive. All must be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ. Man is a responsible creature and must give account to his Creator of everything he does. Not everyone, however, will be manifested at the same time or place. Christ, to whom all judgment has been committed (John 5:22, 27), will "judge the quick [living] and the dead" (2 Tim. 4:1), but not at the same time, nor will believers be manifested before Him together with unbelievers.
The scene in which saved ones are to be manifested will be in heaven (2 Cor. 5:10).
The living nations are to be judged on earth (Matt. 25:31-46), when He comes to reign.
The wicked dead are to be raised to stand before the great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15), at the close of the Millennium.
Many people have erroneously thought that there will be only one judgment seat, and that all people, saved and unsaved, will in a final judgment day stand before the bar of justice. Such error is often connected with the equally false idea that then and only then will people know who are saved and who are not. Now the Word of God does not teach that there will be a general judgment, but, on the contrary, carefully differentiates between the various judgments.
At the judgment seat of Christ in heaven only believers are to stand, and they are not to be there to find out whether they are saved or not. That will have been settled long before. Nor are they to be there to be judged, but rather to be "manifested," that is, to have all their works brought in review. Now this does not in the least contradict that blessed verse, John 5:24.
"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 condemnation [judgment]; but is passed from death unto life."
The believer in Christ shall never come into judgment. For him, the judgment for his sins is passed and gone. His blessed Substitute bore his sins and the judgment due to them, on the cross.
We can stand on the sure Word of God regarding the believer's perfect security before God. Yet it is also true that everyone who is saved is going to have every act done in the body brought out in the light before Him who will judge righteously.
We need also to remember then when the Lord comes for the believers, we shall all be changed. We shall receive bodies of glory, so that when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ we shall be "like Him." What judgment could there be for those who are already glorified and brought there by the Lord Himself who came to get us?
A beloved brother in Christ, now with the Lord, used to say: "It is like a family where all the children have been away to college. At last, summer comes and all the children come home for a happy reunion. Each one is welcomed home and all enjoy the father, mother, brothers, and sisters, and home; but after a few days the father of the family calls the children one by one to bring out their reports so they can go over the results of their work, to see how they spent their time when away at school. All is then gone over to receive the father's approval or disapproval."
When the Lord calls His own, not one shall be left behind. What a glorious and happy gathering that will be—to be with our Lord and all the redeemed in our Father's house! Are we then going to dread the manifestation that will follow shortly afterward? No, we shall not dread it; we shall desire it. Then all will be brought out in the light and we shall want it so. There will be no flesh in us then. We shall see all as Christ sees it. No hidden motive will warp our judgment in that day. At present hidden motives, almost unknown to ourselves, cast a strange light on what we do. Then, everything will be perfectly transparent. Blessed be God! He does give now the privilege of getting into His presence and judging ourselves there. Even though that is only feebly and partially done by us, we do know something of the happiness of having things out before God. "Blessed is the man... in whose spirit there is no guile" (Psalm 32:2).
May we seek to be more in a state of openness and transparency before God. And yet, we cannot trust our deceitful hearts, and have to say with the psalmist, "Who can understand his errors? cleanse Thou me from secret faults." Psalm 19:12.
Even the Apostle Paul who sought to keep always a conscience void of offense toward God and man, and could say that he knew nothing against himself (1 Cor. 4:4), that is, he was not conscious of anything wrong, quickly adds that his not knowing of anything that was wrong did not justify him. The Lord would be his judge. Have we not all proved even in this life that we were mistaken in our judgment of certain things? We have sometimes thought that we were right, only to discover later that we were wrong—influenced perhaps by some secret wish. Shall we not then see many things differently, when we fully understand and see all as God sees it?
When in that bright glory we stand before Him, with every roving thought gone, every earthly influence removed, and all fleshly desires banished, we shall see as never before the exceeding grace of God. As we see what we were in His light, we shall magnify Him who abounded toward us in all wisdom and love. Of course we shall see what we missed by walking "as men" and pleasing ourselves when we were "in the body" on earth. We shall discover what we lost by not being faithful to Him in the days wherein we had opportunity, but all such discoveries will but awaken praise to Him who so faithfully loved and cared for us in spite of what we were.
In that wondrous day we shall understand many things that we do not perceive now. When we see how near falling we were at times, and how He in His grace stepped in and hindered us from taking another step, we shall praise Him and adore Him. Some of the troubles and difficulties in our path will then be understood as His gracious preventatives and restoratives.
Then after the judgment seat of Christ, the Church will be presented to Christ as His bride. It will then be said, "The marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready." Rev. 19:7.
The making herself ready probably refers to the judgment seat of Christ where every single thing shall be brought out and forever cleared. The glorious bride will not have the slightest concealed thing to mar her perfect harmony and intimacy with her adorable Bridegroom.
Dear fellow Christian, may we seek to live more transparently before God now—to judge all in His presence—and to live in view of that day when every deed shall be brought out at the judgment seat of Christ. Surely these thoughts are wholesome for us now.
But when the Apostle Paul thought of the judgment, his mind turned to those who were unsaved, and who will have to stand before Christ to be judged. Then the thought of the "terror of the Lord" and the doom of the lost—this led him to warn and to "persuade men" (2 Cor. 5:11). May we also warn the unsaved to flee from the wrath to come.