Chapter VI
Secrets Of the Bema Seat
Or
-Here Comes The Judge-
We mapped out the Secret Battle for the Bible because I want you to know what is at stake, and why I place such a high value on the fact we must have an absolute final authority on this earth. I believe we do have an absolute authority, and it is the preserved Word of God that was derived from the Received Text. If the Bible is true (and it is), we will be accountable to the Bible in “that day.”
There is coming a day in which every believer, from the ascension of Christ until the “catching away” (rapture) of the church, will be brought before a judgment. That judgment is called the judgment seat of Christ. This judgment will be a very specific time of accountability. In a moment we will look at the Bible’s description of this event, and then we will break it up into digestible pieces. This is one of those battlegrounds in which Satan is deeply entrenched; he won’t give up without using all the weapons he has at his disposal. So, we must be prepared to stand the fiery trials that will come our way as we remain faithful to the truth.
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Rev. 12:9
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
It never ceases to amaze me as to how many people are willing to stay blinded by the barrenness of a fruitless, busy life. Satan wants us to remain ignorant as to the specifics of God’s plan for our lives. Do you remember what I said earlier? We only have a slice of time to make an eternal difference. So the question remains – what are you doing with the slice of time you have been given to glorify God? I do want you to know that when I use the phrase “glorify God,” I am not alluding to a vague idea but to a very specific ideology as it pertains to our purpose while on this planet and eternity future. It is more than just being able to recite – the now famous – five purposes that should “drive” believers; it is knowing and understanding, the principles and goals of true Biblical discipleship!
Accidental Rendezvous
When I progress to show you the simplicity of God’s universal plan for man, it will blow you away. A question will arise from the depths of your soul and will go something like this… “That is so clearly stated; why have I never heard any of this before now?” Believe me, I know the feeling intimately. I remember when Ken sat me down and explained this truth to me (June of nineteen ninety-six). What he said to me has reverberated in my ears till this very day.
I was sitting on his oversized sofa located in the middle of the closed in patio to the back of his home, while he and Karin (his wife) were clearing away the dishes of the fabulous dinner we just enjoyed. I was admiring the southwestern style objects that he used to decorate the patio area. Ken’s ancestry is native-American, and it shows in most of his decor. He came into the room, sat in the recliner just across from me and said, “Mark, take out your Bible – I would like to show you something that redirected my thinking about why we do ministry.” We flipped our Bibles open to I Corinthians 3:9-14 and began reading 1 Cor. 3:9-15.
The Bema story begins….
Here Comes The Judge
The stage is set, and the pivotal point for human existence is at hand. Jesus is sitting on His high and exalted throne, and calls for one of His brethren to approach His presence. With an amazing display of omnipotence that we cannot fully comprehend, every good deed in which this believer has ever taken part since accepting Christ as his personal Savior begins appearing before the Glory of the Lord. Then, Jesus holds up His standard (The Word of God) against this man’s deeds, and something incredible transpires before his, and our, very eyes.
The Future Bema Seat (The Believer’s Judgment)
At this moment, imagine being transported forward in time to witness this awesome event in heaven. As we arrive on the scene, we wait with breathless anticipation as to what will occur next. While watching, we notice that the throne on which Jesus is sitting begins to glow with an intense brightness to a point that rays, like fire, come through the throne and out of the eyes of Jesus. The rays of light quickly make contact with the man’s “good works” that are hovering directly before Him.
The Final Exam
The rays, coming from the eyes of Jesus, are so bright that we temporarily lose our ability to see. Our vision slowly returns, and we look back to where the rays made contact with the “deeds” to find there is still a remnant of “good works” before the throne. But, just below the “good works” lay a heap of ashes. As we are wondering what just happened, we hear the voice of Jesus speaking with a combination of tenderness and authority; He begins to execute His Word as it relates to His brother standing before Him. Please take note that, even though we are the sons of God, we are also the brothers and sisters of Jesus. The Bible says that we are “Joint Heirs of Jesus Christ.”
Romans 8:17 “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
As the Lord is speaking, it occurs to us that the words are as expressed in the Bible. We stand motionless as we hear Him say, “Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Christ Jesus.” At that instant, it dawns on us that the person speaking is the very Word of God expressed in bodily form; He can do nothing except EXECUTE HIS WORD. He is executing His Word because that is what HE IS; He can do nothing else. He is the Word incarnate (John 1:1-12).
As we look at the ashes lying on the floor, we hear a voice coming from before the throne asking Jesus what was wrong with the “good works” that were burned to a heap of ashes. The man said that he did everything that his spiritual leaders told him to do. He said that he even gave twenty-four percent of his income to the Lord while giving another ten percent to mission’s projects. He informed the Lord that he was a deacon, a Sunday school teacher, sang in the choir and ensemble, went out on visitation, kept the nursery (when no one else would), was a Biblical scholar, and the list just goes on and on until…at last…he has nothing more to add in his defense. He would soon realize that the “good works” he accumulated, that did not measure up to God’s purpose, were only wood, hay and stubble. They couldn’t possibly stand against the fire of God’s justice.
Jesus listens to his earnest pleading for over a full hour without uttering a single word. The judgment hall falls silent as Jesus began His response by executing His Word out of I Corinthians 3:12-15. “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; [13] Every 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. [14] If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. [15] If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
“Dear Marc,” Jesus said while looking compassionately into His pleading brother’s questioning eyes, “It is not what you do, but why you do what you do that matters. It is the motive that underscores the validity of your actions.” To this, the voice standing before the throne asked, “But where did you ever outline the specifics of what you required of me? I never heard about the specifics of what it means to glorify you! I never heard about it in my Christian academy, at my place of higher education in ministry, books about our “purpose,” or at any church I attended as a faithful member.”
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markharrell