The Judgement

I believe both Matt 24:31-46 and Rev. 20:11-15 are the same judgment day.

Bible teaches us, there will be one future judgment day follow at the Second Coming at the end of the world.

Early Church believed there will be one judgment day. None of them were teaching two or three different judgment days. Because, these were not yet exist doctrine in their time.

Because, dispensationalism, itself was not developed till 19th century. Darby invented that, God have two different programs for Israel and Church relate with end times.

So, therefore, dispensationalism teaching there will be two or three judgment days in the future.

Historical premills believe in two future judgment days- Judgment Day(sheep and goats) at Second Coming, and then later second Judgment Day - 'great white throne' for all unsaved people at end of millennial.

Disp premills believe in three future judgment days - 1. judgment seat of Christ for "Church" only at rapture at the beginning of Seven Year Tribulation Period 2. Judgment of Nations(sheep and goat) at Second Coming 3. Great White Throne- for all unsaved people only at end of millennial.

I am Amill. I can see clear in the Bible teaching us there will be one future judgment day follow at the Second Coming at the end of this present age.

There is no difference between 'bema' and 'throne', both are same definition words. Bema means throne or seat.

'Judgment of seat(bema) is NOT always positive, also for "rewards" only. It could also be negatives included.

I would like to show you verses or a passage mentioned on 'bema'(seat).

In Matthew 27:17-26 talking about Jesus Christ was brought to face before the seat of Pilate before His crucify.

Notice verse 19 says, "When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him." Word, 'seat' in Greek word says, 'bema' with Greek number #968.

The context of Matt. 27:17-26 say nothing of reward. It is about the decision and consequence. What Jesus would received. Pliate and his wife both knew that Jesus was innocence and just, do no wrong. But he allowed people to decide. They shouted to Pliate that they wanted Jesus to be crucified. Jerusalem was controled by Roman Army. Under Roman's law, person who committe crime, must put to be executed by put on the cross to be crucify.

Jesus faced Pilate sitted on the seat for the judgment, what He received the result.

Also, notice in Romans 14:10, says, 'the judgment seat of Christ'. The word 'seat' in Greek word says, 'bema'. In common sense, it means throne.

There is no difference between 'bema' or seat and 'throne', both are same same meaning.

Therefore, the Bible telling us very clear that, there will be one judgement day for all nations, both saved and unsaved all shall stand before the seat of Christ to judge them follow at His coming at the end of this present age.

In Christ
Rev. 22:20 -Amen!

 

Hello Marcia, may I offer a thought or two?

There are actually many "judgments" executed upon mankind in the Scriptures, the flood was one example where the judgment was universal, Sodom and Gomorrah was an example of a judgment that was local, and King Nebuchadnezzer was an example of the judgment of an individual. So we can look into the Scriptures and find numerous examples of God foretelling and executing judgment, not just 2, 3 or 4.

But I do see two judgments that are unique in Scripture, the judgment of the Law for example (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68; see also Moses' prophecy about this judgment in Deuteronomy 31:28-30:43). This judgment is often spoken of as "the curse of the Law" and it is this judgment that the vast majority of the Scriptures speak of, both Old and New Testaments. But that judgment, spelled out in the Law and later elaborated upon by the prophets, only applied to that people or nation who had covenanted with God at Sinai to keep it, and that was the nation of Israel. So the judgment of the Law was not a universal judgment of all men, but only of the nation of Israel. And, sadly, we all know too well from the Old Testament itself just how often Israel did in fact break covenant with God, at times even falling into idolatry and worshipping demons! In fact, at one point in their history Israel fell into such depravity that they actually took their firstborn male children that they had covenanted with God to give to Him, and they burned those children alive in fire as an offering to Baal, something even God said had never entered his mind that they would do. And for that gross sin God swore a terrible destruction upon that nation who was guilty of it, even foretelling that He would one day fill this valley where they had made these hellish sacrifices with the corpses of their dead bodies which would be left unburied to be eaten by the beasts of the earth and the fowls of the air. That place was the Valley of Hinnom, also called "GeHenna" and is translated in the KJV as "hell." This particular punishment, with all it's grapic details, as well as the whole judgment of the Law, was fulfilled against the nation of Israel in the 7-year Roman/Jewish war which destroyed the nation of Israel and brought Old Covenant worship to an end. So many of the prohecies about the "last days," and the "end times" was talking about the last days and end times of the Old Covenant, which came to pass in the generation of Jesus' first coming and explains a lot of those "this generation shall not pass until all be fulfilled," and "behold, I come quickly," and "things which must soon come to pass." These referred to events that were imminent and did in fact come to pass in that generation.

In fact, the New Testament opens with a warning from John the Baptist that this time of judgment was at hand (Matthew 3:1-12)

"O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruit meet for repentance . . . And now also the axe is laid unto the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water, but one cometh after me who is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

The generation who heard these words, and the words of Jesus who also warned his generation of the coming judgment, saw that judgment come to pass exactly as the Law and the Prophets foretold. The historian Josephus tells us that at one point during the siege of the city of Jerusalem, the Roman General Titus was riding around the city and came upon this ancient valley of Hinnom. What he saw there we can only imagine, but Josephus records that the entire valley was choked and oozing with dead, rotting corpses. There had been so many Jews killed by the conflict between the various Zealot factions and many thousands more literally starved to death, that there was not enough room to bury them all, nor were there enough healthy people left to carry out the task, so they simply threw the dead bodies over the southern wall into the valley below filling the valley with these unburied corpses left to be food for the beasts of the earth and the fowls of the heavens, just as the Law and the Prophets had foretold (see Deuteronomy 28:26, Jeremiah 7:29-33 and Revelation 19:17-21 which speaks of this morbid feast as "the supper of the great God."

This judgment, the judgment of the Law against those who were under the Law in the last days of the Law Covenant, has been fulfilled. It had to be fulfilled because the Old Covenant could not pass away until every jot and tittle was fulfilled, and the judgment (or curse) of the Law against sin certainly made up a lot of those jots and tittles.

There remains now only one more judgment, the "final judgment" which will occur at the second coming of Jesus at the end of the world.

So to my mind, when we read the New Testament and those Scriptures which speak of a coming judgment, I think we have to keep in mind that there was a judgment that was indeed coming upon that New Testament generation that would only fall upon those who were under the Law, the nation of Israel. And surely that judgment and destruction of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel, not to mention the entire Old Covenant religion coming to an end and everything that God had provided for the observance of the Old Covenant being wiped out, surely that judgment was uppermost in the minds of the Jewish prophets as well as foremost in the minds of Jesus and the Apostles who knew that judgment was about to be fulfilled upon those to whom they preached. That's why Jesus said the disciples would not have gone over the entire country of Israel preaching the Gospel before the end would come, referring to the end of the Old Covenant, not the end of the world.

The final judgment at the 2nd Advent and the end of the world was much less immediate in both the Old and New Testament days, so it got a lot less press, so to speak.

For this and many other reasons I believe Matthew 25 is part of the whole discourse Jesus gave on the judgment of the Law that was soon to be passed upon that generation ("Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees . . . how shall ye escape the damnation of [GeHenna}?) which begins with Matthew 23 and concludes with Matthew 25. So yes, it was speaking of a particular judgment, the judgment of the Law, which only applied to Israel, but which was fulfilled in that generation when the Old Covenant passed away.

The only judgment that remains will be the "final judgment" under the New Covenant which, again, will occur at the 2nd Coming of Jesus at the end of the world when every human being that has ever lived will be resurrected to stand before Jesus and either be consumed by the lake of fire or purged and made clean by it.

In Christ,
Pilgrimer

 

Your view of Matt 25 does not make sense -- why does Jesus speak to the nations about how they treated his (Jesus') "brothers?"

This is not a judgment on Israel but on nations' treatment of Israel, even if you disagree on when it takes place. There is nothing about the Law in that passage.

I am not totally sold on this view, I am just trying to point out it is one view among many. If you google this, you will find at least 5 or 6 different interpretations of this passage! Some believe it has to do with judgment after the Tribulation; some say it's a judgment of how nations treat their poor; some say it's about who reigns in the MK; some believe it's how nations treated Israel; others have other views.

One can, of course, assume that Reformed people will reject the view I'm proposing because of their view of Israel (acc. to what I understand from their view).

But so far, none of the views offered here have convinced me that they are the right ones. Sorry!