The Judgment Seat of Christ

Hamer Bay, Ontario – October 11, 2008

I would like to speak about the subject of the judgment seat of Christ this afternoon. While its broadest application includes believers and unbelievers, it is on the believers' side that I want to limit my observations.

The judgment seat of Christ in connection with believers is an event that will take place right after we are called to be with the Lord at His coming – the rapture. After we are taken to the Father's house, we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to have our lives reviewed and evaluated by the Lord Himself.

Let us look first of all at Rev. 19:7-8, "Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And it was given [granted] to her to be clothed in fine linen, pure and resplendent; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." [See Note 1]. This verse does not mention the judgment seat of Christ directly, but it is implied in the fact that the way in which the bride (the church) has conducted herself on earth is reflected in what is "given" to her to wear for "the marriage of the Lamb." At the judgment seat, the results of our lives will be "granted" to us, and they will be seen at that moment and throughout the millennial day. The point I would like to highlight here is that she "makes herself ready" for that occasion. This means that what we do NOW in our lives affects how we will appear on that day. This should be an exercise for all of us.