Judgement Awaits All Believers

Romans 14:10-12 “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  (11)  For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God."  (12) So, then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”

 We have seen thus far that believers will not experience the judgement of condemnation that the unbelievers will incur, for we have already passed from death to life. Nevertheless scripture also clearly teaches us that as believers, we will be judged. In the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit is speaking to believers when He tells us that we will all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. And so we see that as believers, although we will not be judged with regards to our salvation, for the blood of Jesus has already saved us, nevertheless it is our works which will be judged on that day, for the Holy Spirit clearly tells us that each one of us will give an account of ourselves to our Lord Jesus on that day.

James 2:12-13 “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.  (13)  For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit through the apostle James very clearly tells us that we as believers will be judged. He goes on in this passage to tell us that as believers, we are to conduct our lives on earth in a manner that will meet the required benchmark by which we will be judged. The benchmark that he refers to is the law of liberty, which is the New Covenant. The fact that the Holy Spirit mentions that we should show mercy to others in this life so that we can expect to receive mercy on that day, gives us a little bit of insight as to what our day of judgement will be like. In other words, for various reasons, some of us will need the Lord to be merciful to us on our day of judgement.

2 Corinthians 5:9-11 “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.  (10)  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.  (11) Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.”

The above quoted passage of scripture is written to believers, not to unbelievers. In this passage the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul teaches us that all believers should make it their aim to live lives that are well pleasing to the Lord. He says that the reason we should do this is because we all must appear before the judgement seat of Christ to receive the things we have done in the body. In other words we will receive from the Lord on that day according to our works (Revelation 2:23). I want you to notice that the Holy Spirit teaches us that we will be judged according to the works that we have done “in the body”. What that means is that it is only the works done in this life that will be judged; for once the saints leave this life they cease from their works and enter into the Lord’s rest (Hebrews 4:10). I also want you to notice that in this passage of scripture that the Holy Spirit reveals to us that we will receive from the Lord what we have done in this life, “both good and bad”. Make no mistake; the believers’ judgement will be completely thorough and also completely impartial, for God shows favouritism to no man.

Daniel 12:13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”

In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit reveals to us three important truths about the saints that fall asleep in the Lord. The context of this passage is that the angel Gabriel had appeared to Daniel the prophet to show him a vision of the end times, and this was the closing statement made by the angel to Daniel in the vision. The first truth revealed in this passage is that all saints that go to be with the Lord Jesus when they die enter into rest, for in this passage the angel Gabriel told Daniel that when he came to the end of his time on the earth that he would enter into his rest. In other words no saints in heaven are doing any work, but rather they are resting from their labours. The second truth revealed is that the saints that fall asleep in the Lord will rise again at the end of the days. In other words they will be raised from the dead at the first resurrection which will take place at our Lord’s second coming (Revelation 20:5). The third truth revealed by the angel Gabriel is that the saints will only receive their inheritance at that resurrection, for he told Daniel that he will arise to his inheritance at the end of the days. And so the reason that Daniel will only receive his inheritance at the first resurrection is because it is only then that the saints’ works will be judged, and it is only as a result of our works being judged that we will receive our rewards from the Lord.

Revelation 14:13 “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' ““Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labours, and their works follow them.”

All the saints who have gone to be with the Lord in heaven are resting from their works, for their time for works has ended. In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit clearly teaches us that all who die in the Lord Jesus go to Him to rest from their labours and that their works will follow them. When one rests from their labours it means exactly that. In other words, clearly there are no saints working in heaven today. The Holy Spirit cannot make it any plainer than that. The reason that our works follow us to heaven is because people follow us to heaven, because the works that we do while on the earth is to build into the lives of others (1 Corinthians 3:12). And so when we go to be with the Lord, those whom we have ministered to while on the earth will eventually follow us to be with Him, which is why our works will only be judged at the end of the age.

Revelation 6:9-11 “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.  (10)  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"  (11)  Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”

It is important to note that those who fall asleep in Christ do not stand before the judgment seat of Christ, for the bible plainly teaches us that when believers go to be with the Lord Jesus that they rest from their works. In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit reveals to us that all those who have been martyred for the Lord Jesus are currently resting in heaven under the altar of God, and not before the judgement seat of Christ. In this passage we see that they have been told to continue resting until the time that all of their number would have been completed. That number has not yet been completed, for there are many more of the Lord’s saints that are still to be martyred for their faith in Him. And so the saints that are resting under the altar of God include all the Lord’s martyrs, beginning with Abel who was killed by his brother Cain many thousands of years ago. Clearly, the Lord’s martyrs are not working in heaven, but rather they are resting. We also see from this passage that none of the Lord’s martyrs have received any rewards from the Lord yet, they have only received their white robes. The reason none have received their rewards yet is because none have yet been judged.

Michael E.B. Maher

Eternal Judgement

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