This month’s exhortation begins with a dramatized description of our appearance before the judgment seat of Christ. No doubt some of our readers will disagree with the view presented. They will feel that a merciful Heavenly Father would not put His loving, faithful children through the trauma of not knowing whether they are accepted or rejected. Such readers may believe that the faithful are raised immortal, or that the angel who gathers us to judgment will let us know we are accepted, or that the process is completed so quickly that there is no time for worry.
The picture is basically right
As with any Bible topic, we should collect together the applicable passages and reflect upon all of them. When that is done, we will see that Bro. Ron’s basic picture is correct.
Daniel 7:9-10; Matt. 12:36; 13:40-50; 25:all; Luke 13:24-30; I Cor. 3:12-15; 4:4-5; II Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10 and Rev. 20:11-12 (Rev. 20 is post-millennial but principles would apply to first judgment) are all pertinent. When they are reviewed, it becomes clear that 1) at the judgment seat is the first time we know our eternal fate; 2) many self deceivers are surprised at the decision; 3) time is available for interchange and explanation; 4) degrees of reward are also announced.
True, some places in scripture (e.g. I Cor. 15; John 6; Philippians 3) pass over details in the process of going from death to immortality. We would expect this as not all details are going to be covered every time a major subject is referenced. But when the whole picture is considered, the conclusion is inescapable that the faithful will go through a challenging and possibly traumatic time.
Trauma not new
That fact should be no surprise to God’s children: “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth” (Heb. 12:6). Every faithful person will have endured much difficulty in their lives in the process of developing the “peaceable fruits of righteousness.”
Problems may be nothing new, but isn’t trauma at the judgment seat too late to do any good? Hasn’t the person’s eternal fate already been settled? Indeed, it is too late for the rejected to be saved, but it is not too late for further useful growth of the faithful.
The immortal mind
We need to remember that immortal persons are not robots. While they do not sin, they learn, make decisions by applying principles to specific cases and use their mortal experiences to help them guide the lives of mortal people.
The angels did not understand the full details of God’s plan of redemption, “Which things the angels desire to look into” (I Peter 1:12). In Daniel 10:12-13, we read of an angel needing help in accomplishing a task. Immortals do not know everything; they still undergo learning experiences.
Brethren at Corinth were faced with a dispute regarding money between two members where no clear right or wrong was evident (I Cor. 6:1-8). Judgment was required in applying principles to this specific case. Paul’s rebuke is very significant how are they going to judge the world if they can’t handle a small problem now?
This argument is totally irrelevant if, in the kingdom, we will do no thinking, no working out of issues, no applying of principles to specific cases. If we are immortal robots, there is no basis for Paul’s rebuke. But the argument must be relevant which convinces us that immortals do think things out; they do apply principles as specific situations arise in the assignments they are given to fulfill.
Note the implications of Hebrews 4:15-16: Christ can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities because of his own experiences during the days of his mortality. He remembers! The immortal remembers his experiences as a mortal; he draws upon them in dealing with mortals who will need his help. What we will go through at the judgment seat is not too late to be a valuable learning experience preparing us for the kingdom.
The kingdom job
If we are blessed with immortality, we can look forward to being joint-heirs with Christ of the kingdom. We will be part of the armies which follow him in subjecting the world; we will join him in a rule of righteousness and peace. And we will seek, with him, to so guide our mortal subjects that many of them will be found faithful at the judgment which closes out the millennial age. In this role, we will be “ministers for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” We will be doing for others what the angels now do for us, “For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak” (Heb. 1:14; 2:5).
All that we have experienced during our mortal lives will be useful at that time. Like ourselves now, those under our influence will be struggling with mortality; they will be tempted like we are; they will struggle to control their emotions and they will find people difficult to deal with. To develop the fruits of righteousness, they will need trials and tribulations just as we do.
Right priorities
If we are saved, one of the more important aspects of our ministry to these heirs of salvation will be to guide them into useful activities. We’ll want them building “gold, silver, precious stones” not “wood, hay, stubble” (I Cor. 3:12-13). Our own sensitivity in this regard will be greatly enhanced at the judgment seat. For, even though we are saved, many things that we have spent countless hours pursuing may be exposed in that day as utterly useless (vs. 14-15). Other things, that we may not have realized were so important, will be seen as the valuable work of the Lord.
It is certainly true that the Lord will tell us what is important and what is not. In fact, he has already done so. Yet there is nothing like personal experience to press the lesson home in an unforgettable manner. As we have noted, this is true even of an immortalized person.
Having gone through the process of the judgment seat, we will have clearly etched in our memories what made the difference between life and death. We will remember, as well, why some received 100-fold and some sixty and some thirty. From that experience, we will be much better equipped to direct the heirs of salvation under our influence.
Yes, there will be some trauma associated with the judgment seat even for the faithful. But in retrospect, the saved will value the experience for they will realize it has made them better ministers to guide mortals into godliness during the kingdom age.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One