Why every Christian has to stand before Judgement

[reddogs]

Like the Jews when they were waiting for the Messiah, Christians have their own ideas of what will happen before Jesus comes, including who will be judged and when. People as a given, tend to look to self as their first priority and see what they want to see, usually for their own liking rather than what the scripture shows them. When Christ first came, many of the Jews wanted a Messiah to save them from the Romans and other local problems, not tell them about sin and repenting. Israel really wanted only the glory and prestige of a Messiah as King, they didn't want Him asking them to surrender their hearts and wills to Him. They didn't want to give up their greedy ambitions, or power, wealth and pleasures, they didn't want to part with sin they cherished and the bondage of iniquity. They wanted a free ride and instant gratification that didnt make them give up any sin, indulgence of self pleasure or lust, so to submit themselves to the divine was not what they wanted.

When the Messiah came, they wanted no atoner for sins, they wanted a conquering king and as many Christians today, in no way surrender their lives to Christ and part with their pet sins. That is a hard message especially in these last days for Christians, and then to be judged, that really is devastating, they want a free ride to heaven, no judgement. So we will be judged? Lets take a look at what the Bible shows..
Daniel 7:9-10
9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Romans 14:10
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Romans 14:12
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

So everyone including those who have done good, or those who have done bad, will be before the judgement seat and the scriptures even tells us who it begins with..

1 Peter 4:17
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Now the reason it begins with the 'house of God' is that at the Second Coming the saints will be separated from the wicked..
Matthew 25:31-34
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Daniel 7:22
Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

And who this is..
John 5:22
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

And nothing will be kept secret from Him...
Romans 2:16
In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Some say it's only the wicked that are judged, but the Bible clearly indicts that all will appear before the judgment seat of Christ, those who truly believe will be judged worthy by the blood of the Lamb. others will receive the judgment of condemnation.

 

[reddogs]

Now we are given warning that this judgement is coming and even when it begins at the 'house of God'.
Revelation 14:6-7
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Daniel 8:14
And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

And we are even given the details of how decisions are being made in that judgment in Revelation 14:6-7 that is going on now while the everlasting gospel is being preached to the whole world.
Romans 2:1-16
1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another
16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

And Christ gave warning..
Matthew 5:22
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Matthew 7:2
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

And His judgement is true and just...
John 5:30
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

John 8:16
And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

 

[reddogs]

Now when will judgement begin with the 'house of God', well Daniel gave us the answer. Daniel received several visions from God that described future scenes in the heavenly sanctuary. And just as the daily sacrifice on earth was designed to point the Jews to the Messiah’s death for their sins, so their yearly Day of Atonement pointed forward to another of His works in His mission to redeem humanity, the final work of the High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary.

Daniel 8:14
And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

The cleansing of the earthly sanctuary took place on the Day of Atonement, and on that day, God’s people were identified as belonging to Him and the record of their sins was removed. Those who clung to sin, however, were cut off, and here we are given the prophecy of what Christ will do in the heavenly sanctuary as our High Priest and when this cleansing would begin. We already know where it begins with.

So when asked how long God’s people and the sanctuary would be 'trodden under foot', the angel replied: 'For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed'. So the reply was that the sanctuary in heaven, when looking at the 'house of God' or God’s church on earth, would experience a cleansing after 2,300 prophetic days, which is 2,300 literal years. So this is when the investigative judgement would begin, and is the part where God decides who is saved and who is not saved. After all, at some point, the decision has to be made of who is a saint or sinner, and it makes no sense to judge sinners after they've already received condemnation or their sentence of death.

The 70 week prophecy establishes the beginning of the 2300 days, and because the last week of the prophecy involves the death of Christ, for which we have a date, we can be fairly certain about the starting date of the 2300 day prophecy, and therefore we would also know the ending date of the prophecy. If you carefully examine the verse, you'll see it says that it says "the sanctuary shall be cleansed." In the Bible, the sanctuary was only cleansed on one day of the year, Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. On that day, the sin that has built up in the sanctuary is taken out of the sanctuary and placed upon the scapegoat, and the people of Israel are cleansed of their sins. And we see in Leviticus 23:26-30, where it says that the people who did not deny themselves on that day are cut off and destroyed.

Leviticus 23:26-30
26 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.
29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

So in short, during this time period after the 2300 years, a 'day of atonement' is taking place in heaven, during which all of the sins throughout all of Earth's history are being cleansed by the blood of Christ, and being placed on the scapegoat, and the people who did not repent will be cut off and destroyed. Thus, Christ's Second Coming will end this 'day of atonement' and He will come and redeem those who have been judged as covered by the blood of the lamb and worthy of eternal life.

So God is calling His people today, to prepare themselves and repent and be cleansed of sin. We are living now in the time of the heavenly Day of Atonement, a day in which all people should assess their lives and repent of their sins. So they do not join in the fate of Babylon and go into perdition..

Revelation 19:2
For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

Revelation 20:12
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

 

[Consecrated Life]

If you find yourself before the Great White Throne of Judgement , then you were never a Christian.
He NEVER knew you .

Rev 20:11
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

 

[Randy]

Now we are given warning that this judgement is coming and even when it begins at the 'house of God'.
Revelation 14:6-7
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Daniel 8:14
And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

And we are even given the details of how decisions are being made in that judgment in Revelation 14:6-7 that is going on now while the everlasting gospel is being preached to the whole world.
Romans 2:1-16
1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another
16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

And Christ gave warning..
Matthew 5:22
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Matthew 7:2
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

And His judgement is true and just...
John 5:30
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

John 8:16
And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

Life given is a judgment already made. (Christ in us)
God can not disown Himself.

 

[reddogs]

If you find yourself before the Great White Throne of Judgement , then you were never a Christian.
He NEVER knew you .

Rev 20:11
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

So Christians are being judged now as prophecy foretells...

 

[reddogs]

Life given is a judgment already made. (Christ in us)
God can not disown Himself.

But who makes this decision is the question....

 

[reddogs]

If you find yourself before the Great White Throne of Judgement , then you were never a Christian.
He NEVER knew you .

Rev 20:11
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

The problem is that most 'Christians' will find themselves in this dilemma...

 

[Consecrated Life]

The problem is that most 'Christians' will find themselves in this dilemma...

There will be no Christians at the White Thone Judgement .

 

[Free]

There will be no Christians at the White Thone Judgement .

So when are Christians judged?

 

[LeviR]

There will be no Christians at the White Thone Judgement .

They will appear there as having been given eternal life and will stand in judgment against those to die a second death.

 

[Consecrated Life]

So when are Christians judged?

All Christians will appear before Christ at the judgement seat of Christ to give an account of their life as Christians.
This account is not for purpose of determining what punishment to be handed out , but to determine how great or how little their reward will be .

Rom 14:10-12
But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

 

[Consecrated Life]

They will appear there as having been given eternal life and will stand in judgment against those to die a second death.

Is there a scripture that says that ?

 

[LeviR]

Is there a scripture that says that ?

When Paul says “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” he is speaking to those who believed the gospel as he taught, and not to all of mankind.
“If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them who are lost”
Those who don’t believe have been condemned(judged) already. They die in Adam, return to dust, and stay there.
As far as believers go, there are those who have faith in the gospel and remain true. And then there are those who start out good but then, like the pig who was washed, return to the slop.
It’s the old story of the tares and the wheat who grow in the kingdom together.
The faithful are raised Incorruptible at his coming. They come with him to judge the world.
At the White Thorne, those who were not raised incorruptible to meet with Christ, are now raised to face judgment. They will see the faithful in glory while they are then cast into the lake of fire to die a second death.

 

[Consecrated Life]

They will appear there as having been given eternal life and will stand in judgment against those to die a second death.

When Paul says “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” he is speaking to those who believed the gospel as he taught, and not to all of mankind.
“If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them who are lost”
Those who don’t believe have been condemned(judged) already. They die in Adam, return to dust, and stay there.
As far as believers go, there are those who have faith in the gospel and remain true. And then there are those who start out good but then, like the pig who was washed, return to the slop.
It’s the old story of the tares and the wheat who grow in the kingdom together.
The faithful are raised Incorruptible at his coming. They come with him to judge the world.
At the White Thorne, those who were not raised incorruptible to meet with Christ, are now raised to face judgment. They will see the faithful in glory while they are then cast into the lake of fire to die a second death.

I asked about providing a scripture in reference to your stating that Believers will be present as observers & "standing in judgement" at the White Throne Judgement of those going to hell ?
I had not heard or more importantly read that before.

 

[LeviR]

I asked about providing a scripture in reference to your stating that Believers will be present as observers & "standing in judgement" at the White Throne Judgement of those going to hell ?
I had not heard or more importantly read that before.

11Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.

And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

First, it must be understood that all the dead who died faithful in Christ will be raised incorruptible at his coming. And that when he comes to judge the world they come with him in their incorruptible state.

The White Throne is the first resurrection, and includes those who have died during the tribulation. There will be some who were killed for their testimony in Christ and others who are not found in the book of life. The one’s faithful who died during this time will be raised incorruptible and reign with Christ a thousand years. All others not found in the book will die the second death in the lake of fire.
This judgment comes before the reign of Christ, as the heaven and earth that then was is fled from his presence to make way for the new heaven and earth. This is simply terms for government and the people. A new system.
But there is to be another resurrection at the end of the 1,000 yr reign. That was reserved for the dragon king and all his associates.
They will attempt an overthrow of the kingdom but will fail and be destroyed.

 

[Consecrated Life]

11Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.

And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

The saved are not among these standing before the throne, "12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne."

I stll see no specific mention of the saved in the presence of the Great White Throne ?

 

[LeviR]

The saved are not among these standing before the throne, "12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne."

I stll see no specific mention of the saved in the presence of the Great White Throne ?

It says they will reign with Christ. Those whose names are found.

 

[Consecrated Life]

It says they will reign with Christ. Those whose names are found.

Yes they will , but the White Throne Judgment is a distinct and set apart event of which there is no mention of the saved being in attendance , unless you see a scripture that details their presence .

 

[RandyK]

So when are Christians judged?

I think the statement that "judgment begins with God's house" may be somewhat misapplied. I'm not sure it was meant to apply in the eschatological sense. I think those who know better, who have God's witness, are the first each time in history to be judged for what they know.

Those who don't know better will be judged nevertheless in their personal history, but may be given more "slack" and patience for the importune disadvantage of not knowing as much as the Christian knows. They may be given extra lattitude for suffering things in life and feeling "shorted," misunderstood, and punished for things other people have caused.

Reacting to all of the negativity of life is something I think God understands, though He never condones sin. Those of us who know we are called to suffer misfortunes in life caused by others have no excuse to strike out at God. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. It is our noble duty to suffer on behalf of others so that they can see in us God's grace.