The Heavenly Throne and the Raptured Saints
So far, the church age is gone, a mystery, the rapture of the church is over. In chapter 2 and 3, Christ was on earth talking to the church, represented by the seven churches in Asia. In chapter 4, the heaven opened and received the church, the raptured saints. Where are we now? We are still in heaven, before the throne and He that sat on the throne with a sealed book.
‘And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?’ (Revelation 5:1-2).
Event After The Rapture
Immediately the rapture takes place, there would be a gathering of the saints, the angels of ten thousands of thousands before the throne of God beyond and above the heaven where the sun, moon and stars appear. The heaven we talk about is the place where God and His entire holy angels live in. There, God will declare two programs for the raptured saints.
After the rapture, raptured believers would be brought into an examination or judgment before the Lord Jesus. This is known and referred to as appearing before the judgment seat of Christ.
‘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’ (2 Corinthians 5:10).
‘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 14:10).
Purpose and Nature of the Judgment
This judgment does not consider the salvation of the victim’s salvation as whether he is free from sin and worthy to stand before God or not. All the raptured believers are free from sin before the rapture.
‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit’ (Roman 8:1).
‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life’ (John 5:24).
‘Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world’ (1 John 4:17).
When you are born-again and forsake your sins, God has promised he would remember your sins and iniquities no more.
‘And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more’ Hebrews 10:17…
The first stage of judgment or test is for our life on earth because that is what will qualify anyone for the rapture. God’s first interest on every one of us is on whom we are, not what we do. It is after you live your life here on earth for God and you are raptured that you would qualify for this judgment. Therefore, you must work with good character, the fruits of the Spirit and eternity in view.
The reason for this judgment or examination is to know your reward, how to reward you (see 1 Corinthians 3:6-15). Not all that made it through the rapture will be rewarded equal. Rewards will be given according to how you work by God’s wisdom. It is not going to be according to the volume or quantity of work you did but according to the grace given to you. Believers are going to be rewarded on how much they used their talent or opportunity to work on earth. You will be rewarded on how careful, diligent, discipline and how determined, the effort you put to do what God assigned to you. The quality of work done according to God’s laid down rules is going to be considered. Every work you did to God will be tested by fire and you will be judged or rewarded based on the quantity of work that survived the test of fire.
‘I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase’ (1Corinthians 3:6).
‘Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire’ (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
Some believers work may suffer loss because of carelessness, neglect or not using their talents fully well. It is not a judgment that will lead any raptured believer to hell, no, not at all. Another word for judgment seat of Christ is Bema, which is translated judgment seat, meaning reward seat. This judgment for reward will take place between the rapture and the revelation of Christ to the earth. It will take place in the air, before God’s presence, in the sphere of heavens.
‘Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord’ (1Thessalonians 4:17). ‘It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth’ (1 Corinthians 5:1-8).