In the city of Corinth, a stone platform was constructed to support the Bema seat (judgment seat) of the local officials. The Bema to which Paul refers, was the podium for awarding prizes to competitors in an athletic competition. The second is a judgment of believers’ works, often referred to as the “judgment seat [bema] of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Four doctoral dissertations have analyzed his contribution to religious education and evangelism. The Goat and Sheep judgment separates the living saints from those who are not. 3:13-15 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. In like manner, the Bema seat is simply the raised seating of someone who is to judge. We may rule over galaxies, celestial bodies, the heavens, and definitely over angels, and the world (cf. 14 If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, ... (BEMA) seat of Christ will commence: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Those who hold this view believe that the Christian will stand glorified before Christ without his old sin nature. (1) All the passages dealing with the Bema or rewards are addressed to believers or pertain to believers of the church (Rom. But there are several reasons why this cannot be true. They teach us the basic cause of discipline is failure to examine and confess known sins because that hinders our fellowship with God. Everyone likes to win! (2) In Revelation 19:8, when the Lord returns with His bride at the end of the tribulation, she is seen already rewarded. (1) A Thanksgiving Dinner. (5) In Scripture, the church is viewed as the heavenly kingdom and a universal priesthood. The results of the judgment are two-fold: (1) a reward received or (2) a reward lost. At a Thanksgiving dinner, each person eats a different amount, but each is satisfied. “Condemned along with the world” in 1 Corinthians 11:32 most likely refers to the judgment of Rom. For example, the throne of a King is usually stepped seating. 3:11-15; 2 Cor. During ancient times, athletic events were often judged from a raised platform called the Bema. But this will only be momentary or short-lived at best in view of passages like Revelation 7:17; 21:4 and Isaiah 56:1. The crown is not eternal life which is a gift through faith alone in Christ alone (Jn. (6) The Crown of Glory (1 Pet. (1) The Crown of Thorns (Matt. 1:12; Rev. Is it only for rewards or their loss? It was the tribunal seat, the judicial bench, the judgment seat, or throne of the one in charge. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Towns has given theological lectures and taught intensive seminars at over 50 theological seminaries in America and abroad. It is the word used of the crowns promised to believers for faithfulness in the Christian life. The Bema Seat. The judgment seat is also called the Bema in Greek and is often identified as the raised platform Pontius Pilate sat on when he judged Jesus Christ. The judge at the Bema bestowed rewards to the victors. Rather, God disciplines us as a father disciplines his sons to bring us back into fellowship that we might be conformed to His Son. A separate raised platform for clergy which, in antiquity–particularly in Syria–was located in the … 2:19; Phil. 6:17, italics added). The mercy seat was an object that rested on top of the Ark of the Covenant and was associated with the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament. 3:24; 5:15-17; 6:23; Eph. 14:10-12; 1 Cor. While bema is used in the gospels and Perhaps this is a good place to discuss the concept of selfishness and rewards for some see an appeal to rewards as selfish and therefore carnal. Jesus was brought before Pilate and his Bema seat. 5:19-21, 26). 1 Cor. Some go even further by stating that Christians must experience some sort of suffering for their sins at the time of this examination. When they enjoyed each other and the fruit trees and blessings of the garden, they acted in their self-interest but they did so in dependence on and in obedience to the Lord. 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. Herod Agrippa I addressed the people of Tyre and Sidon from his Bema seat. Hampton wrote many articles for the Biblical Studies Foundation and on... More, Wisdom Concerning The Secret And Revealed Things, The Net Pastor's Journal, Eng Ed, Issue 38 Winter 2021. Bema Seat. For a summary of three major views, let me quote Samuel L. Hoyt from Bibliotheca Sacra. Rather, it is a place where rewards will be given or lost depending on how one has used his or her life for the Lord. There ar… However, at such an event the overwhelming emotion is joy, not remorse. At the ancient Olympics games there was a judge that sat in a seat…the Bema Seat. Although there is undeniably some measure of remorse or regret, this is not the overriding emotion to be experienced throughout the eternal state. The expression “the judgment seat of Christ” in the English Bible has tended to cause some to draw the wrong conclusion about the nature and purpose of this evaluation. It is a family matter. The subject receives the action, that is, he is made to feel shame. In Jewish synagogues, it is also known as a bimah and is for Torah reading during services. What does the Bible say to the church, and to the individual Christian, about the role of politics in the church? Discipline from God is the gracious work of a Father to train and develop His children. It is therefore used to designate a stepped seating area for Judgment. There is coming a time when all will be openly displayed for what one’s true motives were. Any young man who loves baseball would probably be thrilled to be a bat boy in the World Series, but he would not be jealous or resentful because he was not one of the stars of the game. The mercy seat was one of many articles of the temple built by artists, metal-workers, and carpenters: "Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the LORD has commanded: the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the veil of the screen" (Exodus 35:10 … No, it's not BEMA or BEAMER. (4) The Promises to Overcomers. 2:5). Bema simply means the raised seating of a judge or a king much like we see a judge in a courtroom today sitting on a high bench. Our rewards seem to primarily be a matter of responsibility and maybe opportunities, but they will not be like badges or medals we wear as in the military. www.thischristianjourney.com . Paul was accused before Proconsul Gallio; and brought before Festus at Caesarea facing a Bema seat. “So that” points us to the purpose, the return of the Savior and what it will mean. These passages: (2) God does not judge us for our sin in the sense of making us pay the penalty for that sin. And why does God judge believers for unconfessed sin as with Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 and some of the believers in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 11:28f? (6) Israel is the earthly kingdom and will undoubtedly have authority over portions and sections of the millennial kingdom and the eternal kingdom as emphasized in Matt. But this sorrow must be somewhat relative because even for the finest of Christians there will be some things worthy of unceasing remorse in the light of God’s unapproachable holiness. 4:8). Why is it called the BEMA? 5:9-10; 1 John 2:28; Rev. For all that has been contrary in their lives to His will they will suffer loss of rewards (1 Corinthians 3:15). (3) The Crown of Exultation or Rejoicing (1 Thess. The two Greek terms translated Judgement Seat in these passages are: bemati and bematos. This judgment is often taught as simply an awards ceremony, but that is not entirely correct. Her reward is described as fine linen, the righteous acts of the saints—undoubtedly the result of rewards. 421-422.). This judgment is often taught as simply an awards ceremony, but that is not entirely correct. They are each quite different. (6) Broken Relationships and Disharmony. Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. It was never used as a judicial bench". Further, the words “awake or asleep” of verse 10 refer to a spiritual or moral condition, not whether one is alive or dead when Christ returns as in 4:13-14. The Greek word [ bema ], which is translated seat, is from a root that means 'base' or the foot (and by extension, step). The rapture is the means of our deliverance from the wrath he discusses in chapter 5:1-3. doing missionary work, preaching … 8:18-25). . If the believer remains unrepentant, this can lead to the sin unto death as with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), and some of the believers at Corinth who were failing to confess their sin and get right with the Lord (1 Cor. Things to enjoy. ” ( 1 Cor each one 's praise will come from God is the great white judgment. The governor sat and rendered judgement on civil matters the third is the used. Obviously the answer is no longer any offering for sin and brought Pilate! 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