My reward is with Me. Revelation 22:12

 Still, to this day, church-going people fear the “Revelation”; they fear it primarily because they don’t understand it and don’t understand because they don’t want to. Therefore, they will not open their Bibles.

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I find the book of Revelation to be exciting. While it has more than its fair share of death and agitation, it is also an aspect of our hope and the promise that Jesus will come back to gather His church back to Himself. Therefore, it excites me because it assures me that God’s promises are soon coming to pass for followers of Christ like me.

Considering the agitation and death. I suppose it would be fair for you to wonder how I could find death and destruction exciting, especially since I understand that many people I know will experience at least a portion of the seven years of God's wrath (Why only a part? Because the deaths will be an ongoing process during the seven years, and not all of it is being dished out by God.) It is because the “Revelation” fulfills all the promises of God, gives us hope, and encourages us to keep our focus on Christ.

Suppose you cannot recognize that there is hope and a future, then you do not have a relationship with Jesus. Having a relationship would give you the insight to know not only Jesus' nature and character but the Father's as well; they are one you know.

One of those promises is seen in Revelation 22:12.

Revelation 22:12 NASB

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

Most people reading this verse will see this - “to render to every human according to what they have done,” and see nothing but condemnation coming toward them. (Yes, I modified this just a bit as you and I both know that this moment in time will not be exclusive to men; everyone will be impacted.) If that is all you can see, then we need reprogramming, which can only be done through the Holy Spirit and God’s word.

These may have been the very words I said, “Behold, I am coming quickly,” (or at least a variation of it) to the men’s group one evening; only to be interrupted by a “brother-in-Christ” so that he could criticize me publicly, call me a branding iron – someone there to excite, and to tell me that Jesus is probably NOT coming back for another forty years or more. I can tell you there is no hope in a statement like that, and it is certainly not just a realistic look at the world. What that brother did that night exemplified the antichrist spirit, which was demonic.

Coming soon or quickly is the Greek word tachu, which means shortly, without delay, soon, or (by surprise) suddenly.

Considering the level of heinous activity surrounding us all, how could the return of Jesus to collect His bride be a surprise? 

The answer to this question lies in the fact that most of the so-called church does NOT follow these prophetic words; follow the Revelation, or even care. As far as prophecy teachers go, one of my favorite teachers is Amir Tsarfati. So often, to make a point, he will say that if Jesus waits too much longer, no one will be surprised because it will be that bad.

If you are a student of Biblical prophecy, then you should know that 2Thessalonians 2:3 (in the Geneva Bible) tells us “... for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition,..” The church must be gone before the “son of perdition – the antichrist” comes into public view.

If you refuse to accept what I tell you and will only receive the words of the King James version, which came over 100 years after the Geneva Bible, then look at this.

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.  (8)  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:” 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 KJV

Since you are such an advocate for the KJV, I will leave you to interpret the word letteth on your own time. Get a grip. Even if you refuse to believe that the Geneva Bible is more correct and that the church must be gone before this son of perdition comes on the scene, then verses 7-8 should slap you right in the face. Verses 7-8 tell us that we, the church, are the thing that is withholding this fool. Once the church is gone, then the Wicked (referring to an individual) shall be revealed.

Let’s go back to Revelation 22:12 again and consider this statement. 

“Behold, I am coming quickly.”

Is He referring to Jesus, coming for His bride in the clouds, or is He speaking of the time when Jesus will come back as the warring messiah that every eye will see at the end of the seven years of wrath?

The terminology is not exclusive to either group and can apply to both. I am looking for Jesus to come and collect His bride.

“..., for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” (Psalms 96:13 KJV)

Obviously, there is no reference in Psalm 96 to speed as in Revelation 22:12, but there is a comparable allusion to potential judgment.

Revelation 22 conveys judgment in this manner.

“My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

Reward is the Greek word misthos and means pay for service.

In the religious train of thought, service leans toward work in ministry, but it can also mean hired service. Remember that Revelation 22:12 did not use the word service; it is, however, associated with reward.

So there is a red alert in my mind’s eye when I see the word work related to the outcome of our lives. Because we are not saved by works but by faith in Jesus Christ, and He did all the work for us. I do, however, seem to have to work at staying focused on the “ministry” at hand, which for me is to write these Bible studies. (And you thought I was doing this only for you.)
So, for the followers of Christ, we have the judgment seat of Christ.

We have covered this before, but new people are constantly stumbling upon our studies, and I assume they don’t have a clue about the Bema seat. Like me, there is also the possibility that they sat under some bad teaching and thought we were to undergo some terrible punishment for the lousy way we lived our lives on this earth. That is NOT the case, and I will show you why.

Romans 14:10 NASB “... For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”

Paul’s letter to the church in Rome had been primarily written to Jewish expatriate followers of Christ. For several years that body of believers had to disband because of Roman oppression, but now it was back. Thanks to Paul’s preaching, many Gentiles had begun to join this Jewish community of believers. In this letter, Paul had to tell the Jews multiple times that Jesus/God had leveled the playing field, and hence we get a statement that says, “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”

Now you have to ask, what is the dark hidden secret behind this judgment seat of God?

If this were a game show, this is where you would hear that obnoxious buzzer indicating a wrong answer because there is no judgment as Jesus took all judgment upon Himself on the cross.

Judgment is the Greek word bēma and means a raised step or stand, much like you see at the Olympics.

In Revelation 2:23, Jesus, speaking to the church in Ephesus, says,

“... and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.”

So, we will be rewarded according to our deeds. I keep thinking about the parable of servants, who are given talents and expected to do something with those talents and increase. Take a moment out of your life and read Matthew 25:14-30. Each got talents, but one only had one, and he was expected to use that talent. So, instead of using his talent, he buried it out of fear.

The end of this story does not make me happy, as I was like that servant, at least for a time. The enemy of our souls tells me that I succumbed to fear and did not do enough. If you had known me as a young man, you would not recognize me as I have become quite bold. I do not go around evangelizing; I hate that, but I have conversations about my Jesus every chance I get, and it bothers me deeply when “Christians” choose to withdraw and speak in a manner that would prevent strangers from hearing. I have never knowingly led anyone to Jesus Christ, but the Holy Spirit tells me that my writing has led many to Jesus.

Lightening, voices, and thunder - edited part 1. Revelation 11:18 through.

I believe what we see here in Revelation 11:18 is the end of all things, but on what do I base that assessment?

"And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."

Taking this sentence apart, we find:

• “Now is the time for the dead to be judged,”
  
  

  Revelation 20:12 NASB And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.

  
  

  Daniel 12:1 NASB 2 "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

• “the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great,”
  
  

  Revelation 2:23 NASB 'And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

  
  
  
  

  2 Corinthians 5:10 NASB 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

  
  
  
  

  2 Timothy 4:8 NASB in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.

• “and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
  
  

  Psalms 58:10 NASB The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

  
  
  
  

  Daniel 11:44-45 NASB "But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. 45 "He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain, yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

  
  
  
  

  1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NASB 16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

By this point, you should get the general idea that this is the end of the thousand-year reign. If you have read the Revelation all the way through then, you have a general idea of how things fall into place.

1. The church is caught away to be with Jesus Christ.
   
   
   We love to call this the rapture, and since the Latin Vulgate calls it rapio, then we should be okay with the word. The rapture seems to be a trigger for the entrance of the seven years. While being caught away is a good thing; it is not for everyone who sits quietly beside you in the congregation. Matthew 25:1-13 tells us that fifty percent are not prepared and will have to endure the seven-years of wrath.
   
   
2. The seven-year period entails a comprehensive and disastrous volume of events; we call it the Tribulation. 
   
   The seven-year period entails a comprehensive and disastrous volume of events; we call it the Tribulation. This time is also called: the day of the Lord; the time of wrath, and the time of judgment. It's all God's plan and will be carried out from above as 100-pound hailstones, mixed with fire and ice, fall from the sky. Earthquakes of deadly proportions, and the violence of men, as they loot, rape, plunder, and kill.
   
   In addition to all the dreadful things that will happen during the seven years, there is the advent of the anti-Christ. There is a good chance that this man is active today. I strongly suspect he will be a Muslim because of the power he will wield over Islamic forces. 
   
   We see this in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.
   
   

   (CJB) Don't let anyone deceive you in any way. For the Day will not come until after the Apostasy has come and the man who separates himself from Torah has been revealed, the one destined for doom. 4 He will oppose himself to everything that people call a god or make an object of worship; he will put himself above them all, so that he will sit in the Temple of God and proclaim that he himself is God.

   
   
   Another aspect that is seldom mentioned.
   
   Almost as quickly as the church is caught away, there will be a call for peace. Why? Because there will be extensive fighting. If I asked where the next big war will be, the majority would probably say, Israel, as they fight against Islamic fighters from Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. You might justifiably feel good about adding Turkey into the mix. Just look at the daily news. Israel is shooting down drones and jet fighters while pointing out how military installations in Lebanon and Syria, impede the safety of Israel as a nation. The prophet Daniel speaks of this in chapter 9:26, 27. The strong covenant this man makes only lasts three-and-a-half years.
   
   There is one more piece of information that impacts this scenario above.
   
   

   Ezekiel 38:14-16 NASB "Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it? 15 "You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army; 16 and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog."

   
   
   Unmistakably, someone is coming. 
   
   Gog is definable. Descendants of Noah, they have ties that run deeply through every known enemy of Israel. This group of people integrated with Assyrians, Egyptians, Siberians, and tribes to the West. Do a little research and you will Attila the Hun intertwined in the family mix. They were an expansive tribe of aggressive and dominant horseman and feared by everyone.
   
   

   Ezekiel 38:22 NASB "With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

   
   
   Because of God's intervention, the armies against Israel will be firebombed. The description sounds almost nuclear. No wonder the Antichrist cries peace.
   
   By the way, the temple has not been built. Plans have been made for a tilt up, which can go up rather quickly, and Israel will be using the temple for almost the full three-and-a-half years. We know this because the Antichrist breaks the covenant, and the false-prophet sets up the image of the beast in the temple, halting all Jewish practices and worship.
   
   
3. There is a midpoint three-and-one-half years into this time. 
   The anti-Christ which may be known as the Mahdi will have been calling for peace. All fury should break loose, as another persona, the false-prophet will come upon the scene. Islam calls him the enforcer of Sharia. This series of events is the reason that Jesus told us, that if God did not shorten time at this point, no one would survive. In the "Revelation," John had two looks into the heavens, in which he saw the martyred. With the second look, which would be associated with the second look, the number of martyred dead, was uncountable.
   
   
4. As the end of the seven-years comes to a close, Revelation 19 tells us that Jesus Christ returns riding on a white horse with all the saints. He will fight with and slaughter all those who choose to fight against Him. This return causes peace to reign on the earth, as the martyred will now sit on thrones and rule over the earth during the thousand-year reign. Those Jews who have survived will come to acknowledge Christ as the Messiah and will lead many to a knowledge and understanding of Him. By the way, Satan will have been cast into prison during this time, so, if you act out, it is all on you and your depravity.
   
   
5. At the end of the thousand years - the Millennial reign, Satan is released. 
   
   Immediately he goes out and deceives the nations. Yes, there will be those, at the end of this road, who will not wholeheartedly accept Jesus as the ruler over their lives. This lack of acceptance is their choice, - it is important to note that God has not removed free will, nor will He. The deceived will try to come against God by surrounding the Holy City in an attempt at killing God. They will be killed with fire from heaven, and almost instantly brought, with other dead, before the great white throne.
   
   
6. I cannot tell you with precision what happens next. What I do understand is that we walk into eternity, never to deal with the problems of earth, as we know it, again. Some have referred to this restored earth as the restored Eden. Considering what I suspect Eden was like, bring it on.

I have come to a point in life where I need to make something profoundly clear. We the church have caused great misunderstanding and harm to ourselves. Why?, because we have attributed the terminology "tribulation" to the seven-year period that begins in Revelation chapter 4 when it is a very well defined time of wrath and judgment, from God, being poured out upon the earth, the nations, and Israel for their rejection of Him.

If you are a follower of Christ, let me remind you that Jesus said, in this world, you will have tribulations. Those tribulations may come in a wide variety of forms, and from many sources; some will look like friends and family. Many will cause your death. Stay strong and committed to the faith and hope that we have in Jesus Christ. He is coming for those who are alive and remain, the others, those who have passed from this life, are with Him already, for to be absent from this body, is to be present with the Lord.

The Bema seat of Christ; what is it? - 2 Corinthians 5:10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ

We hear this phrase constantly in religious circles. It is an aspect of our mean-spirited nature, and is often used to obtain compliance or to get us, the body, to do more, especially when it comes to “soul winning.” You know what? God can win souls just fine without us. In many cases He invades the dreams of those He is trying to persuade, and from what I have seen, it works quite well. If you are interested here is a link to Amazon.com and Tom Doyle's book about such things.

Dreams and Visions, by Tom Doyle

The passage that gives us this reality check about judgment upon followers of Christ is:

2 Corinthians 5:10 NASB 10) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

As usual, we need to break this down.

• “For we all must appear...”

The consensus, as I perceive it, at least from the leaders who feel we need to be reminded of how bad we are, implies that lacking enough merit, we are going to hell.

This heavy handed attitude instantly conveys some huge assumptions.

1. A major assumption is that there is some separate judgment, in which you stand fearfully before a throne, where Jesus/God looms ominously over you.
2. This angry portrayal also assumes that this judgment is a win or lose situation where you can be rejected from heaven because you did not witness enough, or act like some great evangelist.
3. We also convey the idea that God is mad at you and awaiting an opportunity to come crashing down on you, a person that He calls beloved.

Do any of these make sense? The answer is NO; however, we do not base our theology on whether things make sense to us personally or not.

Don't get me wrong, the Word of God was meant to be understood. Since we are deeply entrenched in selfishness anything or anyone telling us we are wrong tends not to make sense, because we, at that moment, are choosing not to understand. It is a choice, or we are blinded by the veil Satan puts over us, preventing us from seeing the truth.

The idea that we must appear, as it stands, sounds more like a warrant for our arrest; an order that comes with a detrimental result. If you look at the word judgment in Greek, you find a much less threatening situation. One source, The Complete Word Study Dictionary tells us that it is: necessary, has need of, or is inevitable in the nature of things.

So if I reread this with Greek eyes, 1Cor 5:10 could just as easily say:

It is necessary, and, inevitable in the nature of things that we stand before Christ.

• "..before the judgment seat of Christ.”

Moffatt's translation puts it this way: “for we have all to appear without disguise before the tribunal of Christ, each to be requited for what he has done with his body, well or ill.

What does it mean to be requited?

Webster's dictionary gives us: REQUI'TED, Repaid; recompensed; rewarded.

Does this sound like you are being judged? Not hardly, but as we shall see, you can't take that sin-ridden body into the new kingdom. So, we apparently leave our bodies at the door (so to speak.)

• If I merely focus on the word judgment for a moment, I think we would all agree that it sounds ominous, but, as we have seen, it is a time of rewarding and repayment. The Greek word is bḗma and means “A step, i.e., a pace or footstep. By implication any elevated place to which the ascent is by steps.” (WSD)

We have another huge piece of information that can help us understand what and when this judgment/Bema seat is:

1 Corinthians 15:50-52 NASB 50) Now I say this, brethren, that flesh, and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51) Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

Consider what this says:

• First - ”Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;”

As we sit here reading this, we are flesh and blood. It is evident that we cannot take these bodies, as they are, into heaven.

Considering that we cannot take these bodies, with their built-in propensity to sin, why even have this conversation? We should understand by now, that Adam's treasonous choice caused us all to inherit something comparable to a damaged DNA string. In other words, you are not going to shake the effects this has on you. You can, however, overcome the influences of the sinful nature through the blood of Jesus Christ when you accept His life as yours.

• Secondly - "nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.”

An obvious observation, but the opposite of perishable is imperishable, and vice-a-versa. What does that mean? Slightly more than merely being subject to physical death. We, without the promise of life with the Father, are subject to an eternal perishing; a death we were not meant to endure. Hell, the fire that burns eternally was intended for Satan and his angels/followers.

• Third - “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,”
  A mystery? Is death a mystery? Not really, for everyone dies and we all know that. Some may try to evade its effects through cryogenics, but that has not worked as yet. Since the obvious factor is that everyone will die, except for those who are alive when Christ returns; then there has to be another implication; that this change will happen before our transference into heaven.

So where is the mystery? Perhaps it lies in the idea that the definition of death has changed to sleep, and that without “sleeping” we will migrate into the kingdom of God.

• Fourth - “ in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet;”

Currently, the Greek word we use to create the idea of the rapture is harpazo. It means a snatching away. Rapture, on the other hand, has no associated word in the Greek. We get our word rapture from the Latin Vulgate which uses the word rapio. Rapture also conveys the idea of a mass removal of Christ followers from the earth.

When is the last trumpet?

Obviously, there are several. Matthew 24 tells us of one:

Matthew 24:29-31 NASB "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30) "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31) "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

I can quickly determine that this is not the last trumpet call because of the phrase, “..immediately after the tribulation of those days..” That statement places this event approximately seven years after the rapture of the church. While it may be the last trumpet, it is not the trumpet blast being referred to.

There is one other clue to solving any mystery we find here, and that is the fact that the angels from God will gather His elect. These are Jews being spoken of here. Don't make the foolish assumption that everything the Apostle Paul said and did was directed at Gentiles, as the intentional preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles did not become a push until he made the plea to take his case to Caesar, in Rome.

What do I take away from all this?

That the bema seat of Christ:

• Maybe a seat of high position, that carries authority.
• The nature of this place and time is to reward not punish.
• It has much to do with leaving our broken natures behind.
• It will happen in that twinkling of an eye.
• And, as 1 Corinthians 15:50-52 tells us, we are not taken our broken, selfishness into heaven with us. God will not allow that in there.

So, all of it gets burned up, attitudes, beliefs, traditions, and brokenness, in a moment. If you notice anything it will be the freedom and normalcy. Something we have never experienced.

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