“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment…” Hebrews 9:27
Before we move further in the study of Thyatira we need to stop and meditate on the Bema Seat of Christ. The writer of the Hebrews gives us a principle that is true for every person who will ever live. That principle is after death there is a judgment. From scripture we know there are two judgments. The first is called the Great White Throne Judgment and occurs after the millennium reign of Christ. This entire group has chosen to reject Christ and live apart from God. Their fate is already determined as their name is not written in the Book of Life. The judgement will determine the level of severity this person will experience based on the knowledge and light of the truth that they had in their life.
The second judgment is for Believers. This group accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. This judgment is not of sin, that has been completely forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. This judgment evaluates the person’s faithfulness in the use of their time, talent and opportunities the Lord has provided them.
Why is this important? In Revelation 2-3 we see the correction the Lord does with His churches. Of the seven churches only two receive no condemnation. The Bema Seat will be a thorough evaluation of how we served the Lord looking at our motives (“you left your first love“) to our compromise with false teachers and with the world. We also read that at the Bema Seat our works will be tested by fire (eyes like a flame of fire). This will not be a test where every one passes. The Lord is just and He can no more reward unfaithfulness in His servants than He can tell a lie. The Lord’s evaluation will be objective and truthful.
The veracity and objectivity of the Lord’s judgment is one reason why these letters to the seven churches are so important to us today. We are told to examine ourselves. One way we do that is to look at what the Lord condemned in these churches to see if these same errors are becoming reality in our own lives. Or to put it another way are the things the Lord commends in these churches where we are spending our time and effort. We also see the heart of the Lord in these seven letters. He wants every one of His children to finish well, to be faithful and to fully glorify God so He warns them of those stumbling blocks which block our service.
What can we learn? Heaven will be a glorious place with things God has prepared for His children that we cannot imagine. His Word tells us that “eye hath not seen nor ear heard what God has prepared for them (that’s us) who love Him (Christ)”. Yet heaven will not be the same for everyone. Not all will have the same capacity to know, fellowship and serve God in eternity. We see that in the stars in the heavens. We see it in the ranks of Angels. We even see it in the various levels of suffering in hell.
This tells us that at the Bema seat there will be a range of emotion from joy to tears. Imagine the scene. Imagine a person watching believer after believer stand in front of the Lord. The time, talent and opportunities they were given are recounted. Motives behind the person’s actions are examined. A lifetime of labor is before the Lord who tests it with fire. For some there is significant worthless activity. The bonfire is great but the value left behind is small, The Lord’s look
is sadness and disappointment. (Remember Him looking at Perter after he denied Him the third time?) Great tears of sorrow for how a life was spent follow. God promises He will wipe away those tears but the position in heaven is determined. They will think of what should have been, For others there is great reward and joy. “Well done faithful servant.” That is why the Lord warns.