For the purpose of this article, we will focus on the two Judgment Days revealed in Scripture that awaits the souls that God creates during the dispensation of the Church Age. Every soul that God creates will appear at ONE of the Judgement Days.
A dispensation is a specific period of time of human history that has its own unique characteristics, purpose, and objectives in the overall plan that God established for the human race.
The dispensation of the Church Age began at the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2: 1) in Jerusalem shortly after receiving its Commission (Matt. 28: 19, 20) in the year 30/33 AD. The dispensation of the Church Age will come to its appointed end when the Rapture takes place (1 Thess. 4: 13-18). Note that it is the Church Age, and not the Church itself that comes to an end. The entire Church, consisting of the departed souls of the born again believers of the Church Age dispensation, as well as the last generation of believers who are on the Earth when the Rapture takes place will be gathered together as a whole family, and will from that point on, be forever with the Lord.
A dispensation is a specific period of time of human history that has its own unique characteristics, purpose, and objectives in the overall plan that God established for the human race.
The dispensation of the Church Age began at the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2: 1) in Jerusalem shortly after receiving its Commission (Matt. 28: 19, 20) in the year 30/33 AD. The dispensation of the Church Age will come to its appointed end when the Rapture takes place (1 Thess. 4: 13-18). Note that it is the Church Age, and not the Church itself that comes to an end. The entire Church, consisting of the departed souls of the born again believers of the Church Age dispensation, as well as the last generation of believers who are on the Earth when the Rapture takes place will be gathered together as a whole family, and will from that point on, be forever with the Lord.
For the purpose of identification and clarity, I will refer to the two "Judgement Days" as either Judgment Day "A", or Judgment Day "B". When I speak of Judgement Day "A", I am referring to the Judgement Day scheduled for Church Age BELIEVERS. When I speak of Judgment Day "B", I am referring to Judgement Day for ALL UNBELIEVERS of every dispensation throughout the course of human history.
For the purpose of this article, a believer is any soul who chose to BELIEVE the true Gospel Message when it was presented to him/her. For the purpose of this article, an unbeliever is any soul who chooses to disbelieve in the true Gospel Message when it was presented to him/her.
From divine viewpoint, EVERY soul that reaches the age or stage of moral accountability is either a believer or an unbeliever, heading for either Heaven or Hell. There is NO third option. There is no other final destination for ANY soul. I believe that those who do not reach the age or stage of moral accountability will be judged on the basis of whatever information they did receive, beginning with the Eccl. 3: 11 knowledge that God places in every soul that He creates. One thing is certain, once a person reaches the age or stage of moral accountability and is presented (or given the opportunity to be presented) with the TRUE Gospel, he/she SELF determines his/her own eternal destination (Heaven/Hel).
Just as in the natural realm one is either pregnant or is no, so it is that in the spiritual realm concerning salvation. One is either saved or is not saved. Those who are saved have ALREADY received a regenerated spirit (Titus 3: 5) and eternal life (John 3: 16). The post (after) salvation spiritual life is NOT something that begins when this life here on Earth comes to an end, but is a c-o-n-t-i-n-u-a-t-i-o-n of a personal relationship that the saved soul entered into when he/she first believed in a presentation of the TRUE Gospel Message. How intimately one experiences his/her post salvation spiritual life here on Earth is based on the how (if) one grows in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, and the percentage of the time one is in fellowship with God.
Two people can choose to share time and space with little or no interaction between them; almost as if the other person was not even there. The same two people can choose to initiate and build a meaningful relationship. The same options can be said of one's relationship with God. We can choose not to have one. We can choose to "check in" on a regular or irregular basis. OR , we can choose to have an intimate relati ship with the God that created us.
For the purpose of this article, a believer is any soul who chose to BELIEVE the true Gospel Message when it was presented to him/her. For the purpose of this article, an unbeliever is any soul who chooses to disbelieve in the true Gospel Message when it was presented to him/her.
From divine viewpoint, EVERY soul that reaches the age or stage of moral accountability is either a believer or an unbeliever, heading for either Heaven or Hell. There is NO third option. There is no other final destination for ANY soul. I believe that those who do not reach the age or stage of moral accountability will be judged on the basis of whatever information they did receive, beginning with the Eccl. 3: 11 knowledge that God places in every soul that He creates. One thing is certain, once a person reaches the age or stage of moral accountability and is presented (or given the opportunity to be presented) with the TRUE Gospel, he/she SELF determines his/her own eternal destination (Heaven/Hel).
Just as in the natural realm one is either pregnant or is no, so it is that in the spiritual realm concerning salvation. One is either saved or is not saved. Those who are saved have ALREADY received a regenerated spirit (Titus 3: 5) and eternal life (John 3: 16). The post (after) salvation spiritual life is NOT something that begins when this life here on Earth comes to an end, but is a c-o-n-t-i-n-u-a-t-i-o-n of a personal relationship that the saved soul entered into when he/she first believed in a presentation of the TRUE Gospel Message. How intimately one experiences his/her post salvation spiritual life here on Earth is based on the how (if) one grows in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, and the percentage of the time one is in fellowship with God.
Two people can choose to share time and space with little or no interaction between them; almost as if the other person was not even there. The same two people can choose to initiate and build a meaningful relationship. The same options can be said of one's relationship with God. We can choose not to have one. We can choose to "check in" on a regular or irregular basis. OR , we can choose to have an intimate relati ship with the God that created us.
Let's begin by taking a look at the "Judgment Day A", as it pertains to the BELIEVERS of the Church Age.
The details of the Judgment Day "A" are clearly outlined in figurative language of 1 Cor. 3: 12-15 for those who have an edified soul structure of a spiritually mature disciple. This event is for the born again souls of the Church Age. Sin is NOT the issue, and unbelievers are NOT in attendance.
All unbelievers, at the time of Judgment Day "A" are still in the Torments of Hades, awaiting Judgment Day "B" that we will also examine in the course of this study.
When Judgment Day "A" takes place, it takes place in the court of Heaven following the Rapture (1 Thess. 4: 16, 17). As of the Church Age, but prior to the Rapture, all departed souls of BELIEVERS are in interim bodies (2 Cor. 5: 1) in Heaven, "resting" from their work. The decomposing (or ashes) bodies of believers q will be raised up again in resurrected form at the Rapture. Believers who are presently in interim bodies in Heaven receive a resurrected body at the Rapture, and do not receive their rewards until the 1 Cor. 3: 12-15 event takes place.
To be taught and/or to believe that a born again believer has to "give an account" for ANY sin debt that has already been paid in full by the atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ is not only entertaining false doctrine, it is an insult to, and blasphemous attack on, the Person and atoning (1 John 2: 2) Work of the Lord Jesus Christ that took place on the cross. Such teachings and beliefs are also an insult and blasphemous attack on the integrity of regenerating (Titus 3: 5) Work of God the Holy Spirit that takes place at the moment of salvation. It amounts to calling God a liar who clearly states that all born again believers WILL "stand" (Romans 14: 4), that is to remain being saved and arrive in Heaven.
Is the grace of God a license to sin? Of course not. Never-the-less, Paul and many who correctly teach what the Bible says about God's inexhaustible grace, are often accused of saying so. There IS divine discipline HERE on EARTH in store for post salvation sin. Divine discipline is NOT for the purpose of "paying for one's sins", but for correction and/or redirection of the earthtly life of the one entertaining sin and/or for others who observe the discipline taking place.
Divine discipline can range in anything from living with a guilty conscience on up to and including illness and physical death. This is hardly what anyone with an ounce of common sense, let alone spiritual discernment, would consider a free pass.
ALL the divine discipline that we receive takes place HERE on Earth. There is NO DIVINE DISCIPLINE in Heaven, as there is no longer any divine purpose for it.
The only "downside" (from human viewpoint) to Judgment Day "A" is that believers are subject to the loss of rewards for all the deeds of DIVINE GOOD that we had the opportunity to engage in, but failed to do so for a variety of reasons. The loss, be it partial or full, does NOT impact the integrity of the salvation and the eternal life that we received on the day we were born again.
There IS an accounting that believers must settle with God (Romans 14: 12), but this accounting has got NOTHING to do with ANY sin! It has to do with what we did (or didn't) do when it comes to the identification and execution of the TRUE post salvation spiritual life. As far as the SALVATION of a born again believer is concerned, ALL of one's past, present, and future sins were ALL atoned for by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. It is the disabling power that the results of sin can do to the quality of one's post (after) salvation spiritual life that causes the on-going issue of sin to be a matter that one can not afford to neglect. Sin takes the born again believer out of fellowship with God. When out of fellowship with God, one can NOT be used of God to produce divine good.
It is at Judgement Day "A" that ALL of our GOOD deeds are evaluated. Our GOOD deeds of divine good (produced through us by God the Holy Spirit) are deemed worthy of reward, and our GOOD deeds of human good (produced by ourselves with human ability) are totally rejected as far as eternal rewards are concerned. I can't say it enough, that our bad deeds and/or sin are NOT the focus of attention at the 1 Cor. 3: 12-15 judgement. The divine purpose for this event is to reveal what GOOD deeds were of divine productivity, and what GOOD deeds were of human productivity. Deeds of divine good, symbolized as gold, silver, and precious stones in the passage, are rewarded, whereas human good (symbolized as wood, hay, and straw in the passage, are "burnt up" and receive NO eternal reward.
It has been the long time strategy of the devil to play into the hands of human reasoning and deceive us into thinking that it is OUR good human behavior, good human works, good "religious" deeds, that "saves" us or will cause us to be rewarded. This is the devil's lie, even though it is commonly accepted in religious circles and by human viewpoint. Of course there is a place for good behavior and good deeds, but none of them can regenerate a dead human spirit or provide eternal life for a soul, let alone maintain it.
The bottom line is that if an atheist or unbeliever can do the deed, then the deed is NOT divine good that is in view (John 5: 5).
"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides ( is
in fellowship) in Me, and I in him, he bears much
fruit (divine good); for apart form Me you can do
N-O-T-H-I-N-G (of a spiritual nature)."
-John 15: 5 NASB italics mine
Granted, human good can have tremendous earthly value. The classic example of human good being of great value to those who benefit by it is the work that is performed on the operating tables in the medical field every day by both believers and unbelievers alike. The fact that the SAME deeds are performed by both believers and unbelievers is evidence in itself that it is NOT divine good in view.
There is nothing wrong with providing human good, nor is there anything wrong with benefiting from the human good that others can produce. The problem arises when are so focused on the here and now that we neglect the spiritual and eternal issues. This is the principle that the Lord was communicating to us when He said, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul ? (Mark 8:37). ""
Hell is going to filled with people who left this world expecting their "religion" and/or their good deeds to have secured a seat in Heaven, only to find themselves in the Torments of Hades with nothing to look forward to by Judgement Day "B" and the lake of fire.
There will be many believers in Heaven at the Judgment Day "A" event who willl watch what they thought was going to be basis of reward go up in smoke.
There is a place (Earth) and a purpose for the human good that we (and unbelievers/atheists) produce, but the production of human good does NOT secure eternal reward in Heaven. In many cases, those who have the opportunity to produce the greater forms of human good are well compensated here on Earth, reflected by the quality of life they enjoy here in the devil's world. Again, many doctors and surgeons being the classic example.
For the most part, the ONLY link between with human good and spirituality is that it is in the midst of such diverse activity that born again believers are called to serve as God's ambassadors (2 Cor. 5: 20). An ambassador is one who is appointed to represent the kingdom that appoints him/her. Ambassadors do not offer their own opinions, but convey the policies of the kingdom they represent. One cannot convey what he/she does not possess. How well we trained ourselves and functioned as Christ's ambassador will be a part of the "accounting" that we will give to the Lord, as this plays a large role in the quality of one's post salvation spiritual life.
No matter what our job, career, domestic, social, or recreational activity consists of, it is there that we are called to spread the Gospel and post salvation doctrine by word and example with those we share these activities. God desires to reach spiritually dead unbelievers with the Gospel and fellow born again believers with accurate post salvation doctrine in every walk of life and circumstances that can be found HERE in the devil's world. God is just as concerned for the spiritual well being of the souls that each one of us interact on a daily basis as He is in any other soul.
If any one us (I would hope) saw a total stranger who was about to sit on chair that we knew was defective, we would not hesitate to speak up, yet so many of those who claim to be Christians interact with souls every day and say/do nothing for the spiritual life and destiny of those around us.
Both human reasoning and some sectors of religion see Judgement Day "A" as an event in which all the good they have done are placed on one side of the scale, and all their sin or bad deeds on the other, with Heaven, Hell, rewards, punishment all hanging in the balance, depending on which way the scale tips. At the Judgement of the believers, ONLY goods are examined, and they are examined to determine if they were produced via human or divine power. The good deeds of the believer that were accomplished via divine power are rewarded, whereas the good deeds of the believer that were accomplished via human power are rejected as far as having ANY consideration for eternal reward.
In the dispensation of the Church Age, there are two forms of divine good. The first form involves one's own salvation and edification, the other involves the salvation and edification of others. In both cases, it involves the communication of information (Gospel for salvation/Bible Doctrine for edification). The human side involves accurate communication of information on the part of the one God is using to minister, and the free-will choice to apply the information on the part of the recipient. The divine part is to make the information understandable, and then to regenerate (Titus 3: 5) the human spirit of an unbeliever or edify the soul structure (Matt. 7: 24- 27) of a believer IF the recipient chooses to believe and to apply the information received.
God is glorified whenever His Word, be it the true Gospel or post salvation doctrine, is BELIEVED and then applied to a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g that we think, do, or say. THIS is the highest form of worship that a Church Age believer can entertain, and it can take place viritually at any time or place and in the midst of ANY type of activity or environment.
Both forms of divine good involve the conscious and free will participation of the Spirit-filled believer who is in fellowship (2 Cor. 13: 14) with God. When out of fellowship, we can go through all the same motions, but they will serve NO purpose.
The physical body of ALL born again believers collectively and individually make up the "temple of God", here on Earth (1 Cor. 3: 16 NASB). Accordingly, all believers here on Earth have the Spirit of God indwelling them. In order to be used of God in the production of divine good, however, one must be Spirit-filled. To be Spirit-filled simply means to be in fellowship with God, and submitted to His control. Whenever the believer engages is sin, be it of the mental attitude or over behavioral variety, fellowship with God is suspended until the known sin confessed (1 John 1: 9) and, if necessary, forsaken (John 8: 11). The periods of time that one CHOOSES to remain out of fellowship with God can be as brief as the few seconds it takes to confess, and if necessary forsake, his/her known sin, or for as long as the rest of one's post salvation spiritual life here on Earth.
Divine good glorifies God because this it is He that produces it through the free will choice of an obedient disciple.
The divine good of the Church Age primarily consists of preparing and engaging oneself in the advancement of the Great Commission. The Great Commission, or marching orders given to the Church was/is to proclaim the TRUE Gospel Message and to make disciples. Disciples consists of born again believers who learn to study and apply the Word of God, first to themselves as they build and maintain their own edified soul structure, and eventually identify their personal role in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
The function of the Spirit-filled believer in the production of THIS form of divine good is simply to communicate the TRUE Gospel Message and accurate post salvation doctrine. Only a very small minority of believers are called by God and ordained to function in the office of an evangelist or a pastor teacher, but every born again believer is called to be Christ's ambassador in his/her own personal periphery on a daily basis.
With this background information in mind, let's take a close look at what our primary Scripture passage reveals concerning what will take place at Judgement Day "A" for believers of the Church Age:
"For no man can lay a foundation (set up the base for the post salvation spiritual life)
other than the one which is laid (as a result of responding to the TRUE Gospel Message),
which is (the result of placing one's faith in the Person and the Work of) Jesus Christ.
Now if any man builds with gold, silver, precious stones (divine good), wood, hay,
straw (human good), each man's work (good deeds) will become evident, for the day (of
judgment) will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire (judgement); and the fire
(judgement) itself will test the quality (divine good vs. human good) of each man's
work (good deeds). If any man's work (good deeds) which he has built upon it remains (found to be
have been produced with divine power) he shall receive a reward. If any man's work
(good deeds) is burned up (rejected for having been produced via human power) he shall
suffer loss (of rewards); but he himself shall be saved (retain salvation), yet as though
(escaping from the flames of) fire (judgment)." -1 Cor, 3: 11-15 (italics mine).
The production of divine good via spreading the Gospel is what the parable of seeds that fell into the good soil was all about, producing a crop of 100. 60, 30 saved/edified souls (Matt. 13: 23). The production of divine good via communicating the true Gospel and post salvation doctrine has its challenges (Matt. 5: 11, 12) and its rewards (Matt. 5: 19).
"And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the
word and understands it (the TRUE Gospel/post salvation doctrine); who indeed bears
fruit (saved/edified souls), and brings forth, some a hundredfold,
some sixty, and some thirty (Matt. 13: 23 NASB italics mine)."
"Blessed (worthy of praise) are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you,
and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice and be glad. for
your reward in Heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets (those who spoke
for God and/or the things of God) who were before you (Matt. 5: 11, 12 NASB italics mine)."
On the other hand, the parable of talents (coins) reveals that there will be believers who have done, are doing, and will do little or nothing with the Gospel and/or post salvation doctrine they received, or had the opportunity to receive. The good stewards heard these words, " " Well done, good and faithful slave, you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master."",whereas the negligent stewards heard these words. ""You wicked, lazy save.... (Matt. 25: 26 NASB)." The master ordered, "And cast out the worthless slave (negligent steward) into outer darkness (away from the place of honor that wise stewards will enjoy) in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 25: 30 NASB italics mine)."
For many who claim to Christians, hearing these sharp words and seeing the "smoke" of Judgment Day "A" will be when they finally realize that all the human good they had produced during their time of Earth was of no significance, as far as the spiritual life is concerned. Even though many of them did "gain the whole world", in that they reached the top of their human potential and opportunities, but were lazy and relatively unproductive servants in the spiritual realm.
This rejection is one's capacity as a steward/disciple, NOT as a believer. One's salvation is not in jeopardy (1Cor. 3: 15). This to has a correlation with Judgement Day "A". To my knowledge, this is the only dissappointing and embarrassing event in Heaven that many born again believers will experience.
We do not serve God in order to be rewarded, but God has revealed to us His desire to reward in Heaven those who live for Him here on Earth. One can NOT serve two masters (). God is on His Throne in Heaven rather we like it or not, but He allows US to choose who or what sits on the throne of our lives. The throne of our lives does not have two seats. Either God is the one on that throne, or some one or some thing has been been given the reigns of our life. Such things will ne revealed at Judgment Day "A".
* * *
Having addressed Judgement Day "A", let's take a look at Judgement Day "B".
Judgment Day "B" is rather simple to address. When all is said and done, there is only ONE factor that determines the outcome for those who are summoned to attend this event.
" And if anyone's name (referring to ALL unbelievers) was not found
written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
-Rev. 20: 15/italics mine
As noted earlier, Judgement Day "B" is for the UNbelievers throughout all of human history. Upon departing the body at the moment of physical death, the souls of All unbelievers from ALL of the various dispensations of human history find themselves in the Torments section of Hades, There they suffer until they (as a group) are summoned by God to appear in the Court of Heaven for Judgement Day "B".
The unbelievers are the "rest of the dead" referenced in Rev. 20: 5, "The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years (of the Earthy kingdom established at the Second Advent) were completed, and before the New Heaven and the new Earth are established (Rev. 21: 1).
"...HADES gave up the dead (souls) which were in them; and they
(the unbelievers throughout the course of human history) were
judged, every one of them according to their deeds."
- Rev. 20: 13 NASB/italics mine
" And if anyone's name (referring to ALL unbelievers) was not found
written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
-Rev. 20: 15/italics mine
The "lake of fire" is NOT a place of extermination. It is a place of never-ending torment, separated from God for all of eternity future.
NOTE: It is for the ONE sin of disbelief that one finds himself in the lake of fire. All other sins, of both the believer and the unbeliever were atoned for by the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 2: 2).
Rather or not, we, as individual souls will be among those at Judgement Day " A" or Judgement Day "B" is the end result of our choice to either believe or to disbelieve in a presentation of the true Gospel Message. Rather or not we, as a born again believer will receive or forfeit little or much of our "full reward (2 John 1: 8)" at Judgement Day "A" is the end result of an ongoing series of daily choices that we make every day.
The details of the Judgment Day "A" are clearly outlined in figurative language of 1 Cor. 3: 12-15 for those who have an edified soul structure of a spiritually mature disciple. This event is for the born again souls of the Church Age. Sin is NOT the issue, and unbelievers are NOT in attendance.
All unbelievers, at the time of Judgment Day "A" are still in the Torments of Hades, awaiting Judgment Day "B" that we will also examine in the course of this study.
When Judgment Day "A" takes place, it takes place in the court of Heaven following the Rapture (1 Thess. 4: 16, 17). As of the Church Age, but prior to the Rapture, all departed souls of BELIEVERS are in interim bodies (2 Cor. 5: 1) in Heaven, "resting" from their work. The decomposing (or ashes) bodies of believers q will be raised up again in resurrected form at the Rapture. Believers who are presently in interim bodies in Heaven receive a resurrected body at the Rapture, and do not receive their rewards until the 1 Cor. 3: 12-15 event takes place.
To be taught and/or to believe that a born again believer has to "give an account" for ANY sin debt that has already been paid in full by the atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ is not only entertaining false doctrine, it is an insult to, and blasphemous attack on, the Person and atoning (1 John 2: 2) Work of the Lord Jesus Christ that took place on the cross. Such teachings and beliefs are also an insult and blasphemous attack on the integrity of regenerating (Titus 3: 5) Work of God the Holy Spirit that takes place at the moment of salvation. It amounts to calling God a liar who clearly states that all born again believers WILL "stand" (Romans 14: 4), that is to remain being saved and arrive in Heaven.
Is the grace of God a license to sin? Of course not. Never-the-less, Paul and many who correctly teach what the Bible says about God's inexhaustible grace, are often accused of saying so. There IS divine discipline HERE on EARTH in store for post salvation sin. Divine discipline is NOT for the purpose of "paying for one's sins", but for correction and/or redirection of the earthtly life of the one entertaining sin and/or for others who observe the discipline taking place.
Divine discipline can range in anything from living with a guilty conscience on up to and including illness and physical death. This is hardly what anyone with an ounce of common sense, let alone spiritual discernment, would consider a free pass.
ALL the divine discipline that we receive takes place HERE on Earth. There is NO DIVINE DISCIPLINE in Heaven, as there is no longer any divine purpose for it.
The only "downside" (from human viewpoint) to Judgment Day "A" is that believers are subject to the loss of rewards for all the deeds of DIVINE GOOD that we had the opportunity to engage in, but failed to do so for a variety of reasons. The loss, be it partial or full, does NOT impact the integrity of the salvation and the eternal life that we received on the day we were born again.
There IS an accounting that believers must settle with God (Romans 14: 12), but this accounting has got NOTHING to do with ANY sin! It has to do with what we did (or didn't) do when it comes to the identification and execution of the TRUE post salvation spiritual life. As far as the SALVATION of a born again believer is concerned, ALL of one's past, present, and future sins were ALL atoned for by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. It is the disabling power that the results of sin can do to the quality of one's post (after) salvation spiritual life that causes the on-going issue of sin to be a matter that one can not afford to neglect. Sin takes the born again believer out of fellowship with God. When out of fellowship with God, one can NOT be used of God to produce divine good.
It is at Judgement Day "A" that ALL of our GOOD deeds are evaluated. Our GOOD deeds of divine good (produced through us by God the Holy Spirit) are deemed worthy of reward, and our GOOD deeds of human good (produced by ourselves with human ability) are totally rejected as far as eternal rewards are concerned. I can't say it enough, that our bad deeds and/or sin are NOT the focus of attention at the 1 Cor. 3: 12-15 judgement. The divine purpose for this event is to reveal what GOOD deeds were of divine productivity, and what GOOD deeds were of human productivity. Deeds of divine good, symbolized as gold, silver, and precious stones in the passage, are rewarded, whereas human good (symbolized as wood, hay, and straw in the passage, are "burnt up" and receive NO eternal reward.
It has been the long time strategy of the devil to play into the hands of human reasoning and deceive us into thinking that it is OUR good human behavior, good human works, good "religious" deeds, that "saves" us or will cause us to be rewarded. This is the devil's lie, even though it is commonly accepted in religious circles and by human viewpoint. Of course there is a place for good behavior and good deeds, but none of them can regenerate a dead human spirit or provide eternal life for a soul, let alone maintain it.
The bottom line is that if an atheist or unbeliever can do the deed, then the deed is NOT divine good that is in view (John 5: 5).
"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides ( is
in fellowship) in Me, and I in him, he bears much
fruit (divine good); for apart form Me you can do
N-O-T-H-I-N-G (of a spiritual nature)."
-John 15: 5 NASB italics mine
Granted, human good can have tremendous earthly value. The classic example of human good being of great value to those who benefit by it is the work that is performed on the operating tables in the medical field every day by both believers and unbelievers alike. The fact that the SAME deeds are performed by both believers and unbelievers is evidence in itself that it is NOT divine good in view.
There is nothing wrong with providing human good, nor is there anything wrong with benefiting from the human good that others can produce. The problem arises when are so focused on the here and now that we neglect the spiritual and eternal issues. This is the principle that the Lord was communicating to us when He said, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul ? (Mark 8:37). ""
Hell is going to filled with people who left this world expecting their "religion" and/or their good deeds to have secured a seat in Heaven, only to find themselves in the Torments of Hades with nothing to look forward to by Judgement Day "B" and the lake of fire.
There will be many believers in Heaven at the Judgment Day "A" event who willl watch what they thought was going to be basis of reward go up in smoke.
There is a place (Earth) and a purpose for the human good that we (and unbelievers/atheists) produce, but the production of human good does NOT secure eternal reward in Heaven. In many cases, those who have the opportunity to produce the greater forms of human good are well compensated here on Earth, reflected by the quality of life they enjoy here in the devil's world. Again, many doctors and surgeons being the classic example.
For the most part, the ONLY link between with human good and spirituality is that it is in the midst of such diverse activity that born again believers are called to serve as God's ambassadors (2 Cor. 5: 20). An ambassador is one who is appointed to represent the kingdom that appoints him/her. Ambassadors do not offer their own opinions, but convey the policies of the kingdom they represent. One cannot convey what he/she does not possess. How well we trained ourselves and functioned as Christ's ambassador will be a part of the "accounting" that we will give to the Lord, as this plays a large role in the quality of one's post salvation spiritual life.
No matter what our job, career, domestic, social, or recreational activity consists of, it is there that we are called to spread the Gospel and post salvation doctrine by word and example with those we share these activities. God desires to reach spiritually dead unbelievers with the Gospel and fellow born again believers with accurate post salvation doctrine in every walk of life and circumstances that can be found HERE in the devil's world. God is just as concerned for the spiritual well being of the souls that each one of us interact on a daily basis as He is in any other soul.
If any one us (I would hope) saw a total stranger who was about to sit on chair that we knew was defective, we would not hesitate to speak up, yet so many of those who claim to be Christians interact with souls every day and say/do nothing for the spiritual life and destiny of those around us.
Both human reasoning and some sectors of religion see Judgement Day "A" as an event in which all the good they have done are placed on one side of the scale, and all their sin or bad deeds on the other, with Heaven, Hell, rewards, punishment all hanging in the balance, depending on which way the scale tips. At the Judgement of the believers, ONLY goods are examined, and they are examined to determine if they were produced via human or divine power. The good deeds of the believer that were accomplished via divine power are rewarded, whereas the good deeds of the believer that were accomplished via human power are rejected as far as having ANY consideration for eternal reward.
In the dispensation of the Church Age, there are two forms of divine good. The first form involves one's own salvation and edification, the other involves the salvation and edification of others. In both cases, it involves the communication of information (Gospel for salvation/Bible Doctrine for edification). The human side involves accurate communication of information on the part of the one God is using to minister, and the free-will choice to apply the information on the part of the recipient. The divine part is to make the information understandable, and then to regenerate (Titus 3: 5) the human spirit of an unbeliever or edify the soul structure (Matt. 7: 24- 27) of a believer IF the recipient chooses to believe and to apply the information received.
God is glorified whenever His Word, be it the true Gospel or post salvation doctrine, is BELIEVED and then applied to a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g that we think, do, or say. THIS is the highest form of worship that a Church Age believer can entertain, and it can take place viritually at any time or place and in the midst of ANY type of activity or environment.
Both forms of divine good involve the conscious and free will participation of the Spirit-filled believer who is in fellowship (2 Cor. 13: 14) with God. When out of fellowship, we can go through all the same motions, but they will serve NO purpose.
The physical body of ALL born again believers collectively and individually make up the "temple of God", here on Earth (1 Cor. 3: 16 NASB). Accordingly, all believers here on Earth have the Spirit of God indwelling them. In order to be used of God in the production of divine good, however, one must be Spirit-filled. To be Spirit-filled simply means to be in fellowship with God, and submitted to His control. Whenever the believer engages is sin, be it of the mental attitude or over behavioral variety, fellowship with God is suspended until the known sin confessed (1 John 1: 9) and, if necessary, forsaken (John 8: 11). The periods of time that one CHOOSES to remain out of fellowship with God can be as brief as the few seconds it takes to confess, and if necessary forsake, his/her known sin, or for as long as the rest of one's post salvation spiritual life here on Earth.
Divine good glorifies God because this it is He that produces it through the free will choice of an obedient disciple.
The divine good of the Church Age primarily consists of preparing and engaging oneself in the advancement of the Great Commission. The Great Commission, or marching orders given to the Church was/is to proclaim the TRUE Gospel Message and to make disciples. Disciples consists of born again believers who learn to study and apply the Word of God, first to themselves as they build and maintain their own edified soul structure, and eventually identify their personal role in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
The function of the Spirit-filled believer in the production of THIS form of divine good is simply to communicate the TRUE Gospel Message and accurate post salvation doctrine. Only a very small minority of believers are called by God and ordained to function in the office of an evangelist or a pastor teacher, but every born again believer is called to be Christ's ambassador in his/her own personal periphery on a daily basis.
With this background information in mind, let's take a close look at what our primary Scripture passage reveals concerning what will take place at Judgement Day "A" for believers of the Church Age:
"For no man can lay a foundation (set up the base for the post salvation spiritual life)
other than the one which is laid (as a result of responding to the TRUE Gospel Message),
which is (the result of placing one's faith in the Person and the Work of) Jesus Christ.
Now if any man builds with gold, silver, precious stones (divine good), wood, hay,
straw (human good), each man's work (good deeds) will become evident, for the day (of
judgment) will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire (judgement); and the fire
(judgement) itself will test the quality (divine good vs. human good) of each man's
work (good deeds). If any man's work (good deeds) which he has built upon it remains (found to be
have been produced with divine power) he shall receive a reward. If any man's work
(good deeds) is burned up (rejected for having been produced via human power) he shall
suffer loss (of rewards); but he himself shall be saved (retain salvation), yet as though
(escaping from the flames of) fire (judgment)." -1 Cor, 3: 11-15 (italics mine).
The production of divine good via spreading the Gospel is what the parable of seeds that fell into the good soil was all about, producing a crop of 100. 60, 30 saved/edified souls (Matt. 13: 23). The production of divine good via communicating the true Gospel and post salvation doctrine has its challenges (Matt. 5: 11, 12) and its rewards (Matt. 5: 19).
"And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the
word and understands it (the TRUE Gospel/post salvation doctrine); who indeed bears
fruit (saved/edified souls), and brings forth, some a hundredfold,
some sixty, and some thirty (Matt. 13: 23 NASB italics mine)."
"Blessed (worthy of praise) are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you,
and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice and be glad. for
your reward in Heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets (those who spoke
for God and/or the things of God) who were before you (Matt. 5: 11, 12 NASB italics mine)."
On the other hand, the parable of talents (coins) reveals that there will be believers who have done, are doing, and will do little or nothing with the Gospel and/or post salvation doctrine they received, or had the opportunity to receive. The good stewards heard these words, " " Well done, good and faithful slave, you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master."",whereas the negligent stewards heard these words. ""You wicked, lazy save.... (Matt. 25: 26 NASB)." The master ordered, "And cast out the worthless slave (negligent steward) into outer darkness (away from the place of honor that wise stewards will enjoy) in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 25: 30 NASB italics mine)."
For many who claim to Christians, hearing these sharp words and seeing the "smoke" of Judgment Day "A" will be when they finally realize that all the human good they had produced during their time of Earth was of no significance, as far as the spiritual life is concerned. Even though many of them did "gain the whole world", in that they reached the top of their human potential and opportunities, but were lazy and relatively unproductive servants in the spiritual realm.
This rejection is one's capacity as a steward/disciple, NOT as a believer. One's salvation is not in jeopardy (1Cor. 3: 15). This to has a correlation with Judgement Day "A". To my knowledge, this is the only dissappointing and embarrassing event in Heaven that many born again believers will experience.
We do not serve God in order to be rewarded, but God has revealed to us His desire to reward in Heaven those who live for Him here on Earth. One can NOT serve two masters (). God is on His Throne in Heaven rather we like it or not, but He allows US to choose who or what sits on the throne of our lives. The throne of our lives does not have two seats. Either God is the one on that throne, or some one or some thing has been been given the reigns of our life. Such things will ne revealed at Judgment Day "A".
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Having addressed Judgement Day "A", let's take a look at Judgement Day "B".
Judgment Day "B" is rather simple to address. When all is said and done, there is only ONE factor that determines the outcome for those who are summoned to attend this event.
" And if anyone's name (referring to ALL unbelievers) was not found
written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
-Rev. 20: 15/italics mine
As noted earlier, Judgement Day "B" is for the UNbelievers throughout all of human history. Upon departing the body at the moment of physical death, the souls of All unbelievers from ALL of the various dispensations of human history find themselves in the Torments section of Hades, There they suffer until they (as a group) are summoned by God to appear in the Court of Heaven for Judgement Day "B".
The unbelievers are the "rest of the dead" referenced in Rev. 20: 5, "The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years (of the Earthy kingdom established at the Second Advent) were completed, and before the New Heaven and the new Earth are established (Rev. 21: 1).
"...HADES gave up the dead (souls) which were in them; and they
(the unbelievers throughout the course of human history) were
judged, every one of them according to their deeds."
- Rev. 20: 13 NASB/italics mine
" And if anyone's name (referring to ALL unbelievers) was not found
written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
-Rev. 20: 15/italics mine
The "lake of fire" is NOT a place of extermination. It is a place of never-ending torment, separated from God for all of eternity future.
NOTE: It is for the ONE sin of disbelief that one finds himself in the lake of fire. All other sins, of both the believer and the unbeliever were atoned for by the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 2: 2).
Rather or not, we, as individual souls will be among those at Judgement Day " A" or Judgement Day "B" is the end result of our choice to either believe or to disbelieve in a presentation of the true Gospel Message. Rather or not we, as a born again believer will receive or forfeit little or much of our "full reward (2 John 1: 8)" at Judgement Day "A" is the end result of an ongoing series of daily choices that we make every day.