rewards, judgment seat of Christ, and the 1000 year reign

Hi L4J,

I'll try to help you, but I'll need a bit more information on your question: Where do I find what is written about the judgment seat of Christ? Where do I find information about our earning rewards?

If you'd just point me in the direction of what passages you are reading about these things I'll see if I can help.

God bless you
In Christ, Ted

Hi L4J,

Sorry to be so long in getting back. I'm honestly not real clear on the 'judgment seat of Christ'. Others may be able to help you out with that one. It had always been my understanding that the rewards didn't come into play until the final judgment, but they may well be a part of the 1000 year reign. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

looking4joy said:

At the judgment seat of Christ, are we earning rewards and responsibilities to oversee the kingdom of God for the 1000 year reign or for eternity or both?

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Neither, none, no.

When the Lord returns in Judgment He sits as Judge over all, as we see in Matthew 25. Scripture speaks of the Day of Judgment when all our works will be laid bare. That's what the Judgment is about.

Further, Christ is Lord now, Jesus Christ reigns right now. Jesus Christ is not waiting to reign, He ascended into heaven and is presently seated at the right hand of the Father at this very moment. When He comes He does not come to create an earthly empire, but to deliver all things to God the Father and God is all in all, forever (1 Corinthians 15:23-28).

-CrpyptoLutheran

The 1,000 year reign is symbolic. See my post on Jonah in the soteriology section. Just as in Revelation where the 144,000 elect were saved, the 120,000 elect of Assyria were saved. The 1,000 number is just a multiple used to represent "fulfillment" of scripture. All of these numbers are symbolic not literal.

I have a question about the 1000 year reign. I’m very confused as to if Christ’s 1000 year rule is an earthly rule or a heavenly rule. I was raised to believe that believers would be with Christ in heaven for this 1000 years. If that’s so, what will be happening on earth during this time? My other question is if there is anything stated in the Bible about Christ reigning on earth for this 1000 years?

The last 9 verses of Isaiah 65 gives a glimpse as to life in that time. There are other places with details as well, such as Zechariah 14. I'm sure others can give some more details from other areas of scripture.

looking4joy said:

I'm thinking in two different areas, one is where Jesus speaks concerning the kingdom of God is like this or that, like in Luke 19:11-27, where when Jesus comes back He rewards the ones who invested the minas by giving them cities to run. I'm wondering if these rewards/new responsibilities is in the 1000 year reign or in eternity? The judgment seat of Christ I am thinking of is Romans 14:10-12 and especially 2 Cor 5:10.

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I think those scriptures don’t really tell about earning rewards and responsibilities. I believe in the end, righteous will get eternal life. And when people are on judgment, it is looked, is person righteous. And if person is righteous, it can be seen from what person has done and thought.

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Mat. 25:46

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can't sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn't love his brother.
1 John 3:7-10

It doesn’t mean person must be perfect in actions, or that one could earn something by actions. Actions are only like fruits that tell is the tree good or bad.

looking4joy said:

At the judgment seat of Christ, are we earning rewards and responsibilities to oversee the kingdom of God for the 1000 year reign or for eternity or both?

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The judgment seat of Christ
9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 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.

It is not a "good or very good or very very good" kind of determination but rather "good or bad".

Matthew 7 also has that same "good vs bad" description for what the judgment is deciding between.

So also does Romans 2.
2 And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. 3 But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who will render to each person according to his deeds: 7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; 8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.
12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; 13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.


And of course the "reward" for bad is in Romans 6 .. "the wages of sin is death'