THE DIFFERENCE

~ THE DIFFERENCE ~ …..a point or way in which people or things are not the same.

"The Judgement seat of CHRIST" - The: Bema seat.

{ Crowns and rewards each man according to his work. }

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 [ Bema or, Bimah ] - the podium or platform in a synagogue from which

the Torah and Prophets are read.

In an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, a bema is the raised area

around the aron kodesh, or the sanctuary.

( and )

"The Great white throne Judgement." { The un-saved of all ages. }

{ see } Revelation 20:11-15 (KJV)

[ Throne ] - A ceremonial chair for a sovereign figure.

sovereign power, sovereignty, rule, dominion. ( In this case - GOD. "El Shaddai" or "God Almighty")

Many people confuse this final

[Great White Throne Judgment] at the end of the Millennium with the

[Judgment Seat of Christ], which occurs 1000 years [earlier] at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Heaven.

The Judgment Seat of Christ is an (entirely different judgment)

in which the saved, those who have received Jesus as their Savior,

are judged by Christ and are rewarded according to their works.

For it was when the seventh angel sounded and the kingdoms of this world became the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ that HE rewarded His servants the prophets and the saints, and those who feared His name, small and great.

(Revelation 11:15,18; Revelation 10:7;

1 Corinthians 15:51-52, Thessalonians 4:17-18; Matthew 24:29-31)

Revelation 20:4 & 6 describe,

The First Resurrection and the Saints 1000 year reign on earth.

Verse 4 : And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast (Antichrist), neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (See also Revelation 13:14-18) { Tribulation Saints.} Those who went through the great tribulation and did [NOT] take the mark, nor did they worship the image, nor did they worship the beast !

PAY ATTENTION TO VERSE 6 Here --

Verse 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power,

but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

[Only] all those who were saved by receiving JESUS - YESHUA as their SAVIOR will appear at the Judgment Seat of CHRIST,

Yeshua Hamashiach means: “Jesus the Messiah in Heaven.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

For we must all appear.—Better, must all be made manifest. The word is the same as that in 1Corinthians 4:5

(“shall make manifest the counsels of the heart”), and is obviously used with reference to it.

It may be noted that it is specially characteristic of this Epistle, in which it occurs nine times.

The English version, which can only be ascribed of the translators to vary; (for the sake of variation),

besides being weak in itself,

(hinders) the reader from seeing the reference to 1Corinthians 4:5,

or even the connection with the “made manifest” in the next verse.

{ Manifest } - (Clear or obvious to the eye or mind.)

(Display or show (a quality or feeling) by one's acts or appearance; demonstrate.)

Before the judgment seat of Christ.—The Greek word shows the influence of Roman associations.

In the Gospels the imagery of the last judgment is that of a king sitting on his throne (Matthew 25:31), and the word is the ever-recurring note of the Apocalypse, in which it occurs forty-nine times. ( a multiple of 7, by the way..)

Here the judgment-seat, or bema, is the tribunal of the Roman magistrate, raised high above the level of the basilica, or hall, at the end of which it stood. (Comp. Matthew 27:19; Acts 12:21; Acts 18:12.)

*Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

(Matthew 5:19)

*Shall break one of these least commandments.—The words seem at first to imply that even the ceremonial law was to be binding in its full extent upon Christ’s disciples. The usage at the time, however, confined the word to the moral laws of God

(as in Ecclesiasticus 32:23-24), and throughout the New Testament it is never used in any other sense, with the possible exception of Hebrews 7:5; Hebrews 7:16 (comp. especially Romans 13:9; 1 Corinthians 7:19). And the context, which proceeds at once to deal with moral laws and does not touch on ceremonial, is in accordance with this meaning. The “least commandments,” then, are those which seemed trivial, yet were really great—the control of thoughts, desires, words, as compared with the apparently greater commands that dealt with acts. The reference to “teaching” shows that our Lord was speaking to His disciples, as the future instructors of mankind, and the obvious import of His words is that they were to raise, not lower, the standard of righteousness which had been recognized previously.

Shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.—The consequence of tampering with the great laws of duty, or the least laws, which are practically great, is described in terms at once severe and gentle; "gentle", because the sentence, where the guilt is not wilful, or is repented of, is not one of absolute exclusion from the kingdom; "severe" in so far as being the “least” in that kingdom, the object of pity or sorrow to others, involved a severe humiliation to those who aimed at being the highest. Moving along now ------------>

REV.20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. ...

The Great White Throne Judgment is for the rest of the dead, all the dead of all ages who were not saved, and therefore were not resurrected at Christ’s Second Coming and did not appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ. It includes all those who lived through the 1000 year Millennium and yet followed the Devil at the end of it and were then destroyed in the Battle of Gog and Magog.

(Revelation 20: 7-9) All the people who ever lived, if unsaved, whether they were good or bad in their earthly lives, will have to stand at this Great White Throne Judgment of God.

The Great White Throne Judgment

REV.20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

REV.20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

REV.20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

REV.20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

REV.20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

When is the Great White Throne Judgment?

At the end of the Millennium (after) the Battle of Gog & Magog,

then the second Resurrection takes place -

(also after) “satan is released..” GOD, from heaven, defeats this Gog / Magog battle -

with fire coming down from heaven.

Revelation 20:9 - And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. ( The end of Armageddon / Gog - Magog.)

Revelation Chapter 20

5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea.

Who is Judged At Great White Throne Judgment?

This judgment is for all the dead, small & great, including all those who lived through the Millennium and yet followed the Devil and were then destroyed at the end of it at the Battle of Gog & Magog. (Revelation 20:7-9)

THEY’RE THE UNSAVED OF ALL AGES.

All the dead of all ages who were not saved & therefore did not take part in

the “First Resurrection” at Christ’s Second Coming.

It says in REVELATION 20:15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

So obviously there are people who are written in the Book of Life.

AND DEATH & HELL WERE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH.

”(Rev.20:14.)--

In other words, Death, or the power of death, & Hades, the Spirit State, are cast into the Lake of Fire.

These former places or states of confinement or punishment or imprisonment are now cast into the Lake of Fire.

The Scriptures on the Great White Throne Judgment answer the age-old question: How could God condemn to Hell those who have led good lives just because they haven’t received His salvation through Jesus?

What about those from other religions who were never taught about Jesus or were so entrenched in their religious traditions, passed down from generation to generation that they didn’t accept Him because they didn’t understand Him?

LOOK AT THE MERCY OF CHRIST! “HE HIMSELF” went down into the bowels of Hell, so to speak, the “underworld”, & preached to the spirits in prison! Jesus went down there and preached to them and gave them the Gospel of deliverance, “that they might live according to God in the Spirit”! ( Hallelujah )

For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

(Matthew 12:40)

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

(1 Peter 3:18 & 19)

For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. (1 Peter 4:6)

Now that he (Jesus) ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? (Ephesians 4:9)

IN AN OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE WHICH CONFIRMS THIS, GOD, APPARENTLY SPEAKING TO HIS SON, JESUS, SAYS:

“By the blood of Thy covenant I have sent forth Thy prisoners out of

the Pit wherein is no water!” (Zechariah 9:11.)

“For He looketh upon men, & if any say, I have sinned, & perverted that which was right, & it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into

the Pit, & his life shall see the Light! Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, to bring back his soul from the Pit,

to be enlightened with the Light of the Living!” (Job 33:27-30.)

Now doesn’t that fit your picture of a truly just & merciful & all-loving GOD, that everybody is eventually going to have a clear-cut chance to see and believe,

to receive & obey JESUS CHRIST?--Everybody !--Dead or alive !

Romans 1:20

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Let's clear something up...!

Many Christians have taught for so many years that hell is permanent --

and they really gag on this verse in Peter about Christ preaching to these already-departed “spirits in prison”.

(1 Peter 3:19.)

In fact, the only way the many preachers can explain it is by saying that

HE went down there to preach condemnation. ( ? ) Huh??

--Can you imagine?--To confirm their sentence?!--

To show them that’s what they deserved!? Perish the thought...

What a horrible, cruel interpretation of that verse, that Jesus went down there & preached to the prisoners just to make them feel worse by not giving them any hope at all!?

But I am convinced that He preached the Gospel to them, & that if they believed it & received it & repented of their sins, they were released!

What is Hell?

There are three different words which are translated in our English Bibles as either Hell or the Grave.

The Hebrew word “Gehenna” is usually translated “Hell,” meaning a fiery Hell, & the other word usually translated in the English as “grave” comes from two different words:

The one in Hebrew “Sheol,” & the other in Greek, “Hades.” But neither one of the original words have the meaning of what we think of as a grave today--a hole in the ground! “Sheol”--the unseen state! “Hades”--the unseen state!--The Spirit World! Sheol: The Hebrew word seol [l/a.v], "Sheol, " refers to the grave or the abode of the dead ( Psalms 88:3Psalms 88:5 ). Through much of the Old Testament period, it was believed that all went one place, whether human or animal ( Psalms 49:12 Psalms 49:14 Psalms 49:20 ), whether righteous or wicked ( Eccl 9:2-3 ). No one could avoid Sheol ( Psalm 49:9 ; 89:48 ), which was thought to be down in the lowest parts of the earth ( Deut 32:22 ; 1 Sam 28:11-15 ; Job 26:5 ; Psalm 86:13 ; Isa 7:11 ; Ezekiel 31:14-16

Ezekiel 31:18 ).

Unlike this world, Sheol is devoid of love, hate, envy, work, thought, knowledge, and wisdom ( Ecclesiastes 9:6Ecclesiastes 9:10 ). Descriptions are bleak: There is no light ( Job 10:21-22 ; 17:13 ; Psalms 88:6 Psalms 88:12 ;143:3 ), no remembrance ( Psalm 6:5 ; 88:12 ; Eccl 9:5 ), no praise of God ( Psalm 6:5 ; 30:9 ; 88:10-12 ; 115:17 ; Isa 38:18 ) — in fact, no sound at all ( Psalm 94:17 ; 115:17 ). Its inhabitants are weak, trembling shades ( Job 26:5 ;Psalm 88:10-12 ; Isa 14:9-10 ) who can never hope to escape from its gates ( Job 10:21 ; 17:13-16 ; Isa 38:10 ). Sheol is like a ravenous beast that swallows the living without being sated ( Prov 1:12 ; 27:20 ; Isa 5:14 ). Some thought the dead were cut off from God ( Psalm 88:3-5 ; Isa 38:11 ); while others believed that God's presence reached even to Sheol ( Psalm 139:8 ).

Toward the end of the Old Testament, God revealed that there will be a resurrection of the dead ( Isa 26:19 ). Sheol will devour no longer; instead God will swallow up Death ( Isa 25:8 ). The faithful will be rewarded with everlasting life while the rest will experience eternal contempt ( Dan 12:2 ).

Hades: HADES

ha'-dez (Haides, haides, "not to be seen"):

Hades, Greek originally Haidou, in genitive, "the house of Hades," then, as nominative, designation of the abode of the dead itself. The word occurs in the New Testament in Matthew 11:23 (parallel Luke 10:15); Matthew 16:18; Luke 16:23; Acts 2:27,31; Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 20:13 f. It is also found in Textus Receptus of the New Testament 1 Corinthians 15:55, but here the correct reading (Tischendorf, Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek, the Revised Version (British and American)) is probably Thanate, "O Death," instead of Haide, "O Hades." the King James Version renders "Hades" by "hell" in all instances except 1 Corinthians 15:55, where it puts "grave" (margin "hell") in dependence on Hosea 13:14. the Revised Version (British and American) everywhere has "Hades."

Gehenna: is a transliteration from the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ge-hinnom, "valley of Hinnom." This latter form, however, is rare in the Old Testament, the prevailing name being "the valley of the son of Hinnom." Septuagint usually translates; where it transliterates the form is different from Gehenna and varies. In the New Testament the correct form is Gee'nna with the accent on the penult, not Ge'enna. There is no reason to assume that Hinnom is other than a plain patronymic, although it has been proposed to find in it the corruption of the name of an idol (EB, II, 2071). In the New Testament (King James Version margin) Gehenna occurs in Matthew 5:22,29,30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33; Mark 9:43,15,47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6. In all of these it designates the place of eternal punishment of the wicked, generally in connection with the final judgment. It is associated with fire as the source of torment. Both body and soul are cast into it.

But what about some of the verses like Revelation 14:11 that say that the very wicked, Devil-worshipping, Mark-of-the-Beast-receiving people will be “tormented with fire & brimstone, & the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever & ever: & they have no rest day nor night!”?

This sounds like an eternal, perpetual, never-ending punishment!--Is it?

WELL, YOU’VE GOT TO KNOW THE MEANING OF THIS WORD “FOREVER”.

Because the original word used here in the Greek is “aeon”, literally meaning “for an age”--which no doubt is for a long time. And “forever & ever” in the Greek means “for an age & an age”.

This Greek word “aeon” is also used in the other New Testament references to “everlasting” & “eternal” punishment, which again implies that it will be “age-lasting” or “for an age”.

NOW, HERE IT USES THE WORD “EVERLASTING”

“Shall be cast into everlasting fire” (Matthew.18:8), the literal translation from the Greek is “Age-lasting” fire, or fire lasting for an Age! “Depart, ye cursed, into Age-lasting fire”! (Matthew.25:41.) “These shall go away into age-lasting punishment”. (Matthew.25:46.) “To be punished with age-lasting destruction”. (2Thesolonians 1:9.)

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)

TYPES OF BODIES?

“Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.”(Philippians 3:21)

Luke 24:39

“Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” Once again, that is about as short of a post as I am able to make this

subject clear. If you made it this far... I salute you.

Now go and plant seeds !! GOD Bless everyone !