I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. (Revelation 20:4a, NIC 1984).
My Musings – The judges are not specifically identified. John may not have been told who the individuals seated on the thrones were or else he chose not to name them. Jesus said, “You [disciples] are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:2–30. NIV 1984). It would be natural to conclude that these judges are them. This might explain why John did not name them (he was one of them).
Those to be judged are also not specifically mentioned. but include:
Anti-Christ and False Prophet – The beast and the false prophet will be “thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning Sulphur,” (Revelation 19:20, NIV 1984), for all eternity.
Satan – Satan will be cast “into the Abyss” and “bound for a thousand years,” or for the duration of the Millennium (Revelation 20:1–3). His final judgment is deferred.
Martyred Tribulation Saints – The martyred dead of the Great Tribulation will be resurrected to reign “with Christ a thousand years,” (Revelation 20:4, NIV 1984).
Surviving Tribulation Saints – The righteous who are not raptured or martyred and thus live through the tribulation will realize their promised inheritance. To those who are Jewish God says, “I will judge you, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.” (Ezekiel 20:36–37. NIV 1984). The covenant promised long ago will at last be fulfilled. The rest, the Gentile saints, will receive their “inheritance, the kingdom prepared for [them] since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34, NIV 1984).
These precede and lead up to the millennial kingdom and should not be confused with the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Great White Throne Judgment.
The Judgment Seat of Christ – This is where the faithfulness of the pre-tribulation Christians is evaluated, resulting in the giving or withholding of rewards. “For we must all appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10, NIV 1984). This judgment occurs in Heaven while the tribulation is taking place on earth (assuming a pre-tribulation or mid-tribulation rapture). Those who do not believe in either a pre-tribulation or mid-tribulation rapture would likely include all the righteous (Jews and Gentiles) in the Judgment Seat of Christ.
A believer’s eternal destiny (Heaven) will not be determined at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Salvation is forever secured when one places their faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9). However, good works should be a result of our faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:10), which will be evaluated for rewards or loss of rewards.
The Great White Throne Judgment – This judgment will take place at the end of the millennium. It will be a judgment for the unsaved only, in other words “anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire“ (Revelation 20:11–15, NIV 1984).
My Advice – Make sure that the one thing that you do “in the body” is accept Christ as your Savior. Unless you do that one thing, nothing else will matter.
Resources:
Walvoord, John F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 979–980). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Enns, P. P. (1989). The Moody handbook of theology (p. 639). Chicago, IL: Moody Press.
Lowery, D. K. (1985). 2 Corinthians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 566). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Duffield, G. P., & Van Cleave, N. M. (1983). Foundations of Pentecostal theology (p. 142). Los Angeles, CA: L.I.F.E. Bible College.
The Brew Is A Musing 