@ LibertyGal

https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/the-carrot-or-the-stick

I have been feeling an urgency in my writing because I think our time left on Earth is short (although nobody knows the hour or the day). I am working on a series to help us all get ready for the rapture (when Christians, dead & alive, are sent to heaven with Jesus) and/or the tribulation (the final judgment for sin and the last chance for the unsaved). I don’t want anyone to be unaware. It may take some time for me to finish this series because it is a bit out of my comfort zone to talk about end-times prophecy, but I am doing it because I believe it is important and is getting more critical every day.

At the end of time we will all be put before God in judgment. We can face the Judgment seat of Christ or the Great White Throne Judgment. The judgment seat of Christ will judge Christians to determine their rewards (yes rewards!). The Great White Throne Judgment will determine our punishment for denying God and disobeying His clear commands. Every person will face one or the other judgment. The only question is whether we will be rewarded as children of God or punished as criminals against God.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (1 John 4:15-18) {emphasis mine}

If we have trusted Jesus as savior, we have nothing to fear. “We may have confidence in the day of judgment.” because God will see the perfection of Jesus in us instead of our filthy sins.

Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) {emphasis mine}

Many of us have a hard time thinking that we will receive rewards in heaven for our actions on Earth. We have known that “as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one;” (Romans 3:10), so it is hard for us to consider that we will receive rewards for our actions, but there are many verses saying it is so. When we are children of God, we are judged differently than those who are outside the family of God, just like we, as parents, judge our children differently than those outside. We encourage, praise, and reward our children for earnest attempts to obey and please us. In the same way, God rewards us for what we do in obedience for Him.

Our works here on Earth will be judged. Our focus on Earthly things will be burnt up like “wood, hay, straw.” All of our actions done in obedience and for the glory of God will be rewarded from the smallest action to the biggest accomplishment.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40)

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 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. (2 Corinthians 5:9-10)

God does not judge us on how many souls accepted Him or how many people we got to attend church or any other end measure. He judges us solely on our willingness to obey Him and to share Him with others. Whether they accept Him or reject Him isn’t our concern. God determines the outcome.

We should act as Paul does:

To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. (1 Corinthians 9:22-23)

The end result is up to God. If He has called someone, they will come to Him whether we have obeyed His command to share the gospel or not. A weak and poorly worded call will not turn someone away if it is God’s will that they accept Him. Despite this, we are held accountable for whether we obey or refuse to obey His call to share the gospel.

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows on the trumpet and warns the people, then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand.’ (Ezekiel 33:1-6)

We are called to be the faithful watchmen. We are called to share the good news and to warn of the coming judgment. We are not responsible for the response of those we warn. They are responsible for their own wise or unwise actions.

Unfortunately, not all people will get the benefit of the Judgment Seat of Christ. Not all will be judged generously to receive rewards. Many more will have to face the Great White Throne Judgment, which is the judgment of those who rejected their creator God and savior. They will face the omnipotent, holy God in all His glory and receive their just punishment.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)

There is a way for all to avoid this judgment, but the decision has to be made ahead of time. You can’t put it off till the end times. If you haven’t accepted Christ, I am including some verses to help you understand what you must do.

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; (Romans 3:21-24)

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

They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 13:31)

That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:6-10) {emphasis mine}

You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. (Mark 13:13)

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, (Philippians 1:27-29)

If you are a Christian who has trusted Jesus as savior, you have nothing to fear. If you have rejected Jesus, you have everything to fear. Don’t let another day go by without Jesus.

And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ” (Job 28:28)

Trust Jesus.

P.S. As we consider God’s judgment I do want to add an aside about us being judgmental because it effects our judgment.

“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)