218 Things to Come to hasten the departure of Lot with the words “Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither.” If the presence of one righteous man prevented the outpouring of deserved judgment on the city of Sodom, how much more will the presence of the church on earth prevent the outpouring of divine wrath until after her removal. A number of reasons for belief in the pretribulation rapture position have been presented. Some of them are particularly ap- plicable to the midtribulation rapture position and others ap- plicable to the posttribulation rapture position, It should be borne in mind that it is not claimed that all the arguments have the same importance or weight. The pretribulation doctrine is not based on these arguments singly, but rather they are con- sidered as cumulative evidence that the church will be delivered by rapture before the inception of Daniel’s seventieth week. Cuapren XIV THE EVENTS FOR THE CHURCH FOLLOWING THE RAPTURE There are two events portrayed in Scripture into which the church will be brought following the rapture which have spe- cial eschatol iignificance: the judgment seat of Christ and the marriage of the Lamb. 1. Tue Jupcmenr Sear or Cunisr In 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Romans 14:10, although in| the latter passage the corrected reading is ‘\judgment seat of God,” it is stated that believers are to be brought into an examination before the Son of God. This event is explained in more detail in 1 Corinthians 3:9-15, A matter of such seriousness demands care- ful attention. A, The meaning of judgment seat. There are two different words translated “judgment seat” in the New Testament. ‘The first is the word critérion as used in James 2:6; 1 Corinthians 6:2, 4. This word, according to Thayer, means “the instrument or means of trying or judging anything; the rule by which one judges” or “the place where judgment is given; the tribunal of a judge; a bench of judges."" Hence the word would refer to the standard or criterion by which judgment is meted out or the place where such judgment is meted. The second word is the word béma, about which Thayer says: . . a raised place mounted by steps; a platform, tribt of the official seat of a judge, Acts xviii. 12, 16 judgment seat of Christ, Rom. sembling @ throne, which Herod fe theatre at Caesarea, A Joneph Henry Thayer, Greek-Bnglish Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 302. 219220 Things to Come land from which he used to view the games and make speeches to the people. . . 7 Concerning its meaning and usage Plummer writes: The. (Bema isthe ibunal, whether in «bao fr the acto in’ court of justice, or ina camp for the commander ™ fe In either case the officer was placed. In LXX cor scaffold rather than @ generally to mean the seat. the passages it may mean the platform on which the seat was placed. On the Areopagus the « +. Fond as St. Paul is of military metaphors, and of comparing the Christi: warfare, he is not likely to be thinking of a military tribunal here. According to Sale-Harrison: In Grecian games in Athens, the old arena contained a raised umpire of the arena sat. From ‘and here he rewarded all ‘Thus, associated with this word are the ideas of prominence, dig- nity, authority, honor, and reward rather than the idea of jus- tice and judgment. The word that Paul chose to describe the place before which this event takes place suggests its character. B. The time of the bema of Christ. The event herein de- seribed takes place immediately following the translation of the church out of this earth's sphere. There are several con- siderations that support this. (1) In the first place, according to Luke 14:14 reward is associated with the resurrection. Since, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, the resurrection is an inte- gral part of the translation, reward must be a part of that pro- gram, (2)When the Lord returns to the earth with His bride to reign, the bride is seen to be already rewarded. This is observed in Revelation 19:8, where it must be observed that the “right- Fei, p 10. Pinay 4 01 a and Exzegetical Commentary on the Second Events Following the Rapture 221 ‘eousness of the saints” is plural and can not refer to the impart- ed righteousness of Christ, which is the believer's portion, but the righteousnesses which have survived examination and have become the basis of reward. (3) In 1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Timothy 4:8; and Revelation 22:12 the reward is associated with “that day,” that is, the day in which He comes for His own. Thus it must be observed that the rewarding of the church must take place between the rapture and the revelation of Christ to the earth, ©. The place of the bema of Christ. It is scarcely necessary to point out that this examination must take place in the sphere of the heavenlies. It is said in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 that we shall meet the Lord in the air.” Since the bema follows this translation, the “air” must be the scene of it, This is further supported by 2 Corinthians where Paul is describing events that take place when the .. present with the Lord.” Thus the Lord’s presence in the sphere of the D. The Judge at the bema of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:10 makes it clear that this examination is conducted before the pres- ence of the Son of God. John 5:22 states that all judgment has been committed into the hand of the Son. The fact that this same event is referred to in Romans 14:10 as “the judgment seat of God” would indicate that God has committed this judgment into the hand of the Son also. A part of the exaltation of Christ, is the right to manifest divine authority in judgment. E, The subjects vf the bema of Christ. There can be little doubt that the bema of Christ is concerned only with believers. The first personal pronoun occurs with too great frequency in 2 Corinthians 5:1-19 to miss this point. Only the believer could have “an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Only the believer could experience “mortality . . . swallowed up of life.” Only the believer could experience the working of God, “who also hath given unto us the eamest of the Spirit.” Only the believer could have the confidence that “whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.” Only the believer could “walk by faith, not by sight.”222 ‘Things to Come F. The basis of the examination at the bema of Christ. It is to be observed carefully that the issue here is not to determine whether the one judged is a believer or not. ‘The question of salvation is not being considered. The salvation given the be- fever in Christ has perfectly delivered him from all judgment }:1; John 5:24; 1 John 4:17). To bring the believer into judgment concerning the sin question, whether his sins before his new birth, his sins since his new birth, or even his unconfess- ed sins since the new birth, is to deny the efficacy of the death of Christ and nullify the promise of God that “their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb. 10:17). Pridham writes: saint will never again come into judgment on account of ree ees with Christ, and is no longer known or dealt with on the footing of his natural responsibility. As a man he has been weighed and found wanting. He was born under condemnation, to a natural flesh; but his guilt has been obliterated by the blood of his Redeemer, and he is freely and justly pardoned for His Saviour's sake, Because Christ is risen from the dead, he is no longer in his sins. He is justified by faith, and is presented in the name and on the merits of the Just One before God; and of this new and le to acceptance the Holy Spirit is the living seal ito judgment, therefore, on his own account he ever-blessed and witness. cannot come. This whole program is related to the glorification of God through the manifestation of His righteousness in the believer. Kelly commenting on 2 Corinthians 5:10, says: So again it is not a question of rewarding service as in 1 Corinthians ii, 8, 14, but of retribution in the righteous govern- ment of God according to what each did whether good or bad. ‘This covers all, just or unjust. It is for the divine glory that every work done by man should appear as it really is before Him ‘who is ordained by God Judge of living and dead. ‘The word translated “appear” in 2 Corinthians 5:10 might better be rendered “to be made manifest,” so that the verse reads, “For Arthur Pridham, Notes ond Refletions on the Second Bpistle to the jornthians, p. 141. Corettiteae Rally, Note on the Second Epietts of Poul the Apostle to the Events Following the Rapture 223 it is necessary for all of us to be made manifest.” This suggests that the purpose of the bema is to make a public manifestation, demonstration or revelation of the essential character and mo- tives of the individual. Plummer’s remark: “We shall not be judged en masse, or in classes, but one by one, in accordance individual merit,”* substantiates the fact that this is an individual judgment of each believer before the Lord. The believer's works are brought into judgment, called “the things done in his body” (2 Cor. 5:10), in order that it may be determined whether they are good or bad. Concerning the word bad (phaulos), it is to be observed that Paul did not use the usual word for bad (kakos or ponéras), either of which would signify that which is ethically or morally evil, but rather the word, which, according to Trench, means: evil under another aspect, not so much that either of or passive malignity, but that rather of its good-for- nothingness, the impossibility of any true gain ever coming forth from it... . This notion of worthlessness is the central notion... .* Thus the judgment is not to determine what is ethically good or evil, but rather that which is acceptable and that which is worthless. It is not the Lord’s purpose here to chasten His child for his sins, but to reward his service for those things done in the name of the Lord. G. The result of the examination at the bema of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 3:14-15 it is declared that there will be a twofold result of this examination: a reward received or a reward lost. That which determines whether one receives or loses a re- ward is the trial by fire, for Paul writes “Every man’s work shall be made manifest [the same word used in 2 Cor. 5:10): for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” (1 Cor. 3:13). From this statement it is evident, first of all, that it is the realm of the believer’s works that is undergoing ex- amination, Further, it is seen that the examination is not an external judgment, based on outward observation, but rather on a test that determines the inner character and motivation, The Plummer, op. oft, p. 187. Richard ©. Trench, New Testoment Synonyms, pp. 296-97.224 Things to Come entire purpose of the trial by fire is to determine that which is destructible and that which is indestructible. ‘The apostle has affirmed that there are two classes of build- ing materials which the “labourers together with God” may use in building the edifice upon the foundation already laid. ‘The gold, silver, costly stones are indestructible materials. These are the work of God, which man only appropriates and uses. On the other hand, the wood, hay, and stubble are destructible materials. These are the work of men which man has produced by his own effort. The apostle is revealing the fact that the examination at the bema of Christ is to determine that which ‘was done by God through the individual and that which the in- dividual did in his own strength; that which was done for the glory of God and that which was done for the glory of the flesh. It can not be determined by outward observation into which class any “work” falls, so that work must be put into the crucible in order that its true character may be proved. 1. On the basis of this test there will be two decisions. There will be loss of reward for that which is proven by the fire to be destructible. Things done in the strength and for the glory of the flesh, regardless of what the act might be, will be disapproved. Paul expresses his fear of depending on the energy of the fiesh rather than the empowerment of the Spirit in the light of this fact when he writes: “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (1 Cor, 9:27).” ‘When Paul uses the word castaway (adokimos) he is not expressing fear that he will lose his salvation, but rather that which he has done shall be found to be “good-for-nothing.” On this word Trench writes: sical Greek it is the technical word for putting money [dokimion} or test approved], bid, p, 260. Events Following the Rapture 205, saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Cor. 3:15). 2. There will be a reward bestowed for that work that is proved to be indestructible by the fire test. In the New Testa- ment there are five areas in which specific mention is made of a reward: (1) an incorruptible crown for those who get mastery over the old man (1 Cor. 9:25); (2) a crown of rejoicing for the soul winners (1 Thess. 2:19); (3) a crown of life for those enduring trials (Jas. 1:12); (4) a crown of righteousness for loving his appearing (2 Tim. 4:8); and (5) a crown of glory for being willing to feed the flock of God (1 Pet. 5:4). These seem to suggest the areas in which rewards will be bestowed. Something of the nature of the crowns or rewards is sug- gested in the word used for crown (stephanos). Mayor says of it that it is used: (2) For the wreath of victory in the games (1 Corinthians 2 Timothy 2:5): (2) as a festal ornament (Proverbs 1: Gen sa. 28:1); (3) as a public honour granted for a guished service or private worth, as a golden crown was granted to Demosthenes. .. In contrasting this word with diadema Trench writes: ust not confound these words because our English for them both. I greatly doubt whether anywhere -[stephanos] is used of the kingly or the New Testament it is plain that the ingly crown is Matthew 21:29; ef, Mark 18:17; Jobn 10:2. ‘Thus the very word Paul chooses to describe the rewards is that associated with honor and dignity bestowed on the overcomer. Although we will reign with Christ, the kingly crown is His alone. The vietor’s crowns are ours. In Revelation 4:10, where the elders are seen to be casting their crowns before the throne in an act of worship and adoration, made clear that the crowns will not be for the eternal 303. BM 5 B Epistle of James, p 6, ‘31 Trench, op. ». 79. a e226 Things to Come glory of the recipient, but for the glory of the Giver. Since these crowns are not viewed as a permanent possession, the question of the nature of the rewards themselves arises. From the Scriptures it is learned that the believer was redeemed in order that he might bring glory to God (1 Cor. 6:20). This becomes his eternal destiny. The act of placing the material sign of a reward at the feet of the One who sits on the throne (Rev. 4:10) is one act in that glorification. But the believer will not then have completed his destiny to glorify God. This will continue throughout eternity. Inasmuch as reward is associated with brightness and shining in many passages of Scripture (Dan. 12:3, Matt, 13:43; 1 Cor. 15:40-41, 49), it may be that the reward given to the believer is a capacity to manifest the glory of Christ throughout eternity. The greater the reward, the greater the bestowed capacity to bring glory to God. Thus in the exercise of the reward of the believer, it will be Christ and not the believer that is glorified by the reward. Capacities to radiate the glory will differ, but there will be no personal sense of lack in that each believer will be filled to the limit of his capacity to “show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). Il, Tue Marniace or Tae Lame In many New Testament passages the relation between Christ and the church is revealed by the use of the figures of the bridegroom and the bride (John 3:29; Rom. 7:4; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25-93; Rev, 19:7-8; 21:1-22:7). At the translation of the church Christ is appearing as a bridegroom to take His bride unto Himself, so that the relationship that was pledged might be consummated and that the two might become one. A. The time of the marriage is revealed in Scripture as falling between the translation of the church and the second advent, Prior to the rapture the church is still anticipating this unfon. According to Revelation 19:7 this marriage has taken place at the time of the second advent, for the declaration is: “the marriage of the Lamb is come.” The aorist tense, élthen, translated “is come,” signifies a completed act, showing us that the marriage has been consummated. This marriage is seen Events Following the Rapture 221 to follow the events of the bema of Christ, inasmuch as when the wife appears she appears in the “righteousness of the saints” (Rev, 19:8), which can only refer to those things that have been accepted at the judgment seat of Christ. Thus the marriage itself must be placed between the judgment seat of Christ and the second advent. B. The place of the marriage can only be in heaven, Inas- much as this follows the judgment seat of Christ, which has been shown to be in the heavenlies, and it is from the air the church comes when the Lord returns (Rev. 19:14), the marriage must take place in heaven, No other location would fit a heavenly people (Phil. 3:20). C. The participants in the marriage. The marriage of the Lamb is an event which evidently involves only Christ and the church. It will be shown later, according to Daniel 12:1-3 and Isaiah 26:19-21, that the resurrection of Israel and the Old Testament saints will not take place until the second advent of Christ, Revelation 20:4-6 makes it equally clear that tribulation saints ot be resurrected until that time also. While it would be impossible to eliminate these groups from the place of observers, they can not be in the position of participants in the event itself. In this connection it seems necessary to distinguish ‘between ‘the marriage of the Lamb and the marriage supper. The marriage of the Lamb is an event that has particular reference to the church and takes place in heaven. The marriage supper is an event that involves Israel and takes place on the earth, In Matthew 22:1-14; Luke 14:16-24; and Matthew 25:1-13, where Israel is awaiting the return of the bridegroom and the bride, the wedding feast or supper is located on the earth and has particular reference to Israel. The wedding supper, then, becomes the parabolic picture of the entire millennial age, to which Israel will be invited during the tribulation period, which invi- tation many will reject and so they will be cast out, and many will accept and they will be received in, Because of the rejection the invitation will likewise go to the Gentiles so that many of them will be included. Israel, at the second advent, will be waiting for the Bridegroom to come from the wedding ceremony228 Things to Come and invite them to that supper, at which the Bridegroom will introduce His bride to His friends (Matt, 25:1-13). In reference to the announcement in Revelation 19:9: “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb” two interpretations are possible. Chafer says: “Distinction is called for at this point between the marriage supper which is in heaven and celebrated before Christ returns, and the marriage feast (Matthew 25: 10, R.V.; Luke 12:37) which 4s on earth after His return? ‘This view anticipates two suppers, one in heaven preceding the second advent, and the one following the second advent on earth. A second inter- pretation views the announcement as anticipatory of the wedding supper that will be held on earth following the marriage and the second advent, about which an announcement is being made in heaven prior to the return to earth for that event. Inasmuch as the Greek text does not distinguish between marriage supper and marriage feast, but uses the same word for both, and since the marriage supper consistently is used in reference to Israel on the earth, it may be best to take the latter view and view ‘the marriage of the Lamb as that event in the heavens in which the church is eternally united to Christ and the marriage feast or supper as the millennium, to which Jews and Gentiles will be invited, which takes place on the earth, during which time the bridegroom is honored through the display of the bride to all His friends who are assembled there. The church, which was God's program for the present age, is now seen to have been translated, resurrected, presented to the Son by the Father, and has become the object through which the eternal glory of God is forever manifested. The present age will thus witness the inception, development, and completion of God’s purpose in “taking out...a people for His name” (Acts 15:14). Lewis Sperry Chater, Systematic Theology, TV, 996. SECTION FOUR PROPHECIES OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD Cuapren XV THE SCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE OF THE TRIBULATION 1. Tue Day o THE Lorp ‘One of the major lines of prophecy running throughout the Old Testament and continuing through the New Testament is the prophetic truth related to the Day of the Lord. A. The time areas within the Day of the Lord. The scope of the Day of the Lord has been a matter of debate among interpreters of the Scriptures. Some refer the Day of the Lord to the years of the tribulation period only. Others relate this to the second coming of Christ to the earth and the judgments immediately connected with that event. There are, however, two major interpretations of this question. The one is the view of Scofield who says: ‘The day of Jehovah (celled, also, “that day,” and “the great day") is that lengthened period of time beginning with the return of the Lord in glory, and ending with the purgation of the heavens and the earth by fire preparatory to the new heavens and new earth (sa, 65:17-19; 66:22; 2 Pet. 9:13; Rev. 21:1) Thus the day of the Lord would cover that time period from the return of Christ to the earth to the new heaven and earth after the millennium. The other view is that expressed by Ironside who says: en at ast the day of grace is ended the day of the Lond ~The day of the Lord follows [the rapture]. will suc 1G. I, Scofield, Reference Bible, p. 1849. 229