07.01. The Judgment Seat of Christ

CHAPTER 7- The Judgment Seat of Christ - Part I

The desire to obtain eternal life in the next age is what brought the rich young ruler to Jesus. You will recall that Christ identified that desire as being one to “enter into life” (Matthew 19:17), or “to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:23). These terms were used concerning entry into the realm of the blessed Kingdom in the coming age. When and where will it be decided who will enter the Kingdom? This matter, and others, will be decided at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Our appearance at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be the most awesome event of our lives. Let us try to picture the scene from Scripture. I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him; thousands upon thousands were attending Him; and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; the court sat, and the books were opened (Daniel 7:9-10). This scene in Daniel 7:1-28 is connected with the end time judgments of God since the destruction of the Antichrist is mentioned in verse eleven, and since Christ, the Son of Man, is presented before the Ancient of Days to receive His Kingdom in Daniel 7:13-14. The same scene is presented in Chapters Four and Five of the book of Revelation. The duration of this court session may last several years as judgments are meted out upon an unrepentant earth. It is in this scene that the seventh trumpet is sounded, heralding the announcement that “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15; compare Daniel 7:14). Immediately after this announcement the twenty-four elders who were seated on their thrones before God fall on their faces and worship God. They declare that God’s reign has begun, and then they recount the events of that general time period: “And the nations were enraged, and Thy wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged and the time to give their reward to Thy bond-servants the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth” (Revelation 11:18). Daniel 7:1-28 reveals at least two specific judgments that emanate from the court session. One is the judgment upon the “little horn” (the Antichrist). This judgment is seen in Daniel 7:11 and Daniel 7:26. The other judgment is that which is in favor of the saints so that they may possess the Kingdom (Daniel 7:18, Daniel 7:22, Daniel 7:27). It is not my desire here to try to determine precisely when and where the Judgment Seat of Christ takes place. However, I believe it does take place when He returns (Matthew 16:27; Revelation 22:12), and in the presence of the Father and His angels (Revelation 3:5). Revelation 11:18 cited above seems to confirm that the scene presented in the Seventh Chapter of Daniel and the Fourth and Fifth chapters of Revelation would include the judgment and reward of the saints. What an awesome and fearful scene we see here! One day we will appear there. We will see God’s throne as flames of fire, and a stream of fire will be flowing out from before Him. Around His throne will be other thrones (probably angelic rulers) and a myriad of angels. It is in this setting that the Scripture records, “The court sat, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:10). The books are a record of the doings of those to be judged (compare Revelation 20:12, which is a later judgment that includes dead unbelievers). Into this courtroom comes One called the Son of Man. Unto Him all judgmental authority is given. “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22,; see also Acts 10:42; Acts 17:31; 2 Timothy 4:1). This scene, it seems, pictures the court in which we believers are to be judged one day. The Greek word bema is used of Christ’s Judgment Seat in 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Romans 14:10. Some teachers have argued that this word, bema, was used in Greek literature as a reward seat for the judge viewing contestants in the Grecian athletic games. Therefore, they say this word carries the notion of honor and reward rather than justice or judgment. Thus, they conclude that at Christ’s Bema, He will simply reward and honor the victorious runners in the Christian race. Those who do not run so well will just not receive a (positive) reward according to this view. However, the Scripture never once uses bema in the setting of an athletic contest with rewards. In Matthew 27:19 Pilate sat at the judgment seat. From there he decided the life or death fates of two men, Jesus and Barabbas. In Acts 18:1-28, Gallio heard charges of wrong against Paul while seated upon the bema (Acts 18:12), and Sosthenes received a beating in front of it. In Acts 12:21, Herod delivered an address to the people from the judgment seat, but since he did not give God the glory, an angel of the Lord struck him at the bema so that he died. In Acts 25:1-27, Paul was brought before the bema (Acts 25:6, Acts 25:10, Acts 25:17) for judgment, with accusers bringing charges against him, trying to get him punished. Overall, Scripture references portray the bema as a place of examination and true judgment. This is in agreement with the two uses of the word bema in connection with Christ’s Judgment Seat: But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God (Romans 14:10-12, NKJV). “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). There are a large number of New Testament verses related to the coming judgment of believers. Because it is our desire to avoid making this book lengthy, not all the verses will be covered nor will a detailed exposition be given. It is hoped that the reader may be stimulated into studying this subject more as he or she reads the Scriptures. Let us begin, however, to look at some of the aspects of the Judgment Seat in the light of God’s Word. At the Judgment Seat, the lives we lived as believers will be revealed for what they really were. “For we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10, AMP). The Greek word for “appear” in this verse carries the idea of being made manifest, open, fully revealed. This verse then continues: “that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” This is a summary verse concerning the Judgment Seat, indicating all that we have done will be judged. It will be helpful for us, however, to see some of the categories this judgment will include. The list below may not be inclusive.

Some Categories of Judgment

1) Our words. “But I say to you that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

2) Our motives. “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each one’s praise will come to him from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5).

3) Our stewardship of money and possessions. “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” (Luke 16:10-12)

4) Our stewardship of our spiritual gifts and responsibilities. (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27; see comments in Chapter Five on these passages.) 5) The nature of our service. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; this matter will be addressed below.)

6) Our relationships with others. (Matthew 5:22-26; Matthew 6:14-15; Matthew 7:1-29; Matthew 1:1-25; Matthew 2:1-23; Matthew 18:23-35; Romans 14:10; James 5:9; more will be said about this topic in Chapter 8.) 7) Our conformity to God’s holy standards. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-5) Judgment upon the nature of our service

    Item five above, the nature of our service, deserves particular comment at this juncture. The Bible records that the work Christians do to build up the body of Christ will be tested at the Bema. In the third chapter of First Corinthians Paul addressed this matter. He declared that he had laid the foundation of God’s building in Corinth, which is Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9-10). Others were then building upon that foundation. Because the Corinthian believers were exhibiting envy, strife and divisions (1 Corinthians 3:3-4), Paul warned them to be careful in light of the coming judgment:

        But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds upon 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 upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

The judgment will be a testing time. The purging fires of God’s judgment will test each believer’s work to see of “what sort it is” (1 Corinthians 3:13). One sort is depicted by gold, silver and precious stones, signifying that work produced by God’s working in and through the believer. These materials stand the test. The other materials (wood, hay and straw) are consumed by the fire. These materials signify the fleshly, natural works of man which do not build up, such as the fleshly works of envy, strife and division noted in verses three and four. In principle, all work done by man in the energy of the natural life, without God as its source, is fleshly and unacceptable to God, no matter how good it may appear. That was the lesson of Saul in his attack on Amalek (1 Samuel 15:1-35). Amalek represents the flesh of man impeding his progress toward the good land. God wanted the Amalekites totally destroyed, but Saul kept the best of the spoil, that which was “good”, to offer to God. God utterly rejected this. God wants the totality of the old man crucified no matter how good or capable he may be (Galatians 2:20; Php 3:3-9). The one whose work stands the test receives a positive reward. However, “if any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss” (v.15). The exact nature of this suffering of loss is not fully defined here, so it is presumptuous of Bible teachers to say it simply means that the believer will lose all positive reward. Actually, the context contains a strong indication that the suffering of loss may involve definite punishment, since Paul continues his warning to the Corinthians in the next two verses as follows: “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Here Paul must still be talking about how the local church at Corinth is being built up. When Paul states that “you are a temple of God”, he is speaking of the church in Corinth--all of the believers there collectively, not individually. All of the pronouns “you” in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 are plural, not singular in the Greek. In 1 Corinthians 3:17, Paul goes on to warn that “if any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him”. The word for destroy here is phtheiro, which means to corrupt or destroy. Paul is warning the Corinthians that if any one of them is destroying the local church there through fleshly work, that, in turn, “God will destroy him”! W. E. Vine comments on the use of this verb in this verse as follows: “With the significance of destroying, it is used of marring a local church by leading it away from that condition of holiness of life and purity of doctrine in which it should abide, 1 Corinthians 3:17 (KJV, ‘defile’), and of God’s retributive destruction of the offender who is guilty of this sin”. God’s destruction of the believer here may well speak of ruin to the failed disciple during the coming 1,000 year age, since in context the warning is closely connected to the matter of the Judgment Seat. It cannot speak of eternal destruction, escape from which is secured by grace. Even the Holy Scripture here gives that assurance when it declares, “he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be [finally, eternally] saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15). We have seen by the foregoing categories of judgment that Christ’s future examination of believers is very thorough. It touches our words, our motives, our stewardship of material possessions, our faithfulness in the use of our spiritual gifts, the nature of our service to God (fleshly or spiritual), our relationships with others, our conformity to God’s holy standards and, in summary, all of the deeds done in the body (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Entry into the Kingdom

Next, we need to look at the most crucial determination that will be made at the Bema. After a believer is examined there, Christ will decide if that believer will enter the blessed, glorious realm of His 1,000 year Kingdom, or if the believer will be denied entry. Entry or exclusion to the coming Kingdom has been a dominant theme of this book. It was noted earlier that entry to that realm is the main subject matter in the story of the rich young ruler. Let us now examine the eight portions of God’s Word (not counting duplicate Gospel narratives) where the phrase “enter the kingdom” is mentioned in the New Testament. We shall see that seven of the eight portions have to do with works for entry into the Kingdom of God. These seven passages speak of entry into the future stage of the Kingdom, the millennium Kingdom. One passage only speaks of entry into the present spiritual phase of the Kingdom.

Sermon on the mount applicable to believers

The first two mentions of entry into the coming Kingdom are found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Already, a few readers may be feeling uncomfortable because you have been taught that the Sermon on the Mount is for the Jew, not the believer. Therefore, this matter must first be dealt with, or some of you will not be able to receive the lessons presented to us in this passage of Scripture. The view that claims that the Sermon on the Mount does not apply directly to believers is one that endorses an extremely rigid dispensationalist perspective. This school declares that everything before the cross was “legal” and addressed to the Jew. Lewis Sperry Chafer, a proponent of this view, says this concerning the Sermon on the Mount: “As a rule of life, it is addressed to the Jew before the cross and to the Jew in the coming Kingdom, and is therefore not now in effect”. One significant reason why Chafer and others were afraid to assign direct application of the Sermon on the Mount to the believer involves the matter of “works”. They feared that grace would be mixed with law. However, as we have seen, it is necessary to separate these two principles and apply them rightly. Because these teachers did not see this distinction, and only had the believer under the grace principle, they had no way of applying the Sermon on the Mount to believers. They were honest with the context of the Sermon on the Mount and saw that the righteousness required for entry into the Kingdom (Matthew 5:20) was not imputed righteousness, but practical righteousness. Chafer commented on this works aspect of the Sermon on the Mount as follows:

All the kingdom promises to the individual are based on human merit. . . . It is a covenant of works only and the emphatic word is do. . . . as the individual forgives, so will he be forgiven. And except personal righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, there shall be no entrance into the kingdom of heaven. To interpret the righteousness which is required to be the imputed righteousness of God, is to disregard the teaching of the context, . . .

    To thus discount the Sermon on the Mount as not applicable to believers is itself, however, a significant problem. As theologian George Ladd has stated: “It is immediately obvious that a system which takes this greatest portion of Jesus’ teaching [The Sermon on the Mount] from the Christian in direct application must receive a penetrating scrutiny”.

    The reasons why we must believe that the Sermon on the Mount is meant for Christians are as follows:

1) It was addressed to disciples (Matthew 5:1), learners and followers of Christ.

2) Jesus’ teaching before the cross was not all “legal” or “law”. Although the Lord was certainly teaching righteous requirements, it was not the Old Testament Law; neither was it taught to the exclusion of grace. “The law and the prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached” (Luke 16:16). “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John” (Matthew 11:12-13). “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).

3) The claim that the Sermon on the Mount was for the unregenerate Jews before the cross and also for them in the Kingdom is untenable. The demand for practical righteousness in the Sermon on the Mount is higher than that presented under the Old Testament Law (Matthew 5:20-48). How could unregenerate Jews be expected to keep Jesus’ elevated standards when just the Law itself was a yoke they were unable to bear (Acts 15:10)? No unregenerate person could be expected to obey the commands of the Sermon, for its requirements exceed the Law, which God had given to prove to man his inability to keep God’s standard, thus revealing to man his sinfulness (Romans 3:19-20).

L. S. Chafer says that the other application of the Sermon on the Mount, indeed the main one for him, is to show the conditions of life IN the coming millennial Kingdom among the Jews. This contention simply cannot be supported by the language in the Sermon. There is no hint that the Sermon on the Mount is a prophecy depicting life IN the coming Kingdom. To the contrary, it is clearly seen, by normal understanding, to be an admonition to live a righteous life in order to ENTER the coming Kingdom (Matthew 5:20; Matthew 7:21). The verb in Matthew 5:20 is in the emphatic future negative: “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven”. Here, the living of a righteous life is seen as a condition precedent to one’s entrance into the Kingdom, not as a depiction of one’s living within the Kingdom.

4) Jesus surely anticipated that the disciples He taught and trained for the three and one-half years before the cross were going to be the very ones who would found and instruct the church. In fact, He labored all night in prayer concerning the choice of His apostles for the church (Luke 6:12-13). That three and one-half years of teaching was not to be wasted by being only marginally applicable to the church.

Jesus did present things to His people the Jews first (Acts 3:25-26), but upon their rejection of Him, the door was then open to the Gentiles to participate with the believing Jews in the blessings of God (Romans 11:15-17). Before the cross, and before His final rejection by the Jewish leaders, Jesus anticipated Gentile participation in the coming Kingdom (Matthew 8:10-13). The final and conclusive proof that Jesus intended the Sermon on the Mount for the church is found in the great commission at the end of Matthew’s gospel (the book which contains the Sermon on the Mount): And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). (The emphasized words show that Christ’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is to be taught to the church, not just to Jews, and obeyed.) Enter the Kingdom in Matthew 5:20

Now let us return to the task of looking at the eight passages explicitly using the term “enter the kingdom”. The first passage is Matthew 5:20, which has already been cited. Entry into the coming Kingdom is a major theme of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:20; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 7:21). A reading of the Sermon on the Mount reveals that the entire discourse entails Christ’s demands of practical righteousness upon the disciple. Faith and free gift are not seen. That is because the millennial Kingdom is in view rather than eternal salvation by grace. Much of the Sermon on the Mount deals with Christ’s raising of the standard of righteousness beyond the Mosaic Law. The beatitudes touch matters of the heart that were never mentioned in the do’s and don’ts of the Law (Matthew 5:3-12). It is with such qualities of character that we are to shine out our “good works’” to the Father’s glory (Matthew 5:16). Jesus also deals not just with the outward act of murder, but with the inner attitude of anger (Matthew 5:21-26). Additionally, the righteousness that Christ teaches goes beyond the Law’s prohibition of adultery and touches the root problem of lust (Matthew 5:27-30). He uses the Old Testament standard of God relating to lawful retribution as a springboard to deal with man’s inner problem of retaliation and unforgiveness (Matthew 5:38-48). Jesus’ teaching continues as He exposes man’s outward piety for selfish purposes of recognition, and advises that God only rewards worship and good deeds done in secret solely for the Father’s glory (Matthew 6:1-18). He warns against greed and living for the enjoyment of self in this life (Matthew 6:19-24). He deals with our anxious preoccupation with our needs at the expense of seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:25-34). In Chapter Seven, He exposes our self-righteous and judgmental attitudes (Matthew 7:1-5). He deals with our selfish mind-set, teaching us to focus on meeting the needs of others (Matthew 7:12). These requirements of the Sermon on the Mount are all exceedingly high. Thus, the path of discipleship that ultimately “leads to life” is narrow and constricted, and “few are those who find it.” (Matthew 7:14) Taking the narrow way that leads “to life” is just another way Jesus portrayed qualifications for entry into the coming Kingdom (see Matthew 19:17; Matthew 19:23-24). It is therefore obvious that the Sermon on the Mount focuses on a practical righteousness that exceeded the Mosaic standard. Thus, the first of our eight “entry” passages reads: “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).

Enter the Kingdom in Matthew 7:21

The second “enter the kingdom” verse is Matthew 7:21. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” How shall we understand this verse? According to the context, the doing of the will of the Father must include the keeping of the righteous standards set forth in the Sermon on the Mount; it must involve the walk along the narrow way that leads to life. Jesus confirms this when He states in conclusion just three verses later: “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock” (Matthew 7:24). To do the will of the Father is to keep His commandments, especially the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Again, we must note that the whole surrounding context of Matthew 7:21 is the doing of practical righteousness. Some in that day will address Christ, “Lord, Lord”. Are these false believers? “Lord” was the way Christ was addressed by His chosen apostles (John 13:9; John 13:13), and Scripture tells us that “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” [Of course, I am speaking of a sincere confession] (1 Corinthians 12:3). Returning to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus highlights the possibility that the believer is genuine, but his doing of God’s will is absent. To interpret doing “the will of My Father” here as simply believing in Christ violates the principle of interpretation according to the context. Nothing in the context of the Sermon on the Mount remotely stresses trusting in Christ or the gospel. Rather, its conclusion is in hearing the words of Jesus and doing them; this is doing God the Father’s will. Some interpreters may argue, however, that the context shows those denied entry to the Kingdom in Matthew 7:21 are false believers (professors of Christ but not possessors of the Spirit), since some are rejected by the Lord in Matthew 7:23 with the declaration, “I never knew you.” To understand this verse, let’s look carefully at Matthew 7:21-23. Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23). We can see in these verses a picture of the Judgment Seat of Christ. “On that day” (Matthew 7:21) is the day of judgment. I believe it is clear that Matthew 7:21-22 both speak of the same scene since both verses depict people before the Lord confessing “Lord, Lord”, with Christ in turn making a judgment upon them. It is significant to note that almost all interpreters agree that only believers will appear at Christ’s Judgment Seat. Matthew 7:21 is a general statement by Jesus made as part of the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. Let us review the Sermon in order to see Jesus’ conclusion. After so much admonition concerning doing righteousness (Matthew 5:1-48, Matthew 6:1-34, Matthew 7:1-12), the Lord then concludes that there are two ways for the disciple: the narrow way and the broad way. He then warns the disciple that in his search to find the narrow way there will be false prophets who will try to mislead the disciple (Matthew 7:15-20). After this warning, Jesus speaks of the coming judgment. It is at the coming judgment that the fate of those who appear before Him will be decided relative to entry into the Kingdom. On that judgment day, people will appear before Christ and confess Him as “Lord”. Christ makes a general statement in Matthew 7:21 about the judgment. He says that not everyone who confesses Him as Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of the God the Father. This shows us that there will be two classes of those who address Him “Lord, Lord”. One class will be those who do the will of God, and they will enter the Kingdom. The other class will be those who do not do the will of God, and they will not enter the Kingdom. Again, according to the context, “doing the will” must mean the carrying out of the righteous demands of God, especially as seen in the Sermon on the Mount. This interpretation is marvelously confirmed when we study a parallel passage. Luke 6:20-49 contains Christ’s discourse on the plain (Luke 6:17). This message by Jesus mostly contains statements that are also found in the Sermon on the Mount. If you read Luke 6:46-49 in Luke 6:1-49, you will see these as a parallel to Matthew 7:21-27. First there is the confession “Lord, Lord”, and then there is Christ’s teaching concerning the wise man building upon the foundation of the rock by hearing and doing Christ’s words. Note how Luke 6:46 reads: “And why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say” ? Therefore, “doing the will of My Father” is hearing and obeying Christ’s words. In Luke 6:46 Christ reveals that some may call Him Lord, but not actually obey His words, thus denying His Lordship in practice, in their living and conduct.

“I never knew you”

Let us continue now with Matthew 7:22-23. After portraying the general judgment scene with two classes of persons saying “Lord, Lord” in verse 21, Christ reveals a more specific case in the next two verses. He states that many will confess “Lord, Lord” in that day and present to Him their works. Jesus rejects these persons by not only saying “I never knew you”, but also by giving His criticism of their doings, characterizing them as lawlessness. It is crucial that we really think about and come to a correct understanding of Jesus’ words “I never knew you.” Please take careful note of what He does not say. He does not say to them, “You never knew Me”. If this faulty one appeared before Christ in the day of judgment as merely a “professor” (a person professing Christ, but with no genuine relationship with Him), it would seem the Lord would judge him by saying something like, “you claim to know Me by calling Me ‘Lord, Lord’, but you never really knew Me. You never had a genuine relationship with Me. Depart from Me, you unbeliever.” But the Lord did not say this. Instead, He said “I never knew you”. The Lord spoke from His perspective, His “knowing” of the person, rather than the person’s knowing of the Lord. Yet, actually speaking, doesn’t the Lord know everyone thoroughly? Of course, He does know everyone, even the secrets of their hearts (John 2:24; 1 Corinthians 4:5), but He doesn’t have a vital spiritual union with all people. The answer to the puzzle lies in our understanding of the word “know” in this passage. Every sound Bible interpreter knows that a word must be interpreted according to its context. If you look up a word in the dictionary, it will usually have from two to five meanings. How does one know which meaning is intended in any instance? One must look at the context where the word is used. The word for know in this verse is the Greek word ginosko. Of course, it can carry the usual meaning of “know”, meaning to have knowledge of or to be acquainted with. However, this word can also mean to acknowledge or recognize in a certain sense. A standard Greek lexicon comments on the use of this word in Matthew 7:23 as follows: “acknowledge, recognize as that which one is or claims to be . . . I have never recognized you Matthew 7:23.” Thinking of the word in this way we can easily understand the passage. The Lord has told us in Matthew 7:21 that many will come to Him calling Him Lord, but He will deny them entry to the Kingdom because they are not those who do the will of the Father. So we see the scene again in Matthew 7:22 as those coming to Jesus, calling Him Lord and presenting their works as evidence of doing the Father’s will. At that point, Christ will respond to them something like this: “You come to Me calling Me ‘Lord’ and claiming to be persons doing the will of the Father. I have never acknowledged you as such persons. Depart from Me; you are those who practice lawlessness.” Jesus disapproves them because He does not recognize them as doers of the Father’s will. Rather, He calls them doers of “lawlessness”. Then, based upon this forecast of future judgment, He tells His disciples in the next verse, “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man . . .” (Matthew 7:24). The problem with the disapproved ones was that their works were not in accordance with the righteous principles of God, as expressed in the words of Christ. Yes, they may have prophesied, they may have cast out demons and even did some works of power. But they did these things in a way disregarding the words of Christ (or the will of God). Perhaps they did these things to be noticed by men in violation of Matthew 6:1. Maybe they were greedy and did them for financial gain contrary to the teaching in Matthew 6:24. Some ministers love the “wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15) and some suppose that “godliness is a means of gain” (1 Timothy 6:5). Perhaps some did their works for the Lord Jesus with an attitude of pride (“I’m God’s man”), rather than being poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). Perhaps they simply did things for the Lord, using His name, but what they did was just according to their natural energy and talent (“wood, hay and straw”; 1 Corinthians 3:12). It is possible for those who supposedly serve God to be deceived into thinking that they are doing God’s will (James 1:22). It is even possible for believers to be genuinely endowed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, yet they themselves may be fleshly in their walk and use the gifts in a fleshly way. The church in Corinth is a proof of this (1 Corinthians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, 1 Corinthians 6:7-8; 1 Corinthians 11:17-22, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 1 Corinthians 14:9-16, 1 Corinthians 14:20-28). Watchman Nee comments on these crucial verses in Matthew 7:21-23 : Why did the Lord say, “I never knew you”? The next sentence explains: “Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.” Please remember that the Lord did not tell them to depart from eternal life. In the original Greek the meaning of workers of lawlessness is people who do not follow the rules, keep the law, or abide by the regulations. In the eyes of God, to do evil does not mean only to do bad things. It does not matter how much one has done; as long as he has not hearkened to God’s demand, His judgment, and His sovereign arrangements, it is evil in God’s eyes. If this word “lawlessness” were translated as “evil”, as some versions have done, many would have the ground to argue. The problem here is not a matter of doing evil, but a matter of being unprincipled. What are the principles? The principles are God’s word. But what is God’s word? God’s word is God’s will. If you are not doing the will of God, no matter what you do, the Lord Jesus would say that you are lawless. Those who do things according to their own self will have no part in the kingdom of the heavens. The reward of the kingdom of the heavens is based on the obedience of man. If one is not faithful while living on the earth, though he will not lose eternal life, he will lose the kingdom of the heavens. . . . First the Lord mentioned this matter in Matthew 7:21. Following this, in Matthew 7:22-23, He explained the matter to us in the way of a prophesy. There will be many, not only one or two, who will not do the will of God. . . . Here the Lord Jesus tells us what will happen before the judgment seat. He says, ‘In that day.’ Hence, this does not refer to today, but to the future. There are many who work hard but do not see the light of God in their lives. When the time of judgment comes, and when Christ begins to judge from the house of God, those Christians will have light for the first time. They will see that they are off in their standing and in their living. Matthew 7:23 : The Greek word for knew is the same as the word for acknowledge in Romans 7:15. There, in Romans 7:15, I do not acknowledge means “I do not consider [it] right.” Here, I never knew you may be translated “I never approved of you”; that is, “I never considered what you are doing as right.” A great deal of space has been devoted to this “enter the kingdom” portion in the seventh chapter of Matthew because it is possibly the most commonly misunderstood portion in the Gospels. As a final confirmation as to the real truth presented here, here is one more lexicon’s definition of ginosko and two translations of Christ’s word “I never knew you”. Ginosko: “In the sense of to know, as being what one is or professes to be, to acknowledge, with the acc. (Matthew 7:23).” “Never have I acknowledged you” (Matthew 7:23, The Emphasized New Testament: A New Translation, J. B. Rotherham). “At no time did I recognize you” (Matthew 7:23, The Four Gospels, E. V. Rieu).

Enter the Kingdom in Matthew 18:3 The third New Testament mention of “enter the kingdom” occurs in Matthew 18:3. At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child and had him stand among them. And He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:1-4, NIV). There is an interesting relevant background to the disciples’ question to Jesus. If one reads the parallel passages in Mark 9:33-37 and Luke 9:46-48, it will be seen that the disciples had just been having an argument among themselves concerning which one of them was the greatest! In light of this, Jesus used the opportunity to show them the character and holiness issues related to entering the future Kingdom. Robert Govett, the great teacher of the Kingdom truths in the nineteenth century, comments as follows: The apostles inquire of Jesus, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” There had been a strife among them which of them should be the greatest. Jesus replies, “Except ye turn (Greek) and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven:” Matthew 18:3. Is not that clear and startling? That to apostles! “You are inquiring which of you will get the chief place in the kingdom? I tell you, you will not enter it at all, unless you put away from you these ambitious jostlings, these bitter strifes with one another!” Here, methinks, is the exclusion which I teach. Govett’s comment on exclusion is in respect to a believer’s exclusion from participation in the blessed realm of Christ’s 1,000 year Kingdom. All of us who do not let the Holy Spirit put to death the prideful and ambitious contentions within will find ourselves rejected by the Lord Jesus Christ for entry into His Kingdom on the day of judgment.

Enter the Kingdom in Matthew 19:23-24

    The fourth and fifth instances of the phrase “enter the kingdom” are found in the story of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:23-24; parallels: Mark 10:23-25; Luke 18:24-25). Of course, the reader is now thoroughly familiar with the emphasis of this story. The entire context of the story concerns the call to absolute discipleship. The lesson Jesus presented to His followers was that unless one is willing to sell all (give up the enjoyment of the self in this age) and follow Him, there would be no entry into the coming Kingdom. The coming Kingdom was presented as a conditional reward for those who would leave all to follow Him.

Enter the Kingdom in Mark 9:47 The sixth mention of “enter the kingdom” is found in Mark 9:47. “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to ENTER INTO LIFE maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell [literally., Gehenna], into the fire that shall never be quenched--where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to ENTER LIFE lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell [literally, Gehenna], into the fire that shall never be quenched--where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire--where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another” (Mark 9:43-50, NKJV, emphasis added). This fearful and amazing passage is one that I suspect most teachers of eternal security prefer to avoid! Why? Because escape from the fire is linked to dealing with sin (works), not faith in Christ. And how can unbelievers be expected to deal with sin in their lives? They can not be expected to since they are slaves of sin (John 8:34; Romans 6:16-20). So, this is a word to disciples, not unbelievers (Mark 9:31; Mark 9:33; Mark 9:38). It is a word to those who already have a relationship with Christ and have the potential power to deal with sin. This portion of God’s Word warns us that believers who are unrepentant and do not deal with sin in this life will not enter the future Kingdom of God (Mark 9:47). This is in perfect accord with 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, and Ephesians 5:5. The fire that these unrepentant believers undergo is not “hell”, which is a mistranslation. It is Gehenna, which will be discussed in the next chapter. Again we see that obedience, not grace, is the condition laid down for entry into the coming Kingdom. Dealing with sin is a serious matter with God. Where are you with the Lord on this issue?

Enter the Kingdom in John 3:5

The John 3:7 to use the term “enter the kingdom” (or here, “enter into the kingdom”) is John 3:5. Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3-5). This passage has caused difficulties for many expositors because it seems that baptism is here linked with entry into the Kingdom of God. We will not here go into the many various explanations of this passage, but just lay out a simple case for our understanding of the passage. The context is that of a ruler of the Jews, Nicodemus the Pharisee, coming to Jesus in order to learn from Him. Nicodemus believed that Jesus was a teacher from God, but came seeking to learn more. Jesus’ immediate response to his inquiry was: “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). Jesus was telling Nicodemus that a new birth was needed for him to perceive anything about the Kingdom of God. Jesus was here telling Nicodemus of his real need: the spiritual birth, whereby the life of God is imparted to man. It was after Nicodemus manifested perplexity at another birth that Jesus told him that he must be born of water and the Spirit. Then, Jesus went on to explain: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6). The stress in Jesus’ response to Nicodemus was the matter of a spiritual birth (in the human spirit) by the Spirit of God. Jesus mentioned the matter of being born five times in John 3:3-8. We interpret this birth to mean an entry into the present stage of the Kingdom of God, the invisible spiritual Kingdom (Romans 14:17; Acts 26:18; Colossians 1:13). Every Christian knows that a spiritual rebirth is needed in order to be in the Kingdom presently, and in order to “see” (perceive) the spiritual reality of such a Kingdom. A life of religious rules, such as Nicodemus kept as a Pharisee, is insufficient. There must be a new birth deep within man, in his human spirit. The complication of this passage comes in verse five when Jesus speaks of “born of water and the Spirit.” But, please note that Jesus mentions the water only once in the five references to being born in this passage. He mentions “born of the Spirit” three times. And, He seems to shorten His reference to being “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5) to just “born of the Spirit” in John 3:6 and John 3:8.

It seems most natural, considering that Jesus’ audience was only Nicodemus, that “water” refers to John’s baptism. John had been baptizing for some time and Nicodemus was surely aware of it. It is doubtful at that point that Nicodemus had undergone John’s baptism, because the Pharisees later claimed that (to their knowledge) “no one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him.” (John 7:48) So, in Jesus’ counsel to Nicodemus, He stated that John’s baptism was needed for this new birth. What is John’s baptism? The Scripture terms it as a “baptism of repentance” (Acts 19:4). Further, Luke tells us that John the Baptist came “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Luke 3:3). This certainly does not mean that those who were simply water baptized by John were forgiven. Only the blood of Christ can obtain forgiveness (Romans 3:25; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12-14, Hebrews 9:22). No baptism can cleanse us (1 Peter 3:21). But, John’s ministry did introduce Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

John’s ministry was to “make ready the way of the Lord” (Luke 3:4), to introduce the One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16). “I baptized you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me . . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11) John’s ministry announced the Kingdom and told of the coming King of Israel (Matthew 3:2-3). John stated: “And I did not recognize Him, but in order that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” (John 1:31) So, John’s baptism was to produce recognition that Jesus was the promised Messiah. The Scripture records this thought again in Acts, where Paul is quoted: “And Paul said, ‘John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him, who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’” (Acts 19:4) So, the ministry of John’s baptism was repentance - a “change of mind” - concerning Jesus. The leaders of the Jews did not accept the witness of John’s ministry. “But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.” (Luke 7:30). They rejected Jesus as the Messiah, but those who received Him were given the authority to be born again. “He came unto His own and those who were His own did not receive Him. But, as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:11-12) The conclusion is that “water” in John 3:5 really meant, to Nicodemus, that repentance was needed on his part to recognize the Messiah and his need of Messiah’s salvation. Nicodemus needed to accept John’s baptism, which meant he would accept Jesus as the Messiah and as the One who could take away his sins as the Lamb of God. If he would do so, that would make the way for him to be born of the Spirit of God. Repentance in salvation is just the other side of the coin of faith. It means to have a change of mind about Jesus and our need to trust in Him alone for salvation. It means turning from every other confidence (such as the Pharisee’s confidence in their keeping of the works of the Law) to trust (believe) solely in Jesus. The new spiritual birth still requires this repentance, but to believe in Jesus really includes this change of mind. In the context of salvation, repentance includes faith and faith includes repentance (Luke 24:47; Acts 10:43; Acts 11:17-18). The two go together not as two separate items, but as two aspects of one action.

It is at the moment of belief that we pass from death to life (John 5:24; Romans 3:26. Romans 5:1-2). This means that we are transferred into a new realm (the Kingdom of God) by the new birth at the moment of belief. Jesus was calling Nicodemus to believe in Him as the Messiah, and Jesus stressed the matter of belief in the conversation with Nicodemus (see John 3:14-18). Therefore, the matter of “water”, being baptized by John, was simply an expression of belief. “Truly I say to you that the tax-gatherers and harlots will get into [lit., are getting into] the kingdom of God before you [the chief priests and elders who rejected the baptism of John]. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax-gatherers and harlots did believe him; and you, seeing this did no even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.” (Matthew 21:31 b-32).

Believer’s baptism follows actual belief in Christ, so water baptism is simply an outward testimony of the inner faith and life we already possess (1 Peter 3:21). It is normative for baptism to immediately follow belief, and they are viewed together in the New Testament in the conversion process (Acts 8:12; Acts 16:14-15; Acts 16:31-34). Entry into the spiritual Kingdom of God is gained by belief in Christ, which is accompanied by regeneration (the new birth wrought by the Spirit of God), and our belief in Christ and our new life in Christ are testified in baptism.

Enter the Kingdom in Acts 14:22

The final verse using the term “enter the kingdom” is Acts 14:22 :“. . . strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God’” (Acts 14:22). “Through many tribulations” strongly implies faithful endurance through trials, without succumbing to the temptation to quit or turn back (see 1 Thessalonians 3:3). This thought is linked with the apostles’ exhortation to “continue in the faith” in the same verse. Faithful endurance under hardship is a great theme in the Bible and has much to do with the reward of the coming Kingdom. The writer to the Hebrews exhorted the wavering Hebrews to “remember the former days, when, after being enlightened you endured a great conflict of suffering, partly, by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, . . . Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised” (Hebrews 10:32-33; Hebrews 10:35-36). This passage in Hebrews connects faithful endurance through tribulations to the coming reward in the Kingdom. Also, Jesus Himself said, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). In summary, Acts 14:22 views entry into the coming Kingdom as being at the end of the long path of faithful endurance through tribulations. These eight New Testament passages using the term “enter the kingdom” do not imply simple faith. No, rather we see that they entail the following elements: practicing righteousness (Matthew 5:20), doing the will of God (Matthew 7:21), dealing with pride and ambition (Matthew 18:3), letting go of riches (used for self indulgence) (Matthew 19:23-24), dealing with sin in the disciple’s life (Mark 9:47), following Christ in baptism (John 3:5), and enduring faithfully through tribulations (Acts 14:22). Therefore, entrance into the coming Kingdom is a matter of works, not of grace (gift). There are some teachers who feel that overcoming (victorious) Christians will rule and reign with Christ in the Kingdom, while defeated Christians will simply lose their reign, but still be in the Kingdom realm with Christ. Apparently, these teachers do not see the full extent of the coming judgment upon believers. Subconsciously, they may still be affected by the grace concept in relation to the Kingdom, thinking God will be gracious to His children so as to at least allow them to be in the blessed Kingdom realm. I truly wish they were correct, but Scripture will not allow me to agree with them. God’s justice will be exercised at Christ’s Judgment Seat and every person will be recompensed for their deeds. Christ would not be just if He gave a positive reward (participation in the glory and blessing of His Kingdom) to a believer who lived a defeated life. After reviewing all of these requirements of obedience and endurance for Kingdom entry, the reader may be overwhelmed by the demands presented. Once again we need to be reminded that what is impossible with man is possible with God (Matthew 19:26). All of these demands reveal our need to come to Him for His supply of grace and strength. Paul stated, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Php 4:13) Our source of the Christian life must be Christ Himself. In union with Him, we can overcome every obstacle, whether internal or external. To be vitally “in Christ”, we need to daily draw near to Him with a true heart in the Word and in prayer; furthermore, we need to have “our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience“ (Hebrews 10:22) , by sincerely confessing all of our failures. Through such daily practices we will find that we can indeed be in union with Christ and learn from Him, growing in grace. The overcoming Christian life is not that complicated or difficult if we can learn to contact Him as our source. It is exceedingly difficult, however, when we attempt to carry it out with our own energy.

Another entry into the Kingdom

Before we leave the matter of entry to the Kingdom, we should note that there is another portion in the Gospels where Jesus speaks explicitly of entry without using the exact wording “enter the kingdom”. Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them (Mark 10:13-16, NKJV, see also Matthew 19:13-15 and Luke 18:15-17). This is an intriguing passage. It does not seem coincidental that this story of Jesus’ encounter with the little children is recorded just before the story of the rich young ruler in all three of the synoptic Gospels. In both encounters (with the children and with the rich ruler), Jesus spoke of entering the Kingdom of God. However, the contrasts between the two incidents are many and instructive. In one encounter the little children were brought to Jesus; in the other, a young man came seeking Him. In the first scene, very small children with no capability came to Him and He received them. In the second scene, a very capable, vigorous young man approaches Him. Jesus puts no demand upon the children and rebukes those who hinder them. He makes it so easy for them to come to Him and He receives them in His arms, blessing them. In contrast, to the rich young ruler, Jesus makes the encounter difficult, raising the stakes beyond the man’s capability. As respects the children, the Kingdom is simply received at a point in time. To the rich ruler, the Kingdom will cost all that he has and includes the demand to follow Christ for a life time. In the first scene, the Lord declares that the Kingdom of God is composed of such as these simple little children. In the second scene, the Lord indicates that the Kingdom is shared only by those who have left all and followed Him. I believe the lesson is this: The Kingdom which the “children” receive (and thus enter) is the present Kingdom (the present stage of the Kingdom of God). Jesus pointed out that the quality of childlikeness is needed to receive the Kingdom. Everyone can be like a child: simple, trusting, unconfident, even timid. Any such person, whether an actual little child or not, can simply come to Jesus, receive the Kingdom (as a gift), and be taken in by Him, being blessed. This is the Kingdom according to grace. Reception of this Kingdom now also guarantees us a place in the eternal Kingdom of God (). The children were blessed by Jesus not because of their merit; He just wanted to bless them! (Also, Jesus wanted no one to hinder such as these children from receiving the Kingdom. I fear that today some “children”, literal and figurative, may be being hindered by gospel preachers who place upon the “children” requirements designed for the young ruler.) To the ruler, on the other hand, Jesus required the highest price to be paid for the blessing of inheriting eternal life (in the age to come). This is the coming stage of the Kingdom, manifested in the millennium, granted according to works. It is not a Kingdom received, but one “purchased” at a great price. This is the Kingdom bestowed as a reward. In these consecutive accounts of the little children and the rich young ruler, God presents to us a beautiful picture of the successive stages of the Christian life. The first stage is portrayed by the young children. Here the new birth of the believer is pictured, where one simply comes to Jesus and receives the Kingdom by receiving Jesus (John 1:12; Colossians 1:13). Following that, there is the call to discipleship in the believer’s life. This call is pictured by the young ruler, showing a maturing one. This call to discipleship demands that the maturing one give up all to follow Christ in order to enter the future manifestation of the Kingdom. All believers are indeed children of God. But only some believers will meet the demands of total discipleship and thus be rewarded with eternal life in the millennial Kingdom.

Confession and Denial at the Judgment Seat

The Bible reveals a distinctive feature of the Judgment Seat of Christ in regard to the believer’s entry or non-entry into Christ’s coming Kingdom. It involves our name being confessed by Christ in approval, or us being denied by Christ in disapproval. Let’s look at several New Testament passages in order to develop this concept. Matthew 10:32-33 and Luke 12:8-9 are sister passages concerning confession and denial. These verses occur in similar contexts. Matthew 10:16-39 and Luke 12:1-12 are displayed below as the contexts of these verses. “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you in their synagogues; and you shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not become anxious about how or what you will speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what you are to speak. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. And brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows. Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.” (Matthew 10:16-39) Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of the multitude had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? And yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows. And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man shall confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who will speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not become anxious about how or what you should speak in your defense, or what you should say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:1-12) If you read the entire Matthew passage carefully, you will see that the context reveals several things. Please note that Jesus was talking to His disciples in preparation for sending them out for ministry (Matthew 10:5). However, Christ’s instructions eventually blend into a prophetic forecast for the end time (Matthew 10:17-23). That Matthew 10:17-23 is a prophecy of the end time given by Jesus is proven by the fact that the events of that passage did not take place at the time the twelve disciples went out. Also, most of the same forecast events are mentioned in Jesus’ prophecy of the end time in Mark 13:9-13. In this way, Christ in His office of prophet (Deuteronomy 18:18) followed the pattern of the Old Testament prophets. They would often speak of one event and in the same speaking foretell another event that would occur centuries later. There would be no hint, however, in their prophesying of the huge time gap between the two events (example: Isaiah prophesied of events related to Christ’s first and second coming in one verse without a hint of a huge time gap: Isaiah 61:2). Christ’s prophecy here concerns the end time trauma of the believers. (Believers will be here during the great tribulation and during the troublesome time of birth pangs preceding it. The “rapture” debate will not be engaged here. Please note, however, that even the pre-tribulation rapturists hold that many people will become believers after the rapture event and will live on the earth during the turbulent times just before Christ’s open appearing). During the difficult end time days, believers will be delivered up to courts (Matthew 10:17), being betrayed even by their families (Matthew 10:21). At that time, they should not fear the officials of the tribunals that may kill them; rather, they should fear disobeying God (Matthew 10:28). These persecuted disciples (Matthew 10:24-25) should be faithful to take up the cross and follow Jesus (10:38), thus losing the soul (10:39). They may have to follow Christ all the way to physical death (Matthew 10:21; Matthew 10:28), just as Christ obeyed the Father by going to the cross. When these disciples are before the courts (Matthew 10:17; Matthew 10:19), they should not fear their inquisitors (Matthew 10:28, Matthew 10:31), because God is watching over them, acknowledging their sacrifice, even as He watches a sparrow fall to its death (Matthew 10:29). Before the court they should speak by the Spirit of God (Matthew 10:20) and not fear to confess Christ (Matthew 10:32). To confess Christ then will probably mean death, but, as a result, Christ will confess the name of such a disciple before the Father (Matthew 10:32). The disciple who endures in following Christ in this way to the end