Civil Court Versus Criminal Court

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

I have never heard anyone teach this, but I liken these TWO different future judgment to Civil Court versus Criminal Court. Interestingly, whether you are saved or lost, we will all be judged according to our works. The difference is whether someone will be tried in court as a safe redeemed child of God, or as an accursed criminal.

The Judgment Seat of Christ: Civil Court

2nd Corinthians 5:9-11, “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”

At the coming Judgment Seat of Christ only for the saints, which I humbly believe will take place immediately following the Pretribulation Rapture (1st Corinthians 15:51-58), it will be a CIVIL COURT for all of the redeemed throughout history. Some professed believers such as Evangelist Sam Gipp and Pastor J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988) teach that there will be a split Rapture, and that Old Testament saints won't be resurrected and judged until after the 7-year Tribulation period. I reject that theory. I do not find any such teaching in the Scripture. The aforementioned men base their speculative theory upon Daniel 12:3. 

The Bible is very clear in 1st Thessalonians 4:16b-17 that “the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” We shall be CHANGED in the twinkling of an eye (1st Corinthians 15:52), given immortal glorified bodies fashioned like unto the LORD's resurrected body (Philippians 3:21). Oh, what a glorious day that will be. No more neck pain! Amen!

In Civil Court you're sole risk is monetary (loss of rewards); but in Criminal Court you are at risk of losing your freedom and going to prison. We read about the saint's Civil Court in 1st Corinthians 3:11-15, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: 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. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” I cherish this popular poem...

“Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”; And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ’twas worth it all”; Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” —Missionary C. T. Studd

All of our earthly hobbies, shallow pursuits, secular affairs and things done for self (wood, hay and stubble) won't be rewarded in eternity. Only that which we have done in Jesus' name for the Gospel's sake and the Kingdom of God (gold, silver and precious stones) will be rewarded. Christ is extremely ethical and I believe will reward even the least efforts done for His sake and the Gospel's. Matthew 10:42, “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” So, even if you share my website articles with others to help them in the LORD, you will be rewarded in eternity. The reason why is because I am a servant of God. And if you help me as a fundamentalist Bible preacher, you are indirectly helping the cause of Jesus Christ. Even if you give a cup of water on a hot day, or a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter's day, to a soulwinning Christian, it is the same as if you gave it to Jesus (Matthew 25:40).

Only Christians will be tried in Civil Court, and their total risk is rewards. There will be tears, shame and regret at the Judgment Seat of Christ for our sin failures on earth as saints, but there is no condemnation to those who have faith in Jesus (John 3:18; Romans 8:1).

The Great White Throne of Judgment: Criminal Court

Revelation 20:11-20, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

In sharp contrast to the Judgment Seat of Christ, at the Great White Throne of Judgment (which takes place at the end of the 1,000 year Millennial reign of Jesus Christ from the throne of David in Jerusalem), it will be a judgment only for the damned (the unsaved) of human civilization. Jesus Himself will be the believer's Attorney (1st John 2:1) and Judge at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:10); but God the Father will judge the dead at the Great White Throne of Judgment (Revelation 20:11-12). We must face the 'TERROR OF THE LORD' (Psalm 6:1).

We learn in Revelation 20:12 that death and Hell, and the bottom of the oceans, shall give up their dead. That is, the deceased remains of everyone's physical bodies will be retrieved by God to appear at this last judgment. This will be a CRIMINAL COURT, not civil court. It's not a matter of “if” someone is guilty, but what will be their eternal sentence in the horrific Lake of Fire.

Only unsaved sinners will be tried in Criminal Court, and their plight is to spend eternity burning in fire and brimstone (sulfur) forever. There will be tears, shame and regret at the Great White Throne of Judgment for our sin failures on earth as saints, but there is no condemnation to those who have faith in Jesus (John 3:18; Romans 8:1).

The Choice Is Yours Alone To Make Dear Reader

Which judgment will you appear at dear reader? If you are reading this, it is still not too late for you to settle with God out of court. God is freely offering you a full pardon and eternal life, just for the taking, literally, but only if you will accept His only begotten Son's sacrificial death on Calvary's cross as full payment for your sins, believing that Jesus was buried, but physically resurrected from the dead three days later. This is “the gospel” by which all who BELIEVE IT are immediately, irrevocably and forever saved (1st Corinthians 15:1-6; Romans 1:16). 1st Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”

I admit that I spend a lot of time thinking about where the deceased have gone in the afterlife. Lately, I've been thinking about rock star Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020). Tragically, Eddie and his family are staunch Roman Catholics, the dead man's religion! I can tell you with all biblical authority that there is no salvation in the Roman Catholic prisonhouse of religion. Catholics trust in their false church. They trust in Sacramental Salvation, confessing sins to their sins priests and their wicked demonic Catechisms.

According to this toxic article from the Catholic Answers website, salvation is a gift that you obtain by keeping the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic church. That's equivalent to saying that I am going to give you a birthday gift through you washing my car, mowing my lawn and washing my dirty underwear. Happy Birthday! The Catholic church is so full of Bologna! Mark 7:9b, “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”

Psalm 7:11 warns that God's anger rests upon the wicked every day. John 3:36 warns that God's wrath rests upon the head of every Christ rejecter. But there is no condemnation to he that believeth on the only begotten Son of God, apart from all human works. ...

John 3:16-19, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

Friend, if you have not yet received Jesus as your personal Savior, you are already condemned by God's law to spend eternity burning in the fires and brimstone of Hell forever.

2nd Peter 3:9 plainly teaches that it is God's will for ALL MEN (i.e., all humans) to repent (change your mind) to be saved. Since the only sin that can hinder you from entering into Heaven is unbelief, then logically that is the only sin which you must change your mind about to be saved. Repentance concerning the new birth NEVER means to forsake your sinning, nor even to be willing top forsake your sinful ways. To do so would be works, not grace (Romans 4:4). To get to Heaven we repent TO believe; not repent AND believe. There is only one step to being born again, which is to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ...” (Acts 16:31b).