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Due to the fall, mankind’s only expectation is death. All those who are apart from Christ have no hope and are without God in the world (Eph. 2:12). However, the believers’ life is full of hope, not only for the Lord’s coming but also to be resurrected and to be raptured. When the Lord comes back, there will be resurrection and rapture, and He will set up His judgment seat in the air to judge His believers. Concerning the believers’ resurrection, rapture, and judgment in the future, the revelation in the New Testament is both clear and strong. In this lesson we shall see prophecies in the Bible concerning the believers’ resurrection, rapture, and judgment. All believers should be concerned with the truth revealed in these prophecies.
The Christian life is closely related to resurrection. A believer experiences being raised up together with Christ at the time of his salvation; this is the resurrection of the spirit (John 5:25; Eph. 2:1, 5-6; Col. 2:13). Furthermore, a believer’s hope for the future also depends on resurrection, that is, the resurrection of the body. Paul says, “If it is only that we have hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Cor. 15:19). The Christian life is completely different from the life of fallen mankind, which is a life without hope. The hope of the Christian life depends on the resurrection brought in at the Lord’s coming.
John 5:28-29 says, “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth: those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have practiced evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” These verses reveal two kinds of physical resurrections. One is the resurrection of life, that is, the resurrection of the saved believers before the millennium (Rev. 20:4, 6; 1 Cor. 15:23, 52; 1 Thes. 4:16). All dead believers will be resurrected at the return of the Lord Jesus to enjoy eternal life. Hence, this resurrection is called the resurrection of life. The resurrection of judgment refers to the resurrection of the unbelievers after the millennium (Rev. 20:5, 12). All the dead unbelievers will be resurrected after the millennium to be judged at the great white throne and to be sentenced to eternal perdition (vv. 11-15). Hence, this resurrection is called the resurrection of judgment. The resurrection of the believers is the resurrection of life, not the resurrection of judgment.
Resurrection is mainly for the dead (those who are sleeping, John 11:11-14; 1 Thes. 4:13; 1 Cor. 11:30) in the Lord before His coming. Those who sleep in the Lord first go to Hades, the place where the souls and spirits of the dead are kept (Luke 16:22-23; Acts 2:27). Hades is divided into two sections: a pleasant section, where Abraham, Lazarus, and all saved saints are (Luke 16:22), and a section of torment, where the rich man and all the perished sinners are (vv. 23, 28). The two sections are cut off from each other by a gulf, a chasm (v. 26). The dead saints go to the pleasant section of Hades. Their soul and spirit will be united with their resurrected body at the time of resurrection (1 Cor. 15:53; 1 Thes. 4:16). The overcomers will be resurrected and raptured before the great tribulation. Those who remain will be resurrected at the end of the great tribulation and will be raptured with the believers who are living at that time (v. 17). The dead unbelievers will go to the section of torment in Hades. They will be resurrected after the millennium to receive the judgment of the great white throne.
All believers who are dead in Christ will participate in the resurrection from the dead at the Lord’s coming back. But the overcoming ones among them will enjoy an extra, outstanding portion of that resurrection. This is the out-resurrection referred to by Paul in Philippians 3:11 and the better resurrection in Hebrews 11:35. The better resurrection is the out-resurrection, the extra-resurrection. This means that the better resurrection is different from a common resurrection. Revelation 20:4-5 says, “They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years...This is the first resurrection.” First here can also be translated as “best.” The first resurrection is the best resurrection; it is also the resurrection of reward (Luke 14:14), that is, the better resurrection and the out-resurrection. This resurrection is a resurrection of kingship as a reward to the overcomers, which enables them to reign as co-kings with Christ in the millennial kingdom. Hence, blessed and holy are they who have part in the first resurrection (Rev. 20:6). They will inherit the kingdom of God manifested on earth and even be co-kings in it.
Those who participate in the out-resurrection include not only the overcomers who are resurrected from the dead, such as the man-child in Revelation 12:5 and the late martyrs in 15:2, but also the raptured living overcomers, such as the firstfruits in 14:1-5. The believers should aspire to obtain the best resurrection, the out-resurrection, as the goal and destination of their Christian life.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:16 Paul says, “The Lord Himself, with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” The trumpet of God refers to the last trumpet, the seventh trumpet (Rev. 11:15; 1 Cor. 15:52). First Corinthians 15:52 indicates that at the last trumpet the dead will be raised incorruptible. The majority of the believers, who died through all the generations, will be resurrected at the end of the great tribulation and will be raptured to the air with the believers living on the earth to meet the Lord (1 Thes. 4:17).
The parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-12 also describes the resurrection of the majority of the believers who died through all the generations. The ten virgins in this parable signify the majority of the believers. Believers are like chaste virgins, bearing the Lord’s testimony (the lamp) in the dark age and going out of the world to meet the Lord, the coming Bridegroom. “While the bridegroom delayed, they all became drowsy and slept” (v. 5). Becoming drowsy signifies becoming sick (Acts 9:37; 1 Cor. 11:30), and going to sleep signifies dying (1 Thes. 4:13-16; John 11:11-13). This indicates that while the Lord delays His return, the majority of the believers first become sick and then die. Matthew 25:6 continues, “But at midnight there was a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Go forth to meet him!” This signifies that at the darkest time of this dark age (night), which will be at the end of this age, the time of the great tribulation, there will be a shout of command with the voice of the archangel (1 Thes. 4:16). Matthew 25:7 says, “Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their own lamps.” Arose signifies resurrection from the dead (1 Thes. 4:14). This is the resurrection of the majority of the believers who died through all the generations, as prophesied in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and I Corinthians 15:52.
The subject of the believers’ rapture is a great matter in the Bible. Although the term rapture is not found in the Bible, the thought is strongly emphasized. Objectively speaking, to be raptured is to be taken, such as Enoch and Elijah, who were taken by God in the Old Testament (Gen. 5:24; 2 Kings 2:1, 11). This matter is also repeatedly spoken of in the New Testament, referring to the believers being taken by God (Matt. 24:40-41; Luke 17:34-36; 21:36; 1 Thes. 4:17; Rev. 3:10; 7:9; 11:12; 12:5; 14:1; 15:2). Subjectively speaking, to be raptured is for the believers to experience the redemption of the body, that is, to be glorified—the ultimate step of God’s full salvation in life. At that time God will transfigure the believer’s body of humiliation to be conformed to the body of Christ’s glory (Phil. 3:20-21). Hence, the rapture of the believers is not only to be raptured to the air; it is also to be taken with the transfiguration of the body through the life that emerges from within the believer and swallows up his mortal body (1 Cor. 15:50-54).
According to the New Testament all believers, whether living or dead, will be raptured at the Lord’s coming. The dead and resurrected overcomers and the living mature believers will be raptured before the three and a half years of the great tribulation. The living immature believers who remain will pass through the great tribulation and will be raptured with the other resurrected believers close to the end of the great tribulation.
Revelation 12:5 says, “She brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” In the Bible a woman signifies the weaker vessel and a man the stronger vessel (1 Pet. 3:7). Hence, the man-child in Revelation 12:5 signifies the stronger part of God’s people. The words unto death in verse 11 show that the strong man-child is composed of the dead and resurrected overcoming saints. Abel, who was the first martyr, the apostles, and all the martyrs and deceased overcomers are waiting for the time of resurrection. Their resurrection will be the delivery of the man-child (cf. Acts 13:33-34). They will be raptured to God and to His throne (Rev. 12:5) before the three and a half years, that is, before the twelve hundred sixty days, of the great tribulation (v. 6). Then they will execute the Lord’s judgment on the devil, God’s enemy, casting him out of heaven (vv. 7-11), and shepherd all the nations with an iron rod (12:5; 2:26-27).
Revelation 14:1 says, “I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.” The second half of verse 4 goes on to explain, “These were purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” The one hundred and forty-four thousand firstfruits will be raptured before the great tribulation (vv. 1-5) and will stand on the heavenly Mount Zion with Christ the Lamb (v. 1; Heb. 12:22). God’s people are His crop (cf. 1 Cor. 3:9; Matt. 9:37-38; Luke 10:2; John 4:35). The firstfruits are those of God’s crop who ripen the earliest. Hence, they will be reaped before the harvest, that is, raptured to the heavens before the rapture of the majority of the believers (Rev. 14:14-16), just as the firstfruits of the good land were reaped and brought into the temple of God for God’s fresh enjoyment before the harvest (Lev. 23:10-11; Exo. 23:19). The firstfruits are not for fighting but for the satisfaction of God and of the Lamb. God and the Lamb need enjoyment. The living overcomers will be the firstfruits to satisfy this need for enjoyment.
The living overcomers who will be raptured before the great tribulation also include the overcomers signified by the man and the woman who are taken in Matthew 24:40-41: “At that time two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left.” Furthermore, Luke 17:34 says, “In that night there will be two on one bed; the one will be taken and the other will be left.” To be taken in these Scriptures refers to being raptured before the great tribulation (21:36). Those who are taken are the overcoming believers who are alive before the great tribulation. One is taken and the other is left because there is a difference in the maturity in life. The one taken is the mature one; the one who is left is the immature one. This also indicates that the rapture of the overcoming believers will occur secretly and unexpectedly, at night for certain believers who are sleeping, and in the daytime for certain sisters grinding at home and certain brothers working in the field. They will be raptured to the heavens to stand before the Son of Man, that is, to stand before the Savior on the heavenly Mount Zion. Hence, the believers should be watchful so that they may overcome to escape the coming great tribulation and to stand before the Son of Man (v. 36).
In Revelation 3:10 the Lord also speaks concerning the living overcomers who will be raptured before the great tribulation: “Because you have kept the word of My endurance, I also will keep you out of the hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth.” Trial in this verse undoubtedly denotes the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21). The Lord promises the overcoming believers that He will keep them “out of the hour of trial,” not only out of the trial but out of the hour of trial. This indicates that the overcomers who keep the word of His endurance will be raptured before the great tribulation.
According to Revelation 14:15, at the end of the great tribulation there will be another angel who comes out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sits on the cloud, “Send forth Your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” He who sits on the cloud will thrust His sickle upon the earth, and the earth will be reaped. The harvest of the earth is God’s people on earth, the believers in Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 3:9). At His first coming to the earth, the Lord sowed Himself into His believers (Matt. 13:3-8, 24). All the believers who have received Him as the seed of life have become God’s crop on the earth. The first-ripe ones will be reaped as the firstfruits to God before the great tribulation. However, the majority will remain on the earth during the great tribulation. The suffering of the great tribulation, like the parching sun, will dry up the earthly waters from the believers, enabling them to ripen and to be reaped at the end of the great tribulation (Matt. 13:30, 39; Rev. 14:15-16). They will be raptured to the air with the resurrected believers to meet the Lord (1 Thes. 4:15-17; 1 Cor. 15:52).
There are two other raptures, which are of martyrs, during the great tribulation. One is the rapture of the two witnesses who will be sent by God to prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth (Rev. 11:3). They will fulfill their ministry and be killed. On the last day of the great tribulation the two witnesses will be resurrected and raptured, going up into heaven in the cloud (vv. 11-12). The other rapture is the rapture of those standing on the glassy sea referred to in Revelation 15:2. Standing on the glassy sea signifies that these ones have been resurrected from the dead and raptured to be above the lake of fire (which the glassy sea refers to and which is the second death—4:6; 20:14), that is, to be above God’s eternal, fiery judgment (14:9-11). These are the late overcomers who will pass through the great tribulation and overcome Antichrist and the worship of Antichrist (15:2). They will be martyred under the persecution of Antichrist and then resurrected to reign with Christ in the millennium (20:4).
After the rapture of all the resurrected dead believers and the rapture of all the living believers, Christ will set up His judgment seat to judge these genuine believers. This judgment will determine whether a believer will receive a reward or some kind of dispensational punishment (1 Cor. 4:4-5; 3:13-15). In 2 Corinthians 5:10 Paul says, “We must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done through the body according to what he has practiced, whether good or bad.” The purpose of the judgment seat of Christ is to determine who among the saved is worthy of a reward and who still needs discipline.
The believers will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, “that each one may receive the things done through the body according to what he has practiced, whether good or bad.” Receive is a technical word used for receiving wages. While the believers are still at home in the body, they should do things through it to please the Lord that they may be rewarded by the Lord at His coming. In Revelation 22:12 the Lord says, “Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me to render to each one as his work is.” The Lord repeats His warning (vv. 7, 20) so that the believers will seriously consider the reward or punishment to be rendered at His coming back.
Before the judgment seat of Christ, the believers will give an account of themselves to God for the Lord to settle the accounts with them. Matthew 25:19 says, “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.” A long time signifies the entire church age. Came signifies the Lord’s descending to the air (1 Thes. 4:16) in His coming (parousia). Settled accounts signifies the Lord’s judging at His judgment seat (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10) in the air (within His parousia), where the believers’ living, conduct, and work will be judged for reward or punishment. They will give account of how they have lived before the Lord and the kind of work they have done for the Lord after they were saved.
The believers will be examined by the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 4:4-5 Paul says, “He who examines me is the Lord. So then do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each from God.” Before the day of the Lord (5:5), what is hidden in the believers’ heart is not known. But one day the things in their heart will be made manifest so that praise may be given to each one from God. If the believers’ heart is right, good, pure, and for God, then at the judgment seat of Christ they will be rewarded with praise from God.
In Revelation 22:12 the Lord Jesus says, “Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me to render to each one as his work is.” The Greek word translated reward means “wages.” At the Lord’s coming, this reward will be rendered to each one of the believers at the judgment seat of Christ after their rapture. This is what the Lord referred to in Matthew 16:27: “For the Son of Man is to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will repay each man according to his doings.”
When the believers are judged by the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ, some will receive a reward. Many verses in the New Testament prophesy concerning this.
First Corinthians 3:8b says, “Each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” Then in verse 14 Paul continues, “If anyone’s work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward.” According to the context, the work that remains must be that of gold, silver, and precious stones. Gold, silver, and precious stones signify the various experiences of Christ in the virtues and attributes of the Triune God. Gold may signify the divine nature of the Father with all its attributes, silver may signify the redeeming Christ with all the virtues and attributes of His person and work, and precious stones may signify the transforming work of the Spirit with all its attributes. All these precious materials are the products of our participation in and enjoyment of Christ in our spirit through the Holy Spirit. Only these are good for God’s building. Such a building work will be approved by the Lord, and the believers will be rewarded by the coming and the judging Lord.
In 1 Corinthians 9:17, concerning preaching the gospel, Paul says, “If I do this of my own will, I have a reward.” The book of 1 Corinthians was written by the apostle not to help lost sinners to be saved but to help saved believers to grow (3:6-7), to build with precious materials (vv. 10, 12-14), to care for the Lord’s members (8:9-13), and to run the race (9:24). Hence, a reward is mentioned repeatedly as an incentive to the believers for their progress (3:14; 9:18, 24-25).
In Matthew 16:24-27 the Lord prophesies that if the believers lose their soul-life, take up their cross, and follow Him, they will receive a reward from Him. He will repay “each man according to his doings,” that is, according to whether or not they lose their soul-life’s enjoyment in this age. The Lord’s reward will be entering into the manifestation of the kingdom. The manifestation of the kingdom in the millennium will be a reward to the followers who remain under the killing of the cross. All the believers who follow Christ in this way will be rewarded with the manifestation of the kingdom. If we bear the cross to follow the Lord by losing the enjoyment of our soul in this age, He will reward us with the enjoyment of the soul in the kingdom.
In Philippians 3:14 Paul declares, “I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward.” The goal is for us to gain, whereas the prize is for us to enjoy. The prize here will be the uttermost enjoyment of Christ in the millennial kingdom as a reward to the victorious runners of the New Testament race.
Hebrews 10:35 says, “Do not cast away therefore your boldness, which has great reward.” The reward is something in addition to eternal salvation. It will be given to the believers at the Lord’s coming, according to their works (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12; 1 Cor. 4:5), and will be enjoyed in the coming kingdom (Matt. 25:21, 23). The will of God for the Hebrew believers was that they take the new covenant way (Heb. 10:19-23) and remain with the church (v. 25), not shrinking back to Judaism (vv. 38-39) but suffering persecution from Judaism (vv. 32-34). If they did not cast away their boldness, they would receive the promise of a great reward (v. 35) at the Lord’s coming back (v. 37). The great reward is the coming Sabbath rest (4:9), the enjoyment of Christ and the reign with Christ in the coming kingdom.
Matthew 24:45-47 says, “Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom the master has set over his household to give them food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his possessions.” Faithfulness is shown toward the Lord, whereas prudence is exercised toward the believers. Household refers to the believers (Eph. 2:19), that is, the church (1 Tim. 3:15). Give them food refers to ministering the word of God and Christ as the life supply to the believers in the church. Here to be blessed is to be rewarded with the authority to rule in the manifestation of the kingdom. In the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens the Lord will set the faithful slave over all His possessions. This will be a reward to him.
In the parable of the faithful slave in Matthew 25:14-30, the master said to the slave who was given five talents and who also gained five talents: “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master” (v. 21). This parable shows that if the believers are faithful to the work entrusted to them by the Lord in this age, in the future they will be given the authority to rule in the coming kingdom. They will even be given more responsibilities in the coming kingdom and will participate in the Lord’s joy, the highest enjoyment of the Lord in the kingdom. Furthermore, verses 22 and 23 reveal that the same reward will be given to the two-talented one as to the five-talented one. This indicates that although the gift given to the two-talented one is smaller than that given to the five-talented one, the Lord’s appraisal and reward to both are the same. This reveals that the Lord’s appraisal and reward are not related to the size and quantity of our work but to our faithfulness in using His gift to the fullest extent.
At the judgment seat of Christ some believers will suffer loss because of being disapproved by the Lord.
First Corinthians 3:12-15 says, “If anyone builds upon the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, stubble, the work of each will become manifest; for the day will declare it, because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will prove each one’s work, of what sort it is...If anyone’s work is consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” Wood, in contrast to gold, signifies the nature of the natural man; grass, in contrast to silver, signifies the fallen man, the man of the flesh (1 Pet. 1:24), who has not been redeemed or regenerated by Christ; and stubble, in contrast to precious stones, signifies the work and living that issue from an earthen source and have not been transformed by the Holy Spirit. Wood, grass, and stubble signify the knowledge, realization, and attainments that come from the believers’ natural background—such as Judaism or other religions, philosophy, or culture—and the natural way of living—which is mainly in the soul and is the natural life. All these worthless materials are the product of the believers’ natural man together with what they have collected from their background. Hence, they will be burned by the Lord’s judging fire at His coming. These believers will not only lose their reward because of being disapproved, but their being saved will also be as through fire. This prophecy should be a solemn warning to us today concerning our Christian work.
Matthew 24:48-51 says, “If that evil slave says in his heart, My master delays, and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with the drunken, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him asunder and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. In that place there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” The evil slave does not expect his master; hence, he does not like to live the kind of life that is for his master’s coming. Moreover, the evil slave beats his fellow slaves, that is, mistreats the fellow believers, and eats and drinks with the drunken, that is, keeps company with worldly people, who are drunk with worldly things. Therefore, when the master comes back, he will cut asunder the evil slave and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. This indicates that the defeated believers will be unable to participate in Christ and the glory of His kingdom in the manifestation of the kingdom but will be weeping and gnashing their teeth in outer darkness.
In Matthew 25:24-30 the one-talented slave, who was not faithful in using his gift, is rebuked by the Lord and punished. Verse 30 says, “Cast out the useless slave into the outer darkness. In that place there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” Whoever is cast into outer darkness will be cut off from the Lord, from His presence, from His fellowship, from the glorious sphere in which the Lord will be. This is not to perish eternally but to be chastened dispensationally during the coming age of the kingdom.
In the New Testament there are numerous verses containing clear and strong prophecies concerning the judgment of the believers at the judgment seat of Christ. These prophecies are very serious. In studying these prophecies we should be concerned about our future, in particular how we shall meet the Lord and give an account to Him.
All those who are apart from Christ have no hope and are without God in the world. However, the believers’ life is full of hope, not only for the Lord’s coming but also to be resurrected and to be raptured. The Bible reveals two kinds of physical resurrections: the resurrection of life for the believers, and the resurrection of judgment for the unbelievers. All dead believers in Christ are awaiting resurrection in Paradise, which is in Hades. When the Lord returns, all the dead overcoming believers through all the generations will receive the out-resurrection as a reward, but the majority of the dead believers through all the generations will be resurrected at the end of the great tribulation.
The subject of the believers’ rapture is a great matter in the Bible. The thought concerning rapture is strongly emphasized in the Bible. To be raptured is to be taken. At the time of the Lord’s coming, all saints, whether living or dead, will be raptured. According to the New Testament three groups of believers will be raptured before the three and a half years of the great tribulation: the dead and resurrected overcomers, the man-child; the living and mature believers, the firstfruits; and the other living overcomers. The rest of the living believers, the majority of the harvest, will pass through the great tribulation and will be raptured with the other resurrected believers close to the end of the great tribulation.
After the rapture of all the resurrected dead believers and the rapture of all the living believers, Christ will set up His judgment seat to judge all genuine believers. This judgment will determine whether the believer will receive a reward or some kind of dispensational punishment. They will receive the things done through the body according to what they have practiced, whether good or bad. They will also give an account of themselves to God for the Lord to settle accounts with them, and they will be examined by the Lord that praise may be to each one from God. Some will receive a reward, and some will suffer loss. The believers will receive a reward from the Lord if they build with gold, silver, and precious stones; serve the saints out of their own will for the building; deny their self, bear the cross, and follow the Lord; pursue toward the goal; do not cast away their boldness; are faithful and prudent, set by the Master over His household to give them food at the proper time; and make use of their gifts faithfully. The believers will be chastened dispensationally during the age of the kingdom if they build with wood, grass, and stubble; think that the Lord will delay His coming and begin to beat the fellow slaves, eating and drinking with the drunken; and do not make use of the gifts faithfully.
