References to the judgment seat of Christ can be found in Romans 14:10–12 and 2 Corinthians 5:10. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the Roman general Titus set up his tribunal, commended all of his troops, and rewarded those soldiers who had served with valor (Josephus, Wars 7.1.2–3).Ĭharacteristics of the Judgment Seat of Christ It was also a place to distribute rewards. The Roman tribunal was not just a place to mete out judgment. The most well-known biblical example of the bema is when the Lord Jesus stood before the bema of Pilate, placed in front of the Prætorium (Mt. In those cases, temporary platforms were erected with ceremonious chairs placed upon them (see Josephus, Wars 2.14.8). In numerous places the bema was located, not in the region of the forum, but at the place where the Roman official decided to execute justice. Archaeologists have unearthed the bema in Corinth, and it can be seen today. Paul stood before the judgment seats of Festus in Cæsarea (Acts 25) and Gallio in Corinth (Acts 18:12–17). A Roman magistrate, acting as judge, sat in a designated chair on the bema or tribunal, with the defendant and plaintiff standing before him. The bema was also a place to hear court cases and make legal decisions. Often in the middle was a bema or rostrum from which to address the crowds. Many major cities throughout the Roman empire patterned their centers of public gatherings and commerce after the imperial forum in Rome. The Romans called the speaker’s platform a rostrum. Acts 12:21 records that Herod Agrippa I sat on his “throne” (bema) to deliver a speech. Bema was also used to describe a raised platform from which an orator would speak to the public. In its simplest usage, bema referred to a step, as in a footstep (Acts 7:5). In speaking of a judgment seat, the Scriptures use the Greek word bema. This lifetime “review” will take place at the judgment seat of Christ. In a similar but far greater way, all Christians will one day give an account of their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. Did he meet his goals? Did he do well with the resources made available to him? What were his accomplishments? In what areas was he strong or weak? The year-end review is not only a time for the employee’s job performance to be measured against his work objectives, it is also a time for the manager to bestow praise and recognition. Many successful businesses engage their employees in an annual ritual known as the “year-end formal performance review.” On those occasions, a manager sits down with an employee, report in hand, and surveys the employee’s job performance over the past year.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |