I have never been quite able to prove exactly when
& where the judgment seat of Christ will be.
The thought that it is the same as the judgment in
Revelation 20 & Matthew 25 is no doubt simpler.
Looking at the other two, again, I was unable to
see that they are the same as the judgment seat of Christ.
Starting with that Revelation 20 indicates that
there is a "first" resurrection.
They are with Jesus for a thousand years before
the white throne judgment.
They are alive forever, the second death has no
power on them:
Revelation 20:5 But the
rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years
were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but
they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall
reign with him a thousand years.
Secondly, that after the earth fled away, the
white throne judgment is a judgment of the dead:
Revelation
20:11 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.
12 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.
13 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.
14 And death and hell
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second
death.
15 And whosoever was
not found written in the book of life was cast into the
lake of fire.
Thirdly, that if we have been born again, then
we "were dead", but now we "have" eternal life, something
that the dead do not have:
Colossians
2:13 And you, being dead in
your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath
he quickened together with him, having forgiven you
all trespasses;
Ephesians 2:5 Even
when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved;)
Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he
quickened, who were dead in trespasses
and sins;
I John 5:13 These things
have I written unto you that believe on the name of
the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have
eternal life, and that ye may believe on the
name of the Son of God.
Fourthly, that the judgment seat of Christ
appears to involve only believers:
Romans 14:10 But why dost
thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou
set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat
of Christ.
(the "we" that Paul includes
himself with is with the believers that he is writing to,
not with those who die without Christ)
II Corinthians 5:10 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.
(believers' sins, however,
were judged on the cross, and he remembers them no more)
I
Corinthians 3:11 For
other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which
is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build
upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood,
hay, stubble;
13 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.
14 If any man’s work
abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a
reward.
15 If any man’s work
shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself
shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
(not cast into the lake of
fire as the second death)
Fifthly, the Matthew 25 judgment is "on" the
earth, not after it has fled away.
It involves "nations" who survived the
tribulation and are still existing at the second advent:
Matthew 25:31 When the Son
of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his
glory:
32 And before him
shall be gathered all nations: and he
shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divideth his sheep from the goats:
However, I'm still not sure where the judgment
seat of Christ will be, in the air, in heaven, on the earth,
in the new Jerusalem, etc.
Also, will the believers stand before that seat
immediately after the blessed hope (rapture)?