Do all believers of all time receive the same things?

[extravagantchristian]

2 Corinthians 5:10
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

This should be considered more carefully, this does not refer to punishment.

"that each one may receive the things done in the body" does not have a smooth flow here when read with "according to what he has done". Are the things done in the body referring to THE body of which every born again believer is a member?

The Scripture is crystal clear that I will never suffer for sin because it has all been atoned for in Christ at Calvary, so the only thing this can be is rewards for what was well done, and lack of reward for what we should have done, I would assume there will be a recognition that we could have done better, or right, and have regrets. There are just too many Scriptures that tell us our debt is paid in full for this to be some punishment for wrongs committed.

I really believe this is reward (good) and lack of reward (or bad) for what we have done after being saved.

That makes sense.

[extravagantchristian]

Rev 20:4 Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

These verses seem to suggest that the tribulation saints will be the ones who are raptured.

Doesn't that kinda deflate the whole pre-trib rapture theory?

[Bethany]

I wonder if I could add this to the thread - speaking about the OT Saints - Jesus went to Abraham's Bosom/Hades and preached to them while His body lay in the tomb.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison... 1 Pet 3.18-19

For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 1 Pet 4.6

When Jesus ascended to heaven, He took with Him the spirits of His beloved Old Testament saints.

[Mark F]

I wonder if I could add this to the thread - speaking about the OT Saints - Jesus went to Abraham's Bosom/Hades and preached to them while His body lay in the tomb.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison... 1 Pet 3.18-19

For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 1 Pet 4.6

When Jesus ascended to heaven, He took with Him the spirits of His beloved Old Testament saints.

So then there are some fundamental differences between them and us? Could the OT Saint say;

2 Corinthians 5:1-7
1 "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."

These two things I've underlined seem to be something we have been assured of that they were not. As it happens, in my morning reading in Luke I read this, any thoughts as to it's larger meaning?

Luke 16:16-17
“The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail."

[Mark F]

Emphasis mine ..

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
(1Pe 1:9-11)

Seems pretty clear to me ... the prophets had the Spirit of Christ in them.

So, all this applies to the Old Testament saints (and us, of course).

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
(Rom 8:9)

They have the Spirit of Christ.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
(Rom 8:14)

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
(Gal 4:6)

The Old Testament saints (and us, of course) are sons of God.

This makes them and us one body:

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
(1Co 12:13)

Remember ...

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
(1Pe 1:9-11)

The Old Testament saints and the New Testament saints (and by extension, the 70th-week saints) are all part of one body ... we all receive the same Spirit.

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
(Eph 4:4)

.

I agree with your first statement, but what about the common believer? You use all NT Scripture to argue your point, what kind of assurance and did they have of thier standing? Where is the proof that they received what we do?

If all I had was the OT, where could I look to know that I had access to God and did not have to go through a priest? Where could I find that I have been justified? Or that my salvation was sure?

Where would the OT Saint find it written that they were members of His body, that they were joined with Him?

[mark s]

Emphasis mine ..

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
(1Pe 1:9-11)

Seems pretty clear to me ... the prophets had the Spirit of Christ in them.

So, all this applies to the Old Testament saints (and us, of course).

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
(Rom 8:9)

They have the Spirit of Christ.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
(Rom 8:14)

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
(Gal 4:6)

The Old Testament saints (and us, of course) are sons of God.

This makes them and us one body:

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
(1Co 12:13)

Remember ...

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
(1Pe 1:9-11)

The Old Testament saints and the New Testament saints (and by extension, the 70th-week saints) are all part of one body ... we all receive the same Spirit.

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
(Eph 4:4)

.

Hi Jeff,

Regeneration was never taught in the OT, and was prophesied in both Ezekiel and Jeremiah as something yet future.

God did at times, and with specific individuals, prophesy through them by His Spirit, however, this does not mean they were born again. This even happened with King Saul.

Love in Christ,
Mark

[mark s]

Rev 20:4 Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

These verses seem to suggest that the tribulation saints will be the ones who are raptured.

Doesn't that kinda deflate the whole pre-trib rapture theory?

Hi EC,

Have you had a chance to think about my question from yesterday . . . In 1 Cor 15, what is Jesus the "firstfruits" of?

Love in Christ,
Mark

[jgilberAZ]

I wonder if I could add this to the thread - speaking about the OT Saints - Jesus went to Abraham's Bosom/Hades and preached to them while His body lay in the tomb.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison... 1 Pet 3.18-19

For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 1 Pet 4.6

When Jesus ascended to heaven, He took with Him the spirits of His beloved Old Testament saints.

The texts say Jesus preached to the spirits in prison, and that the gospel was preached to the dead ... but, where does it say he took the spirits with him to heaven when he ascended? This is reading into the text something the text does not say == eisigesis.

[jgilberAZ]

Regeneration was never taught in the OT, and was prophesied in both Ezekiel and Jeremiah as something yet future.

References, please.

And, can you provide references that define "regeneration?"

Thanks, Mark.

[mark s]

A New Covenant is Promised:

Jeremiah 31:31-34
(31) "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--
(32) not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.
(33) But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
(34) No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, "Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

This was yet future to Jeremiah. This had not happened yet. Sins were remembered annually. The Law was not written on their hearts, only on table of stone.

Paul describes this New Covenant:

2 Corinthians 3:1-9
(1) Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you?
(2) You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
(3) clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
(4) And we have such trust through Christ toward God.
(5) Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
(6) who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit;[1] for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
(7) But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,
(8) how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?
(9) For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

This New Covenant began only with Jesus' death:

Matthew 26:26-28
(26) And as they ate, taking the bread and blessing it, Jesus broke and gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body.
(27) And taking the cup, and giving thanks, He gave to them, saying, Drink all of it.
(28) For this is My blood of the New Covenant which concerning many is being poured out for remission of sins.

Hebrews elaborates:

Hebrews 8:1-13
(1) Now a summary over the things being said: We have such a High Priest, who sat down on the right of the throne of the Majesty in Heaven,
(2) Minister of the Holy of Holies, and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man.
(3) For every high priest is set in place to offer both gifts and sacrifices; from which it is necessary for this One also to have something which He may offer.
(4) For if indeed He were on earth, He would not even be a priest, there being those priests offering gifts according to the Law,
(5) who serve the pattern of and shadow of heavenly things, even as Moses was divinely warned, being about to make the tabernacle: For He says, "See that you make all things according to the pattern being shown to you in the mount."
(6) But now He has gotten a more excellent ministry, also by so much as He is a Mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
(7) For if that first was faultless, place would not have been sought for a second.
(8) For finding fault, He said to them, "Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will make an end on the house of Israel and on the house of Judah; a new covenant shall be,
(9) not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day of My taking hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I did not regard them, says the Lord.
(10) Because this is the covenant which I will covenant with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord, giving My Laws into their mind, and I will write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
(11) "And they shall no more teach each one their neighbor, and each one his brother, saying, Know the Lord; because all shall know Me, from the least of them to their great ones.
(12) For I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesses, and I will not at all remember their sins and their lawless deeds."
(13) In the saying, New, He has made the first old. And the thing being made old and growing aged is near disappearing.

Ezekiel tells us when this New Covenant would come to all of Israel:

Ezekiel 36:24-28
(24) For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.
(25) Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
(26) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
(27) I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
(28) Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

In the Old Covenant, there was the "remembrance of sins", in the New there is not.

Hebrews 10:1-4
(1) For the Law had a shadow of the coming good things, not the image itself of those things. Appearing year by year with the same sacrifices, which they offer continually, they never are able to perfect the ones drawing near.
(2) Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered? Because those serving did not still have conscience of sins, having once been cleansed.
(3) But in these there is a remembrance of sins year by year,
(4) for it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Jeremiah 31:34 "For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

In the Old Covenant, the people remained according to their old nature. In the New Covenant, people are remade according to a new nature:

Heb 10:1 For the Law had a shadow of the coming good things, not the image itself of those things. Appearing year by year with the same sacrifices, which they offer continually, they never are able to perfect the ones drawing near.

Heb 10:9-10 then He said, "Lo, I come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first in order that He may set up the second; by which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected in perpetuity the ones being sanctified.

This New Nature - Regeneration - is simply being "born again":

1 Peter 1:3
(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, He according to His great mercy having regenerated us to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:22-23
(22) Having purified your souls in the obedience of the truth through the Spirit to unpretended brotherly love, love one another fervently out of a pure heart,
(23) being regenerated, not by corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the living Word of God, and remaining forever.

ἀναγεννάω
anagennaō

ana - up, genneo - I become . . . upward-born, born again.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, If one is not generated from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.

Titus 3:5
(5) not by works in righteousness which we had done, but according to His mercy, He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

παλιγγενεσία
paliggenesia
pal-ing-ghen-es-ee'-ah
From G3825 and G1078; (spiritual) rebirth (the state or the act), that is, (figuratively) spiritual renovation; specifically Messianic restoration: - regeneration.

I like what Thayer says on this one . . .

Thayer Definition:
1) new birth, reproduction, renewal, recreation, regeneration
1a) hence renovation, regeneration, the production of a new life consecrated to God, a radical change of mind for the better. The word often used to denote the restoration of a thing to its pristine state, its renovation, as a renewal or restoration of life after death

I hope this helps . . .

Love in Christ,
Mark

[jgilberAZ]

Thanks, Mark.

It will take some time to go through that.

New covenant ... of course. Different result ... I'm not sure, yet.

No man cometh to the Father but by Jesus ... and that applies (I believe) in all dispensations.

[Bethany]

I wonder if I could add this to the thread - speaking about the OT Saints - Jesus went to Abraham's Bosom/Hades and preached to them while His body lay in the tomb.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison... 1 Pet 3.18-19

For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 1 Pet 4.6

When Jesus ascended to heaven, He took with Him the spirits of His beloved Old Testament saints.

The texts say Jesus preached to the spirits in prison, and that the gospel was preached to the dead ... but, where does it say he took the spirits with him to heaven when he ascended? This is reading into the text something the text does not say == eisigesis.

Dont want to fan the flame of eisigesis any more than it is already in the church today jGilberAZ!

This is what I've always been told from the following verses
Ephesians 4:8-10:
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, And gave gifts unto men. (Now this, He ascended, what is it but that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Matt 27: 53
And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

I was taught that these saints were only temporarily on earth and at the time of His ascension, all the souls of the Old Testament saints were removed out of Abraham's bosom/Paradise and brought into heaven.

So were these OT Saints souls always in heaven from their death onwards? can you show me the exegesis please as I have never been shown this before.

[AndCanItBe]

Where does the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 15 fit in here? God imparted righteousness to Abraham, apart from the law, based on faith. He never has rescinded that covenant, and the Abrahamic Covenant sounds exactly the gospel itself, except God walked through the animal's blood, instead of Christ's, as the permanent, perfect sacrifice. It seems to me that the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant ran parallel to each other. One based on faith, the other on the law. I wonder if many of the OT saints came to Christ under the Abrahamic Covenant. Job even talks about how he knows His redeemer lives.

[mark s]

The Law could not make one righteous, only by faith, as with Abraham. Abraham was justified because he believed God, although he was not regenerated.

[Mark F]

Mark S,

In my own words what I'm thinking. Abraham believed that God would do as He said, Abraham took Him at His word. God passed over Abraham's sin because he believed God Himself would pay for Abraham's sin in the future. We have the record that God did what He said He would. Now the legal things have been accomplished in time, for Abraham it was as good as done but to be legal it had to happen, hence the reason for "Abraham's bosom". Because the promise and sacrafice has been done, we unlike Abraham can be legally pardoned because Jesus stood in our law place.

There is Scripture to go with it but would take a little work to pull together!

Yes as others have said we all come through the blood but I understand our standing is of a different nature, or composition than they.

[Mrs. B]

Do all believers of all time receive the same things?


When Adam sin....Death entered into the world...

God made a Promise to Adam..Gen.3:15.....And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
and between thy seed and her seed;
it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.....

This is the beginning of the Promise seed.....Jesus
God told satan that the woman seed....would bruise the head of satan....and thou shalt bruise his heel...

Jesus would put his foot on the neck of satan....

because of Sin....Death entered into the world...

But God give a Promise that He would send a seed...A Saviour ....Jesus the seed of a woman...The Promise seed.
who would destroy sin....and give Life eternal.

The Egyptians believed in the ressurrection....that is why they embomed thereselves and put all their belongs..
there treasures in the perimides....so when they rose from the dead that they would have all their possessions..
they did not understand the plan of God....but they did look for a ressurrection...

So from the beginning God made a Promise....of a saviour

God gave the ten Commandments to Moses to teach the Children of Israel what was sin....
then the Law was to bring them to Christ....The blood sacrifice of the Lamb was to teach them that without the shedding of Blood their was no forgivness for sin....
They put the blood over the door post and all stayed in the house as the Death Angel passed over....

Jesus is the Lamb of God..
He is the Pass over Lamb for the sins of the whole World...


Abraham Believed God.....and it was accounted to Him for Righteousness...
By Faith......we are the Children of Abraham by Our Faith....
Gal. 3:7....Know ye therefore that they which are of Faith...The same are the Children of Abraham

8....And the scripture...Foreseeing that God would Justify the heathen Through Faith.....Preached before the Gospel Unto Abraham, saying....In thee Shall All Nations be Blessed....

9...So then they which be of Faith are blessed with Faithful Abraham...

13....Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, Being made a curse for us:
for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree...

14....That the Blessing of Abraham Might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ;
that we might Receive the Promise of the Spirit through Faith...


They were Under the Covenant of the Law But Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us....

Under the Law the Spirit was not given....
But when Jesus by His Blood paid the sin debt for the whole world...
He, Jesus went into the heart of the Earth....and Preached the Gospel to those who were dead and held in Hadies...

I Peter 3:19...By which also He Jesus went and preached unto the Spirits in prison.
I Peter 4:6...For for this causse was the Gospel Preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit...

Before Jesus the Spirit could not be given...
That is why Jesus went in to the abode of the Dead and preached to those under the Law...or the Old Covenant
and revealed himself to them.....Under the Law...the Spirit could not be given.
when Adam sin....he was naked...the Spirit of God departed from Him and death entered in....
So God promised to send a Saviour......

Until Jesus came....no man had the Spirit...or the New Birth....Born Again by the Holy Spirit..
Jesus had to shedd His Blood and present it to the Father in Heaven...

Jesus ascended into Heaven..

At the tomb Jesus said to Mary....Touch me not for I must accend unto My Father
Jesus went into Heaven and Presented His Blood on the Holiest of Holiest in Heaven\
He paid our sin Debt and poured His blood in Heaven before the Father...
The Life is in the Blood
This is The New Covenant
This is the Only Way we can be saved...
We must Accept the Blood of Jesus for atonement for Our Sins..

Before Jesus...they looked forward for the Messiah....

The Blood of Jesus made it Possible for Us to be Born Again...

Under the law...they looked forward to the coming saviour....but they could not be born again.
They were under the law.....which was to teach them about Jesus....and that sin brought death...
they by faith looked forward for Jesus......but until Jesus came and died and shedded his blood they were not alive spiritually....Jesus went into the heart of the earth and presented Himself....revealing to them that He was Alive

They looked forward....by faith....keeping the law until Jesus came

Jesus said about John...
Matt. 11:10....For this is he....of whom it is written...Behold, I send My Messenger before thy face which shall prepare the way before thee...

11.....VERILY I say unto you....Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a Greater than John the Baptist:
NOTWITHSTANDING....He that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is Greater than he....


You see.....The New Birth is greater than John the Baptist..

Jesus came Preaching ....The Kingdom of God is at Hand...

This is the Kingdom that Daniel also saw....and writes about in Daniel
An Everlasting Kingdom that Has No End...
Jesus is the Corner Stone of the House of God....The Building not made by Hand
But By My Spirit...
The Kingdom of God is a Spiritual Kingdom....and we are Born again and enter into it..
Under the Law this was impossible....Until Jesus came and shedd His Blood
Before Jesus they looked forward to the coming Kingdom...they could see it a far off...but not experience it until Jesus Came....and died on the cross
Now...He that is Born again is greater then John the Baptist..

The New Birth....Born of God....Born by the Holy Spirit...

St. John 1:8...(John) He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light..
9...That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world...

10...He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not...

11....He came unto his own...and his own received him not...

12....BUT...as many as received him...to them gave he Power to become the sons of God
even to them that believe on his name:

13...Which were born, Not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man....BUT OF GOD.

The New Birth....
Born Again by the Spirit of God
New life.
The God life
The is the Promise of the Father.....Jesus said to his disciples after he arose from the dead...Go to Jerusalem and wait for the Promise of the Father.
Acts 1:5....For John truly baptized with Water;
But ye shall be Baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence...

8....But ye shall Receive Power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall be Witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the Uttermost Part
of the EARTH...

This is the Promise of the Father
what Adam lost in the Garden..
Jesus is the Promise Seed that has Restored....bought us back..from the Dead and Given us Eternal Life...
Paul said...to be absent from the body...is to be present with the Lord...
This is the Promise of the Father....Eternal Life through His Son Jesus the Christ...
this is what we have today...that they did not have...but looked forward to by faith....

bb

[Abiding in His Word]

Thank you, Mrs. B. Very nicely put!

[Resurrection Torchlight]

2 Corinthians 5:10
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

This "good" and "bad" is referring to the "all" who appear before the judgment seat of Christ. The Good deeds result in eternal life, the bad deeds result in judgment. Those who do the good deeds- do the deeds of righteousness and the only way to do them is by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is true of Old and New Testament saints.

John 5:28-29

28 “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,
29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

Romans 2:3-10

3 But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?
4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
6 who will render to each person according to his deeds
7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,
10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Note that those who do the good deeds do not come into judgment, this is supported in the following passages:

John 5:24
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

John 3:18-21

18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

I agree with Mark S. That there are not two resurrection events, but two kinds of resurrection events- one for the righteous and one for the unrighteous. The resurrection of the righteous does not only occur once, Christ was the first son of the resurrection of the righteous, then there will be the rapture and resurrection of those in Christ, the two witnesses will also be resurrected to life, as well as the tribulation Martyrs at the end of the great tribulation. It may very well be that there will also be those who die during the Millennium that will be resurrected to life as well. Everyone will be present at the White throne Judgment both those who were resurrected to life whenever it occurred and those resurrected to death. But only those who did the "bad" deeds will be judged. And only those good deeds will remain, everything else will be burned up with the destruction of the old earth by fire. The good deeds that remain are in fact the results of the Word of God at work in us to influence others to Christ, those resulting fruits will remain. They are people who were influenced toward Christ by the deeds of those who did the good. That reward remains everything else gets burned. Believers are those whose "bad" deeds are forgiven in Christ, therefore they are not held against us, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If you believe that we will somehow be judged for things we did wrong in the body, then you do not believe in the forgiveness of Christ.

Romans 4:7-8

7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,
And whose sins have been covered.
8 “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Ephesians 1:7-8

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight

Colossians 1:13-14

13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Together all those resurrected to life inherit the new heavens and earth. No matter when they believed- Old Testament, New Testament, it doesn't matter. As Mrs. B said- Christ led the captives free, those OT saints were brought into paradise to await the resurrection to the kingdom.

I do not believe that scripture supports a separate Judgment seat of Christ for the church. There is only one judgment day. I would say that if Christ is Judging believers that it happens while we are here on earth and that they are judged through trials and tribulation. In this sense it is not the same judgment as the Final Judgment. Here on earth our faith is demonstrated by our deeds- if Christ abides in usthen as a result we will do His deeds, His work in us will result in fruit. Our faith is tested and refined through various trials and tribulations which cause us to grow and mature.

1 Peter 4:12-19

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;
16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.
17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
18 And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?
19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

As for receiving the same things, we all receive the same benefits of the kingdom, however we will not all be given equal tasks in the Kingdom. See my post in the other thread "heavenly distinctions" here:

http://www.fulfilledprophecy.com/discussion/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=51393

RT