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Originally Posted by countmeworthy
Very, very good paper!!!!
I hope you have made a few printouts and keep them around the house. Someone may find them at some point and will benefit greatly from your writings.
I don't know if Lee or the LSM has ever explained the difference between the Bema seat judgement and the Great White throne judgement.
I got to thinking, maybe the reason Jesus said in His Father's house are many mansions has to do with rewards for the believers. I don't believe God will give a 'bigger mansion' to someone and a 'smaller one' to someone else.
I think the mansions are like schools. THAT IS MY OPINION fyi. Example, a child in first grade cannot do the work of a high school student. So if a believer is in grade school when he/she dies or is caught up, perhaps their mansion will be that of their level of spiritual growth. That does not mean they will stay there for all eternity. I believe we will all continue growing in Christ beyond this earthly life. That's a topic for another thread.
I also wonder if those 'Christians' who think they have license to sin are actually saved. If they have no conviction and no transformation, are they truly saved??? oh how we need discernment and Wisdom to edify, build up and encourage the body of Christ especially the young believers.
We need God's Word, the Holy Spirit and the Cleansing Blood of the Lamb to be the Light in this world which needs HIM desperately. It is a pity the body of Christ is so divided. Still God's perfect WILL, will not fail!
Great discussion. Thank You SOG and those who participated in the discussion. To those who read this thread, hope it helped and clarified questions.
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Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, many copies have been distributed here in Scottsdale, and also via emails, etc. The feedback has all been good, with some saying it has freed them from certain erroneous and burdensome teachings regarding the Bema that they've been dealing with for decades. As said, the light was given to me through another brother, and I just wrote it down (it really just flowed out).
Regarding whether someone is saved . . . if by "saved" I take that to mean they have been reborn with the divine life coming into them as a seed and taking root. If they are reborn with this life, then they can't be "unborn," can they? Hey, I managed to do some of my worst things after receiving the new life! It was in there, but deeply suppressed - even to the point I wasn't aware of it at all. But that is the power of the indestructible resurrection life! It will eventually even crack the hard concrete to spring up.
So we might even find, in that day, that certain ones we thought could never have been Christians (i.e., truly born again) actually had Christ's life buried deep within them. Could it be possible that Hitler or Stalin or Machiavelli received Christ at an early age and then they suppressed that life so much the world could never believe it was there? Yes, I doubt it too, but we may be surprised in that day to see some pretty nefarious individuals being severely rebuked as unfaithful and unprofitable servants of Christ. (for them, maybe it would be 1000 years in outer darkness - who knows!?)
And that is the purpose of the Bema - to give deserved rewards for what we've done (works the Father prepared for us) with this grace and divine life in us. Some have done much in being faithful (in a few things to further the kingdom) and some not so much. So your analogy of the school might be good - as you graduate to the next grade level, you go to a different room. (however, it seems the level is dependent upon what we do
in this life, not the next)
BTW - The world translated in the KJV as"mansions" is probably better rendered "abode" or "room" or "dwelling place." Therefore, "In My Father's house are many rooms (or abodes)" is the way most translations have it.
According to our human view it does seem like Christ's body is divided. But recently a brother said something like this to me, "Look, you are going on what you see. Do you think that God doesn't have control of this apparent mess called the Church? It's not like when Christ returns then all of a sudden His body parts miraculously fly together as one body. His body IS one, but the enemy blinds us to seeing that. We need to take it in faith and not believe the lie." Pretty impossible in ourselves - to be sure!