## The Bride of Christ

Now the question is, "What will the church be doing?" The church will not go through the Tribulation. However, further clarification is needed. The church is part of a big picture called the bride of Christ. Some people say the bride of Christ is the church. This is true; however, the bride of Christ has a component which is the church. But the complete bride of Christ is made up of all believers—past, present, and future—not just the people from the church age. The bride of Christ will be made up of the Old Testament saints who looked forward to the Redeemer and the New Testament saints—the church—who look back to the Redeemer. It will include the 144,000 Jews during the Tribulation who are willing to give themselves for the Redeemer. The bride of Christ will also include the remnant of Israel who will be slain during the Tribulation. Thus, the bride of Christ will be composed of the great host of millions of people, not just the church age.

## The Judgment Seat of Christ

Another aspect of the Rapture, which believers need to consider, is the judgment seat of Christ. After the Rapture, Jesus is not just going to say to the church, "Run around on the streets of gold, dangle your feet in the River of Life, go by the Tree of Life and take off a leaf, go here and go there and do your own thing." The rapture of the church will be followed by the judgment seat of Christ. Revelation does not describe the doctrine of the judgment seat of Christ; however, other places in the Bible make this doctrine plain.

People wonder about those who die during the Tribulation. When people die who are saved during the Tribulation, they are raptured. There are raptures throughout the Tribulation period. As believers die, they will be "caught up" into heaven. The witnesses will die, and they will be caught up. Those who refuse to take the mark of the beast will die and be caught up. All of those raptures are called the first resurrection. The first resurrection includes all the saved people.

As the believers are raptured during the Tribulation, they will stand at the bema-the judgment seat of Christ. The judgment seat of Christ will be occurring while the Tribulation is taking place on the earth. So, when believers go to be with the Lord in the clouds at the Rapture, it will be a solemn occasion. Scientists say that the phrase, "in the twinkling of an eye," is one millionth of a second. In other words, in a split second, God's people will be changed. Immediately, millions of people will be gone to be in the presence of Jesus, and that is where one-on-one with Jesus begins. That means, according to 2 Corinthians 5:10, each believer will stand individually, without husband, wife, parents, career, degrees, or money, before Jesus. This judgment is not the judgment for sin. If a person goes in the Rapture and is in heaven, then he is not being judged for his sins. This judgment is to determine the quality of one's life as it relates to service. Several words stand out when discussing the judgment seat of Christ. First is the word trepidation. There will be much trepidation at the judgment seat of Christ. No doubt believers will tremble when everything they have ever done in the flesh is exposed to His scrutiny. In fact, 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, "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." The quality of one's life as a child of God will not be forgotten. When one stands before Him, there will be trepidation, because there will be things revealed that could have been done better. He will know every ill-spent dollar. He will know every secret closet in one's life. Believers will be saved from hell, but they will not be saved from accountability as children of God.