Ask Pastor Mike Live

Focal Point Ministries: Tinsley, you're on the air with Pastor Mike. How can I help?

Guest (Female): Hi, I was wondering, will we have our own separate judgment in heaven, or will there be other people there to watch us for the Christians' judgment and the non-Christians' judgment?

Focal Point Ministries: Yeah, that's a great question. First of all, let me just affirm and agree with what you're saying; there are two different kinds of judgment. One is for the Christian and one is for the non-Christian. All the non-Christians are going to have a judgment called the Great White Throne Judgment, which you've rightly said. There's a different judgment for them, and that's to find out what kind of judgment for punishment they'll have. For us as Christians, we're going to have a judgment for what kind of rewards we're going to get.

Now, your question, Tinsley, is, "Is anyone else going to be there to see it?" That is a question we just don't have an answer to in the Bible. We just don't. There's nothing there that tells us whether or not we'll have people there. I wish we had that because I think we're concerned about, "Is my family going to see this? Are my friends going to see this? Is my grandpa going to watch what my life was all about as my life is on review?"

I don't know, but I will tell you this: the person we're really going to care about seeing our lives is the one who made us, the one who gave us the rules, the one who gave us the Bible. If our life is on display before Jesus, I don't think it'll really matter who else is going to see it because everyone else that could possibly see it is also a sinner. Think about it. Everyone else that you would ever think could watch it—your mom, your dad, your siblings, your friends at school—anyone else that could see it, they are sinners as well.

So, I don't know. I can't answer it because the Bible doesn't tell us. But the only one that would matter is the holy one who made us. In that sense, even if there are people looking on, the only one that I would care about is the holy one. He's going to make sure, at least for us as Christians, there's no condemnation and there's no punishment for us. There's only reward.

Though there might be some tears, as it says there in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, we may suffer some loss because we could have done better. He's going to wipe away every tear and we're going to step into eternity. He's going to give us rewards for what we did do, that he says are going to be like gold, silver, and precious stones. We're going to get on with enjoying everything that he says we're going to enjoy.

Psalm chapter 16 verse 11 says, "In His presence there's fullness of joy." So, whatever we feel in terms of shame or embarrassment, he's going to wipe away those tears and we're going to move from that to fullness of joy. Whatever it means to be fully happy, we're going to have that as soon as that is all done. I don't think we need to worry about that, Tinsley. I don't know whether anyone else is going to watch that judgment or not. I just don't know.

Guest (Female): Okay. Thank you.

Focal Point Ministries: Okay. Thanks for the call, Tinsley. Appreciate the call.