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Bible teaching with an emphasis on Israel, prophecy and the Jewish roots of Christianity

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Episode: “The Judgment Seat of the Righteous”

Among the ruins of ancient Caesarea is where Zola teaches on how believers are to be rewarded for the works we have done. We interview a Christian living in Israel, who is not working for temporal gain but is looking toward heavenly rewards.

Series: “Thy Kingdom Come (2018)”

The Future of Believers

This twelve-program series searches Bible prophecy to reveal the glorious future events awaiting all believers in Messiah.

Transcript

Caption transcript for Thy Kingdom Come (2018): “The Judgment Seat of the Righteous” (3/12)

00:01 After the Lord comes to carry us to heaven,
00:04 what happens next?
00:05 I have a feeling we won't be just sitting on a cloud, although,
00:08 that kinda sounds nice right now to me.
00:11 Find out what the Bible has to say about it,
00:13 next, on Zola Levitt Presents.
00:20 Brethren, my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved,
00:27 for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek,
00:30 for the same Lord over all
00:32 is rich unto all that call upon Him.
00:53 Thank you for joining us today on Zola Levitt Presents.
00:55 I'm David Hart.
00:56 I'm Kirsten Hart
00:57 Jeffrey Seif!
00:58 We are in our series "Thy Kingdom Come"
01:00 which first aired in 2001
01:02 with the teaching of Zola Levitt,
01:05 our namesake for the program.
01:07 And Dr. Seif, you are our Senior Theologian,
01:10 but you also worked many years with Zola.
01:12 Yeah, Senior Theologian just means "real old".
01:15 No, you're young!
01:17 But yeah, I was back with Zola back in the in the day,
01:20 and what a guy!
01:21 He was really the best "kitty" in the Messianic Jewish litter.
01:25 He took people to Israel via television.
01:29 Now everyone and their brother wants to go to Israel with
01:32 television cameras, and tell stories.
01:34 But he was the first, and arguably the best.
01:36 This program, by the way, is one
01:38 of the longest running programs in Christian Broadcast history.
01:42 Zola would take people to Israel, and of course,
01:45 he would dress rather Israeli too.
01:47 He didn't dress like this often times,
01:49 at least, not in Israel,
01:50 like my Producer makes me dress now.
01:53 Zola would kind of don these robes, and he
01:56 kinda looked like an Apostle in Jesus day.
02:00 And he was down to earth.
02:02 He spoke from a Jewish perspective.
02:05 He introduced people to that.
02:07 Plus, the world was getting introduced to Israel,
02:11 as it's emerging amidst turbulent passage
02:15 from inception through various wars, and
02:17 Zola was there, as an able newspaperman,
02:20 commentator,
02:21 biblical Theologian,
02:23 taking people to Israel and
02:25 giving voice of things of present and things to come.
02:28 And it was an honor to be with him as a junior, as a subordinate on the journey,
02:33 and it's an opportunity, it's an honor,
02:35 to step up here now with you and participate.
02:37 What was your role with Zola?
02:40 Well, I did a few things.
02:42 I helped him as a Theologian, as a Bible Scholar.
02:46 He would make programs and we'd talk about it,
02:49 and I'd try and give him some theological "pay dirt" to bring forth.
02:52 He used me like that.
02:54 He used me to lead tours.
02:57 I would go speak in a variety of churches,
02:59 representing Zola Levitt Ministries.
03:01 We have a magazine, the "Levitt Letter".
03:04 I actually had designed it and expanded it
03:07 to it's current form, with various articles.
03:09 It already existed in a smaller extent.
03:12 So he gave me an opportunity to that,
03:14 plus, I had this idea to start this "Institute of Jewish and Christian Studies",
03:19 and I really was drawing from my education at the Moody Bible Institute,
03:23 where I majored in Jewish Studies and
03:25 I wanted to turn it around and give it to people that don't go to Bible College.
03:28 And he got behind it philosophically and
03:30 someone got behind it monetarily, and the rest is history.
03:33 And it's still in play today.
03:34 So, he gave me opportunities to get started.
03:36 Plus, I wrote my first book with him.
03:38 We're going to hear more about that in just a little bit.
03:40 Right now, let's go to Caesarea where Zola was teaching.
03:45 Well, our subject today is our works.
03:48 Something seldom taught in the Church.
03:50 I'm not sure why.
03:51 We have things to do in this life.
03:54 We're not just saved to sit here and wait for the Rapture.
03:58 Salvation is not like a Money Market certificate
04:02 you hold and then cash one day.
04:04 Actually we work at it.
04:05 Now, we're here in Caesarea
04:07 near the Coast of Israel,
04:09 around the Mediterranean Coast
04:11 where the Romans established
04:13 their Capital,
04:14 Tremendous City,
04:16 and left some of their statuary here.
04:18 And we are going to talk about the Judgment Seat of Christ.
04:21 So, we have statuary representing the
04:23 Judgment Seat they used in the athletic games in Grecian times.
04:30 People come here and look at these statues,
04:32 still tourists walk in and out and so forth.
04:35 But we thought it represented
04:38 God sitting on His Throne,
04:39 or Christ on His Throne,
04:41 in this Judgment Seat of the Righteous.
04:44 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us,
04:58 That is to say, He must look over the record of what he did in his works,
05:03 with the Lord who knows him very well, each one of us.
05:06 And in that manner see what kind of a job we did
05:11 with the gifts that He gave us.
05:13 1 Corinthians 3:8 says,
05:26 We have these different gifts,
05:28 and we have different jobs to do.
05:31 John saw the Throne Room of God.
05:33 You know, when the Trumpet sounds for the Rapture we are taken to Heaven.
05:37 And there's kind of a picture of that in Revelation 4:1-3.
05:42 And he saw God on His Throne,
06:02 The things in Revelation are the things which are,
06:04 the things which shall be,
06:06 the things hereafter.
06:07 And the things hereafter are prophesies of God's judgments in the next
06:12 15 chapters of Revelation.
06:15 He says,
06:31 So God's Throne is a beauty in Heaven,
06:34 and it too is eventually going to be used in a Judgment,
06:38 or the Great White Throne will be used at the end of the Kingdom.
06:42 But we're concerned here at the Rapture
06:44 with the immediate thing we do in Heaven.
06:46 Notice, there's no wings and no harps,
06:48 no Angels floating around
06:52 as we see in the popular drawings and paintings
06:54 but simply a magnificent Throne Room,
06:56 with a marvelous Throne.
06:58 And John is made conscious of the fact that God sits on a Throne, indeed.
07:02 It's a honeymoon, this Judgment Seat.
07:07 You might ask, How is a Judgment Seat like a honeymoon?
07:10 But after all, this is where the Bridegroom receives the Bride,
07:14 removes her veil and know her secrets,
07:16 and that's a honeymoon.
07:18 And it's at the right time for a honeymoon.
07:20 We're going to have the wedding in Heaven.
07:22 The Bride and the Groom walks in to the Bridal Chamber
07:25 to begin with in a Jewish wedding in the 1st Century.
07:30 And then afterwards comes out for
07:32 what is called The Marriage Supper,
07:34 what we would call the real wedding.
07:35 So it is this moment, this time, this seven days in the Bridal Chamber
07:40 that is likened unto this Judgment Seat of Christ.
07:46 Alright, Ecclesiastes 3:17
07:48 points out,
07:58 This is a judgment in particular of our works.
08:01 We are now the Bride of Christ.
08:03 After this honeymoon we'll become the Wife of Christ.
08:06 And so we have come here to this "Bema"
08:09 This Grecian Games Judgment Seat that you see behind me.
08:15 It really was a Reward Seat.
08:18 When our Tour goes into Greece
08:20 we go to Corinth.
08:21 And there is the "Bema" that Paul stood before.
08:25 He was judged there.
08:27 And it's authentic.
08:28 And when we show people they can stand in the footsteps of Paul.
08:31 But the Seat at the games was more of a seat for
08:36 passing out rewards to athletes that had done a fine job.
08:39 And so, we get rewards with what we have done.
08:45 And they help decide our position in the Kingdom to come.
08:50 Our future really is determined
08:52 by what we do with the gifts we have.
08:54 Now, not everybody has the same gifts, obviously.
08:57 I have the gift of teaching, we'll say.
09:00 So I have a television program and I teach.
09:03 You may have a gift of singing.
09:05 You may have a beautiful voice,
09:06 which I do not have.
09:07 You may have a gift, a quiet gift,
09:10 you know, nothing showy,
09:12 but a gift of intercession,
09:13 a gift of helps,
09:15 a gift of giving, without which the Church is stymied
09:19 without millions to do those gifts.
09:22 We can't have a ministry,
09:24 can't have a Television Program,
09:26 can't have anything really.
09:28 And so everyone in the Church
09:29 receives gifts with which they do these good works.
09:33 What is a good work?
09:34 Well, we can see in Luke 14:13-14
09:38 an example of a good work.
09:54 In other words,
09:55 doing a thing that is only rewarded in Heaven
09:58 is "a great work as the Bible presents it.
10:01 And we will receive our rewards in Heaven.
10:05 You know, We have many donors who are outstanding in their help to us,
10:10 let's put it that way.
10:12 And they send us money that helps us keep going.
10:14 When I see them, I thank them,
10:16 but now and then, I'm very sensitive about it because
10:18 some people really don't want the thanks here on earth.
10:21 If they turn away or just look down I just stop,
10:25 because they would rather have that
10:27 in the Judgment Seat of Christ.
10:29 And they have a gift for giving,
10:31 and the reward they will have will be from Him,
10:33 certainly not from me.
10:35 I appreciate it,
10:36 and will put their gift to use, but
10:38 the Lord ultimately will reward them for giving.
10:44 Well, this prepares us to be a virgin bride.
10:47 We're saved unto good works.
10:49 That's a scriptural formula.
10:52 You know, we're not just saved again to wait for the Lord, but
10:55 saved to do these things on purpose.
10:58 We're called "workers in an army....
11:00 I mean, "workers in a field", and "soldiers in an army."
11:02 We have jobs to do.
11:04 If the soldiers in the army didn't do their right jobs.
11:08 If the sniper drove an airplane and the pilot tried to shoot a rifle,
11:13 I don't know the Army would be very successful,
11:15 or the harvesters in the field in their specialties.
11:18 But if we will do with our gifts the good works that God has illustrated here
11:24 we will prosper.
11:26 2 Timothy 4:8 tells how it ends up.
11:42 God will ultimately judge every work.
11:45 There's works acceptable and works less acceptable.
11:50 There's good and evil to judge.
11:52 Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, Solomon has said,
11:56 "This is folly", "that is folly"
11:58 "What is to be done under the sun?"
12:02 And he comes to this conclusion,
12:17 Now, once again, it's not our sins that are in question here,
12:21 simply our works,
12:22 and the sins of course were paid in full at the cross.
12:26 There not in question at all in heaven.
12:28 Romans 8:1-2 stresses that no one is condemned for bad works.
12:35 It says,
12:49 Jesus at least delivers you from being judged for your sins at your death.
12:56 Those sins were paid for at the Cross.
12:58 We only have to have a judgment of our works.
13:01 And I'll be back with that judgment,
13:03 right after this.
13:15 Our Resource this week,
13:17 The "Grafted In Necklace"
13:19 Wearing this lovely sterling silver
13:21 rendition of a classic Messianic symbol
13:24 shows you recognize the Jewish roots
13:27 of your Christian faith
13:29 and stirs curiosities and witness opportunities
13:32 with this tribute to Light, the Lord and abundant Love.
13:37 For this Resource and more
13:39 call 1-800-WONDERS
13:41 or visit us at levitt.com
14:18 We have so many friends,
14:20 and even family,
14:21 that ask us when we get back from a Zola Levitt Tour,
14:23 What was your favorite thing?
14:25 And there's so much to tell them.
14:27 I think one of those is
14:29 we love singing songs that we've
14:31 been singing for years,in the Hymnal
14:33 that come to life when we're on location.
14:36 Didn't mean to jump on you
14:38 but one of the best parts, and
14:39 I'm excited about this,
14:40 is we get to have a time of worship
14:43 on the Sea of Galilee
14:44 on a Jesus Boat,
14:46 just like Jesus and the disciples sailed on.
14:48 That's part of our Tour.
14:49 levitt.com is our website.
14:51 Go click on the Tour page.
14:52 Information about Fall and Spring.
14:55 Come with us.
14:56 Right now, let's go to Caesarea
14:57 for more teaching from Zola.
15:01 It's simply remarkable what you can see in Israel.
15:04 I mean, you could make a Tour of this country
15:06 doing Greek and Roman ruins
15:08 and have quite a Tour!
15:10 You could go back before that.
15:12 At Megiddo you could Tour back through
15:14 20 civilizations in one site.
15:17 You could go back as far as Beit Shean
15:19 or even Jericho, the world's oldest city,
15:22 10,000 years old,
15:24 to see ancient relics.
15:26 Try that in the United States.
15:28 If you can, come on a Tour of Israel.
15:30 Come on, you'll be very surprised at
15:33 not only how much you can learn,
15:35 but by how peaceful it is.
15:37 Let's get back to this Judgment Seat of Christ.
15:41 I Corinthians 3:11-15
15:45 covers the entire subject
15:49 and it starts this way,
15:57 So first off, the only sensible life that can be lived,
16:01 says Paul,
16:02 or the foundation for your life
16:04 is a belief in the Lord.
16:06 Then he goes on,
16:19 There's definitely two categories here.
16:22 The wood, hay and stubble is almost worthless.
16:24 The gold, silver and precious stones is very valuable.
16:29 He say's
16:37 When you put fire to those two categories
16:40 they act quite different.
16:42 The gold, silver and precious stones are not harmed.
16:45 They may melt, they may change form but they're still valuable.
16:49 But you put fire to the wood, hay and stubble,
16:52 and it's burned up, it's gone, it's consumed.
16:55 And that is the idea.
16:57 Get rid of the bad works.
16:59 Reward the good works.
17:01 That's the whole idea.
17:03 The passage goes on in verse 14,
17:18 It's important, you know?
17:19 Nobody back out of Heaven because of the bad works.
17:22 And that isn't the idea.
17:25 This isn't a punishment.
17:26 It really is just a reward,
17:28 the accomplishments we've done with the gifts that we have in the Lord,
17:32 and to get rid of any memory of things we did not do well.
17:37 It ends with the statement,
17:39 "Yet so as by fire."
17:42 It's tested with fire which not only consumes
17:46 but also tempers, purifies.
17:49 It's used both to burn down or burn a pile of leaves.
17:55 It's used to temper fine steel.
17:57 And the passage goes on,
18:03 And then Paul goes on
18:05 to describe the Church
18:07 in his special terms.
18:09 The idea is we are going to be examined
18:13 for rewards and taken care of to be in shape to marry the Lord.
18:18 Put it that way.
18:20 The Judgment Seat prepares us as a "spotless Bride".
18:23 There are passages which celebrate the idea of the Triumphant Bride.
18:29 Psalm 45:13-17,
19:02 We, the Queen of the Kingdom to come
19:04 will receive praises from the people.
19:06 Yes we will.
19:08 The Bride of Christ now,
19:09 but the Wife of Christ in the Kingdom.
19:11 When you're married to the King, you receive bows as well.
19:15 And it will be imputed to us, this perfect righteousness,
19:19 to be like the King,
19:23 and be the object of real veneration in the Kingdom to come.
19:28 II Corinthians 11:2
19:30 Paul says,
19:40 And that is done by purification of the works
19:45 and of course the sins that were forgiven earlier at the Cross.
19:50 We finally end up in a white wedding dress.
19:53 I think all white wedding dresses come from the original.
19:56 We'll talk more about it in our program on "The Wedding" next week.
20:00 But let me say for now,
20:02 it says, "The Wife of Christ hath made herself ready,"
20:05 "And unto her was appointed fine linen, clean and white",
20:10 which is the righteousness of the Saints.
20:12 I paraphrase Revelation 19:7-8
20:15 This wedding dress, pure white, represents absolute true purity.
20:23 So this is the reward.
20:24 This is true Christianity.
20:26 The trade of world labor, works for the Lord,
20:30 for eternal bliss, the career as His Wife.
20:42 Our Resource this week,
20:44 The "Grafted In Necklace"
20:46 Wearing this lovely sterling silver
20:48 rendition of a classic Messianic symbol
20:51 shows you recognize the Jewish roots
20:54 of your Christian faith
20:56 and stirs curiosities and witness opportunities
20:59 with this tribute to Light, the Lord and abundant Love.
21:04 For this Resource and more
21:06 call 1-800-WONDERS
21:08 or visit us at levitt.com
21:12 Here at Zola Levitt Ministries
21:14 we depend on your gifts of support to bring you
21:17 our weekly television program
21:19 Zola Levitt Presents.
21:21 The "Levitt Letter", our monthly news magazine,
21:24 our website, levitt.com
21:26 and our social media outlets,
21:28 Facebook
21:29 Twitter and You Tube
21:31 Your Tax deductible donations allow us
21:34 to remain a strong voice for Israel.
21:37 So please,
21:38 consider us in
21:39 your monthly giving.
21:40 Thank you.
21:52 We are so thankful to you, our viewers.
21:55 You keep this program on the air around the world.
22:00 And because of your support we are able to
22:03 love the Jewish people,
22:05 support Israel,
22:06 and spread a good word around this world.
22:09 That's what Zola was teaching on today.
22:12 Our good works matter.
22:14 Yes, and this is a really good, Good Work.
22:17 There's lots of good works but you know, Jesus said,
22:19 "As you did it for one of the least of these my brethren, you do it unto Me."
22:24 His brethren fare from this world behind us, and it's
22:29 the world we take people to literally on trips, and
22:32 spiritually and visually on a journey here.
22:35 And our Jewish friends watch it.
22:37 Our Christian friends get the point.
22:40 And it's your giving that keeps the ball rolling
22:45 because if you didn't do what you do,
22:47 we couldn't do what we do.
22:49 A lot of times a 30 minute program, you know,
22:51 20 minutes is asking for money.
22:53 We don't spend 2 minutes.
22:54 I guess we are here.
22:56 But we really ask you prayerfully and carefully, and gracefully
22:59 to get behind and help us to do this really super-good work.
23:04 I don't think good works comes to everyone naturally.
23:07 I think it does for us.
23:09 We love doing things for people that we love.
23:11 It's a cross.
23:13 You know, Jesus could have used every drop of blood in His own body.
23:16 And when He's on that Cross and all that blood is dripping out,
23:19 He's screaming out.
23:20 The word "excruciating" is from the Latin "excruciare"
23:23 meaning "from the cross".
23:25 He could have used that blood but He gave it up for humanity.
23:28 Now everyone of you and me,
23:30 we could use money in our own family systems.
23:33 There's bills that are crying out for attention,
23:35 just like the cells that are crying out for blood.
23:38 But the reality is, that Jesus gave it up a little.
23:41 And He beckons us to pick up the cross and pour out a little of what we're all about,
23:48 to tend to what He's all about.
23:50 And so giving really is a sacred religious virtue.
23:53 And it takes a little push to do it.
23:55 Most guys just want to keep the money for the new fishing boat.
23:59 But it's important to help the enterprise to be "Fishers of men"
24:03 And we're standing in front of Him one day.
24:05 And I know the Christian Church,...
24:07 this is so...
24:08 What I love about this program is we have
24:10 Jewish perspective,
24:12 and we have raised in Church on the pew perspective.
24:15 And together we know that salvation
24:19 is what gets us there.
24:20 But we really, really will stand before Him,
24:23 and we are accountable for what we have done in our lives
24:26 for His good and for His Kingdom.
24:28 Yes, I think if a spouse doesn't give any money to their other spouse,
24:34 it's hard to believe that they love them.
24:37 That we really do put our money where our mouth is.
24:39 And I think that our money is an extension of us.
24:41 If we make 20 dollars an hour
24:43 and we give 20 dollars to the Lord, we just gave an hour.
24:46 And I think that not giving needs to be looked at, to tell you the truth.
24:50 It really is holding back from the Lord.
24:53 I can't believe this program is over today.
24:55 Thank you for joining us.
24:57 Thank you for joining us.
24:58 We end this program with one of Zola's songs.
25:01 And we also love to end this program with,
25:03 Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim
25:06 Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
25:38 ♪ You walked in the Land of Israel ♪
25:44 ♪ You taught us to love our Lord ♪
25:50 ♪ You died for us in Israel ♪
25:56 ♪ For us, Your blood was outpoured ♪
26:02 ♪ You died for us in Israel ♪
26:08 ♪ For us, Your blood was outpoured ♪
26:19 ♪ Orchestra Interlude ♪
26:24 ♪ For we like sheep have gone astray ♪
26:30 ♪ Everyone to his own way ♪
26:36 ♪ But You alone took the blame ♪
26:42 ♪ And now we ask in Your Holy Name ♪
26:49 ♪ For we like sheep have gone astray ♪
26:55 ♪ Everyone to his own way ♪
27:01 ♪ But You alone took the blame ♪
27:07 ♪ And now we ask in Your Holy Name ♪♪
27:21 Our Monthly Newsletter the Levitt Letter is free
27:25 and full of insightful articles and news commentary
27:27 from a Messianic perspective.
27:30 Visit levitt.com to find our Newsletter along with
27:33 current and past programs,
27:35 our television schedule and much more.
27:38 Don't forget to order this week's Resource
27:40 by calling 1-800-WONDERS
27:43 Or you can purchase it from our store at levitt.com
27:47 Your donations to Zola Levitt Ministries
27:49 help these organizations bless Israel.