What was the bema seat used for in the Olympic Games?
In the Olympic Games, the bema seat was placed at the finish line. The judge sat on that raised podium to determine which runners finished first, second, and third. It served as the seat of judgment for deciding places in the race, not eternal destiny.
Les explains that the bema seat was simply a raised podium, the seat of judges where they would come to conclusions. In the Olympic Games, it was set at the finish line. As the runners came by, the judge of the bema seat would sit up there to determine who was first, who was second, and who was third. Les also connects this to the believer’s judgment seat of Christ, emphasizing that the bema seat involves reward, not eternal destiny. Salvation was settled the moment a believer believed, but the bema seat will determine how much reward. Therefore, believers are not to sit down in an easy chair and let life go by; they are to get busy and work, first to bring glory to God’s name, but also for their own personal benefit of reward.