The Bema seat is Christ's judgment seat of rewards, where every believer will appear to give an account of his works as a believer — not to be judged for sin.
Les Feldick explains that the Greek word 'bema' referred to the raised seat of the judges at the ancient Olympic Games, where winners were determined. At Christ's Bema seat, every believer will be examined for what he has done with his life as a believer and will receive rewards accordingly. It is not the Great White Throne judgment, and it has nothing to do with eternal destiny, which is already settled.
2 Corinthians 5:10 — This is the key passage Les repeatedly cites — every believer must appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive what was done in the body, good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:9 — Paul connects laboring to being accepted of Him, which Les links to the believer's motivation for reward at the Bema seat.
The Bible speaks of the judgment seat of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5:10: 'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.' Immediately before this, in 2 Corinthians 5:9, Paul writes: 'Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.' The King James Version translates the Greek word for this event as the 'judgment seat,' and the passage shows that appearing before it is connected with receiving according to what was done in the body.
Les Feldick teaches that the Bema seat comes from the ancient Olympic Games. The bema was a raised platform or podium where the judges sat, set at the finish line, to determine who came in first, second, third, and so on. Les points to the ruins of ancient Corinth, where the raised bema platform can still be seen, as a physical reminder of what Paul's readers would have understood. He calls the King James translation 'judgment seat' unfortunate, since the Greek word 'bema' means a seat of rewards, not a place of condemnation. Les stresses that the Bema seat is not the Great White Throne judgment and has nothing to do with eternal destiny. Salvation is settled the moment a person believes, and no believer's sin will ever be presented at the Bema seat — all sin was paid for and judged on Christ at the cross. Instead, every believer will appear before Christ to be examined for what he has done with his life as a believer, and the Bema seat will determine how much reward he will receive. The passage Les repeatedly cites is 2 Corinthians 5:10: 'we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to what he hath done, be it good or bad.' For this reason, Les says 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, and also for their own personal benefit of reward. A lot of people do not like the idea of working for reward, Les acknowledges, but the Bible teaches it.
Les Feldick explains that the word 'bema' comes from the ancient Olympic Games, where it was the raised platform or podium where the judges sat. In the Olympic setting, the bema seat was set at the finish line, and the judges on the bema would determine who was first, second, third, and fourth in the races. Les also points to the ruins of ancient Corinth, where a raised platform about 12 to 18 inches high can still be seen — the kind of place where a person in authority would make a decree. He says the King James translation 'judgment seat' is unfortunate; the Greek word is simply 'bema,' which he describes as the seat of rewards.
No. Les Feldick is emphatic that the Bema seat is not a judgment for sin. All of the believer's sin is under the blood of Christ — it was judged on Christ at the cross, and the believer will never stand before God to give an account for sin. No believer's sin will be presented at the Bema seat. It will be strictly a review of the believer's works, or what he has done with his life as a believer.
The Bema seat determines reward, not eternal destiny. Les explains that nothing in the Bema seat judgment involves our eternal destiny — that is settled the moment we believe. Instead, the Bema seat determines how much reward a believer will receive. Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 5:10 describe this: 'we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.' Les emphasizes this is not salvation being put in the balances, but reward.
Because the Bema seat involves reward for what believers do with their lives, Les says believers are not to sit down in an easy chair and let life go by. They are to get busy and work — for number one, to bring glory to God's name, but also for their own personal benefit of reward. The apostle Paul wrote, 'we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him' (2 Corinthians 5:9), which Les connects to laboring for reward, not salvation. Although some people do not like the idea of working for reward, Les says the Bible teaches it.
Les Feldick is careful to distinguish the Bema seat from the Great White Throne judgment. The Great White Throne is for those who have rejected salvation — Les notes that nobody goes before the White Throne except by his own choice, since salvation has been offered to everyone. The Bema seat, by contrast, is only for true believers, and it concerns what Paul calls the judgment seat of Christ. Les says the King James would have been better translated with the Greek term 'bema' — the seat of rewards.
Bema Seat Explained: Believer Rewards & Glorified Bodies
Hello, and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick.
The Olympic Seat of Rewards
Les explains that the bema seat was the judges' seat at the Olympic Games where winners were determined, and that every believer will appear before Christ to be examined for reward — not for sin.
Determines Reward, Not Destiny
Les shows the bema seat was at the finish line of the races, and that it determines how much reward a believer receives — eternal destiny is already settled.
The Raised Platform at Corinth
Les points to the actual raised platform in ancient Corinth to show the bema seat was simply a place where a person in authority made a decree.
Receive According to What He Hath Done
Les quotes the bema seat passage (2 Corinthians 5:10) and emphasizes that every believer must appear to receive what was done in the body — this is strictly for reward, not salvation.
No Sin Presented at the Bema
Les stresses that no believer's sin will be presented at the Bema seat because all sin was paid for at the cross — it is strictly a review of works as believers.
Not for the Unsaved — Only Believers
Les clarifies that Paul is only speaking to believers, not the unsaved, and that the judgment seat determines reward, not salvation.
Bema Versus the Great White Throne
Les distinguishes the Bema seat from the Great White Throne, which is for those who rejected salvation, and says the KJV should have translated the term as 'seat of rewards.'
2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
This is the central passage Les cites for the Bema seat — it shows every believer appearing before Christ to receive according to what was done in the body.
2 Corinthians 5:9: Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
Paul connects the believer's labor with being accepted of Him, which Les links to the believer's motivation for reward at the Bema seat.
No. Les Feldick explains that the Bema seat is for believers only and is about rewards, while the Great White Throne is for those who have rejected salvation. Nobody goes before the Great White Throne except by his own choice.
No. Les teaches that no believer's sin will be presented at the Bema seat. All sin was judged on Christ at the cross, so the Bema seat is strictly a review of what we have done as believers — not a dealing with sin.
Les says this is an unfortunate translation. The Greek word is 'bema,' which referred to the raised seat of the judges at the Olympic Games. He describes it as the 'seat of rewards' rather than a place of judgment.
Believers will receive reward according to the things done in the body, good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). It is not salvation being weighed — salvation is settled — but reward for how a believer labored and served after believing.
Watch the Teaching: Bema Seat Explained: Believer Rewards & Glorified Bodies