In Matthew 25:24-30 the one-talented slave, who was not faithful in using his gift, is rebuked by the Lord and punished. Verse 30 says, “Cast out the useless slave into the outer darkness. In that place there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” Whoever is cast into outer darkness will be cut off from the Lord, from His presence, from His fellowship, from the glorious sphere in which the Lord will be. This is not to perish eternally but to be chastened dispensationally during the coming age of the kingdom.
In the New Testament there are numerous verses containing clear and strong prophecies concerning the judgment of the believers at the judgment seat of Christ. These prophecies are very serious. In studying these prophecies we should be concerned about our future, in particular how we shall meet the Lord and give an account to Him.
All those who are apart from Christ have no hope and are without God in the world. However, the believers’ life is full of hope, not only for the Lord’s coming but also to be resurrected and to be raptured. The Bible reveals two kinds of physical resurrections: the resurrection of life for the believers, and the resurrection of judgment for the unbelievers. All dead believers in Christ are awaiting resurrection in Paradise, which is in Hades. When the Lord returns, all the dead overcoming believers through all the generations will receive the out-resurrection as a reward, but the majority of the dead believers through all the generations will be resurrected at the end of the great tribulation.
The subject of the believers’ rapture is a great matter in the Bible. The thought concerning rapture is strongly emphasized in the Bible. To be raptured is to be taken. At the time of the Lord’s coming, all saints, whether living or dead, will be raptured. According to the New Testament three groups of believers will be raptured before the three and a half years of the great tribulation: the dead and resurrected overcomers, the man-child; the living and mature believers, the firstfruits; and the other living overcomers. The rest of the living believers, the majority of the harvest, will pass through the great tribulation and will be raptured with the other resurrected believers close to the end of the great tribulation.
After the rapture of all the resurrected dead believers and the rapture of all the living believers, Christ will set up His judgment seat to judge all genuine believers. This judgment will determine whether the believer will receive a reward or some kind of dispensational punishment. They will receive the things done through the body according to what they have practiced, whether good or bad. They will also give an account of themselves to God for the Lord to settle accounts with them, and they will be examined by the Lord that praise may be to each one from God. Some will receive a reward, and some will suffer loss. The believers will receive a reward from the Lord if they build with gold, silver, and precious stones; serve the saints out of their own will for the building; deny their self, bear the cross, and follow the Lord; pursue toward the goal; do not cast away their boldness; are faithful and prudent, set by the Master over His household to give them food at the proper time; and make use of their gifts faithfully. The believers will be chastened dispensationally during the age of the kingdom if they build with wood, grass, and stubble; think that the Lord will delay His coming and begin to beat the fellow slaves, eating and drinking with the drunken; and do not make use of the gifts faithfully.