= 3 = GOD, THE FATHER,
THE JUDGE
God the Father is in his own right the supreme Judge of men and of
angels. He proposes to bring all mankind into judgment. Yet this work
is only done in part by himself in person. It is by Jesus Christ that
God is to perform the larger part of his immense work. The following
proposition is worthy of serious consideration:-
1. God the Father opens the judgment in person, then crowns his Son
king, and commits the judgment to him.
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days
did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head
like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his
wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from
before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand
times ten thousand stood before him; the judgment was set, and the
books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great
words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain and
his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the
rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away; yet their
lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night
visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of
heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near
before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a
kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Daniel 7:9-14
The Ancient of Days represents God the Father. That one like the Son
of man, who comes to the Ancient of Days, is none other than our Lord
Jesus Christ. Matt.26:64; Mark 14:61,62. It is, therefore, not the
Son, but the Father who sits in judgment as described in this vision.
Those who stand in his presence either to minister, or to wait, are not
men, but angels. This is a very important fact. Every student of the
Bible is aware that the book of Revelation is a wonderful counterpart to
the book of Daniel. This very phraseology respecting those in the
presence of the Ancient of Days, is made use of in the Revelation, and
with the evident design of showing who are the persons intended by
Daniel.
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the
throne and the beasts and the elders; and the number of them was ten
thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. Revelation
5:11
Daniel describes the opening scene of the final judgment. The Father
presides as judge. The angels of God are present as ministers and
witnesses. At this tribunal the Son of man presents himself to receive
the dominion of the world. Here he is crowned King of kings and Lord of
lords. But men are not present to witness this part of the judgment, or
to behold the coronation of Christ. It is the Father and the Son and
the holy angels who compose this grand assembly. Our Lord cannot act as
judge so long as he ministers as high priest to make intercession for
them that come to God through him. Hebrews 7:24,25. Nor can he act as
judge until he is clothed with kingly power; for it is by virtue of his
authority as king that he pronounces the decision of the judgment.
Matthew 25:34,40. The coronation of our Lord at the judgment-seat of
his Father marks the termination of his priesthood, and invests him with
that sovereign authority by which he shall judge the world.
2. It is not upon the earth that the Ancient of Days holds the
session of the judgment described in Daniel 7.
Those who think this session of judgment by the Father is to be held
upon our earth, understand that the "ten thousand times ten thousand"
who stand before him are the vast multitude of the human family,
standing at his bar for judgment. But as this vision represents the Son
as coming to the Father when he is thus seated in judgment, it follows
that if the Father is already upon this earth judging its inhabitants
when the Son of God comes the second time, then the Father does not send
his Son to the earth, but he comes first, and then the Son comes and
joins him. Yet Peter said of the Father concerning Christ's second
advent, "He shall send Jesus Christ." Acts 3:20.
It would also follow that instead of the Son of man coming to gather
his saints from the four quarters of the earth, he comes to find all
mankind gathered at his Father's bar. But we do know that when the
Saviour comes he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet,
and shall gather his elect from the four winds, even from the uttermost
parts of the earth. Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:1.
But should this difficulty be avoided by adopting the truth that
those who stand before the Ancient of Days are angels, as those
certainly must be who minister unto him, it follows that our Lord is
coming back to our earth thus preceded by his Father and the holy
angels, comes unattended and alone. But this cannot be true; for when
Jesus comes again it will be with all the holy angels. Matthew 25:31;
16:27; 2 Thessalonians 1:7,8.
Again the Saviour is crowned king at the judgment-seat of the
Father. But that judgment-seat cannot be upon our earth, else the
Saviour would have to return to this earth to be crowned; whereas he
receives his kingdom while absent, and returns as King of kings, sitting
upon the throne of his glory. Luke 19:11,12,15; Matthew 25:31; 2 Timothy
4:1; Revelation 19:11-16.
It is certain, therefore, that the judgment scene described in Daniel
7 does not take place upon our earth. Indeed, were it true that
immediately preceding the descent of the Saviour to our earth, God the
Father should himself descend in his own infinite majesty, and summon
mankind to his bar, and enter into judgment with them, the subsequent
advent of Jesus would hardly be taken notice of at all by men. But such
is not the truth in the case. Matthew 24:29-31; 25:31,32; Mark 13:26,27;
Luke 21:25-27,36; 1Thess.4:14-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.
3. This session of the judgment by the Ancient of Days precedes the
advent of Christ to our earth.
When the Lord comes again he is a king seated upon his own throne.
Matthew 24:31; Luke 19:11,12,15; Revelation 19:11-16. But the tribunal
of the Father is the very time and place where his coronation occurs.
Daniel 7:7-14. It must then precede his advent.
When he comes the second time it is "in the glory of his Father."
Matthew 16:27; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7,8. But it is
when the Father sits in judgment that he gives this glory to his Son.
Daniel 7:14. Indeed, the very majesty of the Father as displayed at
this tribunal, will attend the Son when he is revealed in flaming fire
to take vengeance on his enemies. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Matthew
24:30,31; 25:31. We are certain, therefore, that the revelation of
Christ in his infinite glory is subsequent to that tribunal at which
that glory is given to him.
On this occasion the Father is judge in person, and the Son presents
himself to receive the kingdom. But when the Son of man comes to our
earth, having received the kingdom, he acts as judge himself. 2 Timothy
4:1. But it is evident that our Lord's work as judge is at a later
point of time than that judgment scene at which the Father presides. We
are certain, therefore, that the tribunal of Daniel 7:9-14 precedes the
descent of our Lord from heaven. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18.
4. The coming of the Son of man to the Ancient of Days is not the
same event as his second advent to our world.
This has been proved already in the examination of other points.
Thus it has been shown from the coronation of Christ that the second
advent must be at a later time than the Saviour's act of coming to his
Father in Daniel 7:13.14, to receive the kingdom. Again, to make this
the second advent we must have God the Father and the host of his angels
here upon our earth when the Saviour comes again. But this, as has been
shown, involves the contradiction of the plainest facts. We cannot,
therefore, doubt that the coming of Jesus to the Ancient of Days as he
sits in judgment, is an event preceding his second advent to our earth.
5. The coming of the Ancient of Days, in this vision of Daniel's, is
not to this world, but to the place of his judgment scene. With regard
to the place of this tribunal we will speak hereafter. We have already
proved that this session of the judgment precedes the second advent, and
that it is not held upon our earth. This fact establishes the
truthfulness of this proposition.
6. The destruction of the power represented by the little horn does
not take place at the time when the Ancient of Days sits in judgment,
but at a point still later, when the Son of man descends in flaming
fire.
We have proved that when our Lord comes to this earth the second
time, he comes as king, and must therefore come from the tribunal of his
Father; for at that tribunal the kingdom is given to him. But the man
of sin, or little horn, is destroyed by the brightness of Christ's
coming. 2 Thessalonians 2:8; 1:7-10. Whence it follows that the
destruction of the Papacy is not at the Father's judgment seat, but at
the advent of his Son, at a still later point of time. But were it true
that the judgment scene of Daniel 7 is opened by the personal revelation
of God the Father to the inhabitants of our earth, we may be sure that
there would be no man of sin left to be destroyed afterward by the
brightness of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have already proved that the destruction of the wicked power is
when Christ comes to our earth, and that he does not thus come till he
has first attended in person this tribunal of his Father. And to this
statement agree the words of verse 11: "I beheld then because of the
voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the
beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning
flame." It appears that even while this grand tribunal was in session,
the attention of the prophet was called by the Spirit of God to the
great words which the horn was speaking. "I beheld then because of the
voice of the great words which the horn spake." But Daniel does not
represent his destruction as coming at once even then. He says: "I
beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given
to the burning flame." The period of time covered by this "till" is
thus filled up: The Son of God comes to his Father's judgment-seat and
receives the dominion, and the glory, and the kingdom, then descends to
our earth in flaming fire, like that which comes forth from before his
Father, and by the brightness of his advent destroys the little horn. 2
Thessalonians 1,2. It is when our Lord thus comes that this wicked
power is given to the burning flame.
And this is really the very point marked in verses 2l and 22 for the
termination of the war against the saints: "I beheld, and the same horn
made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient
of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and
the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." But even while
the Most High sits in judgment to determine the cases of his saints, the
little horn is, according to verse 11, uttering great words against
God. When, however, the saints have passed the test of this
examination, and are counted worthy of the kingdom of God, their Lord,
being crowned king, returns to gather them to himself. It is at this
very point of time, the advent of the Lord Jesus, that judgment is given
to the saints of the Most High, as is proved by comparing 1 Corinthians
6:2,3 with 1 Corinthians 4:5. And thus we have marked again the advent
of Christ as a point of time for the destruction of this wicked power.
7. The destruction of the Papacy is not the same event as the taking
away of his dominion. Compare Daniel 7:11 and 26. The one follows
after the sitting of the Ancient of Days in judgment; but the other
precedes it by a certain space of time. Yet, if we read the chapter
without strict attention, we would be very likely to conclude that not
the little horn alone, but each of the first three beasts, had their
dominion taken away at the judgment. See verses 11, 12, 26. This,
however, cannot be. For the dominion of the first beast was taken away
by the second, though his life was spared; and so of each one to the
last. But the little horn has a special dominion over the saints for "a
time and times and the dividing of time," or 1,260 prophetic days (see
verse 25; Revelation 12:6,14), which is taken away at the end of that
period. There remains even then a space of time to "the end," during
which his dominion is consumed and destroyed. He wars against the
saints, however, and prevails until the judgment is given to the saints
at the advent of Christ. (1Corinthians 4:5; 6:2,3; Revelation 20:4),
when he is given to the burning flames. Daniel 7:11; 2 Thessalonians
2:8.
8. The coronation of Christ at the judgment-seat of the Father is the
same event as the standing up of Michael (compare Daniel 7:13,14; 12:1);
for Michael is Christ, and his standing up is his beginning to reign.
Michael is the name borne by our Lord as the ruler of the angelic host.
It signifies, "He who is like God." This must be our Lord. See Hebrews
1:3. He is called the archangel. Jude 9. This term signifies prince
of angels, or chief of the angelic host. But this is the very office of
our divine Lord. Hebrews 1. Michael is the great prince that standeth
for the children of God. Also he is called our prince. See Daniel
10:21; 12:1. But this can be no other than Christ. Acts 5:31.
The standing up of Michael is his assumption of kingly power. See
the use of this term in Daniel 11:2,3,4,7,20,21. But it is Jesus, and
not an angel, who takes the throne of the kingdom. Daniel 7:13,14;
Psalm 2:6-12. Our Lord receives his dominion at his Father's
judgment-seat. Daniel 7. A great time of trouble follows, at which
Christ delivers everyone found written in the book. This is a plain
reference to the examination of the books shown in the previous vision.
Compare Dan.12:1; 7:9,10. This shows that the judgment scene of Daniel
7 relates to the righteous, and that it precedes their final deliverance
at the advent of Christ. The thrones of Dan.7:9 will be noticed
hereafter.
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