= 7 = THE CORONATION OF
CHRIST
We have established the fact by many indubitable proofs that the
investigation and decision of the cases of the righteous precede their
resurrection in the likeness of Christ. In establishing the fact that
the cases of the righteous are thus decided before the sounding of the
trumpet of God, we do really establish the fact that the cases of the
wicked are also virtually decided at the same time. For when we have
shown that all who are to have immortality are accounted worthy of it
before their resurrection, it necessarily follows that though the
actions of the wicked are not examined in detail until the saints sit
with Christ in the judgment during the 1,000 years, yet the wicked are,
by the decision in the case of the righteous, left, as worthless and
noxious, to the resurrection of the unjust and to the devouring fire.
The next event in the great day of God is the destruction of the
living wicked by the seven last plagues. As these do not come until the
wicked are accounted unworthy of the kingdom of God, their destruction
comes as a part of the judgment work, and after the virtual decision of
their cases. The fact is many times revealed in the Bible that before
the final deliverance of the saints there comes a time of trouble such
as never was. This is plainly marked as lying between the decision in
the case of the righteous at the close of their probation, and the event
of their deliverance.
Thus, according to Daniel, the deliverance of the saints does not
take place until the existence of a time of trouble such as never was.
And this time of trouble comes in consequence of the close of our Lord's
intercession and the assumption of his kingly office. Daniel 12:1. The
wrath of God against sin is neither stayed nor mitigated after the Son
of God ceases to plead for sinful man.
The closing work of Christ's priesthood is in the second apartment of
the heavenly sanctuary. This is opened under the sounding of the
seventh trumpet. Revelation 11:19. It is after the temple is thus
opened in heaven that the seven angels pour out the seven last plagues.
Revelation 15:5-8. But these plagues fill up the wrath of God which is
threatened by the third angel. Revelation 15:1 compared with 14:10. And
the third angel gives the final message of mercy and warning to mankind
before the Son of man sits upon the white cloud. Revelation 14:6-14. So
it is apparent that while Christ is finishing his work in the sanctuary,
and while the third angel is giving the last message of mercy to man,
the seven last plagues are withheld, though pending ready to be poured
out. But when the work of probation is closed, and the intercession of
Christ in heaven, and the voice of warning upon earth, are ended, then
men drink from the cup of his indignation the wine of God's wrath
without any mixture.
That which constitutes this wrath is the seven last plagues. They
are by this term distinguished from those plagues inflicted under the
six trumpets. Revelation 9:20,21. They are represented as the wrath of
God without mixture, i.e., they have no element of mercy mingled with
them. They are poured out into the cup of God's indignation. This is
an awful expression to indicate that men at that time fall into the
hands of the living God. This fearful execution of God's judgment is
witnessed before the deliverance of the saints; for not less than six of
the plagues are poured out prior to the advent of Christ. Revelation
16:12-15.
This same period of trouble is brought to view in Revelation 7, and
located between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals. Before the
four winds are loosed, the servants of God are sealed. The seal is
placed upon them, that the destroying angel may not cut them down.
Compare Ezekiel 9 with Revelation 7. This is a plain proof that the
saints must continue upon the earth for a certain space after the time
of trouble commences. The fact that all who are sealed at the
commencement of this time of trouble are afterward seen standing upon
Mount Zion with the Lamb, is proof that their probation closes with the
commencement of this scene of trouble. Compare Revelation 7:4; 14:1.
In other words, they are then accounted worthy to escape the things that
are to come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Luke 21:36.
The very time when they are thus accounted worthy to stand before the
Saviour, is at the close of our Lord's priesthood; and the time of
trouble itself comes when that priesthood is exchanged for his kingly
office.
Probation does therefore close before the entrance of the people of
God upon this great time of trouble. One of those events immediately
following the close of probation, and therefore constituting a feature
of the time of trouble, is what the Bible calls "the hour of
temptation." Thus we read:-
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep
thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world,
to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly; hold
that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Revelation
3:10.11
The keeping of the word of Christ's patience especially pertained to
the period of the third angel. Revelation 14:12. Those who keep this
word are to be kept from the hour of temptation, while all others are to
be taken captive by it. This shows that the saints are upon the earth
during this period; and that when it commences, those who are unprepared
are hopelessly lost.
But this season of unrestrained temptation is also brought to view by
Paul, when describing the state of things existing just before our
Lord's return. Thus he says:-
Whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs
and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in
them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might
be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
When God sends men strong delusion to believe a lie that they all
might be damned, it must be after the righteous have accomplished their
work of overcoming, and after the Saviour has ceased to plead. The only
way that God sends this strong delusion is by withdrawing his spirit
when men have sinned away the day of grace, thus leaving them a prey to
the unrestrained power of the devil.
Now it is remarkable that the third angel brings to view this same
period of Satan's mighty working. It is the work of the third angel to
give warning of the things that are to come to pass upon the earth at
the close of human probation.
When he warns us against the worship of the image, and the reception
of his mark, it is in direct reference to the fact that the two-horned
beast is to make such an image and to require men to worship it on pain
of death. Revelation 14:9-12; 13:11-16. And we do learn that this image
is made in consequence of the miracles that are to be wrought. Compare
Revelation 13:13,14; 16:13. One of these miracles will be the bringing
down of fire from heaven. This lies before us in the time of trouble.
It is no wonder that those who are not kept by the power of God should
be deceived by this fearful delusion.
It is at the close of the work of intercession that the Lord is
represented as putting on the garments of vengeance for the destruction
of his enemies. Isaiah 59:16-18. And when the enemy (Satan) shall come
in like a flood, in the strong delusion, the Spirit of the Lord shall
lift up a standard against him. Verse 19. It is also at the close of
our Lord's priestly work that the prophecy of Amos meets its
fulfillment:-
Behold the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine
in the land, not a famine in bread, nor a thirst for water, but of
hearing the words of the Lord; and they shall wander from sea to sea,
and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek
the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. Amos 8:11,12
The third woe comes by reason of the voice of the seventh angel.
Revelation 8:13. The seven last plagues come under the seventh trumpet.
Revelation 11:15-19; 15:5-8. The seven plagues which fill up the wrath
of God do therefore constitute the third woe. The people of God will
not be removed from the earth till after six of the plagues have been
poured out. They must witness the fearful scenes of the time of
trouble. But the seal of the living God will be their protection, so
that though a thousand fall at their side and ten thousand at their
right hand, it will not come nigh them. Psalm 91:1-10. The situation of
the saints during the outpouring of the plagues will be like that of
Israel during the plagues upon Egypt.
These dreadful calamities which will come upon our earth before the
people of God are taken from it may be mentioned as the loosing of the
four winds, the pouring out of the vials of God's wrath in pestilence,
famine, and earthquake, and in the battle of the great day of God
Almighty. It will be the hour of temptation for all the wicked world,
when Satan shall exert his utmost power. To the wicked it will be the
time of trouble such as never was; to the righteous it will be the time
of Jacob's trouble, at which, in answer to their cry day and night, like
the importunate widow, they will be delivered. Jeremiah 30:5-7; Genesis
32; Luke 18:7,8.
In view of this awful scene which must be witnessed by the people of
God, Zephaniah calls upon all the meek of the earth to seek
righteousness and meekness. And he adds, "It may be ye shall be hid in
the day of the Lord's anger." Zephaniah 2:1-3. If they do their best in
seeking God it is but barely possible that they will escape. And our
Lord beseeches his people to watch and pray always, that they may be
accounted worthy to escape the things coming on the earth, and to stand
before the Son of man. Luke 21:36. If, therefore, this great time of
trouble is to come upon our world after the close of Christ's
intercession and before the deliverance of the saints, of what vast
consequence is that final message of warning which reveals these great
facts!
The fact that the resurrection of the righteous is declarative of
their acceptance in the sight of God, and, therefore, proof that the
investigation and decision of their cases precede that event, has been
very distinctly stated by some of the clearest minds in the Advent
ranks. The late Sylvester Bliss, for many years editor of the Advent
Herald, thus states the case:-
We are inclined to the opinion that the judgment is after death and
before the resurrection; and that before that event the acts of all
men will be adjudicated; so that the resurrection of the righteous is
their full acquittal and redemption - their sins being blotted out
when the times of refreshing shall have come (Acts 3:19); while the
fact that the wicked are not raised [for 1,000 years], proves that
they were previously condemned. - Advent Shield, p. 4, 366
(published in 1845)
He saw the fact perfectly distinct that there can be no trial of the
righteous after they have been made immortal. But it is very evident
that he did not well understand when and how the examination of their
cases should take place. Elder Josiah Litch, one of the ablest writers
in the early history of the Advent movement, states this subject even
more distinctly than Mr. Bliss. In his "Prophetic Expositions," written
in 1842, on pages 49-54 he uses the following language:-
THE MEANING OF THE TERM
"JUDGE."
1. It is used in the Bible in the sense of a trial according to law
and evidence; the idea being drawn from a civil or criminal court. . .
.
2. It signifies a penal judgment; or the execution of judgment.
The terms are both used in reference to the judgment of the human
race. All men will be brought to trial, or into judgment, and all
their deeds and their moral characters will be examined, and their
everlasting states will be determined by the evidence produced from
God's books, including the book of life, which will decide the moral
character and everlasting destiny of each individual of Adam's race.
If their names are found in `the book of life,' they will be saved;
and if not found there, they will be cast into the lake of fire, the
second death. But the degree of reward or punishment will be
graduated by what each one has done. . . .
THE TRIAL MUST PRECEDE THE
EXECUTION.
This is so clear a proposition that it is sufficient to state it.
No human tribunal would think of executing judgment on a prisoner
until after his trial; much less will God. He will bring every work
into judgment, with every secret thing whether it be good or evil.
But the resurrection is the retribution or execution of judgment;
for they that have done good shall come forth to the resurrection of
life. `We look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; who shall
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious
body.' `In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump;
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.' Here is clearly a
retribution in the resurrection. It will be administered when the
saints are raised. But no more certainly than they that have done
evil will come forth damned, or `to the resurrection of damnation.'
They will come forth to shame and everlasting contempt. The saints
will be raised and be caught up at once to meet the Lord in the air,
to be forever with the Lord. There can be no general judgment or
trial after the resurrection. The resurrection is the separating
process, and they will never be commingled again, after the saints are
raised, no matter how long or short the period to elapse between the
two resurrections; it is all the same so far as the separation which
the resurrection produces is concerned. If there is no more than a
second which elapses between the two resurrections, the separation it
makes is final.
GOD, THE ANCIENT OF DAYS,
WILL PRESIDE IN THE TRIAL.
1. Daniel 7:9,10, presents the Ancient of Days coming on his throne
of fiery flame; the judgment is set and the books opened. He is
distinct from the Son of man, spoken of in verse 13, when he comes to
the Ancient of Days.
2. Revelation 20:12 tells us it is God, before whom the dead stand and
are judged.
THE SON OF MAN WILL
EXECUTE THE JUDGMENT.
Thus the Saviour declares (John 5:27): `And hath given him
authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.'
Also 2 Corinthians 5:10: `For we shall all appear before the
judgment-seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in
his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.'
Also Paul's testimony in the Acts of the Apostles: God `hath
appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness
by that Man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance
unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.' What we are
assured of by the resurrection of Christ, is the execution, in the
resurrection, of a righteous judgment on all men.
THE TIME OF THE TRIAL OF
THE DEAD.
It is under the opening of the sixth seal of Revelation, sixth
chapter, where the servants of God are sealed. . . . And under the
seventh seal (chap.8:1) when there is silence in heaven about the
space of half an hour; when the great Mediator ceases to plead for
sinners, the day of grace ends; then the judgment or trial will
proceed on the living inhabitants of the earth. That done, Christ
will appear in the clouds of heaven, and come to the Ancient of Days
and the scene of trial, and, with a shout, to announce the verdict and
deliver all his saints as soon as they are declared innocent, or
justified, and raise them to eternal life in the twinkling of an eye.
We are now justified by faith; we must, however, be declared justified
at the day of judgment, before the effects of the fall will be taken
away, and the saints be restored to God's perfect image and glory.
THE TWENTY-FIFTH CHAPTER
OF MATTHEW.
This chapter does not, as has been supposed, describe the great
trial, but the separation between the righteous and wicked, which will
be accomplished by the resurrection of the just. And when the
separation is accomplished; Christ will address each party, and show
why he has made this separation. But through the whole scene, he acts
the part of the executor of judgment." Query- Did the judgment, or
trial of the dead, begin to sit when they took away the papal dominion
in 1798? See Daniel 7:26, compared with Daniel 7:9,10.
The reader cannot fail to be deeply interested in these extracts from
Bliss and Litch. We do not indorse every idea. Indeed, there is a
degree of confusion in the language which shows that the subject was not
wholly clear. Thus, while Elder Litch teaches that the session of the
judgment must be before Christ comes, and even though it might have
commenced at the end of the 1,260 days, he seems also to teach that
Christ comes to this tribunal when he descends to earth. This cannot
be, as has been fully shown in a former article.
But this reasoning of Elder Litch relative to the investigation and
decision of the cases of the righteous before the resurrection, is
weighty and conclusive. It is worthy of notice that he places this
judgment of the righteous at the tribunal of the Father, as presented in
Daniel 7. He believed that this part of the judgment work was to be
fulfilled while the living were yet in probation; for he suggested that
it commenced in 1798, with the ending of the 1,260 years. These able
writers saw the fact that this work must take place before the
resurrection of the just, but they did not see the time and place for
the work. They did not see the heavenly sanctuary, and therefore had no
clear idea of the concluding work of human probation, as presented to us
in the Saviour's ministration before the ark of God's testament. The
temple of God in heaven reveals the very nature of this work, and the
prophetic periods mark its time. The proclamation of the angel that the
hour of his judgment is come, and his solemn oath to the time, gives to
mankind the knowledge of this great work, and the certainty that the
present is the time of the dead that they should be judged. This
doctrine is of the highest practical importance. It shows that we are
now in the antitype of the great day of atonement. Our business should
be the affliction of our souls and the confession of our sins.
At the ascension of our Lord, he entered the heavenly temple and sat
down upon his Father's throne, a great High Priest after the order of
Melchizedek. Psalm 110:1,4; Hebrews 8:1,2. But when he returns in his
infinite majesty as King of kings, he sits upon his own throne, and not
upon that of his Father. He speaks thus of his descent from heaven:-
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy
angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.
Matt.25:31
It is evident, therefore, that there is a space of time at the
conclusion of our Lord's work in the temple in heaven, in which his
priestly office is exchanged for his kingly dignity; and this transition
is marked by his relinquishing his place upon the throne of his Father,
and assuming his own throne. The judgment session of Daniel 7:9-14 is
the time and place of this transition. Our Lord plainly distinguishes
these two thrones:-
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in MY throne,
even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Revelation 3:21
The Saviour's reception of his own throne preparatory to his second
advent, is described in Psalm 45. As Psalm 110 makes prominent his
priestly office upon his Father's throne, so Psalm 45 describes his
kingly office and work upon his own throne:-
My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I
have made touching the king; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
Thou art fairer than the children of men; grace is poured into thy
lips; therefore God hath blessed thee forever. Gird thy sword upon
thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy
majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and
righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the
people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; the
scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness,
and hatest wickedness; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with
the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Psalm 45:1-7
This personage who is fairer than the sons of men, can be no other
than the King in his beauty (Isaiah 33:17), who is to be admired in the
day of his advent by all them that believe. 2 Thessalonians 1:10. The
time when he rides forth for the destruction of his enemies is presented
in Revelation 19:11-21.
The words of Paul establish the fact that this psalm relates to
Christ, some of its words being addressed to him by his Father when he
invests him with his kingly office and throne. Thus Paul quotes and
comments:-
But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever;
a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast
loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God,
hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Hebrews
1:8,9
The relation of these two thrones to the work of our Lord is very
important to be understood. As a priest after the order of Melchizedek,
who was both priest and king (Genesis 14:18-20; Psalm 110:1,4; Hebrews
7:1-3), the Saviour has had a joint rule with his Father upon the throne
of the universe. Zechariah 6:12,13. His office of priest-king continues
till his Father makes his enemies his footstool. Then he delivers up
the kingdom which he has shared with his Father to him alone, that God
may be all in all. 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. His reign upon the throne of
his Father ends with all his enemies being given to him for destruction.
The throne given him when his priesthood ends is that which he
inherits as David's heir. On that throne he shall reign over the
immortal saints for endless ages. Luke 1:32,33; Isaiah 9:6,7. Upon the
throne of the Father he had a joint rule as priest-king; upon his own
throne his people have a joint rule with him. The first ends, that God
may be all in all; the second is a reign that shall continue forever.
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