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Chapter
49
The Judgment
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How many must meet the
test of the judgment?
"I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the
wicked." Eccl. 3:17.
Will any besides the
human family be judged?
"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left
their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto
the judgment of the great day." Jude 6.
With which class will the
judgment begin? - With the righteous.
"For the time is come that judgment
must begin at the house of God: and
if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel
of God?" 1 Peter 4:17.
Out of what will they be
judged?
"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." Dan. 7:10.
Will there be a
resurrection of all the dead?
"For the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall
hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation." John 5:28 (Acts 24:15).
What first occurs when
the voice of Christ is heard?
"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first." 1 Thess. 4:16.
In what condition are the
saints when raised from the dead?
"For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Cor. 15:52.
Are the righteous and the
wicked raised together?
"And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither
his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their
hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest
of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is
the first resurrection." Rev. 20:4, 5.
Why have these been
separated from the others before the voice of Christ is heard?
"But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world,
and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in
marriage." Luke 20:35.
What takes place with the
living righteous at the second advent?
"Behold, I show you a mystery; We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trump."
1 Cor. 15:51, 52; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17.
Why are these separated
from among the living wicked, and thus changed?
"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that re may he accounted worthy to
escape all these things that
shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Luke 21:36.
How far will this
investigation of cases extend?
"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl. 12:24
(Matt. 12:36, 37).
When and where are the
open and the secret things recorded?
"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the
Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written
before Him for them that feared the lord, and that thought upon His
name." Mal. 3:16 (Rev. 20:12).
By whom is this record
made?
"Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou
before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy
voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?" Eccl. 5:6 (Matt. 18:10).
Who opens the judgment,
and presides over it?
"I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days
did sit... 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." Dan. 7:9, 10.
Who ministers to the
Lord, and assists in the judgment?
"Thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before Him." Dan. 7:10. "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." Rev. 5:11.
Who else is brought
before the Father at this 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." Dan. 7:13.
What is Christ's special
work there before the Father and His angels?
"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment;
and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess
his name before My Father, and before His angels." Rev. 3:5.
NOTE. - We have learned that
during this judgment scene the dead are still in their graves. The record of
each one's life, however, is in the books in heaven, and by the record their
characters are well known. These records were made by the angels, who are there
to present them as the names of those who have professed to be Christ's
followers are called from the book of life ( Rev. 20:12). Christ is also there
to appear in behalf of those who have chosen Him as their advocate. (1 John
2:1). He presents His blood, as He appeals for their sins to be blotted from the
books of remembrance (Mal. 3:16). Those sins of which they had repented were forgiven
when they confessed them (Acts 3:19-21); but they could not be blotted
out until by a final examination of their life record it should be known
that they had repented of all their sins, and were finally overcomers. If
this is the case, then their names are confessed in the judgment. But if it is
seen that though running well for a time (Gal. 5:7), they did not overcome, then
instead of confessing their names before the Father and His angels, and blotting
out their sins, Christ will blot out their names from the book of life (Rev.
3:5). As the place of judgment is in heaven, where the throne of God is, and as
Christ is present in person, it conclusively follows that the work of judgment
is also in heaven. All are judged by the record of their lives, and thus answer
for the deeds done in the body. It is easy to see that such a work will not only
decide forever the cases of the dead, but will also close the probation of all
who are living, after which Christ will come to take to Himself those who are
found to be loyal to Him.
Where will
Christ receive His kingdom?
"And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages, should serve Him." Dan. 7:14 (Luke 19:12,
15) (Rev. 11:15).
When He comes to
earth, what title will He bear?
"And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written King of
Kings, and Lord of Lords." Rev. 19:16.
What will be His
mission to the earth?
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His
angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works."
Matt. 16:27 (Rev. 22:12),
Where will
the Saviour take His people?
"In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would
have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there
ye may be also." John 14:2, 3.
During the one thousand
years that intervene between the two resurrections, what will the saints do?
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given
unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither
his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their
hands; and they lived and reigned [in the sense of judging] with Christ a
thousand years." Rev. 20:4.
Who will thus be judged
by the saints?
"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world [the wicked]?
and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest
matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that
pertain to this life?" 1 Cor. 6:2, 3 (Dan. 7:21, 22).
NOTE. - As the names
of the wicked were not found in the book of life at the time of the
investigative judgment, before the second coming of Christ, it was known that
they were not "worthy" of eternal life; but the degree of punishment
that they should receive is left for Christ and His saints to decide during the
one thousand years before the second resurrection. The wicked angels. also, are
to be judged at this time, in the same manner.
When will the saints
judge the world?
"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come." 1
Cor. 4:5.
How will the decision of
the saints be executed?
"And out of His [Christ's] mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He
should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He
treadeth the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." Rev.
19:15.
Why is the execution of
the judgment thus given to Christ?
"For as the Father hath life in Himself , so hath He given to the Son
to have life in Himself; and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also,
because He is the Son of man." John 5:26, 27.
How will the opening of
the investigative judgment be made known to the world?
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear
God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come." Rev.
14:6, 7.
NOTE. - It is seen
that there are two phases of the judgment brought to view in the Scriptures, the
investigative and the executive. The investigative judgment takes place in
heaven before Christ comes, in order to ascertain who are worthy to be raised in
the first resurrection, at His coming, and who among the living are
"accounted worthy" to be changed in the "twinkling of an
eye," at the sounding of the last trump. It is necessary, therefore, for
the investigative judgment to take place before the second advent, as there will
be no opportunity for such a work to be done between the coming of Christ and
the raising of the righteous dead, who are to be clothed with immortality in the
act of rising from the grave. The executive judgment of the wicked occurs after
the extent of punishment which they are to receive has been decided by the
saints who were raised to sit on thrones of judgment (Rev. 20:4, 5) during, the
thousand years (1 Cor. 6:1-3). The investigative judgment is that which is
announced to the world by the angel's message of Rev. 14:6, 7.
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