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3AM | The Investigative Judgment |
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The Hour of God's Judgment |
Main Page The Issues involved in the Judgment |
World Events Shout Jesus Coming Again is Near Notes & References |
Hebrews Chapter 9 |
Main Page Many who know something about the Bible teaching of the investigative judgment may encounter somewhere down the line questions on how that teaching squares with being saved by faith vs. works. We shall present a brief overview to help clarify these types of concerns. We start out with the following scripture.
Jesus Christ is for Christians the embodiment of God's love for mankind and that rightly so. His followers are the special concern for all what He does. So, what manner of love could he show as a judge? That is part of the query we try to shed some light on. Jesus says in our opening verse that we ought to be mindful how we treat each other. Members of a church should nurture each other, not regard others with disdain or critical eyes. We should always have a spirit in us which seeks to pre-plan forgiveness with respect to those we worship with. Why? Because of what Paul says in the next scripture,
How did we get in this situation? Because Adam sinned. The sin of our first parents put us all before the judgment seat of Christ. But Jesus said something remarkable. He said,
What could he mean by `the prince of this world' being cast out? Jesus says that judgment was already under way in His days on earth. But He says more. We read,
Neither Adam nor us today can get out of this judgment ourselves. But the verse above intends to say that Christ took the condemnation on Himself - that, what Adam caused to come over all mankind. So we wonder, what will be the verdict of the judgment? To find the answer we read first this,
The one sin of the first pair produced cumulative effects, repercussions down the ages, the impact of which we all are more or less aware of. The judicial action that was required demanded the sentence of death to be carried out. And so Adam died, and all mankind ever since. But the Bible presents before us one death which affected the judicial action, the verdict in such a way that we, the offspring of Adam, can have acquittal. We can be pronounced innocent. How can that be? Let us look at . . . The Issues involved in the Judgment Paul writes along these lines of our investigation the following,
What might the outcome of this judgment result in? Let us read what the Apostle John has to say on that. We read,
Does that sound like a message of hope? It certainly does, doesn't it? Should we fear this judgment, or should we not? If acquittal is the outcome instead of condemnation, are we then still held responsible for our wrongdoing? Or are we not held responsible anymore? What if we sin again after being acquitted, are we under judgment again? Is this going to be a back and forth? Let us examine the role faith - what we believe - plays in this. We may say that the judgment of God points out the role we played in what happens around us, it evidences the choices we had. We read,
So we may ask, This judgment, was that viewed to being in session when Peter wrote this? Did he do so because of the persecutions the church endured then? Does a judgment starting then contradict justification by faith? No, it does not. It does everything to help us to stand faithfully to the day Jesus comes again. Does it have something to do with justification by works? No, it does not since we do it because of the promptings of Christ in us and not to earn something. What does Paul say?
This judgment, does it present a paradox? - A `look alike' acquittal? What else does Paul say? Let us examine three pivotal points. Firstly,
How does that correlate with what we wondered about? Secondly,
So, which is it, by mercy or by works? Is there a problem? Or do we misunderstand something, perhaps the larger picture? We also read,
But we also remember the words,
Ah, we should `walk in what'? In good deeds, works, not being lazy but do something about the faith we have. Is that wanting to be saved by works? Or does this mean, when we are `in Christ' and Christ is `in us', works do not exist, Christ does it all? Yes. It must mean that. We walk the walk of faith. We do something about that what we believe in; but it is all done because of the love we have for God and all He asks us to do - not in order to be saved but it is the evidence of our faith. What being a Christian is all about, Paul says about that,
Why does Paul say that? So we can stand boldly before the Judgment seat of Christ?
Yes. That is so great. Why? For . . .
Therefore, the `works' we do are the evidence, our cooperation, the light, of our faith. But there is one other point, Thirdly, We read also,
And that is why Jesus said,
How can we summarize those three points?
What else can we find? Christ . . . "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Titus 2:14, this Christ inspires us to try and imitate His life, follow in His footsteps, die to our self, like he did die to the clamors of his flesh, so we may grow in Christ to a maturity in faith. Hold it, hold it, some may say. Read this . . .
If these words are conclusive, why then has there to be a judgment? Well, there has to be a judgment to examine if we departed from iniquity. The onlooking universe wants to be sure their eventual neighbors will know how to be heavenly in all they do.[50] John also helps us to find the answer. We read,
What does that mean? First of all it means we follow the commands, to fear God, to glorify God and to worship Him because the judgment is already here. - It is already in session. Does that mean we have to separate God's judgment from His mercy? No. We read, "While Jesus is pleading for the subjects of His grace, Satan accuses them before God as transgressors. The great deceiver has sought to lead them into skepticism, to cause them to lose confidence in God, to separate themselves from His love, and to break His law. Now he points to the record of their lives, to the defects of character, the unlikeness to Christ, which has dishonored their Redeemer, to all the sins that he has tempted them to commit, and because of these he claims them as his subjects." What does God's mercy do? "Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows their penitence and faith, and, claiming for them forgiveness, He lifts His wounded hands before the Father and the holy angels, saying: I know them by name. I have graven them on the palms of My hands. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:17. And to the accuser of His people He declares: "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" Zechariah 3:2. Christ will clothe His faithful ones with His own righteousness, that He may present them to His Father "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing." Ephesians 5:27. Their names stand enrolled in the book of life, and concerning them it is written: "They shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy." Revelation 3:4. {GC 484.2} What is the work of the judgment? A strong aspect of the judgment is that God vindicates Himself and us for how He dealt with the sin problem in the universe.
Is there somebody against us? Yes. We have an accuser who accuses us before God day and night. He recharges us again and again that we are not worthy. That is called `double jeopardy', . . .
. . being charged again and again after God has acquitted us already. The evidence is all there. Daniel explains it to us. He wrote,
Here we have the trial phase of the Judgment scene in heaven brought into view. But what about the verdict? Where do we find the verdict? Let us read about it.
Wow! Here we find that the judgment will come out positive for the saints, - the true believers of the plan of salvation, they will possess the kingdom. That is also why we read that we must know these prophecies, we all who consider themselves as part of the church which has been handed the knowledge of these prophecies must study them. We read, "All that God has in prophetic history specified to be fulfilled in the past has been, and all that is yet to come in its order will be. Daniel, God's prophet, stands in his place. John stands in his place. In the Revelation the Lion of the tribe of Judah has opened to the students of prophecy the book of Daniel, and thus is Daniel standing in his place. He bears his testimony, that which the Lord revealed to him in vision of the great and solemn events which we must know as we stand on the very threshold of their fulfillment." {2SM 109.1} And our knowledge of the "high time" (Rm. 13:11) we live in will cause us to ready ourselves to possess the kingdom. "It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to God's law. But he failed to do this, and because of his sin our natures are fallen and we cannot make ourselves righteous. Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey the holy law. We have no righteousness of our own with which to meet the claims of the law of God. But Christ has made a way of escape for us. He lived on earth amid trials and temptations such as we have to meet. He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He offers to take our sins and give us His righteousness. If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ's character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned." {SC 62.2} Or these lines, "The life of the true believer reveals an indwelling Saviour. The follower of Jesus is Christlike in spirit and in temper. Like Christ, he is meek and humble. His faith works by love and purifies the soul. His whole life is a testimony to the power of the grace of Christ. The pure doctrines of the gospel never degrade the receiver, never make him coarse, or rough, or uncourteous. The gospel refines, ennobles, and elevates, sanctifying the judgment and influencing the whole life. - {7T 67.2; AG 277.5} Is it Biblical what we just read?
Well, do you think the above is an amplification of what John wrote? Considering what we read, if you prayed to be forgiven, no fault is found in you. Therefore loose your fear of the judgment. It is being `in Christ', in His word, that we keep daily, hourly contact with God and whatever we do to further His cause is not "work", it is our thank offering for the great truths we learned to love and cherish and live by. A Christian's life is a happy life for He knows the power of God shall redeem him or her out of this world of sin. World Events Shout Jesus Coming Again is Near Events are happening today which should rattle our cage, they should wake us up to make sure of our salvation, 1.Chr. 16:35
For you see, "The restraining Spirit of God is even now being withdrawn from the world. Hurricanes, storms, tempests, fire and flood, disasters by sea and land, follow each other in quick succession. Science seeks to explain all these. The signs thickening around us, telling of the near approach of the Son of God, are attributed to any other than the true cause. Men cannot discern the sentinel angels restraining the four winds that they shall not blow until the servants of God are sealed; but when God shall bid His angels loose the winds, there will be such a scene of strife as no pen can picture." {6T 408.1} "The day of test and purification is just upon us. Signs of a most startling character appear, in floods, in hurricanes, in tornadoes, in cloud-bursts, in casualties by land and by sea, that proclaim the approach of the end of all things. The judgments of God are falling on the world, that men may be awakened to the fact that Christ will come speedily. The Lord is about to reveal the difference between the righteous and the wicked; for his "fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." {RH, November 8, 1892 par. 6} Even Internet news media made a comment which was almost prophetic without them intending to be that way. They wrote, "That would make Katrina the worst disaster in US history since the April 18, 1906 San Francisco earthquake." {Internet News on the day of the height of Katrina at New Orleans} "As we near the close of this earth's history, we shall have the scenes of the San Francisco calamity repeated in other places. . . . These things make me feel very solemn because I know that the judgment day is right upon us. The judgments that have already come are a warning, but not the finishing, of the punishment that will come on wicked cities. . . ." {LDE 114.4; Habakkuk 2:1-20; Zephaniah 1:1-3:20; Zechariah 1:1-4:14; Malachi 1:1-4, quoted.; 9T 92.3; CL 8.6, 9.1; 31.4} The Indonesian earthquake of Dec. 6, 2004 reminds us of what happened at Lisbon in 1755. "At Lisbon `a sound of thunder was heard underground, and immediately afterward a violent shock threw down the greater part of that city. In the course of about six minutes sixty thousand persons perished. The sea first retired, and laid the bar dry, it then rolled in, rising fifty feet above its ordinary level.' `The most extraordinary circumstance which occurred at Lisbon during the catastrophe, was the subsidence of the new quay, built entirely of marble, at an immense expense. A great concourse of people had collected there for safety, as a spot where they might be beyond the reach of falling ruins; but suddenly the quay sunk down with all the people on it, and not one of the dead bodies ever floated to the surface.'" {GC88 305.1} What are we to do now that we have come near to the fulfillment of final prophecies? We must wait upon the Lord, yes, but not while sitting on the couch. We must bestir ourselves and prepare. Today we have the privilege of looking back to what previous generations looked forward to and the following words may assume a new meaning, "Out of the cities; out of the cities!''--this is the message the Lord has been giving me. The earthquakes will come; the floods will come; and we are not to establish ourselves in the wicked cities, where the enemy is served in every way, and where God is so often forgotten. The Lord desires that we shall have clear spiritual eyesight. We must be quick to discern the peril that would attend the establishment of institutions in these wicked cities. We must make wise plans to warn the cities, and at the same time live where we can shield our children and ourselves from the contaminating and demoralizing influences so prevalent in these places." {Life Sketches, pp. 409, 410. (1906), CL 31.4} Who was this addressed to? We may assume this is addressing people here in America. But looking back, what about those living in those parts of the world where such earthquakes actually happened? Not only that, moving out of the cities will not protect you from earthquakes, just the effects, which is impassable roads and lack of supplies. We also must have learned by now that some homes are safer from earthquakes than others. So we must be wise and choose that which has a better chance of surviving that shaking and rattling. Oh, if Indonesian, Chinese, Haitian and Chilean believers would have heeded these warnings. Their experience is a warning to our cities here today. We are told that there will be a signal when it is time to spring into action. We read, "It is no time now for God's people to be fixing their affections or laying up their treasure in the world. The time is not far distant, when, like the early disciples, we shall be forced to seek a refuge in desolate and solitary places. As the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies was the signal for flight to the Judean Christians, so the assumption of power on the part of our nation, in the decree enforcing the papal sabbath, will be a warning to us. It will then be time to leave the large cities, preparatory to leaving the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains. And now, instead of seeking expensive dwellings here, we should be preparing to move to a better country, even a heavenly. Instead of spending our means in self-gratification, we should be studying to economize." {Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 464, 465. (1885); CL 32.1; 24.2}
So, what about this `abomination of desolation'? Is that a sign that is still in the future, or is it in the past? In reality we are living right now in the middle of it. It seems we are living right now at a time as in the days of the Roman siege of Jerusalem, between the two sieges when Roman army had retreated giving the Christian believers the opportunity to get out of the city. Jesus, in his mercy, had given them this sign so they could save their life and continue working to carry the gospel into all the world. Listen to the words. We read, "When the idolatrous standards of the Romans should be set up in the holy ground, which extended some furlongs outside the city walls, then the followers of Christ were to find safety in flight. When the warning sign should be seen, those who would escape must make no delay. Throughout the land of Judea, as well as in Jerusalem itself, the signal for flight must be immediately obeyed." {GC, 25.4} Today we are between these two sieges. What follows? "The Protestant world has set up an idol sabbath in the place where God's Sabbath should be, and they are treading in the footsteps of the Papacy. For this reason, I see the necessity of the people of God moving out of the cities . . ." {12MR 219.4} What was the sign? Then it was the Blair bill (May 21, 1888), which, in hindsight, was defeated thanks to the assistance of A.T. Jones (Dec. 13, 1888). Ellen White wrote on this note, "We must show to the world that we recognize, in the events that are now taking place in connection with the National Reform movement, the fulfillment of prophecy. That which we have, for the last thirty or forty years, proclaimed would come, is now here; and the trumpet of every watchman upon the walls of Zion should raise the alarm." {RH, January 1, 1889 par. 3} The flags of the Roman army have been coming back. We are in the middle of a preparation for a siege, a siege against God's Christian people. We are living in the midst of the modern day fulfillment of the `abomination of desolation.' Along with this comes the resurgency of the papacy as we have never seen it happen before. Here is a letter from the Lord's Day Alliance, dated December 2001, right after 911. Serving the Churches and the Nation since 1888. "The national tragedy that occurred on September 11 in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, has changed our perspective, it has caused even those who lack a spiritual thermometer to consider their faith, many for the first time in their lives. We stand on the verge of unprecedented opportunity to proclaim the message of the Christian Sunday in a manner unseen at least in my life time." Their intentions are clear. Here is a more recent piece of news item along these lines, 07-20-11 -- Is the Vatican getting impatient? They seem to apply more pressure to make Sunday the official day to keep. Anyone can read in the Bible that Baptism is the memorial for the resurrection of Christ, Romans 6:3-5, yet Rome ignores the Bibles for they think they can change God's law and make the first day of the week holy. One cannot change the will (Sabbath, God's law) of a testator (Christ) after death (after he died on the cross, and rose again). See Isa. 24:5 More and more events of this type have unfolded since. Christ is coming soon. Notes & References [50] Our Lord's Test: Our Lord is this situation. He is planning to parole prisoners from planet earth and release them into the society of other worlds where there has never been any sin, and where we may be sure that the inhabitants do not ever want to have any sin. God therefore needs a test for the purpose of predicting human behavior. What kind of test would meet His requirements? There would be at least five essential elements:
There is only one thing that is available to all people of all ages and all conditions in all parts of the earth, and that is time. Everyone's day has 24 hours; everyone's week has seven days, and so on. This fact is true of nothing else but time. The use of time for a test is therefore strongly indicated. But how? To have a test involving time spent in work, or study, or even in recreation would be unfair. Not all persons can do these things, even should they so desire. What else is left? Suppose that you had been fortunate enough to live on a planet where there had never been any sin. Then suppose that you learned that God is planning to "parole" a "prisoner" from Planet Earth and to allow him access to your planet. You would be concerned, and rightly so. You might express your concern by asking, "Are you sure, Lord, that he is all right?" The Lord could say in reply, "You listen while we test him, and see what you think." Then the Lord, in your presence, questions this earthling in regard to all the other commandments except the fourth, the Sabbath commandment. To each commandment the earthling makes the same response, "Yes. That makes sense. That is clear and reasonable, and I understand it. I will gladly obey that commandment." I do not think you would be content. I think you might say, "Lord, that does not satisfy me at all. He is not obeying you; he is agreeing with you. He keeps saying that he will obey the commandments because they make sense to him. But what will happen if at some future time there is a commandment that is not altogether clear to him? What will he do then? Given his limited intelligence and his limited experience, that could easily happen." The Lord could answer, "We have a principle in the law specifically for the purpose of dealing with that question." He then questions the candidate from earth in regard to the Sabbath commandment. Please notice that there could be two different responses. The candidate from earth might say, "I understand the need for rest. I will faithfully rest. But I see no reason why the resting should be done on any particular day. I will rest when I need to rest. I can choose the time that is best for me." I feel very sure that you would say, "Lord, we do not want him here. Send him to some other planet, please." Or the candidate from earth might answer like this, "I understand the need for rest. I do not understand why it needs to be on a particular day, but I don't need to understand that. If that is what you want, that settles it for me." I think you would say, "I think he is all right; let him come." What will we do when there is a requirement of God that we do not understand? This is the real test for the quality of our relationship with God. This is the test that Eve met in Eden and failed, Gen. 3:1-24. This is the test that Abraham met on Mt. Moriah and passed, Gen. 22. This is the test that our Lord met in Gethsemane, and the fate of the whole universe trembled in the balance while He prayed three times, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." Matth. 26:39. And the whole universe won its reprieve when He finally said, "Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done." Luke 22:42. This test we all must pass in order to be safe to save. The holy Sabbath is truly a sign between ourselves and our Lord. I am astonished at the thinking of those theologians who say that there is a moral principle involved in resting, but that there is no moral principle involved on resting on God's appointed day. Surely there is confusion here. To argue that there is a moral principle involved in something that may be done for selfish or even immoral reasons, but that there is no moral principle involved in something that is done in careful regard for the expressed will of the Creator is strange indeed. To people who think in this way the Sabbath is no sign, but to us it truly is a most meaningful sign. Let us now consider one other important element in the meaning of the Sabbath, remembering still what the title to this study is "Freedom's Test and Freedom's Sign". Just as the Sabbath is a sign of our loyalty to our Creator, it is also a sign of the freedom that He provides for us. Let us read a scripture.
"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:31-36. We are looking at a picture of obvious confusion on this world. These men were even then under the bondage of Rome and were far from being free. How could they misunderstand the meaning of freedom? This fact causes us to feel the need of a definition. What is the definition of freedom? If we put this question to young people, they are likely to tell us that freedom is the absence of restraint, the full ability to say, "I will." But if we put the same question to the soldier in the trenches or to prisoners in chain gangs, they are likely to tell us that freedom is the absence of constraint, the full ability to say, "I will not." Then which definition is correct? Actually both are correct, but both are only partial definitions. Total freedom must include both the absence of restraint and the absence of constraint, both the ability to say "I will," and the ability to say, "I will not." To be able to stop actions but not to initiate them would mean that we could only respond to the actions of others. To have the power to initiate action but not to stop it would be even worse. It is pleasant to be able to extend the hand and shake it, if we so desire, but if the shaking cannot be stopped, that is not very pleasant. Ask the victim of Parkinson's disease. It is nice to be able to sneeze when we need to, in order to clear the respiratory tract of some irritation, but if the sneezing cannot be stopped, a trip to the emergency room of the hospital may be required. When our body sustains an injury, it is wonderful to see how the body cells can reproduce themselves and grow until the would be healed. But what if the reproduction of body cells cannot be stopped? We have a word for that - a dreaded word for a dreadful condition - cancer. Pagan literature is replete with stories about pagan gods who created something and then were not able to control it. The Swiss theologian Karl Barth points out that in the first chapter of Genesis, where our God is introduced to us, it is made clear that He has no such problem. He is impressively able to say "I will," and is equally able to say, "I will not." Man plants a crop, and then is afraid to take a Sabbath rest for fear that he will lose the crop. Thus the crop becomes his master. Man builds a house, and then is afraid to keep the Sabbath for fear of losing his house. Thus the house becomes his master. He is in a worse condition then were the Jews to whom Christ spoke. They were in bondage to other men, but modern man is in bondage to things, surely the most pathetic of all conditions of human bondage (for things cannot commiserate with you). God had foreseen this problem and moved to prevent it. He instructed man, saying, "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest." Exodus 34:21, ESV. Man might cry out in alarm, "But what of the weather?" Does God understand about the weather? The answer is `Yes.' God does understand about the weather. He understands it perfectly, but He is in control. Modern man may cry out, "But what about my financial obligations? Does God not know what will happen if I do not make may payments?" The answer is, "Yes, God understands these things perfectly, but He is in control. Only those who truly believe this fact can understand and experience true freedom. Some, like the Jews to whom Christ spoke, give evidence of being confused about freedom. They will boast of their freedom, then exhibit their shackles. They may insist that Sabbath-breaking is freedom, but then admit that the real reason for their Sabbath-breaking is fear of financial loss. They are living in fear, not freedom. To such persons the Lord of all is still saying,
"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:36. There are people in the world who are not confused, and who know what freedom is. They celebrate their freedom every Sabbath in fellowship with their Creator God. They also know that the Sabbath is a sign between themselves and their Creator God, a precious emblem of their special relationship. They are living witnesses that God is alive and that He is in control. he is not afraid of anything or anybody, and that becomes true of His people who will walk calmly and steadfastly with their God through the perils of earth's last days. They will be unmoved by the clever arguments and cunning sophistries of the apostates about them. They will ". . . gather warmth from the coldness of others, courage from their cowardice, and loyalty from their treason." {5T 136} "I saw that the holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and that the Sabbath is the great question to unite the hearts of God's dear, waiting saints." {EW 33} |
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