The Judgment
What assurances
have we that there will be a
judgment?
“In the past God
overlooked such ignorance, but now he
commands all people everywhere to
repent. For he has set a day when he
will judge the world with justice by
the man he appointed. He has given
proof of this to all men by raising
him from the dead.” (Acts
17:30,31.)
Was the judgment
still future in Paul’s day?
“As Paul
discoursed on righteousness,
self-control and the judgment to
come, Felix was afraid and said,
“That’s enough for now! You
may leave. When I find it convenient,
I will send for you.” (Acts
24:25.)
How many must meet
the test of the judgment?
I thought in my heart,
“God will bring to judgment both
the righteous and the wicked, for
there will be a time for every
activity, a time for every
deed.” (Ecclesiastes 3:17)
“For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ, that
each one may receive what is due him
for the things done while in the
body, whether good or bad.” (II
Corinthians 5:10.)
What reasons did
Solomon give for urging all to fear
God and keep His commandments?
“For God will
bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing, whether
it is good or evil.”
(Ecclesiastes 12:14.)
What view of the
judgment scene was given to Daniel?
“As I
looked, thrones were set into place,
and the Ancient of Days took his
seat. His clothing was as white as
snow; the hair of his head was white
like wool. His throne was flaming
with fire, and its wheels were all
ablaze, a river of fire was flowing,
coming out before him, Thousands upon
thousands attended him; and ten
thousand times ten thousand stood
before him. The court was seated, and
the books were opened. (Daniel
7:9,10.)
Out of what will
all be judged?
“And I saw the
dead, great and small, standing
before the throne and the books were
opened. Another book was opened,
which is the book of life. The dead
were judged according to what they
had done as recorded in the books.
(Revelation 20:12.)
For whom has a book
of remembrance been written?
“Then those who
feared the Lord talked with each
other, and the Lord listened and
heard. A scroll of remembrance was
written in his presence concerning
those who had feared the Lord and
honored his name.” (Malachi
3:16.)
The
Judgment Scene
Who opens the
judgment and presides over it?
“As I looked,
thrones were set into place and the
Ancient of Days took his seat.”
(Daniel 7:9.)
Who
will minister to God and assist in
the judgment?
“Then I
looked and heard the voice of many
angels, numbering thousands upon
thousands, and ten thousand times ten
thousand. They encircled the throne,
the living creatures, and the elders.”
(Revelation 5:11.)
Who is brought
before the Father at this time?
“In my vision at
night I looked, and there before me
was one like a son of man, coming
with the clouds of heaven.”
(Daniel 7:13.)
What does Christ as
the advocate of His people confess
before the Father and before His
angels?
“Whoever
acknowledges me before men, I will
also acknowledge him before my Father
in heaven. But whoever disowns me
before men, I will disown him before
my Father in heaven.” (Matthew
10:32,33.)
Note –During
the judgment scene both the righteous
and the wicked dead are still in
their graves. The record of each
one’s life, however, is in the
books of heaven, and by that record,
the characters and the deeds of all
are well known. Christi is there to
appear in behalf of those who have
chosen Him as their advocate. (I John
2:1.) He presents His blood as He
appeals for their sins to be blotted
from the books of record. As the
place of judgment is in heaven, where
God’s throne is, and as Christ
is present in person, it 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. This work
will not only decide forever the
cases of the dead but also the close
of probation, during the Great
Tribulation of all who are living,
after which Christ will come to take
to Himself those who have been found
loyal to Him.
After the subjects of
the kingdom have been determined by
the investigative judgment, what is
given to Christ?
“He was given
authority, glory and sovereign power;
all peoples, nations and men of every
language worshiped him. His dominion
is an everlasting dominion that will
not pass away, and his kingdom is one
that will never be destroyed.”
(Daniel 7:14)
Christ’s Second
Coming
When He comes the
second time, what title will He bear?
“On his robe and
on his thigh he has the name written:
King of kings and Lord of
lords.” (Revelation 19:16.)
What will He then do
for each one?
“Behold, I am
coming soon! My reward is with me,
and I will give to everyone according
to what he has done. (Revelation
22:16.)
Where will Christ then
take His people?
“In my Fathers
house there are many rooms; if it
were not so, I would have told you. I
am going there to prepare a place for
you. And If I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come back and take
you to be with me that you may be
where I am. (John 14:2,3.)
How many of the dead
will be raised?
“Do not be amazed
at this, for a time is coming when
all who are in their graves will hear
his voice and come out – those
who have done good will rise to live,
and those who have done evil will
rise to be condemned.” (John
5:28,29.)
What time intervenes
between the two resurrections?
“And I saw
thrones on which were seated those
who have been given authority to
judge. And I saw the souls of those
who have been beheaded because of
their testimony for Jesus and because
of the word of God. They had not
worshiped the beast or his image and
had not received the mark on their
foreheads or their hands. They came
to life and reigned with Christ a
thousand years. The rest of the dead
did not come to life until the
thousand years were ended. This is
the first resurrection.”
(Revelation 20:4,5.)
The Saints in Judgment
What work did Daniel
see finally assigned to the saints?
“As I watched,
this horn was waging war against the
saints and defeating them, until the
Ancient of Days came and pronounced
judgment in favor of the saints of
the Most High, and the time came when
they possessed the kingdom. (Daniel
7:21,22.)
How long will the
saints engage in this work of
judgment?
“And I saw
thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them…
and they lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years.”
(Revelation 20:4.)
Who will thus be
judged by the saints?
“Do you not know
that the saints will judge the world?
And if you are to judge the world,
are you not competent to judge
trivial cases? Do you not know that
we will judge angels? How much more
the things of this life! (I
Corinthians 6:2,3.)
Christ Executes
Judgment
How will the decisions
of the judgment be executed?
“Out of his mouth
comes a sharp sword with which to
strike down the nations. He will rule
them with an iron scepter. He trends
the winepress of the fury of the
wrath of God Almighty.”
(Revelation 19:15.)
Why is the execution
of the judgment given to Christ?
“For as the
Father has life in himself, so he has
granted the Son to have life in
himself, and he has given authority
to judge because he is the Son of
Man.” (John 5:26,27.)
How was the opening of
the judgment to be made known to the
world?
“And then I saw
another angel flying in midair, and
he had the eternal gospel to proclaim
to those who live on the earth –
to every nation, tribe, language and
people. He said in a loud voice,
“Fear god and give him glory,
because the hour of his judgment has
come. Worship him who made the
heavens, the earth, the sea and the
springs of water.” (Revelation
14:6,7.)
Note – There are
three phases of the judgment
mentioned in the Scriptures: the
investigative judgment, proceeding
the second advent; the judgment of
the lost world and the wicked angels
by Christ and the saints during the
thousand years following the second
advent; and the executive judgment,
or punishment of the wicked at the
close of this period. 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 to be changed in the twinkling of
an eye, at the sound of the last
trump. It is necessary for this to
take place before the Second Advent,
as there will be no time for such a
work between the coming of Christ and
the raising of the righteous dead.
The executive judgment on the wicked
occurs after the saints have examined
their cases during the thousand
years. (Revelation 20:4,5; I
Corinthians 6:1-3.) The investigative
judgment is that which is announced
to the world by the angel’s
message of Revelation 14:6,7.
Recap:
Christ ministers today
as our High Priest and Advocate
before the throne of His Father in
the heavenly sanctuary. He is the
only mediator between God and man.
Every individual must
face judgment for deeds “done in
the body,” whether good or evil.
And we should not forget that the
standard of that judgment is the holy
law of God, the Ten Commandments.
