The Judgment by George I. Butler

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 31, 1908

The Judgment

By George I. Butler

GEORGE I. BUTLER

The first message of a series of three proclaims, “The hour [period] of his judgment is come.” Rev. 14:6-12. This threefold message goes “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,” “with a loud voice.” It terminates with the appearing of the Son of man in mid-heaven, crowned with a golden crown, and having a sharp sickle in his hand, to reap the ripened “harvest of the earth.” Christ himself says, “The harvest is the end of the world.” Matt. 13:39.

The hour of his judgment come is the great, the leading point in the first of these three heavenly messages. It becomes, therefore, a very important factor in this proclamation to ascertain what is the nature of this judgment proclaimed with such authority, power, and grandeur. It certainly is an event of vast magnitude and most solemn interest, or it would not be proclaimed to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,” really including every person living at the time it goes forth. It must take time to give this message to a world of about fifteen hundred million people. Nothing short of the time of a whole generation could answer for such a work. From the time it was first announced to the world, in the great advent movement of 1836-44, its proclamation must continue till Christ is seen coming in his glory. In previous articles we have seen that the great prophetic period of twenty-three hundred year-days brings us to this proclamation. That period began in 457 B. C., the time of the going forth of the decree of Artaxerxes to restore and build Jerusalem, and therefore must terminate in 1844 A. D.

What, then, is the judgment here brought to view? “Because he [God] hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained,” that is, Jesus Christ. Acts 17:31. To appoint is to fix the time and place of by a decree, command, or order of some competent authority. This statement, therefore, demonstrates that, before the time of the apostle Paul, God had already fixed the time of that judgment period; for Paul speaks of that appointment in the past tense. This appointed time for the beginning of the judgment must be at the close of the twenty-three year-day period. There is no other judgment period designated in the Bible. “I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.” Eccl. 3:17. This scripture clearly states that the judgment occupies a period of time. It is not a momentary affair, and it must cover considerable time if it is to take into consideration “every purpose” and “every work,” as the wise man declares.

Would you desire to take a glimpse of that grand scene, the supreme court of the universe in session? “I beheld till the thrones were cast down [“were placed,” A. R. V.], 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.” Dan. 7:9, 10.

Ten thousand times ten thousand are one hundred million. In Heb. 12:22, Paul calls them an “innumerable company of angels,” that is, so many that it is impossible to number them. These are God’s messengers, engaged with him in the grand work of salvation. In the scripture quoted above, concerning the judgment, the prophet declares that thrones of judgment were placed, and “the books were opened;” that is, the record of men’s lives which have been preserved for this grand assize, are now brought forth from heaven’s archives for their final examination. They have all been kept in the temple of God in heaven. It is in this critical, skeptical age, when vast multitudes are trying to make themselves believe there is no personal God anywhere in the universe, that this grand scene of the final judgment is taking place in the glorious heavenly temple above. “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” Rev. 11:19. This is the second apartment of “the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Heb. 8:1, 2. The ark of God is seen in it. In that

ark was the original copy of the law of God, the ten commandments, which are brought forcibly to view in the last message of the three: “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12.

When the temple of God was opened in heaven, revealing the ark of God, the most positive evidence is given that the cleansing of the sanctuary spoken of in the prophecy,—“Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” (“justified,” margin),—had begun. Dan. 8:14. On every day in the year, with the exception of one, the services in the earthly type were in the first apartment. On that day the service was transferred to the most holy place. It was the day of atonement, the day of the removal of sins from the sanctuary, to which they had been transferred in figure in the previous days of the year. Through the ministration of Aaron and his descendants, they were transferred from the sanctuary to the scapegoat, “Azazel,” a type of the devil, according to some of the best authorities. At the close of the great prophetic period in 1844, when the temple of God is opened in heaven, revealing the ark of his testament, the closing work of Jesus Christ, “a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,” begins. His work is the removal of sins recorded in the books of record in the archives of heaven. These will be examined, and the final decision made in the case of each person. This is the same work as recorded in Daniel 7, where the Ancient of days, God the Father, sits, the Judge of all, and the books are examined with the ten thousand holy angels in attendance.

Every judgment has two important features: the examination of the evidence, and the execution of the sentence. So it is in every court of law on earth. It is so in the great judgment above. In the books are the record of men’s lives, kept by the angels of God. Two books are brought to view: the book of remembrance, and the book of life. “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord harkened, 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. The next verse is very precious: “And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels.” “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Rev. 20:11, 12. Comment could not make plainer these wonderful facts. Much additional testimony might be given.

There is, then, a period of time called “the hour of his judgment,” immediately preceding Christ’s second coming, in which the records of men’s lives are examined in the courts of heaven. The sins of the righteous, who have truly repented and have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, are removed forever from the book of God’s remembrance, their record thus standing as clean as though they never had sinned. These sins of the righteous are placed upon Azazel, that is, Satan, who, in the lake of fire at the end of the thousand years, receives the punishment for the sins he instigated. The sins of the wicked remain upon their own heads. Such receive in their own person the punishment their sins deserve. Thus the sins recorded in the book of God’s remembrance are disposed of, and the destiny of each person is fixed. Then at the close of this period of the investigative judgment Christ’s office as high priest closes, with the solemn words: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev. 22:11-14.

This closes the scheme of human redemption through the priesthood of Jesus Christ. There is no change of character after that. The investigative judgment is closed. Then comes the execution of the decisions of the judgment. Christ comes in his glory. His people are caught up to meet him in the air. “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: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thess. 4:16-18.

At this point comes the eternal separation between the righteous and the wicked. When the righteous go up with Christ to the New Jerusalem above, the wicked remain on the earth to be destroyed by the brightness of his coming and the terrible judgments of the last days. Then the earth lies desolate during the thousand years when the saved are in heaven, sitting in judgment with Christ, judging the wicked dead, preparatory to the second resurrection, when all the unrepentant wicked of earth will receive their final doom in the lake of fire. 1 Cor. 6:1-4; Rev. 20:1-10.

Every thoughtful person must see that it is an absolute necessity for the investigative judgment to precede the second coming of Christ. Before he comes, it must be decided who are righteous, and who are wicked. When he comes, the righteous, both dead and living, are caught up to meet Christ in the air, and go up to heaven with him. All the wicked remain on the earth, and are slain by the glory of his coming. The decision fixing their doom precedes Christ’s coming. The beginning of the investigative judgment takes place at the close of the twenty-three hundred years, which is in the autumn of 1844, when the great announcement went forth with mighty power to the ends of the earth. How solemn the thought that we are living in the very period of the investigative judgment!

Bowling Green, Fla.