Closing Events of the Judgment
By J. O. CORLISS
The Final Adjustment of Human Awards—No. 4
Closing Events of the Judgment
It seems quite evident that the book of life is kept for the purpose of retaining names in remembrance of those who are to be “caught up” to meet the Lord at his coming. The fact that the Saviour says that he will not “blot out” the name of the overcomer from that book, at the final examination of his life-work, shows this to be so. But the retention of one’s name in that book as he who is accounted worthy to have part9in the first resurrection, is evidence of another act on the part of the Saviour. So long as one’s sins are held in the book of remembrance as a witness against him, he could not well be accounted worthy of receiving glory at the Master’s coming. It follows, therefore, that whoever is so regarded, has all evidence of guilt taken away. In other words, his sins have been blotted out when it was decided to retain his name in the book of life. It is true that when one gives his heart to the Lord, his sins are forgiven. Matt. 9: 2, 5; 1 John 1: 9; 2: 12. It is then that the name is written in the book of life, in heaven. Luke 10: 20; Phil. 4: 3. When one has been “cleansed from all unrighteousness,” his name belongs in the book of life, as a candidate for heaven and eternal glory. But there comes a time of examination, when it will be determined whether he has forfeited forgiveness through a course of unrighteousness, or whether, through his acceptance of the merits of Christ, that forgiveness shall be confirmed by the blotting out of all his sins, and the retention of his name in the book where it was placed when he first decided to follow the Lord. This order of dealing with sin is clearly established by the Word. Thus we read: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things.” Acts 3: 19-21. It will be noticed that this text makes the blotting out of sin occur in connection with the Lord’s coming, at the restitution of all things. This places it as a distinct work from original forgiveness, which is bestowed as the sinner is taken into confidence with the Saviour. The teaching of Christ in Matt. 18: 23-35 is a good illustration of this point. In the parable a man was forgiven a debt of ten thousand talents, because he possessed nothing of his own with which to pay it. But on being graciously released from so great a debt, he went out and found a man who owed him the paltry sum of one hundred pence, but was too poor to pay even that amount. Instead of forgiving his debtor, he had him put in prison. So because of this ungracious act, he himself was seized by his former creditor, who had already forgiven him, and was thrust into prison, there to remain until he paid the last farthing of the debt from which he had once been released. In applying the parable the Saviour added: “So likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” From this we gather that forgiveness of sins, to be permanent, depends on the life record of the recipient which follows the decree of forgiveness. This record must show in the judgment that the individual’s life has been one of obedience and trust; one in which the will of God has been the criterion of every action. Failing in these at any time, the record must show that these, as acts displeasing to God, have been heartily repented of and abandoned. But such an examination, close as it may seem, must be met not only by those who are dead, but by those as well who shall be alive when Christ comes, and are ready to meet him. We know that the record says of these: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them [those raised from the dead] in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4: 17. As in the cases of those who are to be raised from the dead, so these, too, must first be accounted worthy to stand before the Son of man when he comes. But what a test this will be! Those who have died before the examination comes, had opportunity on their dying beds, not only quietly and calmly to review their lives, but to be away from the world’s temptations, where they might constantly look up to God for salvation. Not so, however, with those who pass the test of the judgment while still living. These are moving about among men, subject to all the vicissitudes of strife and temptation. To such the test of the judgment means infinitely much, and demands a work of consecration which shuts the world out from every plan. It is as if one were to have his case called now,—at any moment,—before the Judge of all the earth, even in the midst of the temptations which are likely to be pressing for recognition. But how is one to know when he must pass this test? Will God bring men to such an ordeal without warning them of its approach? He never has dealt thus with the world. The prophetic pages of his Word are filled with warnings against that day. In fact, that time is the point of convergence for all the prophecies. We may therefore expect that those predictions which have to do with the time just prior to the Lord’s coming will specially deal with the judgment work itself. A study of the subject in the light of prophecy, will therefore be the subject of the following paper.