The Order of Events in the Judgment.
By John Nevins Andrews
Eccl. 3:17. "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." The judgment of the great day is an event certain to transpire. "He hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained." Acts 17:31. What God hath appointed is sure to arrive in due time. The resurrection of Christ is an assurance to all men of the final judgment. It is not the fact of the judgment, however, but the order of its work that, at this time, engages our attention. The work to be accomplished is of immense magnitude. The judgment relates, 1. To all the righteous. 2. To all the wicked. 3. To all the evil angels. The number of cases, therefore, to be acted upon at this grand tribunal exceeds our powers of conception. We must not, however suppose that there will be any difficulty on the part of the Judge in acting upon every case individually. Far from this, "There is a time there for every purpose and for every work." The judgment, indeed, pertains to an immense number of beings; yet every one of them shall give account of himself to God. Rom. 14:12. It will not relate to so vast a number as to make it otherwise than a strictly personal matter. Nor will there be aught of confusion or disorder in that final reckoning. God has plenty of time for the work, and he has order in this work, the Scriptures clearly teach. 1. The righteous are to judge the wicked; yet the righteous are themselves to pass the test of the judgment. Whence it follows that the judgment must pass upon the righteous before they can sit in judgment on the wicked. This is a very important proposition. That it is truthful, we know from the express testimony of the Scriptures. 1 Cor. 6:2, 3: "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? 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?" Rev. 20:4: "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 with Christ a thousand years." Dan. 7:21, 22: "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." Here is the exalted work of the saints in the judgment. They are to take part in the examination of the cases of all wicked men and fallen angels. But this is not to be till they have been changed to immortality, and exalted to thrones of glory. They do not, therefore, have their cases decided at the same time with the wicked. We believe the reader will acknowledge the justice of this reasoning. Let us state another proposition:- 2. The trump of God sounds as the Saviour descends from heaven. When that trump is heard, all the righteous are, in the twinkling of an eye, changed to immortality. There can be no examination after this to determine whether they shall be counted worthy of eternal life, for they have already laid hold upon it. From this it follows that the examination and decision of the cases of the righteous takes place before the advent of Christ. The resurrection of the righteous to immortality is decisive proof that they have already passed the test of the judgment, and have been accepted of the Judge. That they are thus raised to immortality, the following texts plainly teach:- 1 Cor. 15:42: "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption." Verse 43: "It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power." Verse 44: "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." Verses 51, 52: "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; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." These passages are perfectly convincing. The resurrection of the saints is to immortal life, and they are made immortal in the very act of the resurrection. The decision of their cases is, therefore, passed before their resurrection, for the nature of their resurrection is declarative of their eternal salvation. But the fact, that the decision of the judgment in the case of the righteous, precedes the advent, is proved by another proposition, as follows:- 3. The righteous are raised before the wicked have their resurrection. This shows that the examination of their cases takes place before they are raised, for the final discrimination is made in the very act of raising the just and leaving the unjust to the resurrection of damnation. Rev. 20:5, 6: "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years." Luke 20:35, 36: "But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; neither can they die any more; for they are equal to the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." Phil. 3:11: "If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Literally "the resurrection out from the dead ones.") 1 Cor. 15:22, 23: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order; Christ the first fruits; afterwards they that are Christ's at his coming." There is a resurrection which bears the inspired designation of the "first resurrection." All who have part in this resurrection are pronounced "blessed and holy." On them "the second death hath no power." This resurrection is out from among the dead. Paul earnestly labored to attain unto it. It is to be at the coming of Christ. Only those who are Christ's shall have part in it. All that have part in it are the children of God, because they are the children of the resurrection to life. These facts clearly prove that the examination of the cases of the righteous precedes their resurrection at the advent of Christ; that event being really declarative of their innocence in the sight of God, and of their eternal salvation. Such as are accepted of God are resurrected; the others sleep till the resurrection to damnation. These facts are decisive proof that the righteous are judged before they are resurrected. But we have a still more explicit statement yet to notice. Says our Lord: "But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead," etc. Then it is certain that the act of accounting worthy to obtain the resurrection from among the dead, and a part in the world to come, does5precede the resurrection of the righteous. But this act of accounting men worthy of a part in the kingdom of God is the very act of acquitting them in the judgment. The investigative judgment in the cases of the righteous is, therefore, past when they are resurrected. As the resurrection of the just is at the advent of Christ, it follows that they pass their examination, and are counted worthy of a place in the kingdom of God before the Saviour returns to the earth to gather them to himself. J. N. A.