The Judgment in Session
By John W. McCord
The Judge, the Advocate, and Those on Trial — What Is the Standard in That Court? — The Climax at His Coming — The Judgment of the Wicked, and the Millennium From the prophecies of the book of Daniel, we learn that the Investigative Judgment began in 1844 A. D.; and from that time to this, it has been court week in heaven. The reality of this tribunal cannot be questioned; for the same procedure that is observed in an earthly court, is also observed in the court above. This similarity is so striking that one is likely to conclude that the courts on earth have been fashioned after the one in heaven. The Judge and the Advocate
The most important personage in jurisprudence is the judge; and after the judge, the lawyers come next in authority. In the court above, our heavenly Father is the Judge, and our Saviour is the Advocate. And blessed above measure are all those who “have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2: 1. The Angels and the Books in the Judgment
The bright beings who stand before the judgment throne are angels, “ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.” Dan. 7: 10; Rev. 5: 11. The apostle Paul also mentions the angels as “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” Heb. 1: 14. The angels minister to God’s people in various ways; and as each saint has a guardian angel, these sinless beings learn to understand their charges even better than the saints understand themselves. One of the duties of the angels is to keep a faithful record of the lives of God’s people; and in the Judgment, these records form the evidence in each case. Eccl. 5: 6; Matt. 12: 36, 37. In an earthly court, legal authorities are frequently quoted; and books are also used in the court above. When the prophet Daniel had a vision of the heavenly assize, he saw that “the Judgment was set, and the books were opened.” One of these books is the book of life (Rev. 3: 5), and the other is the book of remembrance. Mal. 3: 16. In the book of life the names of God’s people are recorded, and the book of remembrance contains an accurate history of the lives of the saints. Boswell is generally recognized as the prince of biographers, and his life of Johnson is considered by many as a masterpiece. What Boswell did for Johnson, the angels have been doing for all. Yet Boswell was not half so well acquainted with Johnson, as the angels are with us. These angelic biographies are called in the Bible the “book of remembrance.” Precisely what method the angels employ to accomplish this work, we cannot tell; but we are confident that if fallible man could invent the airship, wireless telegraphy, and the phonograph, these great beings are well able to perform any work committed to them in connection with the Judgment. While we cannot compare fallen man with loyal angels, there is doubtless as great a chasm between the lowest angel and the greatest man as between the greatest man and the aborigine. For this reason, the greatest inventor is only a child paddling on the shores of an ocean of thought, the depths of which the angels have traversed for ages. The Standard of the Judgment
Thus far we have briefly considered the different exalted personages who participate in the work of the Judgment. We have seen the Father on the throne as Judge; the Saviour as Lord Advocate; the angels as witnesses; and the books containing the names and the deeds of those on trial. Next we will consider the standard of the Judgment. Most people will readily admit that unconfessed sin is the only thing that can bring condemnation upon sinners in the Judgment. But what is sin? The Bible declares that “sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3: 4. It follows, therefore, that the law which defines sin must be the standard of the Judgment. The apostle James designates this law as the royal law, and identifies it as the Decalogue by pointing to the sixth and seventh commandments. He concludes his argument with this admonition: “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2: 8-12. The Decalogue is the law of liberty, but no one is at liberty to transgress it. The Decalogue is the law of the Judgment; and measured by its sacred precepts, we will stand or fall. The Judgment scene is now before us in all its parts and personages. We will next consider the trial of the prisoners. Many believe that the prisoners themselves will appear in person; but this is entirely unnecessary, as the books reveal the history of each life perfectly, and the angels are present to witness to their writings. Rev. 20: 12. It is quite an ordeal even to listen to the trial of another, much more to be on trial one’s self. If the case is important, and it has captured the popular imagination, then every step in such a trial is of interest. But the supreme moment arrives when the jury files in to render its verdict. Then every face is serious, and the eyes of all are fixed upon the jury. What could exceed in dramatic effect the painful hush that prevails in the court room as the foreman stands up to render the verdict? A similar scene is now being enacted in heaven, only immeasurably more glorious and solemn. What pen could picture the scene in heaven when the first name was called in 1844! It was probably the name of Abel, the first martyr of Jesus Christ. The book of life revealed his name, and the book of remembrance unveiled his sins and his good deeds. It was seen that Abel was confessing his sins at the altar when Cain, his brother, slew him. Then the Saviour confessed the name of Abel before His Father and the holy angels, and unspeakable joy filled the heavens as the Father proclaimed the salvation of Abel. Presently the names of Peter and Judas were called. The books revealed the time and the place Peter denied his Lord, and when poor Judas betrayed Him. It was found that Peter repented of his sin, but Judas, filled with remorse, went out and hanged himself. Then the name of Peter was retained in the book of life, and the name of Judas blotted out. The sins of Peter are blotted out of the book of remembrance, and his good deeds retained; while the sins of Judas are retained, and his good deeds blotted out. Rev. 3: 5; Acts 3: 19, 20; Eze. 33: 12, 13. When the judgment of the righteous dead is finished, then the judgment of the righteous living will begin. When this change will take place we cannot tell, for this knowledge does not belong to humanity; but we do know that the judgment of all the righteous will be over before the Lord appears in glory. While the coming of the Lord is near, the calling of our names in the Judgment is nearer still. Before the Lord can come, the seven last plagues must be poured out upon the impenitent. Before the plagues can be poured out, probation must close, and the door of mercy be shut fast forever. Before probation closes, the judgment of all the righteous must have taken place. Rev. 22: 11, 12; 15: 8. What does this mean to the people of God to-day?—It means that the coming of the Lord is near; that the seven last plagues are nearer; that the close of probation is nearer still; and that the calling of our names in the Judgment is the nearest of all. When the Saviour appears as King of kings, all who have been accounted worthy in the Judgment shall go forth to meet Him, clad in immortal beauty. Then the angels102“shall gather together His elect,” and shall bear them into the presence of Jesus in the air. 1 Thess. 4: 16, 17. But the language of heaven alone would suffice to describe the rapture of that first meeting. Adam will be there; the redeemed of all the ages will be there; friends whom death had parted, will then meet in glad reunion; but best of all, Jesus will be there, the one who “loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” Rev. 1: 5. With Jesus in the center, the glittering cavalcade will sweep majestically upward, past suns and constellations, safe into the city of God. The Judgment of the Wicked
Then the millennium will begin, and the saints will sit upon thrones of Judgment. Rev. 20: 4. With Jesus in command, they will investigate the record of the wicked, and will measure out the degree of punishment in each case, “according to their works.” 1 Cor. 6: 1-3. When the millennial reign is over, the holy city will descend to this earth, and the wicked will be raised to receive their punishment. Rev. 21: 2. Then with Satan at their head, the wicked will surround the beloved city to capture it; and fire will come down from God out of heaven and devour them. Rev. 20: 7-9. When the Judgment has finished its work, the wicked will have been destroyed; sin will have disappeared, and the earth itself will have become new. Rev. 21: 1. When this has been accomplished, there will be only one thing left as a reminder of the past. That will be the mark of the nails in the Saviour’s hands and feet, and the mark of the spear in His side. These sacred tokens of man’s redemption will be treasured by the universe forever, and their “bright beams will be the hiding of His power.”