THE COMING TO JUDGMENT

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 30, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 31.

THE COMING TO JUDGMENT.

[Article 6 in the Series “The Coming of the Lord.”]

THE second coming of Christ, as understood in these articles, is preceded by a coming of the Son of man to the judgment throne of God to receive his kingdom.

When He comes to the earth to deliver His righteous followers from the bondage of sin, the number of those who shall constitute that kingdom on earth is completed, and their names are recorded in the Great Register in heaven.

It is not necessary to discuss at length here the need of a judgment on the cases of men. God is righteous. He is the Judge of all the earth, and will reward every man justly. Death is having its time of harvest, but through the ages the grim messenger has not succeeded in hiding from the Infinite One any life deeds of a single soul. In the halls of Heaven’s City are the books in which are recorded, by means of God’s perfect system, the words, the deeds, the thoughts, that characterize every individual. And so it has been from the beginning of the great controversy on earth.

An examination of these books is made by the Father and the Son and the angels, prior to the coming of Christ, to determine who is worthy of immortality, and to be numbered as subjects of the eternal kingdom. This appears from the fact that at His coming the reward of immortality is bestowed upon the righteous who are living, and upon the righteous who are then raised from the dead. This is the time to begin bestowing final rewards, and rewards are always given after proper investigation of the merits of the case. See Luke 14:14; 2 Thess. 2:15–17; 1 Cor. 15:51–55.

While this examination must be one of great magnitude, yet even human ingenuity would suggest records covering the world’s history, in which would appear the names of individuals, classified according to the life’s character. There would be a very clear distinction between those who have lived solely for this life and those who have professed godliness. From the latter class in all ages must be made up the subjects of the kingdom. Once professing themselves children of God, their names have been written in the book of life, and remain there, either forever or until an investigation reveals the fact that the life’s record spells failure. It is this investigation, involving the confirmation of names and characters, and the removal of names and characters from the book of life, that immediately precedes the second coming of Christ.

This great investigative work constitutes, in a broad sense, a judgment, or decision on the cases of all mankind. In this judgment, the Ancient of days—God, the Father—is the presiding Judge. This is the description of the scene by the prophet Daniel: “I beheld till the thrones were cast down [placed about the central throne], 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. . . . I saw in the night visions, and, behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given unto Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Dan. 7:9–14.

In the eighth chapter of Daniel, verse 14, an event is mentioned, which, by means of correlated texts and instruction in the Word, is found to be identical with the judgment so graphically described by the prophet in the quotation just referred to. This event is here called the cleansing of the sanctuary. In ancient Israel this was a yearly occurrence, and the day upon which this ceremony was performed was also called the day of atonement. This was the tenth day of the seventh month. Upon this day, the high priest, who had during the year been officiating in the holy place of the sanctuary, entered the innermost apartment—the most holy. This act signified the transference of the sins of the people to the mercy seat, where they were confessed, and there in figure carried out and laid upon the head of the waiting scapegoat, which was then sent away into a land of forgetfulness. This day was a day of solemnity and heart searching; for the divine injunction stipulated that he whose sins were not confessed before the high priest left the most holy place, should be cut off from among the chosen people.

This was a figure. The sanctuary on earth, with its ministrations, was a type of the sanctuary in heaven, into which Christ, Minister of the new covenant, High Priest for the spiritual Israel of God—one chosen from among His brethren, entered when He ascended on high after His resurrection from the dead. His work there is that of a mediator, an advocate. As in the type, so in the antitype, a time of cleansing, or transferring, of sins must come. There, it was at the end of the year; here, it is in the end of the world, and the great work is to be done once for all. See Hebrews, chapters 8 and 9.

The prophecy of Daniel locates definitely the time in the world’s history when this great work is to be begun in the heavenly sanctuary. “Unto two thousand and three hundred days,” said the angel visitant. Afterwards, the beginning

of this time was indicated, namely, “the going forth of the commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem.” This was in the year 457 B.C. The long period of 2300 day-years beginning at that date, and marked off by subdivisions at definite occurrences in the world’s history (Dan. 9:24–27), reaches into the year 1844 A.D., nearly 1800 years this side the destruction of Jerusalem and the earthly sanctuary. The sanctuary referred to is the heavenly, and therefore in that year, undoubtedly at the time of atonement—on the tenth day of the seventh month, October 22, our reckoning—Jesus, our High Priest, entered for a special purpose the inner apartment of heaven’s sanctuary. That purpose was for the investigation of the records of life, beginning with the earliest times, and covering the present, the times of the living, and until the Gospel of salvation shall have accomplished its work.

All the world knows of the peculiar and remarkable messages that moved Christendom in the few years prior to and including the year 1844. The 2300 years were about to end; a solemn work was about to be begun in heaven, involving the destiny of each member of the human family; the “time of the end” had already measured off more than forty years; the great signs—the earthquake at the beginning of the sixth seal, the darkening of the sun and moon, and the falling of the stars—had taken place; the final stage in the work of salvation was about to be entered upon in heaven and in earth, and it was fitting that the world should know and understand the meaning of the hour.

As the time approached, the Spirit of God moved upon earnest men in different parts of the world to proclaim the three great messages of Revelation 14. The first of these was: “Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.” At the time it was thought that the Lord would come to the earth at the termination of the 2300 years; but it was not long thereafter until the true signification of the ending of this time and the work of cleansing the sanctuary—the investigative judgment—was understood, an event necessarily preceding the departure of the High Priest from the sanctuary, and the end of the world.

In the prophecy of Malachi are words applying with peculiar significance to the judgment now in process, altho the prophecy referred also to the first advent: “The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple. . . . But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap; and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. . . . And I will come near to you to judgment.” Mal. 3:1–5.

Suddenly, because the hour is unknown on earth, the time comes in the judgment above when men’s names and the deeds of their lives appear for review and decision before the great tribunal. It is evident that the time must come when the names of the living will be considered. Decisions will then be rendered in harmony with the manner in which individuals are improving present opportunities. This is the time referred to by the Saviour: “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. . . . Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. . . . Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Matt. 24:40–44. This is the coming to the names of individuals for judgment.

It is well to consider seriously our relation to this event. Fifty-eight years ago the work of investigation began. When did the examination of names by the Judge and the Advocate and the heavenly assistants reach the cases of the present generation? Are the names of the living now before the Court? In the earthly sanctuary one day sufficed for the work to be completed for the year previous. “Once in the end of the world” the work now being done above will be accomplished. How long will be this “hour” of judgment? Can you say that the last moment is distant in point of time? Are you ready for the Son of man to come to your name?

[The next paper will consider “The Close of Probation.”]