The Judgment by Editor

Seventh-Day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jan 31, 1884

FromThe Signs of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 5

The Judgment.

By Editor

THERE are no isolated, independent truths in the great plan of salvation, even as there is no special “saving” duty in Christian life. It takes the sum of all the graces to make a perfect Christian character; and so also it takes all the truths and doctrines of the gospel to make the one complete system of salvation. The great foundation of the whole is the sacrifice of Christ; the shedding of his blood for the sins of the world. Heb. 9:22. To us belongs reconciliation through his death. Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:20. As the work of the priests under the law only reached its ultimate object when the high priest went into the most holy place with the blood of the sin offering, and cleansed the sanctuary of God from the sins of the people, so the result of the gospel of remission is fully accomplished, not by the death of the sacrifice; not by our repentance and reconciliation to God; but, by the action of our great High Priest, who appears in the presence of God for us, in blotting out our sins and removing them forever from the presence of the throne of the Most High.

The subject of the Judgment may be considered a continuation of the subject of the preceding article, namely, the Atonement. The word “Judgment” may, however, cover or include much more than the word “Atonement.” The latter has to do solely with the people of God, for the Atonement is made only for those who are reconciled to God by the death of his Son; whereas the Judgment has to do with all mankind, for “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” But the subject of this article is not thus extensive, as it will be confined to the judgment of the righteous.

The prevailing ideas of the Judgment are vague and indefinite. Probably a majority, certainly many, look upon it in the following light: That the Lord shall appear in the clouds of heaven; that all the dead, both the righteous and the wicked, will be raised, and the Judgment will then sit upon the whole human race. Another view, and a popular one, is that each one is judged immediately after death. Both these views are forbidden by the Scriptures, which say that the saints shall judge the world, 1 Cor. 6:2, and that God hath appointed a day in which the Judgment shall take place. Acts 17:31; see also 2 Peter 2:9, and 3:10. Now it is not reasonable to suppose that the saints will judge the world in their present state, or previous to the time when themselves are judged. The following from Bliss’ review of Prof. Bush on the Resurrection is more reasonable and scriptural than the views which are generally entertained:—

“We are inclined to the opinion that the judgment is after death, and before the resurrection; and that before that event the acts of all men will be adjudicated; so that the resurrection of the righteous is their full acquittal and redemption—their sins being blotted out when the times of refreshing shall have come (Acts 3:19); while the fact that the wicked are not raised proves that they were previously condemned.”

Eld. Josiah Litch, in a work entitled “Prophetic Expositions,” said:—

“The trial must precede the execution. This is so clear a proposition that it is sufficient to state it. . . . But the resurrection is the retribution or execution of judgment, for they that have done good shall come forth to the resurrection of life. . . . There can be no general Judgment or trial after the resurrection. The resurrection is the separating process, and they will never be commingled again after the saints are raised, no matter how long or short the period to elapse between the two resurrections.”

That the judgment of the saints is fully accomplished while the Saviour is in the sanctuary in Heaven, before his coming, and therefore before the resurrection, is evident; for (1) Their judgment must be closed while Jesus is their advocate, that he may procure their acquittal. And (2) They are raised immortal, which is the evidence of their acquittal. The judgment of the wicked must be subsequent to the redemption of the righteous (for the saints will take part in that transaction; see 1 Cor. 6:1-3), and yet previous to the second resurrection. It is quite reasonable to consider that the wicked are merely rejected while Christ is a priest, their cases being passed over for future consideration; indeed, this is the only view that will harmonize all Scripture; and as the resurrection of the righteous to immortality and eternal life is the announcement of the decision of the judgment to them, so the wicked are raised to condemnation and the second death, which is the execution of the judgment before determined in regard to them.

While none would deny the typical nature of the sacrifices and the work of the priests under the Levitical law, there are few, comparatively, who ever trace the subject to its logical conclusion. By this we would not have any understand that we favor that system of speculation which holds it necessary to find a spiritual meaning in every loop and fold, every pin and tenon of the tabernacle. Such a system of interpretation subverts the truth by leading into a field of conjecture which is always unprofitable, and has a tendency to turn away the mind from the things which are plainly revealed. What we do mean is this: There are few who endeavor to learn all that the type teaches of the antitype as presented in the words of the Scriptures. The New Testament gives some very clear explanations of the types; but these are often overlooked, especially by those who disregard the plain declarations of the word, and are only satisfied when the words of the Scriptures are “spiritualized.” And this spiritualizing process becomes a pleasing one, because it gives license to the imagination, and each investigator feels at liberty to put that construction upon the sacred text which best suits him. But what a sad use is this to make of Heaven’s message to fallen man!

In a careful study of the book of Revelation we have found that a knowledge of certain other portions of the Bible is indispensable to an understanding of many of its symbols. These are, the law of Moses, the prophecy of Daniel, and Paul’s letter to the Hebrews. Or, we may say, which amounts to the same thing in fact, that a solution of the types in the law of Moses, is found in the study of the prophecy of Daniel, the letter to the Hebrews, and the book of Revelation.

It has been noticed that, although the work of the priests was “continual,” or daily, in the holy place, which may properly be considered an intercessory work, the atonement was the work of an appointed day, occupying but a short period of the yearly service. And when this work was completed,—when the sanctuary was “cleansed and hallowed from the uncleanness of the children of Israel,” Lev. 16:19, then the people stood acquitted; then the high priest put their sins upon the head of the scapegoat, and they were borne far away from the camp; then the high priest could pronounce the heavenly benediction upon the waiting people of God, who had “afflicted their souls” before the sanctuary. As Kitto says: “On this day the high priest gave his blessing to the whole nation.” The work of this day was not for a few individuals; it was for the nation,—for the whole people of Israel.

This was a type of the “day of Judgment” for God’s people. We have been informed by learned Jews that they looked upon it in this light; they considered it their day of Judgment. The Talmudists say: “Penitence itself makes atonement for slight transgressions; and in the case of grosser sins it obtains a respite until the coming of the day of atonement, which completes the reconciliation.”

As that day was appointed, announced, and well known to all the people, so is provision made in the antitype that God’s people may understand their true relation to the great day of atonement. In Rev. 14:6, 7 is presented one of the most interesting and important proclamations found in the sacred word. It reads as follows:—

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, for THE HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT IS COME; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

Related to the fact of this proclamation are several points of great interest to the student of the Bible.

1. By reading the chapter we discover that this message is given before the second advent, and during the probation of man. Verse 8 makes an announcement concerning Babylon, which is supplemented by another on the same subject in chapter 18. In verses 9-12 of chapter 14 is given yet another message, containing a most solemn warning against false worship, and a call to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Of course this message is given before the close of probation. In verses 14-20 the second advent of Christ, the Son of man, is presented, together with the object of his coming—to reap the harvest of the earth,—and a description of the terrible fate of those who are not his. Compare 2 Thess. 1:7-10. This is in perfect harmony with the view that is presented in these pages, that the Judgment must precede the resurrection; and this, the resurrection, takes place at Christ’s appearing. 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:13-18.

2. We say that the Judgment precedes the resurrection, but it does not follow that all the saints will be in the grave when the judgment of the righteous takes place; for some are found keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus—that is, they are heeding the warning of the “third angel”—when Christ appears. And Paul says that “we shall not all sleep;” that some will be “alive and remain” at the coming of the Lord. Of course their judgment takes place while they are living; for as the sleeping saints are raised immortal, proving that they have been fully acquitted in the great assize above, so the living saints at that time will be changed, translated, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” Upon them, in the same instant, will be conferred the same immortality which is given to the resurrected saints.

3. In Rev. 11:15-18 is shown that the dead are judged—not through the whole dispensation, but—under the sounding of the seventh trumpet. This is the last of a series of trumpets covering the whole period of the gospel dispensation. Under this trumpet the dead are judged, and reward is given to the saints. Compare Matt. 16:27; Luke 14:14; Rev. 22:12. Under this trumpet are destroyed the wicked—those who corrupt the earth. See 2 Peter 2:9. Under this trumpet Christ receives dominion over the kingdoms of the earth, which is given at the close of his priestly work on his Father’s throne. Please read Ps. 2:6-9; 110:1; Heb. 10:12, 13.

4. This message of Rev. 14:6, 7 is called “the everlasting gospel,” though it is different from any proclamation made in the ministry of Christ and his apostles. Paul reasoned of judgment to come; Acts 24:25; he said God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world. Acts 17:31. He did not and could

not say that that day was then present—that it had come.

5. Yet it is not “another gospel,” but an essential part of the same gospel which they preached; a part which could not be preached in their day, as the Judgment had not then yet come. In further proof of this, compare Isa. 61 with the facts of the New Testament. The first two verses of that chapter of the prophecy read thus:—

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn,” etc.

Jesus went to Nazareth, and, “as his custom was,” he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. The book of the prophet Isaiah being given to him he turned to chapter 61, as the book is now divided, and read the words quoted above as far as to the sentence, “to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,” and abruptly stopped, not reading the words which follow—“and the day of vengeance of our God.” As Christ sat down, he said to the people assembled: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” That day the acceptable year, or season, or time, of the Lord was preached to them. Paul made the same declaration in 2 Cor. 6:2: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” This was as far as Jesus could read in the prophecy and say it was fulfilled in their ears; this was all that the apostle could declare. The “time accepted” (2 Cor. 6:1) had come; it could be then proclaimed; the day of vengeance—the day of Judgment—had not come; it had to be reserved for a future proclamation. See our text, Rev. 14:6, 7.

The day of vengeance is equivalent to the day of Judgment, for men are not only judged in that day, but in that day rewards are given to all. Rev. 11:18 says the dead are judged and reward given to the saints in that time; 2 Peter 3:7 calls it “the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” This earth is reserved unto fire against that day. As “the day of salvation” or “the accepted time” has now continued nearly two thousand years, so “the day of Judgment” is a period more than one thousand years in length—how much more is not revealed,—covering the judgment of investigation of the cases of all the righteous, and the giving of reward to them; followed by the further investigation of the cases of the wicked (in which the saints take part, 1 Cor. 6:1-3; Rev. 20:1-4), and their final overthrow or entire destruction. EDITOR.

(To be continued.)