The Order of Events in the Judgment.
By John Nevins Andrews
At the ascension of our Lord, he entered the heavenly temple and sat down upon his Father's throne, a great High Priest after the order of Melchisedec. Ps. 110 : 1, 4; Heb. 8:1, 2. But when he returns in his infinite majesty as King of kings, he sits upon his own throne, and not upon that of his Father. He speaks thus of his descent from heaven :— Matt. 25:31 : "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory." It is evident, therefore, that there is a space of time at the conclusion of our Lord's work in the temple in heaven, in which his priestly office is exchanged for his kingly dignity; and this transition is marked by his relinquishing his place upon the throne of his Father, and assuming his own throne. The judgment session of Dan. 7 : 9–14 is the time and place of this transition. Our Lord plainly distinguishes these two thrones :— Rev. 3 : 21 : "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." The Saviour's reception of his own throne preparatory to his second advent, is described in Ps. 45. As Ps. 110 makes prominent his priestly office upon his Father's throne, so Ps. 45 describes his kingly office and work upon his own throne. Ps. 45:1–7 : "My heart is inditing a good matter; I speak of the things which I have made touching the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men; grace is poured into thy lips; therefore God hath blessed thee forever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most Mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously, because of truth, and meekness, and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness and hatest wickedness; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." This personage who is fairer than the sons of men, can be no other than the King in his beauty (Isa. 33:17), who is to be admired in the day of his advent by all them that believe. 2 Thess. 1:10. The time when he rides forth for the destruction of his enemies is presented in Rev. 19:11–21. The words of Paul establish the fact that this Psalm relates to Christ, some of its words being addressed to him by his Father when he invests him with his kingly office and throne. Thus Paul quotes and comments :— Heb. 1:8, 9 : "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." The relation of these two thrones to the work of our Lord is very important to be understood. As a priest after the order of Melchisedec, who was both priest and king (Gen. 14:18–20; Ps. 110:1, 4; Heb. 7:1–3), the Saviour has had a joint rule with his Father upon the throne of the universe. Zech. 6:12, 13. His office of priest-king continues till his Father makes his enemies his footstool. Then he delivers up the kingdom which he has shared with his Father to him alone, that God may be all in all. 1 Cor. 15:24–28. His reign upon the throne of his Father ends with all his enemies being given to him for destruction. The throne given him when his priesthood ends is that which he inherits as David's heir. On that throne he shall reign over the immortal saints for endless ages. Luke 1:32, 33; Isa. 9:6, 7. Upon the throne of the Father he had a joint rule as priest-king; upon his own throne his people have a joint rule with him. The first ends, that God may be all in all; the second is a reign that shall continue forever. The Saviour closes his priesthood with the acquittal of his people at his Father's bar. For the act of God, the Father, in sitting as judge, enables the Son to appear as the advocate of his people, and to obtain decision in their favor. That acquittal involves the virtual condemnation of all others. The last act of the Father in the work of the judgment in Dan. 7, is to crown his Son king, that he may execute its decision. It is at the close of this session, therefore, that our Lord terminates his office of priest-king upon his Father's throne, and takes his own throne to execute the decision of the Father. For it is the part of the Son to show from the record of the books who have overcome, and to confess the names of such before his Father. Rev. 3:5. It pertains to the Father to give decision that such persons shall have immortality. And the execution of the judgment will consist in making these persons immortal, and in destroying all the rest. The decision of the judgment does therefore rest wholly with the Father. But the execution of the judgment pertains alone to the Son, who is crowned king at his Father's tribunal for this very purpose. The distinctions between these two relations sustained by the Father and the Son to the work of the judgment, is made very plain by our Lord's words in John 5:22–30. This chapter takes up the judgment work just where the prophecy of Daniel leaves it. The Father having rendered decision, and having anointed his Son king, it pertains to the Son to execute judgment; a work which he distinctly acknowledges in John 5. In this chapter our Lord uses these remarkable words :— Verses 22, 23 : "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son; that all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father." Now it is certain that God, the Father, must sit in judgment to fulfill Dan. 7:9, 10. But if we read forward in these words of our Lord to verses 26, 27, we shall see what he means in verse 22. Verses 26, 27 : "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." It is therefore not the decision of the judgment, but its execution, that the Father had by promise even then given to his Son. And this execution will be effected by the accomplishment of the words which follow :— Verses 28, 29: "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in the which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." That our Lord is simply carrying out the judgment of his Father in the work which he thus performs, is distinctly taught in the next verse :— Verse 30: "I can of mine own self do nothing; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." Christ's part of the judgment work is its execution. His work is just, because he first hears the Father's decision, and then carries it out, doing only the Father's will in all this work. We conclude this article with the following direct proof that the decision of the judgment, which is the Father's part of the work, is past when our Lord comes again in the clouds of heaven. The execution of the judgment must be preceded by the investigation and decision of the cases which are judged. Now it is distinctly stated that the coming of Christ is to execute the judgment; whence it follows that the decision of the judgment is made by the Father before he sends his Son in the clouds of heaven. Thus we read of his second advent :— Jude 14, 15 : "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." The term saints, or holy ones, is applied to angels, as well as to men. Dan. 8:13. These ten thousands of his saints are the host of heavenly angels that shall escort our Lord on his return to our earth. Matt. 25:31. Enoch does, therefore, distinctly state the object of his second advent. It is to execute the judgment. And this fact constitutes a convincing proof that the decision of the judgment precedes our Lord's return. That event is therefore "the revelation of the righteous judgment of God." Rom. 2:5. And the very act of giving immortality is one part of the work of rendering to every man according to his deeds. Rom. 2:6, 7. The judgment of God does, therefore, precede the advent of his Son from heaven. When the events of Christ's advent are mentioned in the Scriptures, it is not merely those which happen at the very point when he descends from heaven, but also those which happen in consequence of that event. The execution of the judgment must cover 1000 years. Rev. 20. But the advent of Christ lies at the foundation of this whole work. And when men find just retribution meted out to them for all their sins they will surely be convinced of their ungodly deeds and of their hard speeches.