The Judgment by M. G. Huffman

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 2, 1914

The Judgment

By M. G. Huffman

M. G. HUFFMAN

The subject of the judgment is a solemn one, from the fact that it is one which has to do with every man and woman in this world; for we must all stand before the great Judge of all the earth to give an account of our stewardship here below. All will be judged, the saint as well as the sinner.

The general supposition of the judgment is an erroneous one. This supposes that when a good man dies, his soul goes immediately to heaven, while the soul of the wicked man goes to hell, and each will remain in its respective place until the resurrection, at which time the body and the soul will reunite, and together go before the judgment seat of Christ, to receive a just recompense of reward. This view is open to serious question. Would it be just and right for any earthly court to send a man to the penitentiary and keep him there for ten years, more or less, and then bring him out and try him to ascertain whether or not he is guilty, and in case he is, send him back? Or would it be right to hang a man and then try him? In such a course there would be no justice and no reason. Is it reasonable to suppose that the Lord would send men either to heaven or to hell and keep them there for thousands of years, and then try them to see in which place they belong? Such a theory makes God a tyrant, when, in fact, he is just the reverse. God is love, and exercises loving-kindness, justice, judgment, and righteousness; and in dealing with the wicked, he will do the very best thing for them that love can do.

The Bible is plain in regard to the judgment—when, where, and how people are judged. First, the judgment will take place before Christ comes. Second, it will take place before the resurrection. Third, it will take place before probation closes.

Now, as to the first proposition, that the judgment will take place before Christ comes, we read in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians the following: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. And again we read: “And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” 2 Thess. 2:8. Thus we see from these texts that it has been decided who are dead in Christ, and who will be destroyed with the brightness of his coming.

Second, that the judgment will take place before the resurrection, is plain in the light of the Word. In answer to a question put to Christ by the Sadducees, who denied that there will be a resurrection of the dead, Christ said unto them: “The children of this world marry and are given in marriage: 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 unto the angels, and are the children . . . of the resurrection.” Luke 20:27-36. Thus we see that people are judged worthy to obtain that world and a resurrection from the dead before Christ comes to resurrect his people. Again we read: “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.” 1 Cor. 15:51, 52. Hence from these scriptures we certainly learn that the judgment takes place before the resurrection, from the fact that there is no time for judgment upon the righteous at the resurrection, as they are to be changed in the twinkling of an eye.

Third, the judgment will take place before probation closes. “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.” Rev. 14:6, 7. In reading verses 8-11 we learn that there are two other messages to go to the world after the hour of God’s judgment has begun. In Rev. 22:11, 12, we read of the final decision pronounced against the wicked and in behalf of the righteous: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Hence we see that the final decree that fixes the destiny of every man will have passed before Christ comes.

It is not my purpose to dwell at length upon the points of where and when and how the wicked will be judged. But

suffice it to say that the judgment is in session now, and has been since 1844. This date marked the termination of the longest prophetic period in all the Bible; namely, the twenty-three hundred years, beginning in 457 B. C. and ending in A. D. 1844, at which time the judgment began with the house of God, that is, with the righteous. And the judgment will end with the wicked during the one thousand years while the saints are reigning with Christ and participating in the judgment on the wicked during that period. Rev. 20:4-6.

The great question that confronts us is not so much when, where, and how we shall be judged, but for what we shall be judged. We read the following: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Cor. 5:10. And again we read the words of our Saviour when addressing the Pharisees: “I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For . . . by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matt. 12:36, 37. Our words are nothing more nor less than an index to our hearts, and our words have a great deal to do with our religion. Sometimes we hear persons say: “O, words are cheap!” But, my dear reader, when we come to give an account of what we say, we shall consider that they were not so cheap after all. Well, says one, are our words the only thing that we shall have to answer for?—O, no. After Solomon had written thirty-one chapters of the Proverbs, in which we find many wonderful sayings, and twelve chapters of the Ecclesiastes, he sums up all in few words, as follows: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Eccl. 12:13, 14.

The law of God, the ten commandments, will constitute the rule of judgment. That law will reveal every secret thing, the bad as well as the good. “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.” Eccl. 11:9.

We sometimes hear fathers say, to their shame, “My boys are just now sowing their wild oats; when they get older, they will settle down and do what is right.” But let me say to all who think this, If your boys or girls sow wild oats, they will reap wild oats. You cannot sow wild oats and expect to reap a crop of wheat. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Gal. 6:7, 8. My dear young friends, you can upon reaching your majority do what you please. You can disregard the teaching of your parents; you can trample upon all that you have been taught to consider sacred; you can disobey the laws of your State and the laws of society and the laws of God; you can stamp failure upon your life and make your very existence a curse to your fellow men, and you can bring your father and mother in sorrow to the grave; but you cannot annul the sentence, “The wages of sin is death.” Rom. 6:23.

We are now living in the antitypical Day of Atonement, and have been since 1844, at which time Christ left the first apartment in the heavenly sanctuary, and went into the second apartment, or the most holy, where and at which time the investigative judgment began. Dear reader, soon your case and mine will come up before the great Judge of all the earth, and we shall have to answer for our stewardship here in this life. May God help us each to sense the fact that when our cases have been tried in the heavenly court, we shall be granted no new trial, and we cannot take an appeal, but must ever abide the decision rendered either in our favor or against us. Hence may the Lord help us to employ our Advocate to plead our cases when they come up for review. May we have pardon written opposite our names, and may we be accounted worthy to be subjects of God’s everlasting kingdom.