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"I beheld," says
the prophet Daniel, "till thrones were placed, and One that was
Ancient of Days did sit: His raiment was white as snow, and the hair
of His head like pure wool; His throne was fiery flames, and the
wheels thereof 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." Daniel 7:9, 10, R.V.
Thus was presented to the prophet's
vision the great and solemn day when the characters and the lives of men
should pass in review before the Judge of all the earth, and to every
man should be rendered "according to his works." The Ancient of Days is
God the Father. Says the psalmist: "Before the mountains were brought
forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from
everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God." Psalm 90:2. It is He, the
source of all being, and the fountain of all law, that is to preside in
the judgment. And holy angels as ministers and witnesses, in number "ten
thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands," attend this
great tribunal.
"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 Him
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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." Daniel 7:13, 14. The
coming of Christ here described is not His second coming to the earth.
He comes to the Ancient of Days in heaven to receive dominion and glory
and a kingdom, which will be given Him at the close of His work as a
mediator. It is this coming, and not His second advent to the earth,
that was foretold in prophecy to take place at the termination of the
2300 days in 1844. Attended by heavenly angels, our great High Priest
enters the holy of holies and there appears in the presence of God to
engage in the last acts of His ministration in behalf of man--to perform
the work of investigative judgment and to make an atonement for all who
are shown to be entitled to its benefits.
In the typical service only those who
had come before God with confession and repentance, and whose sins,
through the blood of the sin offering, were transferred to the
sanctuary, had a part in the service of the Day of Atonement. So in the
great day of final atonement and investigative judgment the only cases
considered are those of the professed people of God. The judgment of the
wicked is a distinct and separate work, and takes place at a later
period. "Judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin
at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel?" 1 Peter
4:17.
The books of record in heaven, in
which the names and the deeds of men are registered, are to determine
the decisions of the judgment. Says the prophet Daniel: "The judgment
was set, and the books were opened." The revelator, describing the same
scene, adds: "Another book was opened, which is the book of life: and
the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works." Revelation 20:12.
The book of life contains the names of
all who have ever entered the service of God. Jesus bade His disciples:
"Rejoice,
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because your names are written in
heaven." Luke 10:20. Paul speaks of his faithful fellow workers, "whose
names are in the book of life." Philippians 4:3. Daniel, looking down to
"a time of trouble, such as never was," declares that God's people shall
be delivered, "everyone that shall be found written in the book." And
the revelator says that those only shall enter the city of God whose
names "are written in the Lamb's book of life." Daniel 12:1; Revelation
21:27.
"A book of remembrance" is written
before God, in which are recorded the good deeds of "them that feared
the Lord, and that thought upon His name." Malachi 3:16. Their words of
faith, their acts of love, are registered in heaven. Nehemiah refers to
this when he says: "Remember me, O my God, . . . and wipe not out my
good deeds that I have done for the house of my God." Nehemiah 13:14. In
the book of God's remembrance every deed of righteousness is
immortalized. There every temptation resisted, every evil overcome,
every word of tender pity expressed, is faithfully chronicled. And every
act of sacrifice, every suffering and sorrow endured for Christ's sake,
is recorded. Says the psalmist: "Thou tellest my wanderings: put Thou my
tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?" Psalm 56:8.
There is a record also of the sins of
men. "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Every idle word that
men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of
judgment." Says the Saviour: "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and
by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew
12:36, 37. The secret purposes and motives appear in the unerring
register; for God "will bring to light the hidden things of darkness,
and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts." I Corinthians 4:5.
"Behold, it is written before Me, . . . your iniquities, and the
iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord." Isaiah 65:6, 7.
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Every man's work passes in review
before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness.
Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered with terrible
exactness every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty,
and every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent
warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved
opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its
far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel.
The law of God is the standard by
which the characters and the lives of men will be tested in the
judgment. Says the wise man: "Fear God, and keep His commandments: for
this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into
judgment." Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14. The apostle James admonishes his
brethren: "So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the
law of liberty." James 2:12
Those who in the judgment are
"accounted worthy" will have a part in the resurrection of the just.
Jesus said: "They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world,
and the resurrection from the dead, . . . are equal unto the angels; and
are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." Luke
20:35, 36. And again He declares that "they that have done good" shall
come forth "unto the resurrection of life." John 5:29. The righteous
dead will not be raised until after the judgment at which they are
accounted worthy of "the resurrection of life." Hence they will not be
present in person at the tribunal when their records are examined and
their cases decided.
Jesus will appear as their advocate,
to plead in their behalf before God. "If any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." I John 2:1. "For
Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are
the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us." "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make
intercession for them." Hebrews 9:24; 7:25.
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As the books of record are opened in
the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review
before God. Beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, our
Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes
with the living. Every name is mentioned, every case closely
investigated. Names are accepted, names rejected. When any have sins
remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their
names will be blotted out of the book of life, and the record of their
good deeds will be erased from the book of God's remembrance. The Lord
declared to Moses: "Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot
out of My book." Exodus 32:33. And says the prophet Ezekiel: "When the
righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity,
. . . all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned."
Ezekiel 18:24.
All who have truly repented of sin,
and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice,
have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as
they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their
characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins
will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of
eternal life. The Lord declares, by the prophet Isaiah: "I, even I, am
He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not
remember thy sins." Isaiah 43:25. Said Jesus: "He that overcometh, the
same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name
out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father,
and before His angels." "Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before
men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But
whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My
Father which is in heaven." Revelation 3:5; Matthew 10:32, 33.
The deepest interest manifested among
men in the decisions of earthly tribunals but faintly represents the
interest
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evinced in the heavenly courts when the
names entered in the book of life come up in review before the Judge of
all the earth. The divine Intercessor presents the plea that all who
have overcome through faith in His blood be forgiven their
transgressions, that they be restored to their Eden home, and crowned as
joint heirs with Himself to "the first dominion." Micah 4:8. Satan in
his efforts to deceive and tempt our race had thought to frustrate the
divine plan in man's creation; but Christ now asks that this plan be
carried into effect as if man had never fallen. He asks for His people
not only pardon and justification, full and complete, but a share in His
glory and a seat upon His throne.
While Jesus is pleading for the
subjects of His grace, Satan accuses them before God as transgressors.
The great deceiver has sought to lead them into skepticism, to cause
them to lose confidence in God, to separate themselves from His love,
and to break His law. Now he points to the record of their lives, to the
defects of character, the unlikeness to Christ, which has dishonored
their Redeemer, to all the sins that he has tempted them to commit, and
because of these he claims them as his subjects.
Jesus does not excuse their sins, but
shows their penitence and faith, and, claiming for them forgiveness, He
lifts His wounded hands before the Father and the holy angels, saying: I
know them by name. I have graven them on the palms of My hands. "The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O
God, Thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:17. And to the accuser of His
people He declares: "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that
hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of
the fire?" Zechariah 3:2. Christ will clothe His faithful ones with His
own righteousness, that He may present them to His Father "a glorious
church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing." Ephesians 5:27.
Their names stand enrolled in the book of life, and concerning them it
is written: "They shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy."
Revelation 3:4.
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Thus will be realized the complete
fulfillment of the new-covenant promise: "I will forgive their iniquity,
and I will remember their sin no more." "In those days, and in that
time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and
there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be
found." Jeremiah 31:34; 50:20. "In that day shall the branch of the Lord
be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent
and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to
pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem,
shall be called holy, even everyone that is written among the living in
Jerusalem." Isaiah 4:2, 3.
The work of the investigative judgment
and the blotting out of sins is to be accomplished before the second
advent of the Lord. Since the dead are to be judged out of the things
written in the books, it is impossible that the sins of men should be
blotted out until after the judgment at which their cases are to be
investigated. But the apostle Peter distinctly states that the sins of
believers will be blotted out "when the times of refreshing shall come
from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ." Acts
3:19, 20. When the investigative judgment closes, Christ will come, and
His reward will be with Him to give to every man as his work shall be.
In the typical service the high
priest, having made the atonement for Israel, came forth and blessed the
congregation. So Christ, at the close of His work as mediator, will
appear, "without sin unto salvation" (Hebrews 9:28), to bless His
waiting people with eternal life. As the priest, in removing the sins
from the sanctuary, confessed them upon the head of the scapegoat, so
Christ will place all these sins upon Satan, the originator and
instigator of sin. The scapegoat, bearing the sins of Israel, was sent
away "unto a land not inhabited" (Leviticus 16:22); so Satan, bearing
the guilt of all the sins which he has caused God's people to commit,
will be for a thousand years confined to the earth, which will then be
desolate, without inhabitant, and he will at last suffer the
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full penalty of sin in the fires that
shall destroy all the wicked. Thus the great plan of redemption will
reach its accomplishment in the final eradication of sin and the
deliverance of all who have been willing to renounce evil.
At the time appointed for the
judgment--the close of the 2300 days, in 1844--began the work of
investigation and blotting out of sins. All who have ever taken upon
themselves the name of Christ must pass its searching scrutiny. Both the
living and the dead are to be judged "out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works."
Sins that have not been repented of
and forsaken will not be pardoned and blotted out of the books of
record, but will stand to witness against the sinner in the day of God.
He may have committed his evil deeds in the light of day or in the
darkness of night; but they were open and manifest before Him with whom
we have to do. Angels of God witnessed each sin and registered it in the
unerring records. Sin may be concealed, denied, covered up from father,
mother, wife, children, and associates; no one but the guilty actors may
cherish the least suspicion of the wrong; but it is laid bare before the
intelligences of heaven. The darkness of the darkest night, the secrecy
of all deceptive arts, is not sufficient to veil one thought from the
knowledge of the Eternal. God has an exact record of every unjust
account and every unfair dealing. He is not deceived by appearances of
piety. He makes no mistakes in His estimation of character. Men may be
deceived by those who are corrupt in heart, but God pierces all
disguises and reads the inner life.
How solemn is the thought! Day after
day, passing into eternity, bears its burden of records for the books of
heaven. Words once spoken, deeds once done, can never be recalled.
Angels have registered both the good and the evil. The mightiest
conqueror upon the earth cannot call back the record of even a single
day. Our acts, our words, even our most secret motives, all have their
weight in deciding our destiny for weal or woe. Though they may be
forgotten by
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us, they will bear their testimony to
justify or condemn.
As the features of the countenance are
reproduced with unerring accuracy on the polished plate of the artist,
so the character is faithfully delineated in the books above. Yet how
little solicitude is felt concerning that record which is to meet the
gaze of heavenly beings. Could the veil which separates the visible from
the invisible world be swept back, and the children of men behold an
angel recording every word and deed, which they must meet again in the
judgment, how many words that are daily uttered would remain unspoken,
how many deeds would remain undone.
In the judgment the use made of every
talent will be scrutinized. How have we employed the capital lent us of
Heaven? Will the Lord at His coming receive His own with usury? Have we
improved the powers entrusted us, in hand and heart and brain, to the
glory of God and the blessing of the world? How have we used our time,
our pen, our voice, our money, our influence? What have we done for
Christ, in the person of the poor, the afflicted, the orphan, or the
widow? God has made us the depositaries of His holy word; what have we
done with the light and truth given us to make men wise unto salvation?
No value is attached to a mere profession of faith in Christ; only the
love which is shown by works is counted genuine. Yet it is love alone
which in the sight of Heaven makes any act of value. Whatever is done
from love, however small it may appear in the estimation of men, is
accepted and rewarded of God.
The hidden selfishness of men stands
revealed in the books of heaven. There is the record of unfulfilled
duties to their fellow men, of forgetfulness of the Saviour's claims.
There they will see how often were given to Satan the time, thought, and
strength that belonged to Christ. Sad is the record which angels bear to
heaven. Intelligent beings, professed followers of Christ, are absorbed
in the acquirement of worldly possessions or the enjoyment of earthly
pleasures. Money, time, and strength are sacrificed for display and
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self-indulgence; but few are the moments
devoted to prayer, to the searching of the Scriptures, to humiliation of
soul and confession of sin.
Satan invents unnumbered schemes to
occupy our minds, that they may not dwell upon the very work with which
we ought to be best acquainted. The archdeceiver hates the great truths
that bring to view an atoning sacrifice and an all-powerful mediator. He
knows that with him everything depends on his diverting minds from Jesus
and His truth.
Those who would share the benefits of
the Saviour's mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their
duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God. The precious hours, instead
of being given to pleasure, to display, or to gain seeking, should be
devoted to an earnest, prayerful study of the word of truth. The subject
of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment should be clearly
understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of
the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise it will be
impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this
time or to occupy the position which God designs them to fill. Every
individual has a soul to save or to lose. Each has a case pending at the
bar of God. Each must meet the great Judge face to face. How important,
then, that every mind contemplate often the solemn scene when the
judgment shall sit and the books shall be opened, when, with Daniel,
every individual must stand in his lot, at the end of the days.
All who have received the light upon
these subjects are to bear testimony of the great truths which God has
committed to them. The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of
Christ's work in behalf of men. It concerns every soul living upon the
earth. It opens to view the plan of redemption, bringing us down to the
very close of time and revealing the triumphant issue of the contest
between righteousness and sin. It is of the utmost importance that all
should thoroughly investigate these subjects and be able to give an
answer to
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everyone that asketh them a reason of the
hope that is in them.
The intercession of Christ in man's
behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation
as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which
after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. We must by
faith enter within the veil, "whither the forerunner is for us entered."
Hebrews 6:20. There the light from the cross of Calvary is reflected.
There we may gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of redemption.
The salvation of man is accomplished at an infinite expense to heaven;
the sacrifice made is equal to the broadest demands of the broken law of
God. Jesus has opened the way to the Father's throne, and through His
mediation the sincere desire of all who come to Him in faith may be
presented before God.
"He that covereth his sins shall not
prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."
Proverbs 28:13. If those who hide and excuse their faults could see how
Satan exults over them, how he taunts Christ and holy angels with their
course, they would make haste to confess their sins and to put them
away. Through defects in the character, Satan works to gain control of
the whole mind, and he knows that if these defects are cherished, he
will succeed. Therefore he is constantly seeking to deceive the
followers of Christ with his fatal sophistry that it is impossible for
them to overcome. But Jesus pleads in their behalf His wounded hands,
His bruised body; and He declares to all who would follow Him: "My grace
is sufficient for thee." 2 Corinthians 12:9. "Take My yoke upon you, and
learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest
unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." Matthew
11:29, 30. Let none, then, regard their defects as incurable. God will
give faith and grace to overcome them.
We are now living in the great day of
atonement. In the typical service, while the high priest was making the
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atonement for Israel, all were required
to afflict their souls by repentance of sin and humiliation before the
Lord, lest they be cut off from among the people. In like manner, all
who would have their names retained in the book of life should now, in
the few remaining days of their probation, afflict their souls before
God by sorrow for sin and true repentance. There must be deep, faithful
searching of heart. The light, frivolous spirit indulged by so many
professed Christians must be put away. There is earnest warfare before
all who would subdue the evil tendencies that strive for the mastery.
The work of preparation is an individual work. We are not saved in
groups. The purity and devotion of one will not offset the want of these
qualities in another. Though all nations are to pass in judgment before
God, yet He will examine the case of each individual with as close and
searching scrutiny as if there were not another being upon the earth.
Everyone must be tested and found without spot or wrinkle or any such
thing.
Solemn are the scenes connected with
the closing work of the atonement. Momentous are the interests involved
therein. The judgment is now passing in the sanctuary above. For many
years this work has been in progress. Soon--none know how soon--it will
pass to the cases of the living. In the awful presence of God our lives
are to come up in review. At this time above all others it behooves
every soul to heed the Saviour's admonition: "Watch and pray: for ye
know not when the time is." Mark 13:33. "If therefore thou shalt not
watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour
I will come upon thee." Revelation 3:3.
When the work of the investigative
judgment closes, the destiny of all will have been decided for life or
death. Probation is ended a short time before the appearing of the Lord
in the clouds of heaven. Christ in the Revelation, looking forward to
that time, declares: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he
which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous let
him be righteous still: and he that is
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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." Revelation 22:11, 12.
The righteous and the wicked will
still be living upon the earth in their mortal state--men will be
planting and building, eating and drinking, all unconscious that the
final, irrevocable decision has been pronounced in the sanctuary above.
Before the Flood, after Noah entered the ark, God shut him in and shut
the ungodly out; but for seven days the people, knowing not that their
doom was fixed, continued their careless, pleasure-loving life and
mocked the warnings of impending judgment. "So," says the Saviour,
"shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:39. Silently,
unnoticed as the midnight thief, will come the decisive hour which marks
the fixing of every man's destiny, the final withdrawal of mercy's offer
to guilty men.
"Watch ye therefore: . . . lest coming
suddenly He find you sleeping." Mark 13:35, 36. Perilous is the
condition of those who, growing weary of their watch, turn to the
attractions of the world. While the man of business is absorbed in the
pursuit of gain, while the pleasure lover is seeking indulgence, while
the daughter of fashion is arranging her adornments--it may be in that
hour the Judge of all the earth will pronounce the sentence: "Thou art
weighed in the balances, and art found wanting." Daniel 5:27.
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