Table of Contents
|
|
Chapter 28
Facing Life's Record
"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
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,
Page 481
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.
Page 482
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.
Page 483
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
Page 484
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.
Page 485
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
Page 486
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
Page 487
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
Page 488
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
Page 489
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
Page 490
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
Page 491
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.
Previous Chapter l Table
Contents l Next Chapter
|
|
