p. 136 | THE JUDGMENT OF THE GREAT DAY

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · March 3, 1885

FromAdvent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 62, No. 9

THE JUDGMENT OF THE GREAT DAY.

(Continued.)

Thus the sounding of the trumpet of the seventh angel is the signal for the opening of the investigative Judgment in the sanctuary on high. But care should be taken not to confound this trumpet with the “last trump” spoken of by Paul in 1 Cor. 15:52. The trump of the seventh angel is indeed the last of its series, but the last only in that respect; and it commences to sound while probation still continues; for the early years of its sounding are allotted to the finishing of the mystery of God. Whereas the other, called also “the trump of God,” in 1 Thess. 4:16, is the last that occurs in human history and is not sounded till after the mystery of God is finished, or in other words, till after the investigative Judgment has passed, and every righteous person is accepted of the Father; for when that trump is heard, every one who has been accounted worthy of a part in the resurrection to eternal life, is in an instant made immortal. 1 Cor. 15:52.

So important an epoch is marked by the seventh trumpet that it will be a matter of interest to look at the events which transpire under its sounding in chronological order. These, though not given in the prophecy (Rev. 11:15–19) consecutively, are nevertheless of such a nature that it will not be difficult to locate them in the order of their occurrence.

1. The opening of the temple. The most holy place of the temple or tabernacle in heaven is opened. We know that this takes place immediately on the sounding of the seventh trumpet; for that trumpet commences to sound just as soon as prophetic time is no longer. Rev. 10:6, 7. But at the end of the great period of 2300 days (Dan. 8:14), which marks the end of all prophetic time, the cleansing of the sanctuary commences, which necessitates the opening of the most holy, and the entrance of the high priest therein. Heb. 9:7, 25, 26. This is the place where our Lord finishes his priesthood, and where the Ancient of days presides in the Judgment. Dan. 7:9, 10.

2. Finishing the mystery. In the days (years) of the beginning of the voice of the seventh angel, the mystery of God, or the work of human probation, is finished. This as we have seen involves the closing up of the immense work of our High Priest as mediator for all the world. It also requires the proclamation of the final warnings to mankind.

3. Judgment of the righteous. The finishing of the priesthood of Christ thus at the tribunal of his Father, during this time, consists in making the atonement, that is, in looking over the cases of all those who have ever made a profession of the service of God, and blotting out and putting away the sins of all the overcomers. This involves the Judgment of all the righteous dead, with whom this work would naturally, perhaps necessarily, begin, opening with the case of Abel, the first to die, and closing with the living of the last generation only.

4. The coronation of Christ. When Christ finishes his work as priest, he is crowned king (Dan. 7:13, 14); and this coronation, and his assumption of the kingdom, is announced by the great voices in heaven, and by the adoration of the four and twenty elders. Rev. 11:15–17. When Christ begins his reign upon his own throne, he is invested by the Father with that power which Satan usurped from Adam the first. Micah 4:8. The reign of Christ, the second Adam, is to be the re-establishment of the empire of God in this revolted province; and this throne Christ takes just as soon as he has closed up his office of priest-king, which he now occupies at his Father's right hand. Zech. 6:12, 13; Rev. 3:21.

5. The anger of the nations. The national condition of suspicion, jealousy, envy, fear, and anger, brought to view in verse 18, which is now a characteristic of nearly all the governments of the earth, commences soon after the seventh trumpet begins to sound. That commenced, as already noticed, in 1844; and the great monarchical earthquake in Europe, which occurred four years later, in 1848, when so many thrones were overturned, may well be taken as the first installment of the anger of the nations. That revolution threw them into a chronic state of disturbance and hostility which has been increasing to the present day. The East India question, the Russian question, the Turkish question, the Egyptian question, the Franco-German question, the Irish question, nihilism, socialism, communism, and dynamite, have mined all the eastern world, till it already trembles with the first throes of a vast earthquake which seems destined to shake it to ruins. This anger of the nations will reach its climax, when, under the impulse of unclean spirits, they gather to the battle of the great day of God Almighty. Rev. 16:13, 14; 19:19–21.

6. The wrath of God. “And thy wrath is come,” is another of the events announced to occur under the sounding of the seventh angel. This wrath comes down upon the wicked when Christ, having received them under his jurisdiction, after they have rejected the last offers of mercy, begins to rule them with the iron scepter of his justice. Ps. 2:8, 9. This wrath consists of the seven last plagues. Rev. 11:18, 19; 14:9–11; 15; 16; 19:11–21.

7. The reward of the saints. This is also mentioned in verse 18. The reward of the saints commences at the resurrection of the just. Luke 14:14; Matt. 16:27. It will be given in its fullness when they enter upon their final inheritance at the end of the thousand years. Matt. 25:34.

8. The destruction of the wicked. The time is come, continues the prophecy, that “thou shouldst destroy them which destroy the earth.” The final destruction of them that destroy (or as the margin reads, “corrupt”) the earth is by the second death at the end of the one thousand years of Revelation 20. Rev. 20:7–9.

The sounding of the seventh trumpet is therefore synchronous with the whole period of the Judgment of the great day. It commenced when the temple was opened in heaven, and the thrones were set for the investigative Judgment, at the end of the 2300 days in 1844; and it ends with the destruction of sin and sinners, root and branch, the arch deceiver and all his followers, in the lake of fire, at the end of the one thousand years.

So momentous and solemn are these truths that we cannot forbear to remind the reader again of our present position. Prophetic time ended in 1844. There the seventh angel began to sound, the most holy place of the temple in heaven was opened, the judicial thrones of the investigative Judgment (Dan. 7:9, 10) were set (Hebrew), and Christ began the final examination of the cases of his people before the Father, to make the atonement, to cleanse the sanctuary, and finish the mystery of God. More than forty years already have elapsed since we entered this solemn period, and this work began.

And what follows? The close of Christ’s priesthood, the end of probation, the utterance of that solemn fiat which fixes every man’s destiny, “He which is filthy let him be filthy still, and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still” (Rev. 22:11, 12), the coronation of Christ upon the holy hill of Zion (Ps. 2:6), the wrath of God, in the seven last plagues, upon the living wicked, the convulsions of the great day, the revelation of Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords in the clouds of heaven, the giving of immortality to every overcomer, and the destruction of all his incorrigible enemies then living upon the earth. Luke 19:27.

When our Lord ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of his Father, as mediator between him and his people, he also had another work to accomplish. He revealed to the disciples this work in the following comforting words: “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:2, 3. This doubtless refers to the glorious city, the New Jerusalem, which is being prepared to be the metropolis of Christ’s kingdom, and the palatial abode of those who humbly follow him in this lower world. And in view of the language just quoted we cannot doubt that the work is wrought under the personal supervision of our Lord, during the period of his priesthood. And his people will enter those mansions when that which Christ wills is brought to pass, and they are taken into his presence to behold his glory. Such was his prayer. “Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory.” John 17:24.

The Saviour being crowned king at the close of priestly office, begins the exercise of his kingly power by delivering his people, and by bringing to trial, pronouncing Judgment upon, and executing his enemies. This is clearly brought to view in the 110th psalm which speaks of both his kingly and priestly offices. Thus in verse 1 he is assigned the place of honor at the Father’s right hand. “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand.” It is important to observe that there are two personages brought to view in this psalm, to whom the word “Lord” is applied: the Father and the Son. The first is from the original “Jehovah,” referring to the Father, and is printed in the text, as the reader will observe, in small capitals; the second is from “Adonai,” and refers to the Son. Thus “Jehovah said unto Adonai,” or the Father said unto the Son, Sit thou at my right hand. But the time he is to continue in this position is limited by an event which changes his office from that of priest to that of king. It is expressed in these words which immediately follow: “Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.” Verse 2 states the very act of making Christ king, and placing his enemies under him as his footstool.

“The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion; rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.” The first clause of this verse is parallel to Ps. 2: “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” The heavenly Zion (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 14:1) is the place of Christ’s coronation. The last clause, “Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies,” expresses the words of the Father to the Son when he crowns him King. This is obvious from our common English version, but is made still more evident from the French translation of David Martin in which the two clauses are connected by the words, “in saying;” thus, “The Lord shall transmit out of Zion the scepter of thy strength in saying: Rule in the midst of thy enemies.”

The next verse states the sympathy of Christ’s people with his work when he is thus inducted into his kingly office, and proceeds to exercise his power against his enemies: “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.” Instead of “the day of thy power,” Martin’s French Bible reads, “The day that thou shalt assemble thy army in holy pomp.” This is the time when the Son of man descends in power and glory, and the armies of heaven, that is, all the angels, attend and surround him. Matt. 24:30; 1 Thess. 4:16–18; Rev. 19:11, 12. The people of God are to unite with Christ in his rule over the nations of wicked men. Rev. 2:26, 27; Ps. 2:6. The morning of this verse must be the morning of the day which it mentions. One of the early events of that day is the resurrection of the dead, when like their Lord they are born from the dead to life immortal. Rev. 20:4–6; Luke 20:35, 36; 1 Thess. 4:16–18; Hos. 13:13, 14; 1 Cor. 15:42–44, 51–54.

By virtue of the authority vested in our Lord, inducted into his kingly office, he proceeds to judge his enemies, or pass sentence of destruction upon the living nations of those who know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. So verse 6 of the 110th psalm reads: “He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.” This is his work in the day of his power, to which his people give their willing assent. Verse 3. This is the great day of his wrath, when he shall dash the nations in pieces like a potter’s vessel (Ps. 2:9); none will be able to stand except those whose sins are blotted out. The wicked kings of the earth shall fall before him when he is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Instead of the reading given in the English version, “He shall wound the heads over many countries,” Martin’s Bible has the singular number, and translates thus: “He shall wound the chief who rules over great country.” Thus the text is made to refer unmistakably to Satan. The Hebrew word rendered “wound” is defined by Gesenius thus: “To smite through and through; to dash in pieces; to crush.” And thus shall our great adversary be treated when the God of peace shall bruise the prince of darkness under the feet of his people. Rom. 16:20; Gen. 3:15; 1 John 3:8; Heb. 2:14.

Thus the transition of Christ from his priestly to his kingly office is clearly marked. Human probation closes when Christ ceases to be priest. Those who are found in their sins after our Lord has been crowned king upon his own throne, must be destroyed as his enemies. And the priesthood of Christ terminates

when he has obtained the acquittal of his people, and secured the blotting out of their sins at the tribunal of the Father. Then and there he is crowned King (Dan. 7:9, 10, 13, 14); and from that coronation he shortly comes to our earth as King, to deliver all who at that examination of the books, are accounted worthy to have a part in the world to come, in the resurrection of the just. Dan. 12:1; Luke 20:35, 36; 21:36.

(To be continued.)