READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY:Gen. 3:8-19; Ps. 95:5, 10; Dan. 7:10, 22; John 5:24, 25; Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 9:24; Rev. 20:12, 13.

MEMORY TEXT: " A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened " Daniel 7:10, NIV.     Bible Search     Lesson Index   

LAST WEEK WE STUDIED DANIEL 2 AND 7, in which the sequence of history as it relates to God's church (Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome [pagan and papal]) was shown. Yet, not all the events depicted were of an earthly nature. In fact, Daniel 7 climaxes with a great judgment scene in heaven that leads, ultimately, to God establishing His final kingdom (vss. 26, 27).

Three times in Daniel 7 (vss. 9-11, 21, 22, 25, and 26) this great heavenly judgment happens after the "time and times and dividing of time," used to delineate a phase of the little horn's dominion. The sequence unfolds like this:

1. Little horn (vs. 25)
2. Heavenly judgment (vs. 26)
3. Second Coming (vs. 27)

"For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. . . . And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man" John 5:22, 27.    Bible Search    Lesson Index   

The Bible, in numerous places, makes it clear that there will be a judgment. In the above texts, however, Jesus says that He, Himself, will be the One who does the judging.

Why is it that Jesus will be the Judge, as opposed to the Father? What insight does verse 27 provide that answers this important question?

"He who took humanity upon Himself, and in this world lived a perfect life, is to judge us. He only can be our Judge. . . . Christ took humanity that He might be our Judge."—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, p. 185. "Because He has tasted the very dregs of human affliction and temptation, and understands the frailties and sins of men; because in our behalf He has victoriously withstood the temptations of Satan, and will deal justly and tenderly with the souls that His own blood has been poured out to save,—because of this, the Son of man is appointed to execute the judgment."—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 210.

What the prophet is saying here is that, apparently, the Father entrusted judgment to Christ to avoid any resemblance of injustice on His part. In other words, because Jesus had been a human being, because Jesus had partaken of our sorrows, our pains, and our sufferings, He should be our Judge!

"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Eccles. 12:14).

It is hard to imagine the concept of judgment, at least a fair judgment, without any kind of trial or investigation. Only in nations that violate the most basic of human rights are people sentenced without any inquiry into their deeds. Even in the ancient world, an inquiry preceded judgment.

Read Judges 6:28-30, Esther 2:21-23, and Acts 25:4-12 and study the examples of an inquiry before judgment there.

In Israel's judicial proceedings, investigating the evidence was of fundamental importance. "Investigatory activities. . . had the precise aim of casting light on a particular event (crime) in such a way that—knowing what crime had been committed and knowing who was its author—it would be possible to proceed to the indictment and sentencing of the culprit in accordance with truth and justice."—Pietro Bovati, Re-establishing Justice (Sheffield, England: JSOT Press, 1994), p. 241.

Which legal procedure did God follow in the first trial recorded in the Bible? Gen. 3:8-19.

In Genesis 3:8-18 God functions as Judge and Prosecutor, who, before pronouncing the sentence, makes an investigation. He asks Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" "Who told you that you were naked?" "Have you eaten from the tree?" He gathers information that will determine the verdict. Because God knows what happened, "the purpose of the trial scene is to make clear to the man and the woman what they have done."—Claus Westermann, Genesis 1-11: A Commentary (Minneapolis, Minn.: Ausburg Publishing House, 1984), p. 254.

Study Romans 2:5-8. What insights does it reveal about judgment?

The New Testament establishes several important things about the timing of the final judgment. First, judgment generally does not take place while we are alive; character is fixed after death (the exception is the last generation).

Second, judgment is directly associated with "the day of wrath," the Second Coming (Rom. 2:5; 2 Tim. 4:1). Then each one is rewarded according to his or her works.

Third, at the return of Christ "the righteous judgment of God" will be revealed (Rom. 2:5). In this case, "judgment" refers to the legal decision arrived at by a celestial court unknown to humans. At the coming of Christ, the verdict passed in heaven is revealed: death for some; eternal life for others (vss. 6-8).

Where in salvation history did Daniel place the final judgment? Dan. 7:9, 10, 25, 26.

However unpleasant a topic, the final punishment of the lost is discussed in the Bible. The lost are described as those who, through their own choices, did not avail themselves of the light that God, in one way or another, had made available to them. Nevertheless, it is a topic of concern and importance, because it deals with what is, in many ways, the fundamental issue in the whole great controversy: the character of God.

How does Revelation 20:11-15 depict the judgment of the wicked?

The judgment of the wicked also includes an investigative component before the execution of the final sentence. This investigation takes place during the millennium and the saved ones participate in it (Rev. 20:4). It includes the passing of judgment on Satan and his angels (1 Cor. 6:2, 3; 2 Pet. 2:4). At the end of the millennium comes the execution of the sentence, which is the destruction of the wicked (Rev. 20:12-15). Study the following summary of the judgment process:

FINAL JUDGMENT

Judgment Begins	Second Coming of Christ	Millennium	Judgment Ends
Investigative judgment of saints	Rewards for the saints	Investigative judgment of the wicked	Executive judgment of the wicked
In heaven before Second Coming	On earth at Second Coming	In heaven during millennium	On earth after the millennium

Are the judgment and the gospel compatible? How do we understand the role of the judgment if we are saved by faith, without the deeds of the law? See Rom. 3:28.

In the Scriptures the gospel and the final judgment are inseparable; in fact, the gospel reaches its consummation at the judgment. Among the goals of that judgment are:

1. To reveal the truth about God's people. Judgment presupposes an uncertainty that will be resolved through an investigation, an evaluation of evidence, and a final verdict in which, at a cosmic level, God's faithful ones are vindicated (Dan. 7:22).
2. To reveal God's justice and love. The judgment does not inform God about who is forgiven or guilty; rather, it reveals the justice and love of God before the on looking universe.
3. To restore harmony in the universe. An element of disharmony fragments the universe as a result of the conflict between good and evil. The final judgment restores harmony by rewarding the forgiven and bringing to an end the presence of evil in the cosmos, cleansing it from sin. It is then that God's work of salvation through Christ will be consummated (Rev. 11:15-18).
4. To force all humans and evil powers to assume responsibility for their actions. Confronted by the evidence gathered by the Divine tribunal, every creature will have to acknowledge the righteousness of God's verdict against him or her. Those who accepted Christ as their Savior recognize that, though they deserved eternal death, it is through Christ's grace alone they have been given eternal life instead. All the wicked will recognize that they deserve to die eternally and, in the judgment, they will acknowledge the justice of the Divine verdict against them (Phil. 2:9-11).
5. To motivate personal spiritual growth. The final judgment calls us to perseverance in the Christian life; it calls for total reliance on Christ. The judgment does not make our salvation uncertain; rather, it reaffirms its exclusive certainty in Christ (Rom. 8:1). Someone once described the judgment not as a time when God decided to accept or reject us but as the time when God finalizes our choice of whether or not we have truly accepted or rejected Him. How do you view that concept of the judgment?

Read Ellen G. White, "Facing Life's Record," The Great Controversy, pp. 479-491.

Please note the following points in conclusion to this week's study:

1. The coming of the Son of man to the Ancient of Days (Dan. 7:13). "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."—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 480.

   "We are thus led to the conclusion that Dan 7:9-14 describes the eschatological Day of Atonement . . when the true high priest will come to the Ancient of Days surrounded by clouds of incense."—Crispin H. T. Fletcher-Louis, "The High Priest as Mediator in the Hebrew Bible: Dan 7:13 as a Test Case," in Society of Bible Literature 1997 Seminar Papers (Atlanta, Ga.: Scholars Press, 1997), p. 186.

2. The heavenly records. "The book of life contains the names of all who have ever entered the service of God. . . . '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. . . . There is a record also of the sins of men."—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 480, 481.

The nature of the heavenly books is unknown to us, but they clearly convey the idea that decisions made for or against a person are based on factual, objective evidence. It is because of the objective nature of the judgment that God's justice will be recognized by all (Rev. 15:4).

1. If the investigative judgment takes place in heaven, how could it be said that you will stand before the judgment seat of God? See Luke 12:8, 9; The Great Controversy, p. 482.
2. The standard used by God to evaluate the life of each individual is His law (James 2:12) and the person's response to Jesus (2 Thess. 2:12). How are the two related?
3. In the Bible and in Ellen G. White's writings, the theme of the final judgment is used to encourage us to persevere in faith or to reform our lives. How could you present that subject to others in a positive light?