What is the need of a judgment, and why should we be judged after we are saved?
That the Bible teaches of a coming judgment, no one can deny. We therefore need only to know the reason for it.
The true people of God, we are told, are commingled with the untrue, the “wheat” with the “tares.” The judgment, therefore, is to determine who are the “wheat” and who are the “tares,” and to designate the future of each.
According to Jesus’ parable, this work takes place in the time of harvest, the end of the world (Matt. 13:30, 40).
And as the congregation of the dead as well as the congregation of the living are commingled with the good and the bad, the judgment takes place among both, first among the dead, then among the living.
In the judgment the decision is made as to,
- Who are worthy of eternal life, and who of eternal death (John 5:28, 29);
- Who are to come up in the first resurrection (Rev. 20:6), and who in the second; also
- Who are to be translated when Jesus comes (1 Thess. 4:16, 17), and who are to perish at the brightness of His coming (2 Thess. 2:8).
This is the first aspect of the judgment, and being only a book work (Dan. 7:10), a work that does not disturb either the dead in the graves or the living in the church, it takes place in heaven.
The second aspect is not a book work but an actual separation of the dead on the resurrection day, and of the living on the day of purification–the righteous dead are raised, and the unrighteous left in their graves, the righteous living are sealed to live eternally, and the unrighteous left to die (Ezek. 9:2-7).
Thus the worthy dead are judged to rise in the first resurrection, and the unworthy in the second resurrection, whereas the worthy living are judged to live on, and the unworthy judged to die. And this is the simple reason for the judgment.
And the only way for us to escape being taken by wolves in sheeps’ clothing is if we ever remember the fact that the Judgment message, the last before Christ comes the second time, is what made us a people; that is, because the message had come, and because it had to be proclaimed, we S.D.A.’s came on the scene, and we certainly want to stay there until the work is finished.
We must not become a back number as did the Protestant churches since they rejected the messages one after another. God forbid that we should be “spued out” and lose so late in the day.
What is the Truth of the Judgment?
The Judgment, as you know, is in two separate and distinct sections, one following the other —
- The Judgment for the dead first, and
- The Judgment for the living last.
This we know is so and we must not let subversive influences, even if they be in Seventh-day Adventist’s garb, cause us to lose sight of this truth. Our part of the Judgment message since 1844 has been, as you know, to proclaim the Judgment for the dead, not for the living as yet.
What is the Judgment for the Dead?
We have been taught by Inspiration that it is to separate the good from the bad, not bodily, but in books, because before the resurrection, the dead have no being, or “portion” “in anything that is done under the sun.” — Eccl. 9:5, 6.
This judgment work is to enable the angels to know who is to come up in the first resurrection, in the resurrection of the holy ones (Rev. 20:4, 5, 11–14), and who is to come up in the second resurrection, in the resurrection of the unholy ones. To this end declares Daniel,
Dan. 7:10 – “the Judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
Thus it is that Inspiration calls the judgment work,
“the cleansing of the sanctuary” (Dan. 8:14);
That is, each professor of religion that ever died since the beginning of sin, is now judged and the case of each decided either to bring him up in the first resurrection or in the second; either to blot out from the records the name of each impenitent sinner, or to blot out for ever from the Book the sins of each penitent sinner. This has been Heaven’s work since the year 1844, and every informed Seventh-day Adventist knows it.
“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…” — “The Great Controversy,” 490.
What is the Judgment for the Living?
Now, since the message of the Judgment for the Living is of far greater importance than the message of the Judgment for the Dead, it is but expected that the Bible will have more to say about the latter than the former.
This is so because the Judgment for the Living has to do with the living themselves, with the message bearers, rather than with the dead. In importance, therefore, there is no comparison between the two.
And what happens with the righteous, and what happens with the wicked, after they are judged? —
In His parables Christ illustrates that the righteous, as good fish, are put into vessels; as wheat, they are put into the barn; and as sheep, they go into life eternal — they are placed in absolute security; sealed for eternity.
But the wicked, as bad fish, are cast out, as tares, they are burned up; and as goats, they are sent into everlasting punishment.
Thus we see that the judgment work for the living is illustrated in several ways, and is variously called:
- “Judgment” (Dan. 7:10; Rev. 14:7; 1 Pet. 4:17);
- “Cleansing of the Sanctuary” (Dan. 8:14);
- “Purify His Temple” (Mal. 3:1–3);
- “Harvest” (Matt. 13:30);
- “Mighty sifting,” “purification of the church,” (5 T., p. 80).
5. The Purification Of The Church - But the days of purification of the church are hastening on apace. God will have a people pure and true. In the mighty sifting soon to take place, we shall be better able to measure the strength of Israel. The signs reveal that the time is near when the Lord… Concerning this judgment work, the Spirit of Prophecy has this to say:
“…But the days of purification of the church are hastening on apace. God will have a people pure and true. In the mighty sifting soon to take place, we shall be better able to measure the strength of Israel. The signs reveal that the time is near when the Lord will manifest that his fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor…” — “Testimonies,” Vol. 5, pp. 80, 81.
The fact that the message of the Judgment for the Living is by far more widely treated by all the Bible prophets than is the Judgment for the Dead, is in itself proof positive that it is supremely important. We can, however, treat of it only very briefly herein:
As shown before, in the Judgment for the Dead the sinners are separated from the righteous in books only, but in the Judgment for the Living the sinners and the righteous are bodily separated one from the other as Inspiration through the prophet Ezekiel explains:
Ezek. 9:4–6 —“And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
“And to the others He said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.
“Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.”
The prophet Isaiah adds:
Isa. 66:15–20 —“For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with His chariots like a whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire.
“For by fire and by His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.
“They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord…
“And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the Isles afar off, that have not heard My fame, neither have seen My glory; and they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.
“And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to My holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.”
In this separation, the following distinct and supremely important points stand out plainly:
- Since the victims of the slaughter are those who against their God-given knowledge indulge in swine’s flesh and other abominations; and
- Since those who escape are versed in the gospel work enough to be sent to preach it to the Gentiles;
- This slaughter, therefore, is seen to take place in the church;
- Those who escape, according to Ezekiel, are those who sigh and cry against the abominations, and thus receive the mark of deliverance;
- Since they are sent to preach the gospel to the Gentiles after they escape the slaughter, they are “the remnant,” those that are left, the future servants of God;
- Since they are to gather from the Gentiles all their brethren, all that can possibly be saved, they are the ones who finish the gospel work in all the world;
- Since there are two separations — one from the church (Israelites), and one from the Gentiles, — those who escape and those who are gathered in — then the former are the first fruits and the latter the second fruits — those of Revelation 7:4, 7–9; one from the tribes of Israel, and one from the Gentile nations.
Is the Slaughter of Ezekiel 9 Literal?
“Study the 9th chapter of Ezekiel. These words will be literally fulfilled; yet the time is passing, and the people are asleep. They refuse to humble their souls and to be converted. Not a great while longer will the Lord bear with the people who have such great and important truths revealed to them, but who refuse to bring these truths into their individual experience… Letter 106, 1909, pp. 2, 3, 5, 7. (To “The churches in Oakland and Berkeley,” September 26, 1909.)” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 1, p. 260, par. 2.
This slaughter is literal, it is to separate and release God’s people from sin and sinners, otherwise the marking would be of no value. Ezekiel saw them as literally slain (Ezek. 9:8). The wrath of God cannot, and never has been spiritual.
“We are amid the perils of the last days, the time will soon come when the prophecy of Ezekiel 9 will be fulfilled; that prophecy should be carefully studied, for it will be fulfilled to the very letter…” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, p. 1303, par. 1.
Moreover, the Spirit of Prophecy predicts that when the message of Ezekiel 9 is proclaimed to the church, some will deny its literal fulfillment:
“The church, the Lord’s sanctuary,” is “the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God. The ancient men, those to whom God had given great light, and who had stood as guardians of the spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust. They had taken the position that we need not look for miracles and the marked manifestations of God’s power as in former days.
Times have changed. These words strengthen their unbelief and they say, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil. He is too merciful to visit his people in judgment.
Thus peace and safety is the cry from men who will never again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God’s people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs, that would not bark, are the ones who feel the just vengeance of an offended God. Men, maidens, and little children, all perish together.” — Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 211.
Only those who say, “We need not look for miracles and the marked manifestation of God’s power as in former days,” think that the slaughter is not literal.
Perhaps the minds of those who are so slow to believe all that the prophets have written would be exercised by our asking them to explain where Inspiration teaches of a spiritual slaughter, and what reason would there be for it? When did God manifest His power in former days in a spiritual slaughter?
“God will not slay His people,” “The church is His most precious object on earth,” they say. Of course, the church is His most precious object on earth, and that is just exactly why He is to cleanse it, that is why He is to slay the wicked in the midst of her and seal (preserve) the penitent so that He may have a church clean, “without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing.” — Eph. 5:27.
Hence, the slaughter of Isaiah 66:16, and of Ezekiel 9:5–7, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 211, Vol. 3, p. 267 are the same thing — the purification of the church (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 80), after the sealing of the 144,000 (Testimonies to Ministers, 445), at which time it could be said:
“Clad in the armor of Christ’s righteousness, the church is to enter upon her final conflict. ‘Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners,’ she is to go forth into all the world, conquering and to conquer.” — “Prophets and Kings,” p. 725.
9. The Premillennial Kingdom - The Jews had built up an erroneous conception of what the Kingdom was to be, and how and when it was to come, and so when the Lord exposed their misconceptions, they became indignant. They were very angry, not because the Kingdom which the Saviour disclosed was not much more… 
