Session 16 - God’s Court of Justice

Steps to Life

Prophecy Seminar

Session 16: God’s Court of Justice

In recent times the American public has vicariously participated in a number of famous court cases. CIA official Aldrich Ames and his wife Rosario pleaded guilty in April 1994 to selling secrets to the Soviet Union and Russsia. During that same month the president’s wife, at her first press conference, answered questions about their involvement in the Whitewater affair. Ex-football great O.J. Simpson led police on a chase in a white Ford Bronco, before being arrested and charged with murdering his ex-wife and a male friend of hers. That court case was on the front page of news for months.

When the jury finally returns and the spokesman stands up to read the verdict, the suspense and tension is great because everybody realizes that the whole future on the accused depends on the verdict. Will the man walk like O.J. did or will a "guilty" verdict send the man to prison to await, and count off the days until his execution, never again to have freedom or to enjoy his family at home like John Brown who was hanged for treason in 1859.

Yes, what suspense surrounds a court when deciding the life of a man. And yet, how small in comparison is the importance and suspense of the earthly court to the eternal court above that decides the eternal destiny of every soul.

We Are All To Be Judged

2 Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

Let me ask you, my friend, since the Bible says that we must all stand before the judgment bar of Almighty God, shouldn’t we look honestly at the proceedings of this eternal court? Or should we just try to find some popular opinion or teaching and hope that will get us by? The results are pretty important.

Yes, friend, we all have a court summons. Every one of us must stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Now Christ, of course, knows the true case of every individual. This court of Christ is not for Himself, but it is for others in the courtroom such as the angels of heaven, and for the defendant, that he might know he received a fair trial. "We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ."

How Would You Plead?

Let me ask you, if you were to stand before the judgment seat today, how would you plead? Of course, it does not matter how a man pleads or what his profession may be, his character will be judged according to God’s standard—His holy law. All who are found lawbreakers are convicted of high treason against the government of God and are found guilty, but all who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and have allowed Him to write the principles of His law in their hearts will be found innocent.

The Bible says that many people are going to plead innocent but will still be lost. We have ample proof of that fact here:

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ "

Thus they plead innocent. But what is the court’s decision, and what is it based upon?

Matthew 7:23 "And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ "

They have many wonderful works, but they have not kept the law of God. Thus they prove that they are not loyal to His government, but are in league with the enemy of God and have received his mark. They are untrustworthy. Of all men they are most guilty, for they have made a profession of godliness but have practiced iniquity. It is worse to act as if you are on God’s side but be disloyal and commit treason, than to be out and out for the enemy.

False Professors Are the Most Guilty

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold not hot, I will spew you out of My mouth."

Those who profess loyalty but who receive the mark of the Beast; those who accept the Beast’s authority above God’s laws, receive the worst possible condemnation.

Revelation 14:9 "Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.’ "

Tonight, I would like to show how we can be found worthy of eternal life at this court of the ages. First, let us look a little closer at the court itself.

Record Keeping in the Courts of Heaven

This court is far too serious to be taken lightly. There are no appeals of the decisions of this court—its decisions are final. There is no higher court to appeal to. Therefore, due to the very serious nature of this court, God wants to make sure that everyone knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that justice has been done.

Thus, to prepare for this judgment, although God knows every detail of our life (even the hairs of our head), He has the angels keep very accurate and detailed information on every living soul. God wants permanent, open records for all to see.

So there are books of records kept. Now I don’t know what kind of books there are in heaven, God gave descriptions to the prophets in terminology that they could understand. Certainly, the God who made the microscopic brain cell with its millions of units of information all accurately stored within, has technology far in advance of even the most modern computers. I am sure He has everything down in living color.

Everything that you have ever done, dear friend, is faithfully recorded in the records of heaven. Every item on your income tax is recorded there. Every statement to your children, even the tone of your voice, is faithfully chronicled. Every activity you have ever engaged in, every book you have ever read, every program you have ever watched, every statement you have made about your parents or your boss, whether good or bad, is faithfully recorded. In the judgment it is all going to come to light.

The Secret Things Are Recorded Too

Matthew 10:25 "It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known."

Notice, there is nothing hidden that will not be known. Everything is going to come up in the judgment.

Matthew 12:36 "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment."

Ecclesiastes 12:14 "For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil."

Not only are all our deeds faithfully recorded, but our very thoughts are faithfully recorded. In speaking of the judgment, Isaiah says:

Isaiah 66:15 "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. 16 For by fire and by His sword the Lord will judge all flesh; and the slain of the Lord shall be many. . . . 18 ‘For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory.’ "

Have you ever stopped to contemplate that every thought of your mind is faithfully chronicled? When we consider that even our thoughts are going to be judged, it adds a new dimension to the situation. If I were to ask now, as I asked at the beginning, how many of us would be willing to stand in the judgment today, I wonder how many would still be willing to stand before the judgment bar of God right now. Would you be willing to face the record of your thoughts you believed that no one knew about? Those thoughts you believed were your private domain and business.

Yes, the judgment is a very serious matter. Today, all of us are on probation. We are born in sin, condemned to death, but Jesus came down to give us another chance, to place us on probation. The thought that after accepting Jesus as our Savior, we are then put on probation to see what we do with Jesus, whether or not we will obey Him, may come as a startling and even unwelcomed surprise to many, but it is true. In fact, it is precisely those who have accepted Jesus who are on probation. The other people are not on probation, they are already lost.

Two Sets of Books

Notice that there are two sets of books mentioned as being in heaven.

When we are born, we are born in a state of sin. The unconverted is lost already. He doesn’t need a trial, although a faithful record of his life is still kept. There is a record of every detail of every living soul who has ever lived on earth. But the unconverted person has already pleaded guilty by his very profession, there is no need of a trial for the one who pleads guilty, unless it be to find out just how guilty he is.

John 3:17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

Jesus did not come to condemn but to save, but those who don’t come to Him are condemned already. When we come to Christ and accept Him as our Savior, then our sins are pardoned and our names are registered in the book of life. In the Bible, that is called justification. Only those who have their names written in the book of life are going to be saved.

Revelation 21:27 "But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life."

Those who are taken to heaven are those whose names have been found written in "the Lamb’s Book of Life." When we accept Jesus as our Savior, our names are registered in His book of life; our sins are covered by His blood; and we are saved. But (and this is the point many people miss), we are SAVED ON PROBATION. That is what this life is all about. It is a probationary period in which to find out whether we are safe or not for God to take to heaven. Jesus once told a parable about a wedding feast that illustrates the gospel call and the ensuing judgment.

Jesus’ Parable of Explanation

Matthew 22:2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, ‘See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.’ ’ 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen."

In this parable, many people were invited to the feast, but only a few came. Those who came represent those who accept Jesus as their Savior. But to all who accept Jesus as their Savior, God offers to them a new character, which is represented by the wedding garment. This is a new character of righteousness. In the Bible, that is called sanctification.

Ezekiel 36:23 " ‘And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,’ says the Lord God, ‘when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.’ "

This change that must take place within a person’s life after he accepts Jesus is called the new birth, the new heart, conversion, and sanctification. This is accomplished by Jesus living out His life within us. While justification and forgiveness is a matter of a moment, sanctification and character change is a matter of a lifetime. As we day by day walk with God, He changes us into His likeness. He changes our characters from characters of selfishness to characters of righteousness. In the parable, this new character is illustrated by the wedding garment. Everyone who is saved must have on the wedding garment. The good news is that Christ accounts us to have been perfected if we are in the process of allowing Him to change our characters.

Let us look at practically the same parable that we just read from Matthew, but as recorded in Revelation.

Revelation 19:7 " ‘Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.’ 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, ‘Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!" ’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’ "

As the King James Version says, "the fine linen (the wedding garment) is the righteousness of the saints." It is one thing to make a profession of accepting Christ, but it is another thing to allow Him to be our Savior by allowing Him to change our characters, our thoughts, our motives, and our desires. Jesus wants to give us new characters.

Summary of What We Have Learned Thus Far

What have we learned so far? 1. Everyone must stand before the judgment seat of Christ, the wicked as well as the righteous. 2. Those who, having had opportunity (James 4:17), have not accepted Christ (Acts 4:12; John 3:18), thereby plead guilty. There is no further need of deliberation at this time. 3. Those who accept Christ have their names written in the "Lamb’s book of life." They thus plead innocent on account of Jesus’ blood covering their sins. These are judged to see whether or not they really have accepted Christ and whether they have maintained that decision. 4. In deciding this issue, every deed is inspected and every thought is examined.

What Does It Mean To Accept Jesus?

When a person accepts Jesus as his Savior, Jesus promises to free him from the slavery of sin. Jesus did not come to save us IN sin, but FROM sin. Sin is the great curse of the universe; it is rebellion and separation from God.

Matthew 1:21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

John 8:34 "Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. . . . 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.’ "

Romans 8:2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that is was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh. 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

1 John 3:4 "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."

Jesus came to give us new characters. That is the clear teaching of the Bible. There is no one who has fallen so low that Jesus cannot save. There is no alcoholic that is too weak for God to break that power of alcohol. There is no one who has fallen into the sin of adultery that God can’t cleanse, not just in the books of heaven but in the very heart, the mind, and the thoughts. There is no one who is a slave to the slave-master of nicotine or opium or whatever other drug a person may be killing himself with, that God cannot give a new life of freedom to. And friend, until Jesus saves us from these sins, He is not yet our Savior, because that is what He came to save us from.

Are We Saved By Works?

Does that mean we are saved by works? By no means. For there is no amount of works that can cover our past transgressions, no matter how good we may become. You cannot clear a speeding ticket by driving the speed limit all the way to the court house, the judge won’t hear such an argument. The law was broken and the penalty has to be paid. So it is with sin, which is the breaking of God’s law. The penalty for sin is death. Jesus suffered that penalty for us that we might have life. BUT HE ONLY OFFERS HIS FREE PARDON FROM SIN TO THOSE WHO ARE THEN AND THERE WILLING TO QUIT SINNING. God’s pardon is free to all who are truly sorry for sin but we must be sorry. We must be so sorry that we never want to sin again. To receive forgiveness we must repent. As Peter said on the day of Pentecost:

Acts 3:19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."

When Jesus forgives our past sins, He also cleanses our characters. Unless we are willing for Him to cleanse us, He will not forgive our sins, for we are not sorry. A judge does not freely pardon someone for breaking the speed limit just so he can break it again. In fact, a judge will NOT freely pardon someone unless he thinks he is truly sorry and will try not to do it again.

Good Works

Our good works cannot save us nor cleanse us from past transgressions, that is a free gift from God yet, God will not give that gift of salvation to us unless we are willing to do good works and cease living a life of sin. The good works do not save us, but they show whether or not Jesus is abiding in our hearts; they show whether we are truly sorry for our past transgressions and have truly accepted Jesus as our Savior. THAT IS WHY JESUS CAN JUDGE US ACCORDING TO OUR WORKS, ALTHOUGH WORKS DO NOT SAVE US. If there is anything plain in the Bible, it is the fact that we are judged according to our works. People can make fun of that idea and can ridicule it and laugh at it all they want, but it is still what the Bible says. Those who scoff at such an idea are really scoffing at God and His Word.

Matthew 16:27 "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."

Revelation 20:12 "And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works."

Yes, friend, good works are very important. People who make fun of good works are doing the work of Satan, who is trying to keep us from being saved. Good works are very important because we are judged according to our works. Our works decide whether or not we are going to be saved. They show whether or not we have accepted Jesus into our life.

Are we, therefore, saved by works? By no means. First, as we have already pointed out, good works cannot cleanse from past transgressions, that is the free work of grace provided for us by the merits of Jesus’ death. Second, we cannot perform any good works on our own. We cannot change our characters, that is also a free gift.

Jeremiah 13:23 "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil."

Oh, we may change a few outward performances, but remember, God reads the heart. It is the thoughts of the heart that need cleansing. It is the works of the mind that God judges along with the deeds of the body. It is the mind and the thoughts that most need changing, and only God can do that.

Romans 8:7 "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be."

It is one thing not to kill; it is another thing not to enjoy programs of killing on television. It is one thing not to physically commit adultery; it is another thing to keep one’s eyes and mind focused on Jesus rather than on some sex object. According to Jesus, we can commit adultery by enjoying a novel on adultery as well as by committing the act.

Matthew 5:27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

The heart, mind and thoughts are what need cleansing the most, and only God can do that. The difference between legalism and righteousness is that legalism is only the outward performance of works, while the mind continues to harbor pride, selfishness, hate, and lustful thoughts. Legalism is only the vain works of man that amount to nothing. It is the kind of religion the Pharisees had in Jesus’ day; they were keeping the law on the outside, but on the inside they were hating and planning to kill Him.

John 7:19 "None of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?"

Matthew 23:25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

Did Jesus say not to be clean? No, but He said to clean the inside of the cup as well, anything else would be only hypocrisy and legalism. It is in our minds and our hearts that Jesus wants to write His law.

Hebrews 10:16 " ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,’ says the Lord: ‘I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them.’ "

In the judgment, our characters are judged according to this law, to see whether or not we have really allowed Jesus to be our Savior.

James 2:10 "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty."

Once We Are Saved, Are We Always Saved?

Don’t let anyone fool you with the pleasing but fatal delusion that once you accept Christ you are saved, regardless of what you may do thereafter. You are not saved from alcoholism if you are still drinking. You are not saved from sin if you are still sinning. Jesus came to save us from our sins. When we accept Jesus, our names are registered in the "Lamb’s book of life," but in the judgment our characters are judged to see if we not only accepted Christ, but to see if we maintained that relationship and allowed Jesus to change our lives.

At that time, the records in heaven are brought up to date and the books are cleansed. In prophecy, this is called the cleansing of the sanctuary. At that time, if our sins are all covered by the blood of Christ and if our characters have been changed, our sins will all be blotted out. If our characters have not been changed, our names will be blotted out of the book of life and Jesus will no longer be our Savior. We will be lost and held accountable for every sin we have ever committed.

Ezekiel 18:24 "But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die. 25 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?"

Exodus 32:33 "And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.’ "

Revelation 3:5 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."

The teachings of God are too plain to be misunderstood. When we accept Jesus, our names are registered in the book of life. Then we must follow Him step by step. If at any point we refuse to follow Him any further, we have thereby rejected Him as our Savior, and in the judgment our names will be blotted out of His book of life. All the good deeds we may have done at one time because of the indwelling of Christ will be for nothing. There is nothing plainer in the Bible than the fact that our names can and will be blotted out of the book of life if we refuse to accept further light as Jesus reveals it to us, if we refuse to be cleansed from sin, or if our thoughts, motives and characters are not changed, in other words, if we have not truly been born again.

A Very Serious Matter

This is a very serious matter. When Jesus comes we will either be completely saved or completely lost. There will not be a middle ground. Either we will have totally accepted Christ and have been changed into His image, or we will have rejected Him. Either we will or will not have followed Jesus all the way. The way God tells whether we have followed Jesus all the way or not is to see whether His law is written in our hearts and characters.

James 1:21 "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."

Ecclesiastes 12:13 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil."

There is no such thing as accepting Jesus part way. Either we accept Him all the way or we do not really accept Him at all. There is no such thing as having Him write part of the law in our hearts, either He writes it all there, as we have opportunity to learn, or He doesn’t write it there at all. As James 2:10 says, "Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."

The law is the standard by which we can tell whether or not Christ abides inside. Until we look at God’s law, we may think we are pretty good, but when we look to see whether God’s law is written in our hearts, then we see whether Jesus really abides within or whether we have been deceived.

Romans 7:7 "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’ 8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. 9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died."

We are all to stand before the judgment seat of Christ to be judged according to the law, to see whether our works are good or bad, but it is the law written within that really counts; it is the law written in our thoughts, our hearts, our motives, that God is going to look at. What we do and what we think will clearly reveal whether or not Jesus abides within us. This is what the new birth is all about. When Jesus comes in, we become new creatures even our thoughts are changes.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ "

Daniel Was Shown the Judgment

Yes, friend, the judgment is a very serious matter. God has a faithful record of every thought and action of our life. In the court of heaven, that record is going to be faithfully and carefully reviewed. Shortly after the completion of the 1260-year religious-political reign of the little horn in Daniel 7, Daniel was shown the following event happening in heaven.

Daniel 7:9 "I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; 10 a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened."

Our life records are going to be faithfully reviewed. They will reveal what the priority in your life and my life was—whether it was pleasure, popularity, or salvation; whether it was the Word of God or the latest movie. Whom did you love the most, your car, your spouse, your children, your money, or God? Your thoughts and your actions are all going to be faithfully reviewed.

Philippians 2:12 "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

There Is A Place For True Guilt

Everyone is going to feel guilty sometime, either now while Jesus can cleanse him of his sins, or after Jesus comes, when it will be too late. I personally would rather feel guilty now and come to the foot of the cross, confessing my sins and asking for pardon and cleansing.

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

2 Corinthians 6:1 "We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

Although it is not preached about much today (people want to hear pleasing sermons and preachers want to preach what is popular), yet the judgment was one of the central themes of Paul’s preaching, and it made men "afraid."

Acts 24:25 "Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, ‘Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.’ "

Felix was lost because he procrastinated. The convenient time never came. Friends, I do not want to face my life record without Jesus’ blood covering every sin. I have committed too many sins, I do not want to have to stand trial alone for them. When God looks at my record, I want Him to find "pardon" written by every sin. I want Jesus to be my advocate because He lives in my heart, and because I have allowed Him to change my life and character.

Whom Do We Love the Most?

The real question that will be answered in the judgment is, Whom did we love the most? To get into heaven, we must love and trust God the most. Jesus said:

Matthew 10:37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."

How is it that we show our love for Jesus?

John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments."

Obeying Jesus is more important than any other consideration in life. Jesus said it is more important than even friend or family.

Matthew 16:24 "Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

In comparison with the judgment, everything else pales in significance. God’s basic question is, Are we safe to take to heaven and to trust throughout all eternity? Have we made Him first? Do we love Him and trust Him? Have we allowed Him to change our lives? Have we made Him first in our lives, even before husband, wife, employer or any other consideration?

Jesus Will See You Through

Dear friend, if you do not feel that you are ready for the judgment tonight, God can help you. If you accept Jesus now, you will be saved. And if you continue to let Jesus live in your life, you will continue to be saved. Jesus has promised to go with you every step of the way.

Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Jesus has promised to go with you every step of the way. You, with Paul, can claim the following promises:

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

God will both forgive you of every sin you have ever committed and save you from every temptation. If you should fall, He will forgive you again.

1 John 2:1 "My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him."

I want to "know" that I am in Him and He is in me. I want to "know" that my sins are forgiven. I want to "know" that He is my Advocate in the heavenly court. Is that your desire, too?

What is the special sign that God has given that shows that you have promised God that you will keep His law and that therefore you have been adopted and are one of His children?

Exodus 31:13-18 "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ 18 And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God."

The Sabbath is a sign that we are under God’s covenant, that we have chosen to keep his law, that we have covenanted with God that we will not commit adultery, or steal, or lie, or dishonor our parents, or covet somebody else’s wife or house or money, and we will not dishonor God’s name, or worship idols, or place our affections on other gods. And God says if you keep my Sabbaths, I will acknowledge you as mine and I will make you holy (Ezekiel 20:12,20). Paul says that the Sabbath rest remains under the new covenant (Hebrews 4). Bible prophecy predicts that the antichrist power, the little horn, would think to change the Sabbath commandment, the beast power would attempt to change the time in God’s law (Daniel 7:25) and millions of people would be deceived. But in the last days the book of Revelation predicts that God will still have a remnant people who keep all His commandments. These are the people who will pass the judgment and be admitted into heaven and given eternal life.

Somebody says, "Oh my great grandfather kept Sunday and he was a good Christian." Of course millions of people kept Sunday thinking that it was the Bible Sabbath, millions of people have lived up to all the spiritual light that they had and they will be saved. Millions of people in the dark ages never saw a copy of the Bible in their whole life. Nobody is condemned in the judgment because they conscientiously believed a lie. But and here is the catch, we will be condemned in the judgment if we reject the truth, if we do not believe the truth, if we neglect the opportunity of learning truth that will condemn us in the judgment.

A lady whose husband died as a Christian but a Sunday-keeper told me, "We thought we were doing what was right, we did not know about the Sabbath." As she studied II Corinthians 8:12, she realized that even though her husband could be saved because he was living up to the light he knew, she could not be saved unless she also lived up to the light that she now knew, that is why she is a Sabbath-keeper today. Eve really believed the words of Satan, but her belief did not save her from the penalty of sin. She disbelieved the words of God, and this was what led to her fall. In the judgment men will not be condemned because they conscientiously believed a lie, but because they did not believe the truth, because they neglected the opportunity of learning what is truth.

Notwithstanding the sophistry of Satan to the contrary, it is always disastrous to disobey God. We must set our hearts to know what is truth. All the lessons which God has caused to be placed on record in His word are for our warning and instruction. They are given to save us from deception. Their neglect will result in ruin to ourselves. Whatever contradicts God’s word, we may be sure proceeds from Satan. Jesus is coming soon in the clouds of heaven, and there is going to be a church waiting and ready to meet Him who the Bible says will be judged by God as holy, spotless and without blemish (Revelation 14:1–5; II Peter 3:14; I John 3:1–3; Ephesians 5:25–27; I Corinthians 1:4–8). These people will be translated to heaven without seeing death, and they are described in Revelation as commandment-keepers, as Sabbath-keepers.

We are living in the last days just before Jesus comes again. This is the most awful and the most grand time of earth’s history. It is a time of great privilege. If you want to be part of that special group of people who will be waiting to see Jesus come and be translated to heaven without seeing death, now is the time to commit your way fully to God and promise Him that by His grace you will manifest your love for Jesus, your Redeemer by keeping His law, His day, His Sabbath which will keep your from receiving the mark of the beast, the mark of destruction (Revelation 22:14).

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Last Updated: 06/18/03