Bible Study Guides – “The Hour of His Judgment Is Come”

June 2, 2013 – June 8, 2013

Key Text

“Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:7.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 467, 468; Ibid., 424–428.

Introduction

“The announcement, ‘The hour of His judgment is come’ (Revelation 14:7), points to the closing work of Christ’s ministration for the salvation of men.” The Great Controversy, 435.

1 STANDING BEFORE THE JUDGMENT SEAT

  • Why are we to fear God now more than ever? Revelation 14:7; II Corinthians 5:10.

Note: “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 us, they will bear their testimony to justify or condemn.” The Great Controversy, 486, 487.

  • What should be our great concern in view of the judgment? I Peter 4:17, 18.

Note: “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 Great Controversy, 490.

2 OUR ONLY HOPE

  • What is our only hope in the judgment? I John 2:1, 2.

Note: “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 Great Controversy, 484.

  • What distinction is made between Christ’s true followers and those who only profess to believe in Him? I John 2:4–6.

Note: “There are only two classes in the world today, and only two classes will be recognized in the judgment—those who violate God’s law and those who obey it.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 283.

  • When and how does this distinction become unmistakably clear? Matthew 7:21–23.

Note: “Christ has plainly taught that those who persist in open sin must be separated from the church, but He has not committed to us the work of judging character and motive. He knows our nature too well to entrust this work to us.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 71.

“Sinners who make a pretension of piety mingle for a time with the true followers of Christ, and the semblance of Christianity is calculated to deceive many; but in the harvest of the world there will be no likeness between good and evil. Then those who have joined the church, but who have not joined Christ, will be manifest.” Ibid., 74.

3 THE STANDARD IN THE JUDGMENT

  • By what standard will all be judged? Romans 2:12; 3:19; James 2:10–12.

Note: “The law of God existed before man was created. It was adapted to the condition of holy beings; even angels were governed by it. After the Fall, the principles of righteousness were unchanged. Nothing was taken from the law; not one of its holy precepts could be improved. And as it has existed from the beginning, so will it continue to exist throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. ‘Concerning thy testimonies,’ says the psalmist, ‘I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever’ (Psalm 119:152).

“By this law, which governs angels, which demands purity in the most secret thoughts, desires, and dispositions, and which shall ‘stand fast for ever’ (Psalm 111:8), all the world is to be judged in the rapidly approaching day of God. Transgressors may flatter themselves that the Most High does not know, that the Almighty does not consider; He will not always bear with them. Soon they will receive the reward of their doings, the death that is the wages of sin; while the righteous nation, that have kept the law, will be ushered through the pearly gates of the celestial city, and will be crowned with immortal life and joy in the presence of God and the Lamb.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 220.

  • How does the amount of light we have received relate to our accountability in the judgment? Luke 12:47, 48.

Note: “God’s test of the heathen, who have not the light, and of those living where the knowledge of truth and light has been abundant, is altogether different. He accepts from those in heathen lands a phase of righteousness which does not satisfy Him when offered by those of Christian lands. He does not require much where much has not been bestowed.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1121.

“The law and the prophets are God’s appointed agencies for the salvation of men. Christ said, Let them give heed to these evidences. If they do not listen to the voice of God in His word, the testimony of a witness raised from the dead would not be heeded.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 265.

4 A DECISIVE QUESTION

  • What question, asked in the judgment, will decide the eternal destiny of each one of us? Matthew 19:16, 17.

Note: “The only question asked in the judgment will be, ‘Have they been obedient to My commandments?’ Petty strife and contention over questions of no importance has no part in God’s great plan. Those who teach the truth should be men of solid minds, who will not lead their hearers into a field of thistles, as it were, and leave them there.

“The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths cluster. In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, must be studied in the light that streams from the cross of Calvary. I present before you the great, grand monument of mercy and regeneration, salvation and redemption—the Son of God uplifted on the cross. This is to be the foundation of every discourse given by our ministers.” Gospel Workers, 315.

“In His teaching He [Christ] ever presented the law as a divine unity, showing that it is impossible to keep one precept and break another; for the same principle runs through all. Man’s destiny will be determined by his obedience to the whole law.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 377, 378.

  • By what principles must we be governed now, on earth, if we want to have a place in heaven? Luke 10:25–28; John 5:2, 3.

Note: “Both the poor and the rich are deciding their own eternal destiny and proving whether they are fit subjects for the inheritance of the saints in light. Those who put their riches to a selfish use in this world are revealing attributes of character that show what they would do if they had greater advantages, and possessed the imperishable treasures of the kingdom of God. The selfish principles exercised on the earth are not the principles which will prevail in heaven. All men stand on an equality in heaven; for there is no caste with God. Christ said, ‘All ye are brethren’ (Matthew 23:8).” The Review and Herald, March 31, 1896.

“In heaven none will think of self, nor seek their own pleasure; but all, from pure, genuine love, will seek the happiness of the heavenly beings around them. If we wish to enjoy heavenly society in the earth made new, we must be governed by heavenly principles here.” In Heavenly Places, 233.

5 REPRESENTATIONS OF THE JUDGMENT

  • What prophecy points to the investigative judgment? Malachi 3:1. How is this depicted in the parable of the wedding garment? Matthew 22:11–14.

Note: “The coming of Christ as our high priest to the most holy place, for the cleansing of the sanctuary, brought to view in Daniel 8:14; the coming of the Son of man to the Ancient of Days, as presented in Daniel 7:13; and the coming of the Lord to His temple, foretold by Malachi, are descriptions of the same event.” The Great Controversy, 426.

  • How does Daniel describe the investigative judgment? Daniel 7:9–13. What will Christ receive after the judgment, and what will be the next great event? Daniel 7:14; Luke 12:36; Revelation 22:12.

Note: “The followers of Christ are to ‘wait for their Lord, when He will return from the wedding’ (Luke 12:36). But they are to understand His work, and to follow Him by faith as He goes in before God. It is in this sense that they are said to go in to the marriage.” [Author’s italics.] The Great Controversy, 427.

“Christ, as stated by the prophet Daniel, will receive from the Ancient of Days in heaven, ‘dominion, and glory, and a kingdom;’ He will receive the New Jerusalem, the capital of His kingdom, ‘prepared as a bride adorned for her husband’ (Daniel 7:14; Revelation 21:2). Having received the kingdom, He will come in His glory, as King of kings and Lord of lords, for the redemption of His people.” Ibid.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 Why should believers in the present truth be especially aware of the timing of the judgment?

2 What distinguishes the heirs of salvation?

3 Why is there only one standard in the judgment, yet various levels of accountability?

4 What attitudes prepare our minds for life in heaven?

5 How are we to understand the parable of the wedding garment?

© 2007 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.