Scripture Reading: Revelation 20:1-5.
There are some people that teach the investigative judgment began in 1844, but we must study the scriptures to see if this is true.
I would like to ask a question: How does God know His own children?
I John 5:12. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
If we do not have the Son, then the Father knows that we are none of His. If we do have the Son, the Father knows that we are His children.
John 6:47. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
If we believe on the Son of God, Jesus Christ, we have everlasting life. Praise the Lord!
John 3:36. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
John 3:18. “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
The Revised Version, and the original Greek, renders the word ‘condemned’ as ‘judged’. So we can see from this text that those that believe on Jesus Christ are not judged, as they have made their peace with God, and their sins have been blotted out. Our sins are removed as far from us as the east is from the west.
We find this in Psalms 103:12. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Praise the Lord for His truth!
The judgment will take place at the coming of Christ.
II Timothy 4:1. “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.”
There is no one that can dispute this statement; that Jesus Christ will judge the living and the dead at His appearing. The saints of God will have part in this, as they have made their peace with God.
How can there be any place for an investigative judgment for either dead or living when it takes place at the coming of Christ?
As I said before, the saints will judge the wicked.
I Corinthians 6:3. “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?”
John 5:24. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
Note the word ‘condemnation’ that is rendered in the original Greek ‘judgment’. Again, we can say, Praise the Lord for His Truth!
The saints of God will not be judged. They will be at the judgment scene and have a part in it, therefore, there can be no investigative judgment unless the saints of God are present. We thank God that the Judgment takes place at His coming and His appearing.
John 5:28-29. “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
“And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
Again we can see that the saints will not come into the Judgment only as they take part in judging the wicked. We will be witnesses against those that we have witnessed to that refused to accept the truth.
Acts 3:19. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”
The Lord said for us to repent, that our sins may be blotted out. The blotting out comes when we repent, and not when Christ comes. Therefore those that have accepted Christ, and had their sins blotted out, they will not be judged. It is those that have not had their sins blotted out that will come unto judgment.
Isaiah 44:22. “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.”
I 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.”
Praise the Lord, when one confesses, it is then that his sins are blotted out, and cast away from them as far as the east is from the west!
Why should anyone be brought into court, when all debts have been paid to the one we owe them to?
That would not be a fair thing, to have to go to court, and be judged after everything has been made right.
We are to confess our sins, and Jesus will blot them out, and will remember them no more.
Jeremiah 31:34. “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
This is wonderful! The Lord will not remember our sins, after we have repented and begged forgiveness, the Lord remembers our sins no more. Praise the Lord!
If we exercise godliness, we will have eternal life.
I Timothy 4:7-8. “But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
“For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”
Revelation 14:13. “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.”
Blessed are those that die in the Lord. If they would have to come into the Judgment, they would not be blessed.
Revelation 20:12-13. “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.”
I Thessalonians 4:15. “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.”
We are to remember that it was the dead that were judged, not the resurrected saints that came out of their graves at the appearing of Christ, at the beginning of the millennium age. The dead come after the 1,000 years are ended. Those that come into judgment are the wicked.
Revelation 20:6-10. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
“And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
“And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
By the scriptures that have been given, the judgment takes place at the coming of Christ, with the saints of God taking part in it.
Then at the resurrection of the dead, they have already been judged, they come against the holy city to take it. But fire comes down from God out of heaven, and devours them. Praise the Lord!
The saints have their names written in heaven, in the book of life, let us read Luke 10:20:
“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”
Praise the Lord we do not have to wait until the Judgment to know if we are going to make it through or not. But when we confess our sins, the Lord forgives us our transgressions, and we are cleansed from all unrighteousness, and our names are written in heaven.
It is those that do not accept Christ that will be judged at the coming of Christ.
The Lord recognized books in heaven, but that is not the system whereby He knows His own. He knows His own because they have Jesus Christ living in them, and they are doing His works.
The Lord Jesus has told us that His reward would be with Him when He comes.
Revelation 22:12. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
The reward of the righteous will be given to them when Jesus comes, but even though He has the reward of the wicked, they will not receive it until they are resurrected a thousand years later on.
Isaiah 40:10. “Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.”
Praise the Lord for we know His word is true!
We should be very glad that we have the truth on this question. The Lord does not want us to be ignorant of His word, therefore let us study His blessed word, and know that it is true.
When He says that His reward is with Him, we have no right to dispute it, for it is truth.
Isaiah 62:11. “Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.”
Praise the Lord there are three witnesses that the Lord has His reward with Him when He comes!
Let us read our scripture reading again, Revelation 20:1-9:
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
“And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
(Note: The Devil is dead for 1,000 years, and during this time there is no one to tempt the saints of God, and they have no opposition in the judgment.)
“And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
(Note: After the 1,000 years, Satan is loosed a little season.)
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
“And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
“And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.”
Praise the Lord!