3.) The Judgment of the Living and the Blotting Out of Sin
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For 6000 years, the problem of sin has been uppermost in the attention of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and all the heavenly hosts. The sin and rebellion which was begun by Lucifer and eventually took a third of the angels of Heaven, is like a virulent cancer which is of such a seditious nature that without the intervention of all of Heaven, it could have spread even to the other worlds. The Bible says:
"And there was war in Heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in Heaven. The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in Heaven say: 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.'" Rev. 12:7-12.
And now, as a result of this war that began in Heaven and then spread to this earth when Adam and Eve sinned, each of us, whether we choose to be or not, is involved in the outcome of this cosmic conflict. Fortunately, long before the seeds of sin began in the heart of Lucifer, God formulated a plan of rescue:
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will -- to the praise of His glorious grace which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment -- to bring all things in Heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will." Eph. 1:3-11.
We know this to be the plan of redemption, or salvation. In other words, we are to be redeemed back from the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, when they fell in the Garden of Eden to the wily lies of the devil and plunged the whole human race into sin and death. Through Jesus we can be restored to our original perfection of character which was given to Adam and Eve at their creation. Remember - our original plan of perfection through Christ was provided for before Adam and Eve sinned; and it is to this original plan that we are to be restored.
"There are those who are forever making excuses for walking in the counsels of the enemy.... But has Jesus made no provision for such ones to overcome temptation?... Are not the rays of Christ's righteousness enough to dispel the shadows of Satan? The grace of God is declared to be sufficient for all the ills and trials against which human beings have to contend.... Oh how precious is Jesus to the soul who trusts in Him.... Never for a moment should we allow Satan to think that his power to distress and annoy is greater than the power of Christ to uphold and strengthen." TDG 177.
"In Christ dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily. This is why, although He was tempted in all points like as we are, He stood before the world, from His first entrance into it, untainted by corruption, though surrounded by it. Are we not also to become partakers of this fullness, and is it not thus, and thus only that we can overcome as He overcame? We lose much by not dwelling constantly upon the character of Christ." 7BC 907.
"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with a circumcision done by Christ." Col. 2:9-11.
"When He comes He is not to cleanse us of our sins, to remove from us the defects in our characters, or to cure us of the infirmities of our tempers and dispositions. If wrought for us at all, this work will all be accomplished before that time. When the Lord comes, those who are holy will be holy still. Those who have preserved their bodies and spirits in holiness, in sanctification and honor, will then receive the finishing touch of immortality. But those who are unjust, unsanctified, and filthy will remain so forever. No work will then be done for them to remove their defects and give them holy characters. The Refiner does not then sit to pursue His refining process and remove their sins and their corruption. This is all to be done in these hours of probation. It is now that this work is to be accomplished for us." 2T 355.
"There is no change of character when Christ comes. The character building is to go on during the hours of probation." 7BC 990.
"Character cannot be changed when Christ comes.... Character building must be done in this life." TM 430.
"We cannot do evil and work wickedness, and yet stand justified before God at last. Now is our day of probation, and we are now to perfect characters that will stand the test of the judgment. When Christ comes, there is to be no change of character; those who are alive and remain... will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, if their characters are blameless and pure. Transformation of character must take place during the precious hours of probation." ST 8/29/1892.
Often when we pray for Christlikeness of character, we are brought into circumstances that bring out all the evil of our natures. God brings us in His providence into different positions designed to discover in our character the defects which have been concealed from our knowledge and give us an opportunity to correct them, and to fit ourselves for His service. Often He permits the fires of affliction to assail us that we may be purified (MH 470, 71).
"Every follower of Christ should daily examine himself, that he may become perfectly acquainted with his own conduct. There is with nearly all a neglect of self-examination.... Many see and feel their lack, yet they seem to be ignorant of the influence they exert. They are conscious of their actions as they perform them, but suffer them to pass from their memory, and therefore do not reform. If ministers would make the actions of each day a subject of careful thought and deliberate review, with the object to become acquainted with their own habits of life, they would better know themselves. By a close scrutiny of their daily life under all circumstances, they would know their own motives, the principles which actuate them. This daily review of our acts to see whether conscience approves or condemns, is necessary for all who wish to arrive at the perfection of Christian character." 2T 511, 12.
"I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, 'What have I done?'" Jer. 8:6.
“But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness” Mal. 3:2, 3.
"A refining, purifying process is going on among the people of God, and the Lord of hosts has set His hand to this work. This process is most trying to the soul, but it is necessary in order that defilement may be removed. Trials are essential in order that we may be brought close to our heavenly Father, in submission to His will, that we may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.... The Lord brings His children over the same ground again and again, increasing the pressure until perfect humility fills the mind, and the character is transformed; then they are victorious over self, and in harmony with Christ in the Spirit of Heaven. The purification of God's people cannot be accomplished without suffering.... He passes us from one fire to another, testing our true worth. True grace is willing to be tried. If we are loath to be searched by the Lord, our condition is one of peril....
"It is in mercy that the Lord reveals to men their hidden defects. He would have them critically examine the complicated emotions and motives of their own hearts, and detect that which is wrong, and modify their dispositions and refine their manners. God would have His servants become acquainted with their own hearts. In order to bring to them a true knowledge of their condition, He permits the fire of affliction to assail them, so that they may be purified. The trials of life are God's workmen to remove the impurities, infirmities, and roughness from our characters, and fit them for the society of pure, heavenly angels in glory.... The fire will not consume us, but only remove the dross, and we shall come forth seven times purified, bearing the impress of the Divine." ML 92.
Are you going through temptations and trials in your life? It may be that these trials are allowed by God to call your attention to things that can be cleansed through the blood of Christ if you allow Him to reveal to you the defects in your character that are unlike Himself, and therefore cannot pass the portals of Heaven when Jesus comes to take us home. In another study, I made it a point to identify the meaning of the word, "character," so that we can understand better what Jesus is trying to do for us to remove all the dross that sin has caused. Ellen White has given us a perfect description of the word character:
"The thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character." 5T 310.
Now that we know that character is "the thoughts and feelings combined," we can better understand why God is permitting us to go through trials in order to reveal these thoughts and feelings to ourselves and see that God's purpose is to help us to cooperate with Him in removing all sinful thoughts and feelings.
"Angels of God daily place upon the books of Heaven an exact representation of the character [thoughts and feelings] of every human being." 7BC 987.
How do you feel about having all your thoughts and feelings written in the books of Heaven before the all- seeing eye of God? Doesn't that spur you on to cooperate fully with Jesus in His work of cleansing the books of Heaven from all the records of sin? Our books will never be cleansed unless we cooperate with Jesus and allow Him to show us everything that He has written there so that we can repent and be cleansed, and be victorious over every sin and weakness before His work in the Sanctuary is finished.
"But before that time [the second coming] everything that is imperfect will have been seen and put away. All envy and jealousy and evil surmising and every selfish plan will have been banished from the life." 3SM 427.
In your daily life do you ever say things that are harsh, unfeeling, or critical? Do you do or say things that afterwards you wish you had not? God allows us to go through trials that bring out the worst in our characters so that it can be seen by us and motivate us to be cleansed, not just in behavior, but from the inner thought life that produces the outer behavior. These sins do not come from nowhere. They come from our past experiences, or from our heredity, and from character traits that we have allowed and practiced throughout our lives, as well as what we have seen and heard others do. Were it not for the cleansing blood of Jesus and the work that He is doing now in the heavenly Sanctuary, these things would remain in us until we die or until Jesus comes. So let us be diligent in cooperating with Jesus now in the work of restoration which He desires to do to cleanse us from every defilement and sin in our characters.
"Those who hold fast their faith into the end will come forth from the furnace of trial 7 times purified.... Remember that there is One watching every movement to see when the last particle of dross is taken away from your character." UL 292.
"If the eye is fixed on Christ, the work of the Spirit ceases not until the soul is conformed to His image." DA 302.
What is necessary in order for us to cooperate with this work of cleansing? First of all, we need to be very aware of the purpose for the cleansing. Because of the hereditary and cultivated sins and roots of bitterness that are engraved in the minds and hearts of every person since the fall of Adam and Eve, we must have our minds cleansed by the perfect mind of Jesus, or we will follow the impulses and thoughts of the carnal nature. In order for this exchange to take place, we must walk constantly with Jesus and hear His thoughts and feelings about everything. Jesus said:
"The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.... and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.... I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.... My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." John 10:2-9; 27, 28.
This statement from Jesus sums up the whole plan of salvation. Satan is our enemy - the stranger. Jesus is the Shepherd to whose voice we must listen for our salvation. It is imperative to learn to know Jesus' voice, because Satan tries to woo us in any way he can. Because of our fallen nature, we listen naturally to him, without realizing the danger we are in by so doing. Temptations and trials come to us to teach us what happens when we listen to the stranger's voice. Thus we can learn to distinguish the voice of our Good Shepherd, and never to respond to the voice of the tempter, who wants only to destroy us.
"It is only by personal union with Christ, by communion with Him daily, hourly, that we can bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit.... Our growth in grace, our joy, our usefulness, all depend on our union with Christ and the degree of faith we exercise in Him." SDG 290.
"God will work with those who will listen to His voice." TDG 254.
Unless we know and listen to the voice of Jesus, we will never be free from the hereditary and cultivated sins of our carnal nature, for these are engraved on the tablets of our hearts and minds from childhood.
"Judah's sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point, on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars. Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles beside the spreading trees and on the high hills." Jer. 17:1, 2.
As we see the end of time approaching, it is imperative that we understand the cleansing work that Jesus is doing for us in the heavenly Sanctuary so that we can cooperate intelligently with Him in order to be prepared for what is coming upon the earth.
"The subject of the Sanctuary and the Investigative Judgment should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise, it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time or to occupy the position which God designs them to fill....
"The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the Sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in Heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil, 'whither the Forerunner is for us entered.' There the light from the cross of Calvary is reflected. There we may gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of redemption." GC 488, 9.
"There must be a purifying of the soul here upon the earth in harmony with Christ's cleansing of the Sanctuary in Heaven." Mar 249.
"As Christ was glorified on the day of Pentecost, so will He again be glorified in the closing work of the gospel when He shall prepare a people to stand the test, in the closing conflict of the great controversy." 7BC 983.
"The work of examination of character, of determining who are prepared for the kingdom of God, is the work of the Investigative Judgment, the closing work in the Sanctuary above." GC 428.
"Christ says of the overcomer, 'I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.' The names of all who have once given themselves to God are written in the book of life, and their characters are now passing in review before Him. Angels of God are weighing moral worth. They are watching the development of character in those now living, to see if their names can be retained in the book of life. A probation is granted us in which to wash our robes of character and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. Who is doing this work? Who is separating from himself sin and selfishness?" 7BC 960.
"Wrong feelings and dispositions are to be rooted out." UL 218.
"The prevalence of a sinful desire shows the delusion of the soul. Every indulgence of that desire strengthens the soul's aversion to God." MB 92.
"Everything that cannot enter the city of God will be reproved; if we will submit to the Lord's refining, all the dross and tin will be removed." 4BC 1181.
"The seal of the living God will be placed on those only who bear a likeness to Christ in character. As wax takes the impression of the seal, so the soul is to take the impression of the Spirit of God and retain the image of Christ." 7BC 970.
"This work of examination of character, of determining who are prepared for the kingdom of God, is that of the Investigative Judgment, the closing work in the Sanctuary above." GC 428.
Many people think that this work of Investigation in the closing work of Jesus in the heavenly Sanctuary will be done without their knowledge or a need for their conscious cooperation. But this tragically is not true, for we cannot know what is in our character, and what Jesus sees there in the books of Heaven, unless we are consciously connected with Jesus, hearing His voice, and cooperating every moment with Him as He goes through the books of record.
As we see in the following text in Isaiah 1:18-20, this work of cleansing and blotting out is a cooperative, conscious work with Jesus:
"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isa.1:18-20
“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence." Isa. 43:25, 26.
"Zion will be redeemed with justice [judgment KJV], her penitent ones with righteousness. But rebels and sinners will both be broken, those who forsake the Lord will perish." Isa. 1:27, 28.
"It is secret communion with God that sustains the soul-life. It was in the mount with God that Moses beheld the pattern of the wonderful building which was to be the abiding place of His glory. Thus it is in the mount with God - the secret place of communion - that we are to contemplate His glorious ideal for humanity. Thus we shall be enabled to so fashion our character building that to us may be fulfilled the promise, 'I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God and they shall be my people.' 2 Corinthians 6:16" Ed 258.
When this work of investigation and cleansing is finished, Jesus will blot out all of our sins from His books of record in Heaven, and also from our memories and our minds. Thus there will be perfect peace reigning in our heart and soul.
"Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. O Lord, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor. They are now dead, they live no more; those departed spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to ruin; you wiped out all memory of them." Isa. 26:12-14.
This is why Ellen White states:
"In the time of trouble, if the people of God had unconfessed sins to appear before them while tortured with fear and anguish, they would be overwhelmed; despair would cut off their faith, and they could not have confidence to plead with God for deliverance. But while they have a deep sense of their unworthiness, they have no concealed sins to reveal. Their sins have gone beforehand to judgment, and have been blotted out; and they cannot bring them to remembrance." GC 620.
"We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever for the Lord, the Lord, is the rock eternal." Isa. 26:1-4.
"There will be peace, constant peace, flowing into the soul, for the rest is found in perfect submission to Jesus Christ. Obedience to God's will finds the rest." OHC 98.
Unfortunately for those who have put off the experience of walking with Jesus through the Sanctuary cleansing, there will be nothing left but anguish and despair.
"Those who delay a preparation for the day of God cannot obtain it in the time of trouble, or at any subsequent time. The case of all such is hopeless.
"Those professed Christians who come up to that last fearful conflict unprepared, will, in their despair, confess their sins in words of burning anguish, while the wicked exult over their distress. These confessions are of the same character as was that of Esau or of Judas. Those who make them, lament the result of transgression, but not its guilt. They feel no true contrition, no abhorrence of evil. They acknowledge their sin, through fear of punishment; but, like Pharaoh of old, they would return to their defiance of Heaven, should the judgments be removed." GC 620, 621.
So now is the time of salvation; now is the time to make our calling and election sure. I implore you not to put off this walk with Jesus in the heavenly Sanctuary. He is holding the door open wide for each person to enter while there is yet time. But soon the door will close and no man can enter while the seven last plagues are poured out. Jesus is waiting just for you. Will you come to Him now, leaving behind everything of this world that hinders you, and hasten into the ark of safety before the door is shut? Listen to His invitation to you just now:
"Come [KJV], my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon it; the earth will conceal her slain no longer." Isa.26:20, 21.
"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." Rev. 22:17.
