Joy in the Judgment

In God's judgment what matters is whether or not we have Jesus. He is our assurance.

Martin Weber is project editor of Ministry and coordinator of the program that provides this magazine to clergy of all denominations.

Would you mind coming with us to headquarters?" the police officer politely asked the young Christian worker. "We'll only keep you five minutes."

Those five minutes turned out to be 22 years. More than two decades of imprisonment and torture under conditions that cannot be described from this pulpit. The crime? Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If Noble Alexander had just kept quiet about Jesus and lived his faith silently, his government would have left him alone. But no, the 28-year-old Seventh-day Adventist preacher insisted on traveling around the country leading souls to Jesus.

Noble had been warned, so it came as no surprise when the secret police arrested him. They accused him of subversive activities, labeling him a "plantado" rebel against the government.

Noble remained confined in a loath some prison until 1984, when U.S. presidential candidate Jesse Jackson negotiated his release and deportment to America. Newspapers throughout the Eastern states described Noble as a spiritual leader among his fellow prisoners, organizing them into an underground prayer group.

Every day at noon Noble and his friends gathered for spiritual food. It was quite a mixed group worshiping together: Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals, and Seventh-day Adventists. Noble, an Adventist, led the Protestant services. The next day a Catholic brother would lead out in his services. Always they staked a lookout to protect their privacy.

Noble managed to smuggle a Bible into the prison. They shared the Word from inmate to inmate by tying it to a string and pulling it through cracks in the cells. Several well-chosen hiding places concealed the precious Book from the guards.

Then one day prison authorities got word about Noble's Bible and tried to confiscate it. The inmates quickly hid it in one of their special places. The guards beat and tortured Noble, but all he would tell them was "It's my Bible, and I'm never going to surrender it!"

Well, the guards didn't appreciate such stubborn commitment to Christ. They put Noble in their dungeon, a totally dark cell so narrow he had room only to lie down. A small slit in the door allowed "food" to be slid inside.

Noble spent two years in that dark hole. His only companions were vermin and lice. Imagine his loneliness! He had Jesus with him, however, and that was good enough to carry him through.

Not long after his release I was privileged to meet Noble Alexander. I wondered what he would be like. After all he had suffered, I expected him to wear a halo of somberness. But was I ever surprised! That dear man is one of the most cheerful, delightful people I've ever met. He laughed and laughed about how the prisoners hid the Bible from the guards, and how wonderful it felt while in the dungeon to know his Bible had escaped confiscation.

More could be said about Noble's ordeal for Christ, but much of what he suffered cannot be told from this pulpit. Suffice it to say that he finds living conditions in America more pleasant and healthful than in that dungeon.

Noble lives in Massachusetts now, serving as an ordained pastor for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. His testimony is recorded in the book I Will Die Free, available from Pacific Press at Adventist Book Centers. Noble's thrilling story has drawn thousands into a deeper commitment to Christ. How thankful he is for this land of freedom, where he can share his love for Jesus without fear or threat from government.

Those who live in free societies can thank God for a legal system that requires judges to be fair. If judges harbored a bias against the accused, national law would demand that they be disqualified. Yet, believe it or not, the ancient Hebrew legal code went even further to protect the rights of the accused.

God is on our side

In Old Testament times the defense of the accused was a duty so sacred the judge refused to delegate that job to an attorney. He himself served as the defender of the accused. The Jewish Encyclopedia explains that "attorneys at law are unknown in Jewish law." 1 Their legal code required judges to "lean always to the side of the defendant and give him the advantage of every possible doubt." 2

Witnesses of the crime pressed charges, while the judge promoted the case of the defendant, biased in favor of acquittal. 3 Only when overwhelmed by evidence would the judge abandon his defense of the accused and reluctantly pronounce condemnation. Interesting system, wouldn't you say?

Lessons from the Hebrew law court abound for us today. A lot of Christians are frightened about facing God as their judge. If they only understood the biblical meaning of judgment, they would realize that He is on our side! He takes upon Himself the job of our defense!

Well, now, if God is defending us in the heavenly judgment, who is accusing us? You guessed it the devil. The Bible calls him the "accuser of [the] brethren," who accuses us "before our God day and night" (Rev. 12:10).*

Apparently Satan is jealous about our going to heaven, where he used to live when he was Lucifer, prince of the angels. And so he accuses God's children of being unfit to pass through the pearly gates.

But we are unworthy, aren't we? How do we counter his accusations?

Notice the next verse there in Revelation 12: "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb" (verse 11).

It's through the blood of Jesus, friend, that you and I overcome the devil's accusations. God can't deny Satan's contention that we are sinful. But in the blood shed on Calvary's cross He finds the evidence He needs to pronounce us innocent. So He dismisses Satan's charges, endorsing the security in Christ we have enjoyed since we accepted Him.

Now, in certain situations the He brew judge appointed an advocate to assist him in defending the accused. The Jewish Encyclopedia states that the husband could represent his wife and help the judge defend her if the verdict involved his personal rights.4

Here we have a glorious parallel with the heavenly judgment. Christ, bride groom of the church, purchased us with His precious blood. Now He serves as our court-appointed advocate to help the Father defend us from Satan and to defend His own right to take us up to heaven and share His home forever.

How do you like that? God in the judgment takes our side against Satan. Jesus our advocate assists Him by inter ceding for us. God finds in the sacrifice of His Son the legal basis to accept repenting sinners and count us perfect. I like that, don't you? It makes me feel confident in Christ about my salvation!

Jesus, the basis of our confidence

Let me share an experience from my days as a pastor to illustrate how Christ's sacrifice on Calvary enables us to pass heaven's judgment: One summer day our pastoral staff went out of the office for a special planning session. We boarded the Amtrak train in Santa Ana bound for San Diego, had lunch down there, then came back. Believe it or not, we actually accomplished some work as the train skimmed the beautiful Pacific coastline.

Along the way the conductor came around to see who was worthy to ride his train. While his investigative judgment went on, we felt no threat to secure passage all of us had tickets. We knew the conductor wouldn't disqualify us because of our failures in life, or accept us because of our successes. His only question was "May I see your ticket?"

Likewise in God's judgment. What matters is whether or not we have Jesus--He is our ticket to heaven: "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).

Our personal worthiness doesn't even deserve consideration in heaven's judgment all hope of human merit collapsed during the judgment of this world at the cross. (See John 12:31, 32.) Calvary established a new standard of righteousness salvation in Jesus. Today, when we accept that gift, God accepts us in Christ. We can rejoice because our names are recorded in heaven's book of life.

Responsibilities follow privileges

This is not once saved, always saved! Amtrak passengers must hold on to their tickets or they disqualify themselves from being judged worthy passengers. Likewise, we must live by faith in Christ as long as life lasts. Jesus becomes our Lord as well as our Saviour. Our characters are by no means perfect, but they do reveal whether we have made Christ the center of our lives.

Back in 1980 the Lord gave me a special lesson to help me understand this good news about the judgment and the sanctuary. It came in the food market, of all places. I was standing in line with my wife, leaning on our grocery cart. Our children found themselves utterly fascinated by the candy rack, hoping to persuade us to let them have an unscheduled treat. First they wanted a chocolate bar. When that was denied them, they asked for chocolate-covered peanuts. "Peanuts are good, Daddy, aren't they?" When that failed, they reached for the last resort, sugarless chewing gum. You who are parents know this whole routine!

While all this was going on, a wonderful realization suddenly struck me. Here we were, waiting so confidently in the checkout line without any doubts that the groceries were going to be ours this despite the fact that there was a judgment to pass before we could take the food home.

A judgment? Of course! The clerk had to decide if we were "worthy" of having the groceries. And what was it that qualified us? It was the money we held in our hands. With cash to present to the clerk, the groceries would unquestionably be ours to take home.

Heaven's judgment is something like that. Jesus is the treasure we need to pass the celestial checkout. With Him we can be assured of a favorable verdict, what ever our struggles may be. God isn't threatened by our faults and failures. Just as the food market had decided beforehand that whoever has money qualifies for groceries, God has declared that everyone in Christ qualifies for heaven. So the test of the judgment is not whether we are worthy in ourselves, but whether we live by faith "in Christ."

Let's tie all this together: God our judge wants us to be saved. His judgment is not of our worthiness, since He already knows none of us are worthy. What He must have is evidence that we believe in Jesus, our ticket to heaven. Such faith in Christ works by love (see Gal. 5:6). And "love therefore is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 13:10). Therefore, a life of faith in Jesus will operate in harmony with the Ten Commandments.

So the crucial questions in our judgment are these: Have we chosen the gift of Jesus rather than the devil's counterfeit fulfillments? Do we trust in Christ's merits, not competing with His accomplishments?

It's so easy for sincere Christians to get discouraged when contemplating the judgment. They tend to admire a "super saint" like Noble Alexander, imagining wistfully: "If only I could be like him, I'd feel more confident before a holy God." Well, let's remember that we all stand guilty in ourselves before God. "All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way. But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him" (Isa. 53:6).

Yes, Jesus paid it all. On the cross He paid the full price of our sin, so now we can stand clean before God. New creation in Christ But maybe you still feel soiled by sin. Like Sandra, whose boyfriend persuaded her to go too far with him one dark night. She felt terribly guilty. Then came the news that she was pregnant. That made her feel all the more guilty and fearful. Sensing no support at church for those in her situation, she tried to escape by getting an abortion. That left her feeling even more guilty. Finally, imagining herself cut off from Christ with no hope, she left the church and plunged into promiscuous living. Years passed. Finally came the day when she ventured back to the Father's house and recommitted her life to Christ. There was no welcome awaiting her, no banquet for her homecoming. She began wondering whether she was too sinful to be saved. Fortunately, she decided to speak to the pastor, expressing her doubt that even if God dared to forgive her, she couldn't forgive herself.

"Wait a minute, Sandra," he respond ed. "Who gave you the right to either forgive yourself or condemn yourself? This is something only God can do, the judge of all the earth. Dare you put yourself in the place of the Lord?"

Then he read her this passage from the apostle Paul:

"Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us" (Rom. 8:33, 34).

"So, Sandra, God the judge justifies you, forgives you. Nobody can condemn you."

Sandra was stunned. She could hardly believe the good news. But more was on the way as the pastor explained what it means for Jesus to intercede for her in the heavenly sanctuary. She always had been fearful of the sanctuary and the judgment, but now she learned that God was on her side; and Christ was His appointed advocate to defend her against the accusations of the enemy. And He's not only on our side up there; He's also at our side down here. As we give Him our lives day by day, He gives us strength to obey His will and keep His commandments.

Remember, God is the God of new beginnings: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor. 5:17,NKJV).

If you will open your heart to Him, the Lord will bring harmony out of confusion and lead you in His unique plan for your individual life. In fact, this plan was in place even before you were born, according to the Psalm 139. And no matter what mistakes you have made, God is well able to guide your life now.

And if you will let Him, He will guide you safely in Christ through the judgment now going on in heaven. I confess I used to be reluctant to really rejoice in the Lord in such an awesome time as this. Old covenant shadows darkened my thinking: worshipers convening quietly at the sanctuary as their priest ventured timidly into the Holy of Ho lies.

Then the light of the gospel dawned on me. Old covenant people had to be afraid as they listened quietly for the pomegranate bells, since at any moment their priest could be struck dead. But our Priest is the living Saviour who triumphed over sin, death, and hell! And something wonderful is happening in heaven since the 1844 pre-Advent judgment began. As the enemy raises accusations against us, we triumph over them through the blood of the Lamb and our joyful testimony (see Rev. 12:10, 11).

Please ask yourself these questions as we bring our study to a close: Are you still listening for the pomegranate bells of the old covenant sanctuary service? Does your worship of God reflect medieval uncertainty masked under the guise of reverence? Then please come out of the shadows to bask in the Son-shine of the cross. Boldly go to heaven's Most Holy Place and rejoice at God's throne of grace, the celestial mercy seat. Let the word go forth in sermon and in song: Worthy is the Lamb!

God help us quit fretting about the time of trouble and start trusting His salvation. No more images of dooms day; our most glorious days are ahead. We can lift up our heads and our hearts, for our redemption is drawing near!

"Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You" (Ps. 84:4, NKJV). An economic boycott? Yes, but we will still be praising Him. A death decree? Yes, and we will still be praising Him. Next comes a small black cloud in the eastern sky. We will still be praising Him. The cloud will get brighter and brighter until the loving face of Jesus appears! We will still be praising Him. The trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will rise. We will still be praising Him. We who are alive will be changed and caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. We will still be praising Him. Evermore we will be with the Lord, evermore still praising Him!

My brother and my sister: If we will be praising the Lord throughout the cease less ages of eternity, why not begin here and now? Let's praise Him not just with words and music but with lives of loving gratitude lives of living sacrifice so that others may praise Him too.

Joy in the judgment

Outline


Introduction
Noble Alexander's story


I. God is on our side
   A. Lessons from a Jewish court

       1. Judge is also defender
       2. Witnesses of the crime pressed charges
       3. Judgment, if guilty, reluctantly pronounced
   B. Application for today
       1. Many Adventists frightened about facing God as judge
       2. Peace comes in gospel understanding of judgment
       3. Satan our accuser is jealous and angry (Rev. 12:10)
       4. We are indeed guilty
       5. Overcoming accusations through the blood of Jesus (Rev. 12:11)
       6. Jesus our advocate
II. Jesus the basis of our confidence
   A. Illustration: train journey
   B. Jesus is our ticket (John 3:18)
   C. Personal worthiness is of no account (John 12:31,32)
   D. Calvary established new standard of righteousness: Jesus
III. Responsibilities follow privileges
   A. Not once saved, always saved (Gal. 5:6)
   B. Loving work reveals faith (Rom. 13:10)
   C. Life of faith is faithful to commandments (Rom. 3:31)
   D. Illustration: food store
   E. God wants us to be saved
   F. Christ alone is our hope: do we have Him?

Conclusion
New creation in Christ

   A. Story of Sandra
   B. God justifies; we have no right to play God
   C. Jesus is our intercessor in heaven's sanctuary (Rom. 8:33, 34)
   D. God is the God of new beginnings (2 Cor. 5:17)
   E. No more old covenant pomegranate bells
   F. Praise and rejoice in Him throughout the final crisis (Ps. 84:4)

 

Summary Notes: The Great Controversy

All humanity is now involved in a great controversy between
Christ and Satan regarding the character of God, His law, and His
sovereignty over the universe. This conflict originated in heaven
when a created being, endowed with freedom of choice, in self-exaltation
became Satan, God's adversary, and led into rebellion
a portion of the angels. He introduced the spirit of rebellion into
this world when he led Adam and Eve into sin. This human sin
resulted in the distortion of the image of God in humanity, the
disordering of the created world, and its eventual devastation at the
time of the worldwide flood. Observed by the whole creation, this
world became the arena of the universal conflict, out of which the
God of love will ultimately be vindicated. To assist His people in
this controversy, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and the loyal angels
to guide, protect, and sustain them in the way of salvation. (Rev.
12:4-9;Isa. 14:12-14;Eze. 28:12-18;Gen. 3;Rom. 1:19-32;5:12-
21; 8:19-22; Gen. 6-8; 2 Peter 3:6; 1 Cor. 4:9; Heb. 1:14.)

 

Summary: Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary:

There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle which the
Lord set up and not man. In it Christ ministers on our behalf,
making available to believers the benefits of His atoning sacrifice
offered once for all on the cross. He was inaugurated as our
great High Priest and began His intercessory ministry at the
time of His ascension. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic
period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His
atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgment which
is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin, typified by the
cleansing of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of
Atonement. In that typical service the sanctuary was cleansed
with the blood of animal sacrifices, but the heavenly things are
purified with the perfect sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. The
investigative judgment reveals to heavenly intelligences who
among the dead are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are
deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also
makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ,
keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and
in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting
kingdom. This judgment vindicates the justice of God in saving
those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have
remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom. The comple
tion of this ministry of Christ will mark the close of human
probation before the Second Advent. (Heb. 8:1-5; 4:14-16;
9:11-28; 10:19-22; 1:3; 2:16, 17; Dan. 7:9-27; 8:13, 14; 9:24-
27; Num. 14:34; Eze. 4:6; Lev. 16; Rev. 14:6, 7; 20:12;
14:12; 22:12.)

 

Article Notes:

"Unless noted, Bible texts in this article are
from the New American Standard Bible.

1 The Jewish Encyclopedia (New York: Funk
& Wagnalls, 1904), Vol. II, p. 293.

2 W. M. Chandler, The Trial of Jesus From a
Lawyer's Standpoint (Buffalo, N.Y.: W. S. Hein,
1983), vol. l,pp. 153, 154.


3 See Taylor Bunch, Behold the Man! (Nash
ville: Southern Pub. Assn., 1946), pp. 64, 66.
Now we understand why David longed to be
sentenced by divine judgment: "Judge me, O
Lord my God, according to Thy righteousness,
and do not let them rejoice over me" (Ps. 35:24).
Throughout the Old Testament God' s people found
joy in His judgment: "A father of the fatherless
and a judge for the widows, is God in His holy
habitation" (Ps. 68:5).

4 The Jewish Encyclopedia, p. 294.

 


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Martin Weber is project editor of Ministry and coordinator of the program that provides this magazine to clergy of all denominations.

July/August 1995

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