Recently someone asked the question, “If the pre-Advent judgment is as important as we teach it is, why didn’t Jesus say something about it?” My answer was simple: “Scripture is the Word of God, so whatever teaching we find in it is from Jesus. Besides, He alluded to this judgment in the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22.” As I further pondered this question that afternoon, I also remembered Jesus’ promises in Matthew 10:32, 33; Luke 12:8, 9; and Revelation 3:4, 5 and 6:9–11. In this brief study, we will suggest that Jesus’ confession of believers’ names is judicial in character and affirms, in Jesus’ own words, the pre-Advent judgment.
Matthew 10:32, 33 and Luke 12:8, 9
In Matthew 10:26–32, Jesus encouraged the disciples to boldly bear witness to Him. They were not to be afraid of human authorities, even if they were persecuted. Jesus will deny those among His professed followers who deny Him (v. 33), but those who acknowledge (homologeō) Him, He will also acknowledge (homologeō) before the Father (v. 32). In the parallel passage in Luke 12, Jesus promises to acknowledge (homologeō) them “ ‘before the angels of God’ ” (v. 8, ESV). The verb homologeō has several meanings, including “ ‘to make a statement’ or ‘bear witness’ in a legal sense,”1 a present sense here. In these passages, Jesus points to a “juridical scene . . . in the setting of the heavenly court.”2
As noted also by some scholars, Daniel 7 seems to present the thematic and contextual background to Matthew 10 and Luke 12. The forensic context, judgment “before” the Ancient of Days and angels, the role of the Son of Man, and judgment being pronounced “in favor” of “the saints” all contribute to making Daniel 7:9–14 the appropriate background to Jesus’ statements. It is interesting to note that the judgment in Matthew 10 and Luke 12, like that of Daniel 7, includes the judgment of professed believers.
Revelation 3:4, 5
In Revelation 3:4, 5, Jesus promises Sardis that the names of the faithful ones will never be blotted out of the book of life and that the faithful will be clothed in white garments for having overcome trials. As in Matthew 10 and Luke 12, the Lord promises to “confess” (homologeō) the names of true believers “ ‘before my Father and before his angels’ ” (Rev. 3:5, ESV). Here too, Daniel 7 serves as background. The confession of names in Revelation 3 is connected to the book of life, the same “books” from which the judgment is pronounced in favor of the saints (Dan. 7:9, 10, 22). In Revelation 3:1–3, Jesus says that He knows the works of the believers at Sardis and that their works are not complete before God, yet there are few “names” who have not soiled their garments (v. 4). The promise to confess the names of the faithful in the following verses connects works with judgment.
Revelation 6:9–11
In Revelation 6:9–11, John sees souls under the altar who cry out for judgment against those who killed them for their witness for Christ, but the Lord responds that they need to “rest a little longer” (v. 11, ESV). As in the message to the fifth church (Sardis), the message of the fifth seal refers to “white” garments for those who overcome through faith and perseverance. In Revelation 3:4, 5, the judgment in which Jesus confesses the names of the faithful precedes the giving or wearing of the white garments of victory.
The verb plēroō (translated in Revelation 6:11 as “should be complete” [ESV]) describes the activity that must take place before the judgment of vengeance. This verb has several meanings, including to fill up a specific measure (Matt. 23:32), come to an end (Acts 7:23; 9:23; Luke 21:24), or complete or bring to completion (cf. Luke 7:1; Acts 13:25). Although some scholars understand this verse in Revelation 6 to mean to be “made complete or perfect in character,”3 they do not understand plēroō in a specifically forensic sense. Yet there is evidence to suggest such nuance in Revelation 6:11. Even outside of Revelation, the “perfecting” of character depicted by this verb is connected to the law (Rom. 8:4; 13:8; 2 Cor. 10:5, 6).
The use of a passive form of plēroō in Revelation 6:11 allows the observation that believers are recipients of divine action: they will be made (or will become) complete/perfect by Christ. Verses 9 and 10 suggest that this “completing” exercise will be concluded before the executive (the vengeance part of the) judgment. The other time the same verb occurs in Revelation, it is found in the message to the fifth church (Sardis), where Christ says, “ ‘I have not found your works perfect [plēroō] before God’ ” (Rev. 3:2, NKJV). To find someone’s works perfect “before God” conveys the idea of a legal trial. And again, the phrase “before God” is imagery of the heavenly court. In Revelation, therefore, the verb plēroō appears in forensic contexts. The executive judgment will come after a juridical process during which believers are made complete. The lexical links between Revelation 3:2–5 and 6:9–11 suggest that Jesus’ “confessing” of the names of faithful followers in the former passage parallels His “completing” of the believers in the latter. It is a divine activity during which believers will be vindicated on the basis of their faith and life in Christ.
The reference to “souls” under the “altar” who call for God’s executive judgment (v. 9) links both the “perfecting” process of the saints and the executive judgment with the heavenly sanctuary. This connection of the judgment of the saints who have suffered tribulations with the heavenly sanctuary in Revelation 6 recalls Daniel 8, where the sanctuary is said to be “cleansed” (v. 14, NKJV) after the 2,300-day period following the tribulations and abominations caused by the little horn power.
Timing of the judgment
In Matthew 10 and Luke 12, there are no temporal indicators for the seating of the heavenly court. Although there is no indication of the time the confession will take place, the New Testament is clear that the judgment process involving the saints will have already taken place in heaven before Jesus’ return; the determination is already made as to who will receive eternal life and who will not when Jesus appears with His angels
(2 Thess. 1:6–10; 2:8; Rev. 14:13), the righteous are gathered (Matt. 24:31)—the righteous dead are raised (1 Cor. 15:50–54; Rev. 20:5, 6) and “caught up” together with the righteous living—“to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). Nonetheless, since the Old Testament background of Matthew 10:32, 33 and Luke 12:8, 9 is Daniel 7, the temporal indicators in Daniel could also apply to Jesus’ statements. In Daniel 7, the seating of the court with the books open before the Ancient of Days and the angels takes place after the activities of the persecuting power represented by the little horn, destructive activities that halted by the end of the eighteenth century.
Explicit temporal markers concerning Jesus confessing believers’ names appear in the passages of Revelation. First is the use of the noun chronos, “time,” in Revelation 6:11. In Revelation, this noun denotes the “time” when repentance is possible (Rev. 2:21) and the “time” during which Satan will be released before his destruction (Rev. 20:3). In Revelation 10:6, chronos denotes the “time” when the pre-Advent judgment must begin. There are significant parallels between Revelation 10:6, 7 and Daniel 12:4, 7 to warrant the conclusion that “what is most decisive for understanding the meaning of chronos in Revelation 10:6 is the recognition . . . that this verse is a virtual citation from Daniel 12, and in Daniel 12 [v. 7] the reference is to a period of prophetic time indicated by the angel.”4 When the angel in Revelation swears that there is no longer “time” (Rev. 10:6), we may understand that the prophetic period “time, times, and half a time” in Daniel 12:7 has drawn to a close.
As in Revelation 10:6, thematic connections between Daniel and Revelation 6:9–11 inform the meaning of chronos in verse 11. The question introduced by “ ‘how long?’ ” (v. 10) and the use of chronos “time” (v. 11) recall the “how long?” questions connected with time prophecies in Daniel: 1,260-day (i.e., “time, times, and half a time”) and 2,300-day (i.e., “evening-morning”) prophecies after which the pre-Advent judgment commences (Dan. 7:25, 26; 8:13, 14; 12:6, 7). Thus, in Revelation 6:11, chronos likely points to the period of the pre-Advent judgment.
There is a future perspective in Revelation 3:4, 5 and 6:9–11. This is indicated by expressions such as “ ‘I will not blot’ ” and “ ‘I will confess’ ” (Rev. 3:5, NKJV), “ ‘how long,’ ” “rest a little while longer,” and “until . . . completed” (Rev. 6:9–11, NKJV). In these instances, Jesus indicates that the forensic activity of confessing believers’ names (Rev. 3:4, 5) or completing the believers (Rev. 6:9–11) will take place at a future period. If we have understood Jesus’ statements correctly, these passages suggest that during the historical periods covered by the fifth church (Sardis) and the fifth seal—which historicists place in 1517–17555—the pre-Advent judgment had not yet begun.
Revelation 11:15–19 and 14:6, 7 have been understood to announce the time or activity of the pre-Advent judgment.6 Revelation 14 shows that this phase of the judgment precedes the Second Coming and decides the destiny of everyone (vv. 14–20) and that this judgment is concurrent with the final proclamation of the gospel (vv. 6–12).
Notice the lexical links between Revelation 11:18, 19 and 6:9–11 regarding the time, scope, and location of the judgment. In Revelation 6, the “souls” are told to wait a “little longer” till the believers are “completed,” but in Revelation 11, the divine action has commenced. The links between the two passages suggest what is promised in chapter 6 (i.e., the completing of the believers before the executive judgment) is being fulfilled in chapter 11 (i.e., the activity of the pre-Advent judgment) and that the judgment involves professed followers of Christ (cf. Rev. 20:4–15).
Both passages also indicate that the pre-Advent judgment takes place in the heavenly sanctuary, and mentioning the “ark of his covenant” connects the judgment with the Most Holy place as well as the role of the law of God placed in the ark. The interlude between the sixth and the seventh trumpet mentions the 1,260-day prophecy (Rev. 11:1–3), the same period for the activities of the little horn of Daniel 7:25 and 12:7. The pre-Advent judgment occurs at the time of the end, which commences after the 1,260-day and 2,300-day prophecies (Dan. 8:14; 12:7–13; Rev. 10:6, 7; 11:1–3, 15–19).
Conclusion
We have attempted to demonstrate that Jesus’ statements in Matthew 10:32, 33 and Luke 12:8, 9, Revelation 3:4, 5, and Revelation 6:9–11, with their Old Testament backgrounds from the book of Daniel, point to the pre-Advent phase of the end-time judgment. This judgment is connected to the heavenly sanctuary and occurs occurs after the 1,260-day prophecy.
It is a judgment during which Jesus will confess before the heavenly intelligences the names of His faithful followers, justifying—based on His atoning sacrifice and His robe of righteousness—that their names should remain in the book of life and they be awarded eternal life. How reassuring these words of the Lord are to believers!
- Geoffrey W. Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Abridged in One Volume (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1985), 688.
- Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997), 484.
- Ranko Stefanovic, Revelation of Jesus Christ: A Commentary on the Book of Revelation, 2nd ed. (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2009), 245.
- Richard M. Davidson, A Song for the Sanctuary: Experiencing God’s Presence in Shadow and Reality (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 2022), 674.
- See Andrews Bible Commentary, New Testament, ed. Ángel M. Rodríguez (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2022), 1942, 1957.
- Jan Paulsen, “Sanctuary and Judgment,” in Symposium on Revelation: Introductory and Exegetical Studies, bk. 2, Daniel and Revelation Committee Series 7, ed. Frank B. Holbrook (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 1992), 292, 293.
