The scriptures teach us that there is an investigative judgment now taking place in the heavenly courts, which will ultimately decide the eternal destiny of all those who have ever taken the name of Jesus. The serious nature of this judgment must be understood by all for it represents the very final decision to be made as to whether we will be granted the gift of immortality, or whether eternal damnation will be our lot. Although there are some who do not take kindly to the truth that we all will be held accountable for our deeds, yet it is for our own good that we should take the time to understand the import of the judgment, hence the reason why this afternoon’s study will address specific points which need to be clarified in our minds. We start first by establishing beyond all doubt that there is an investigative judgment now taking place in heaven. Let’s read:
Daniel 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and
the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Point # (1) In this first judgment here mentioned by the prophet Daniel, only the names of those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, and who have entered into a covenant relationship with God, will be admitted for consideration, for the rest of earth’s inhabitants will be judged at a later time, and because of this the names of those who have refused to appropriate God’s grace to themselves through Jesus Christ, would not even be considered. In other words, a person who has had the opportunity to see and understand the truths of God’s word, and who deliberately turns away, cannot stand a chance, because once the books in the first investigative judgment have been closed, the opportunity to be saved will have forever been removed. This is why it is so very important that every member of the human family see and understand this first point. Let’s read:
Exodus 32:31 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
33 And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
In order for a person’s name to be blotted out of God’s book, their names would first have to be written, hence the reason why we conclude that there must be two separate judgments which take place. When the disciples were given power over the enemy, they were cautioned not to rejoice because the evil spirits were subject unto to them, but rather to be glad because their names were written in heaven. When Christ made this statement in reference to names being written, which is also similar to the one made in Exodus, He was referring to the faithful as well as unfaithful believers, because at this time the, disciples included Judas who betrayed Him, yet he was an evangelist who had taken the name of Jesus, and because of this, his name too was also written in the very same book as was Moses and Daniel, and therefore he must come up for consideration in the first investigative judgment. Let’s read:
John 6:70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
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.
The reason why the first angel’s message in Revelation Chapter 14 is so important and urgent, is because all the inhabitants of the earth need to know that they must at least have their names registered in the books of the investigative judgment, for without them being written, they will not be brought into the equation. Hence the reason why the first message as given by the angel is included in the “Everlasting gospel”, for it plays a very critical role in the eternal salvation of those who are registered in Christ. This is not to say that our motive for accepting Jesus as Lord and savior should be based solely on being registered, but what we must be aware of is the fact that the investigative judgment represents the only opportunity to be forever linked to Christ, and as such we should make the most of it. Let’s read:
Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, 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.
Point # (2) The judgment of the finally impenitent takes place during the one thousand years which transpire between Christ’s second and third coming, and the records of their deeds are not considered with the intention of saving them, but rather to mete out due recompenses for the sins that have been committed. In this aspect, the investigative judgment differs greatly, for its purpose is to save as many people as possible, who desire to be saved, whereas with the second judgment, the sole purpose is to assess penalties for sinful deeds done in the body. The records of sins committed by those who are included in the second executive judgment, are not, and cannot be covered with the blood of Christ, for the Day of Atonement will have long been gone. Let’s read:
Revelation 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 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.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them”….. “and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
1st Corinthians 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
Point # (3) We are judged not only by our sins and good deeds, but more so by the only remedy that has been provided in Christ. God is not so much concerned with the spiritual deficiencies we are born with, as with what we do with the provisions for our healing that have been made available through Christ. Now it is true that those of us who claim to be Christians must be found walking in harmony with the light that has been diffused upon our pathway, yet in the final analysis, it is the righteousness of Christ and His good deeds that are to be credited to our names, which will then be the determining factor in whether we are saved or lost eternally. There is a tendency to go to one of two extremes on this very important point, and of these two views we must be wary, because the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
The good works that we are commanded in the Bible to do are absolutely essential, and must never, ever be downplayed in significance, because of the superiority of Christ’s righteousness. Believing is just as important as doing, and these two aspects of salvation are members of the same spiritual family that cannot exist apart from each other. In other words, faith in Christ’s righteousness in no way eclipses our sacred duty to walk in newness of life, for at the end of the day it is not what we say nor profess, but rather what we do which will determine whether Christ’s righteousness will cover for us in the heavenly courts. Let’s read:
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Matthew 21:28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard.
29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, the first”…..
The “Doing” part is critically important, however we must be careful not to place excessive emphasis on our doing, to the point where Christ’s perfect righteousness in our behalf is lost sight of, because this represents the other extreme we should be mindful of. Some Christians focus so intently and solely on Christ’s righteousness, that they disregard the doing part, and thus put the onus on Christ alone, without the necessary and accompanying work of self-denial. The fact of the matter is that although as Christians we strive for perfection in Christ, yet we often fall short of His glory, in addition to which we have sinful history that we just cannot shake, except it be through the blood of Christ. Hence the reason why it is important for us to not lose sight of the fact that it is both the blood and the righteousness of Christ that will secure for us a seat at the welcome table, and this sacred truth should ever be uppermost in our contemplation and views of the investigative judgment. Let’s read:
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Philippians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.
Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained
Point # (4) The doctrine of “Once saved, always saved” attempts to preclude the doctrine of the judgment, for it presumes to confer perpetual forgiveness on those who are most in need of pardon. The Bible teaches us that it is quite possible for those who were once saved by God’s grace, to turn back to the former life of sin, because our salvation is a deliberate free choice that is made by each individual on an ongoing basis. Therefore, at any given point in our Christian experience, we are free to return to our old ways if we so choose, because God only accepts the free service of love, and as such, will never prevent anyone from retrogressing back to a life of sin, if they so choose.
This sad scenario has actually taken place many times in the experiences of those who once walked with the Lord, and the Bible itself confirms the possibility, therefore we conclude that the doctrine of “Once saved, always saved” must be a doctrine of devils, designed to lull the unwary into a false sense of security, to which there will be a very rude awakening, albeit too late. If our decisions to follow Christ were immediately locked down for eternity after accepting Him, then one of two results will begin to unfold. The first one is a robotic obedience, by which the Christian has no choice but to obey God, and the second is the freedom to sin at great lengths, since the first and final decision to follow Christ can never be reversed. In both cases these erroneous theories are debunked in the scriptures. Let’s read:
John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
1st Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.
Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
2nd Peter 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Ezekiel 33:3 When I shall say to the righteous, that he
shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
1st Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Matthew 10:18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Ezekiel 18:24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
Revelation 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write”….
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not,
and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Point # (4) Every thought, word, and action must of necessity be recorded, because all decisions made in the heavenly courts must rest squarely upon verifiable facts, with no exceptions whatsoever. This is one of the aspects of the investigative judgment that scarcely gets any due attention, and because it isn’t presented as it ought to, there is a resulting tendency to live loosely, without any concern about accountability. God does not judge us on just mere hear-say, or what He believes is right. The facts in every case must be presented from the records, and then the final determination is made as to whether the blood of Jesus will permanently cover our sins, a very solemn thought indeed.
We live in an era when many people think that they are accountable to no one but themselves, and thus, the sins and decisions that can forever alter our destiny are not given due consideration, and it is for this reason why our righteousness has now become relative to many, with unstable, shifting moral standards, varying from person to person. But the Bible teaches us that our thoughts and actions are carefully weighed in the judgment, and if sins are not confessed and forsaken during our probationary time, then they will stand against us when the books of record are revealed. Let’s read:
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Isaiah 65:6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,
7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.
Point # (5) Our sins are not yet blotted out, for this action only takes place after our lives have come up for review in the heavenly courts, and the holy sanctuary has been cleansed. Our confessed sins are currently covered, but not yet blotted out, and they can be uncovered if we were to choose to go back to our former way of life. In the earthly sanctuary the Day of Atonement represented the antitypical day of investigative judgment, and the sins of the people were removed from the sanctuary only after the high priest had presented the Lord’s goat as a sacrifice for sin, and the iniquities of the people were transferred from the sanctuary to the head of the scape goat. Until this process was completed, the record of sin remained. Let’s read:
Leviticus 16:15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within
the vail”…… “and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins”….
17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place”…..
20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness.
22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
In lieu of these solemn truths that are transpiring now in heaven, what manner of persons ought we to be, living as those who will be judged by the perfect law of liberty as spoken of by the apostle James. The rapid declension of morality and righteousness in our generation, and by the introduction of many sacrilegious, satanic versions of the Bible, it is obvious, even to the casual onlooker, that the end of all things is at hand, and thus as Christians, we should be at the forefront of not only warning the world of what is to come, but also to be living in harmony with the solemn truths we preach, for soon and very soon, the investigative judgment will close, after which no decision for Christ, no prayers for the sinner, and no intercession for those who do not know God will ever again be accepted. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which calls us to the urgency of the moment, and it is the will of God that all who have ears to hear, take heed and be counted, for the time is at hand. Let’s read:
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill,
thou art become a transgressor of the law.
12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
God bless!