1st Peter 4:17For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
This passage of scripture teaches us that those who have been blessed with great light, and have become a part of the true church of God, will be judged first, before the other nations and people who have not been so privileged. As a general rule of thumb, the leaders, and then the ordinary laity who have entered into a covenant relationship with The Lord Jesus, are held accountable for the light and knowledge of God's will, that they have had access to, and the reason for this is because, as the Bible says, to whom much is given, much is required, and thus, because we have had a knowledge of God's requirements for so many years, our names will appear in the first investigative judgment, which is now taking place in the heavens.
But in order to confirm this order in the judgment, we will need to take a close look at the historical precedent, in the incident involving Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. These three princes of the congregation in Isarel of old, had risen up in defiance against Moses and Aaron, and had brought false charges of mismanagement and faulty leadership upon them, charges that were just the products of discontent and covetousness.
After they had plotted in secret, they then began to disseminate the fruits of their rebellion to two hundred and fifty of the renowned princes in the congregation, and with the backing of the restless multitude, they embarked upon open rebellion against God's chosen leaders. Thus, after Moses had bidden them turn from their plots, and they had signally rejected God's offer of mercy, judgment was meted out via an earthquake that was designed to target the leaders in the rebellion, for being the first to introduce it, and also being ministers of the earthly sanctuary, they must be held accountable first, before the larger congregation who were not as privileged. Let's read:
Numbers 16:19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation"..... 28 And Moses said".... 30"If the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up"... "then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord. 31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: 32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.
The ordinary people, who had not been ministers of the sanctuary, and who had not the same amount of light and truth as Korah and his company, were then given some time to reflect on what had taken place, and it then became very obvious that they were in the wrong. But instead of confessing their sins and asking God to forgive them, they hardened their hearts like pharaoh, and the following morning they were loud in their denunciations of God's appointed leaders, just like the rebel leaders. God's judgments against them therefore came afterward, and not at the same time as those who were leaders in the revolt. Let's read:
Numbers 16:41But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord. 46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is begun. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. 49 Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.
In our day there are a host of protestant and evangelical churches who teach part truth and part error, and there are sincere members in those congregations who really do not know better. But God has a remnant church upon the earth, which is well acquainted with His laws, His statutes and His requirements, and just as in the days of old, we will be brought into the judgment before the rest of the Christian world. To put it plainly, when the judgments of God begin to come upon the land, after the national Sunday law has again been instituted and enforced, we may know for certain the our probation would have been closed already, for as the first passage in the presentation rightly states, "Judgment must begin at the house of God" Let's read:
(Last Day Events. pp 182) Some had been shaken out and left by the way. The careless and indifferent"..."were left behind in darkness, and their places were immediately filled by others taking hold of the truth and coming into the ranks. The time of God’s destructive judgments is the time of mercy for those who [now] have no opportunity to learn what is truth. Tenderly will the Lord look upon them. His heart of mercy is touched, His hand is still stretched out to save, while the door is closed to those who would not enter. Large numbers will be admitted who in these last days hear the truth for the first time.
In lieu of the fact that the Remnant people of God will be judged first, what manner of persons ought we to be, in all holiness and godly living! It therefore behooves us to live every day in readiness, for we do not know when our names will be called in heaven, but we are given the assurance, that if we be found in Christ, our eternal salvation will be secure. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates this important truth, and let us so live as those who understand the purposes, import, and consequences of the judgment. Let's read:
John 5:26For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son".... 27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 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.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!