The judgment has set, the books have been opened;
How shall we stand in that great day?
When every thought, and word, and action,
God, the righteous Judge, shall weigh?

“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, 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.” Revelation 14:6–7

The signs of the times are pointing us to the near approach of our Lord. Is it indeed true that the end of this world’s history is near—that Christ is at the door? Are we preparing for the great judgment scene?

THE HOUR OF JUDGMENT HAS COME

“For 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? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” 1 Peter 4:17–18

How shall we stand in that great day?
How shall we stand in that great day?
Shall we be found before Him wanting?
Or with our sins all washed away? 

“In the typical service, only those who had come before God with confession and repentance, and whose sins, through the blood of the sin offering, were transferred to the sanctuary, had a part in the service of the Day of Atonement. So in the great day of final atonement and investigative judgment the only cases considered are those of the professed people of God. The judgment of the wicked is a distinct and separate work, and takes place at a later period. ‘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?’” –The Great Controversy, p. 480

“And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” Revelation 11:1–2

“Solemn will be the day of final decision. In prophetic vision the apostle John describes it: ‘I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 318

Brethren, the biographies of good men of the past will not meet the demand for this time. The Saviour whom you profess to love and serve wants you to have an experience of your own to relate. Do you believe that probation will soon close? The judgment has been sitting since 1844. The books are being opened one by one. We shall all be judged according to our works.

The book of life. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8

The book of remembrance. “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon His name.” Malachi 3:16

“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Proverbs 15:3. God is beholding everything.

“The law of God takes note of the jealousy, envy, hatred, malignity, revenge, lust, and ambition that surge through the soul, but have not found expression in outward action, because the opportunity, not the will, has been wanting. And these sinful emotions will be brought into the account in the day when ‘God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing.’” –Sons and Daughters of God, p. 61

The word of God declares that the Day of Judgment shall come as a snare upon all those who dwell on the earth. Their profession is only a hindrance to other souls if not followed by righteous deeds—a false light to lure them to destruction.

“Measuring the Church of God—The grand judgment is taking place, and has been going on for some time. Now the Lord says, Measure the temple and the worshipers thereof. Remember when you are walking the streets about your business, God is measuring you; when you are attending your household duties, when you engage in conversation, God is measuring you. Remember that your words and actions are being daguerreotyped [photographed] in the books of heaven, as the face is reproduced by the artist on the polished plate.” –The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 972

Angels are taking reports.

“Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?” Ecclesiastes 5:6

“The thought should be ever present with us that we must meet the record of our lives, that we are building character for eternity. The lines traced by our pens will be read when the hand that wrote them is lying idle in the grave. The influence of our words and acts will live, and will decide the destiny of souls. Angels of God are writing the history of our lives; let us be careful that the record is such as we shall not be ashamed to meet when the Judgment shall sit, and we shall receive according to the deeds done in the body.” –The Review and Herald, June 17, 1884

“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 18:10

EXAMINE YOURSELF

“Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.” Lamentations 3:40

“There is earnest warfare before all who would subdue the evil tendencies that strive for the mastery. The work of preparation is an individual work. We are not saved in groups. The purity and devotion of one will not offset the want of these qualities in another. Though all nations are to pass in judgment before God, yet He will examine the case of each individual with as close and searching scrutiny as if there were not another being upon the earth. Every one must be tested, and found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” –Maranatha, p.250

“What shall I say to arouse the remnant people of God? . . . I warn all who profess the name of Christ to closely examine themselves and make full and thorough confession of all their wrongs, that they may go beforehand to judgment, and that the recording angel may write pardon opposite their names. My brother, my sister, if these precious moments of mercy are not improved, you will be left without excuse. If you make no special effort to arouse, if you will not manifest zeal in repenting, these golden moments will soon pass, and you will be weighed in the balance and found wanting. . . .

“Closely examine your own heart as in the light of eternity. Hide nothing from your examination. Search, oh! search, as for your life, and condemn yourself, pass judgment upon yourself, and then by faith claim the cleansing blood of Christ to remove the stains from your Christian character. Do not flatter or excuse yourself. Deal truly with your own soul. And then as you view yourself a sinner, fall, all broken, at the foot of the

cross. Jesus will receive you, all polluted as you are, and will wash you in His blood, and cleanse you from all pollution, and make you fit for the society of heavenly angels, in a pure, harmonious heaven. There is no jar, no discord, there. All is health, happiness, and joy.” –Ibid., p. 57

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 13:5

“At the final day, we shall be approved or condemned according to our works. The Judge of all the earth will render a just decision. He will not be bribed; He cannot be deceived. He who made man, and whose are the worlds and all the treasures they contain—He it is who weighs character in the balance of eternal justice.” –The Review and Herald, January 19, 1886

“We are doing our work for the judgment. Let us be learners of Jesus. We need His guidance every moment. At every step we should inquire, ‘Is this the way of the Lord?’ not, ‘Is this the way of the man who is over me?’ We are to be concerned only as to whether we are walking in the way of the Lord.” –Sons and Daughters of God, p.192

HOW SHALL WE STAND IN THAT GREAT DAY?

Dear reader:

O, how shall we stand, that moment of searching,
When all our sins those books reveal?
When from that court, each case decided,
Shall be granted no appeal?

“The judgment is now passing in the sanctuary above. For many years this work has been in progress. Soon—none know how soon—it will pass to the cases of the living. In the awful presence of God our lives are to come up in review. At this time above all others it behooves every soul to heed the Saviour’s admonition, ‘Watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.’ Mark 13:33. ‘If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.’ Revelation 3:3.” –Maranatha, p.250

“The time is short. How will our cases appear in the Judgment? What is now our standing before God? Are we closely examining our own hearts? Are we by repentance and confession sending our sins beforehand to Judgment, that they may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come? This is an individual work,—a work which we cannot safely delay. We should take hold of it earnestly; our salvation depends upon our sincerity and zeal. Let the cry be awakened in every heart, ‘What must I do to be saved?’” –The Review and Herald, August 28, 1883

“As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes with the living. Every name is mentioned, every case closely investigated. Names are accepted, names rejected. When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life, and the record of their good deeds will be erased from the book of God’s remembrance. The Lord declared to Moses: ‘Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book.’ Exodus 32:33. And says the prophet Ezekiel: ‘When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, … all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned.’ Ezekiel 18:24.” –The Great Controversy, p. 483

Finally brethren, time is fast hastening on, and every work will soon be brought into judgment. Either our sins, or our names, will be blotted out of the Book of Life.

God bless you, grace be unto you all. Amen.

Jenifer Akello,

Uganda