A Prior Judgment

The work of the investigative judgment and the blotting out of sins is to be accomplished before the second advent of the Lord. Since the dead are to be judged out of the things written in the books, it is impossible that the sins of men should be blotted out until after the judgment at which their cases are to be investigated…. When the investigative judgment closes, Christ will come, and His reward will be with Him to give to every man as his work shall be.69The Great Controversy, 485.

All are to be judged according to the things written in the books, and to be rewarded as their works have been. This judgment does not take place at death.70The Signs of the Times, April 16, 1885 (The Spirit of Prophecy 4:367).

In the typical service the high priest, having made the atonement for Israel, came forth and blessed the congregation. So Christ, at the close of His work as mediator, will appear, “without sin unto salvation,” to bless His waiting people with eternal life. As the priest, in removing the sins from the sanctuary, confessed them upon the head of the scapegoat, so Christ will place all these sins upon Satan, the originator and instigator of sin. The scapegoat, bearing the sins of Israel, was sent away “unto a land not inhabited;” so Satan, bearing the guilt of all the sins which he has caused God’s people to commit, will be for a thousand years confined to the earth, which will then be desolate, without inhabitant, and he will at last suffer the full penalty of sin in the fires that shall destroy all the wicked.71The Great Controversy, 485, 486.

A few, yes, only a few, of the vast number who people the earth will be saved unto life eternal, while the masses who have not perfected their souls in obeying the truth will be appointed to the second death.72Testimonies for the Church 2:401, 402.

While the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth.73The Great Controversy, 425.
The Faith I Live By p. 213
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
—-Please pray for LH who needs prayer. God knows the reason. Pray also for Joann who fell and hurt her leg. It has become infected and so far, no antibiotics have helped. She is wheelchair bound and needs some help. Pray a neighbor will come over to help her. M
—-I could really use prayers. My husband feigned social interest while we were dating. Now that we’re married, he’s become a terrible recluse with very self centered conversations. My life is slowly becoming cut off from everybody I love and care about. I’m even getting tired of hearing him converse about himself. I’m at a loss for what to do. Anon
—-Please pray for a friend of mine who thinks she has Lyme disease.. every painful symptom she has lines up with it. It will be several weeks before the tests comes back. Please pray for healing. Debra
—-There is a very poor family that I am trying to help. They are all handicapped but the dad works as a farm hand for $40 a day sometimes working 12 hours a day with no extra. Everything is happening. They had to move. They bought a really cheap camper with tax money. They are renting a piece of property for $300 but have no water or power. I am letting them borrow my generator for their camper and taking them water. And providing gas and food. I am tapped out. I have been doing this for 3 months now. I am trying to get them a power pole so they can have electricity. Please pray for them. Pray that their basic needs and for power. Pray that their faith in Jesus will be increased by these hard times. Jesus led me to help them. Renae
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
Ron and I often remark how things have changed so much since we were children that we feel like we are on a different planet. How often Ron says that he can hardly wait until Jesus comes and all the sin and misery of this old world will be over. We can see prophecy rapidly fulfilling.

Our Dear Saviour often spoke of our need to be watching for His coming and to be decerning of the signs of the times in which we live. “And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” Luke 12:29,30 Peter using this parable to illustrate our need of watchfulness, wrote “the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” 2 Peter 3:10-14

Paul also looked forward to that time when “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.” 1 Thes 4:16 “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. . . putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thes 5:1-9

Jesus is coming soon! Soon we will see God face to face! Oh, wondrous thought! Soon we will listen to His voice! Soon we will spend eternity in His presence! How wonderful that day will be! “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.” Rev 21:1-5

Think of it! There will be none of the sorrows of this world, no unfair dealings, no crime, no sickness or injuries, no separation then. We will be with our friends and loved ones for all eternity! Moreover, we will become acquainted with Joseph, Nehemiah, Daniel, John, all of the other patriarchs and prophets. Jesus tells us, “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 8:11 Think of the experiences they can share with us! We will hear the testimony of their experience right from their own lips. Most of all, we will be able to kneel before our Loving Saviour, Who gave His life for us and pour out our thankfulness, our gratitude, our love for the One Who loves us so.

May we watch the signs of the times all about us. May we, as we see Jesus coming in the clouds, look up and say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isa 25:9

Rose