Sunday
February 7
1. THE INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT
a. What prophecy records the beginning of the investigative judgment in the presence of the Ancient of Days? Daniel 7:9, 10; Psalm 11:4.
“The great day of the execution of God’s judgment seemed to have come. Ten thousand times ten thousand were assembled before a large throne, upon which was seated a person of majestic appearance. Several books were before Him, and upon the covers of each was written in letters of gold, which seemed like a burning flame of fire: ‘Ledger of Heaven.’ One of these books, containing the names of those who claim to believe the truth, was then opened.”—Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 384.
b. Who comes to be the Advocate in this judgment? Daniel 7:13; Malachi 3:1; 1 John 2:1.
“The coming of Christ as our high priest to the most holy place, for the cleansing of the sanctuary, brought to view in Daniel 8:14; the coming of the Son of man to the Ancient of Days, as presented in Daniel 7:13; and the coming of the Lord to His temple, foretold by Malachi, are descriptions of the same event.”—The Great Controversy, p. 426.
Monday
February 8
2. THE SYMBOLIC MARRIAGE
a. What parable further shows that a judgment must take place before Christ’s second coming, and why? Matthew 22:1–14; Revelation 11:18.
“By the king’s examination of the guests at the feast is represented a work of judgment. The guests at the gospel feast are those who profess to serve God, those whose names are written in the book of life.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 310.
“Previous to the wedding [of Matthew 22] the king comes in to see the guests, to see if all are attired in the wedding garment, the spotless robe of character washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. . . . This work of examination of character, of determining who are prepared for the kingdom of God, is that of the investigative judgment, the closing work in the sanctuary above.”—The Great Controversy, p. 428.
b. After the judgment of Daniel 7:10, what will Christ receive? Daniel 7:14.
“In the parable [of Matthew 25] it was those that had oil in their vessels with their lamps that went in to the marriage. . . . And all who through the testimony of the Scriptures accept the same truths concerning the sanctuary in heaven and the Saviour’s change in ministration], following Christ by faith as He enters in before God to perform the last work of mediation, and at its close to receive His kingdom—all these are represented as going in to the marriage.”—Ibid., pp. 427, 428.
c. Is the coming of Christ before or after the symbolic wedding and the receiving of the kingdom? Luke 12:35, 36; 19:12.
“The proclamation, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh,’ in the summer of 1844, led thousands to expect the immediate advent of the Lord. At the appointed time the Bridegroom came, not to the earth, as the people expected, but to the Ancient of Days in heaven, to the marriage, the reception of His kingdom. ‘They that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut’ (Matthew 25:10). They were not to be present in person at the marriage; for it takes place in heaven, while they are upon the earth. The followers of Christ are to ‘wait for their Lord, when He will return from the wedding’ (Luke 12:36).”—Ibid., p. 427.
Tuesday
February 9
3. JUDGMENT BEFORE THE SECOND COMING
a. When Christ returns to the earth, what does He bring with Him that shows that a judgment must have taken place before? Revelation 22:12.
“Not all who profess to be Christians are true disciples. Before the final reward is given, it must be decided who are fitted to share the inheritance of the righteous. This decision must be made prior to the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven; for when He comes, His reward is with Him, ‘to give every man according as his work shall be’ (Revelation 22:12). Before His coming, then, the character of every man’s work will have been determined, and to every one of Christ’s followers the reward will have been apportioned according to his deeds.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 310.
b. With whom does this judgment begin? 1 Peter 4:17.
“When the work of investigation shall be ended, when the cases of those who in all ages have professed to be followers of Christ have been examined and decided, then, and not till then, probation will close, and the door of mercy will be shut. Thus in the one short sentence, ‘They that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut,’ we are carried down through the Saviour’s final ministration, to the time when the great work for man’s salvation shall be completed.”—The Great Controversy, p. 428.
c. What was opened in heaven for the judgment? Revelation 11:19; Hebrews 9:3, 4.
“The ark of God’s testament is in the holy of holies, the second apartment of the sanctuary. In the ministration of the earthly tabernacle, which served ‘unto the example and shadow of heavenly things,’ this apartment was opened only upon the great Day of Atonement for the cleansing of the sanctuary. Therefore the announcement that the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of His testament was seen points to the opening of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 as Christ entered there to perform the closing work of the atonement.”—Ibid., p. 433.
Wednesday
February 10
4. THE MOST HOLY PLACE
a. How does the Old Testament shed light on the heavenly sanctuary depicted in the New Testament? Exodus 25:8, 9, 40; Hebrews 8:1–5.
“I was also shown a sanctuary upon the earth containing two apartments. It resembled the one in heaven, and I was told that it was a figure of the heavenly. The furniture of the first apartment of the earthly sanctuary was like that in the first apartment of the heavenly. The veil was lifted, and I looked into the holy of holies and saw that the furniture was the same as in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. The priest ministered in both apartments of the earthly. He went daily into the first apartment, but entered the most holy only once a year, to cleanse it from the sins which had been conveyed there. I saw that Jesus ministered in both apartments of the heavenly sanctuary. The priests entered into the earthly with the blood of an animal as an offering for sin. Christ entered into the heavenly sanctuary by the offering of His own blood. The earthly priests were removed by death; therefore they could not continue long; but Jesus was a priest forever. Through the sacrifices and offerings brought to the earthly sanctuary, the children of Israel were to lay hold of the merits of a Saviour to come. And in the wisdom of God the particulars of this work were given us that we might, by looking to them, understand the work of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary.”—Early Writings, pp. 252, 253.
b. What Old Testament admonition reveals the solemnity of the atonement hour? Leviticus 16:17.
“In the service of the earthly sanctuary, which, as we have seen, is a figure of the service in the heavenly, when the high priest on the Day of Atonement entered the most holy place, the ministration in the first apartment ceased. . . . When Christ entered the holy of holies to perform the closing work of the atonement, He ceased His ministration in the first apartment. But when the ministration in the first apartment ended, the ministration in the second apartment began. When in the typical service the high priest left the holy on the Day of Atonement, he went in before God to present the blood of the sin offering in behalf of all Israel who truly repented of their sins. So Christ had only completed one part of His work as our intercessor, to enter upon another portion of the work, and He still pleaded His blood before the Father in behalf of sinners.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 428, 429.
Thursday
February 11
5. JUDGED BY THE LAW
a. What is the evident relationship between Daniel 7:9, 10 and Revelation 11:19; 20:12 (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14)?
“The law of God in the sanctuary in heaven is the great original, of which the precepts inscribed upon the tables of stone and recorded by Moses in the Pentateuch were an unerring transcript. . . . The law of God, being a revelation of His will, a transcript of His character, must forever endure, ‘as a faithful witness in heaven’ (Psalm 89:37). Not one command has been annulled; not a jot or tittle has been changed.”—The Great Controversy, p. 434.
b. Describe the solemnity of the judgment scene. Hebrews 4:13; 10:31.
“As the Holy One upon the throne slowly turned the leaves of the ledger, and His eyes rested for a moment upon individuals, His glance seemed to burn into their very souls, and at the same moment every word and action of their lives passed before their minds as clearly as though traced before their vision in letters of fire. . . . Every eye is riveted upon the face of the One upon the throne; and as His solemn, searching eye sweeps over that company, there is a quaking of heart; for they are self-condemned without one word being uttered.”—Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 385.
“We should be most grateful that now in probationary time through the infinite mercy of God we are permitted to sow the seed for our future harvest. We should carefully consider what the harvest will be.”—Welfare Ministry, pp. 316, 317.
Friday
February 12
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
a. Who is judged during the pre-advent judgment?
b. What is one reason for this judgment before Christ’s second coming?
c. What parable clearly explains the work of judgment prior to the giving out the rewards?
d. What is taught by the opening of the most holy place in heaven?
e. What scriptures do we need to study in order to gain a clearer understanding of the judgment?