“ ‘I beheld,’ says the prophet Daniel, ‘till thrones were placed, and One that was Ancient of Days did sit: His raiment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool; His throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire. 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’ (Daniel 7:9, 10, RV).

“Thus was presented to the prophet’s vision the great and solemn day when the characters and the lives of men should pass in review before the Judge of all the earth, and to every man should be rendered ‘according to his works.’ The Ancient of Days is God the Father. Says the psalmist: ‘Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God’ (Psalm 90:2). It is He, the source of all being, and the fountain of all law, that is to preside in the judgment. And holy angels as ministers and witnesses, in number ‘ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,’ attend this great tribunal.”1

“Behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind” (Revelation 4:2-6).

“Every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

“Every soul that has named the name of Christ has a case pending at the heavenly tribunal. It is court week with us, and the decision passed upon each case will be final.”2

The court of justice is the heavenly tribunal - the Supreme Court of the entire universe.

All the rules of conduct in an organized community as upheld by authority are in this case the Ten Commandments.

“Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 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. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty” (James 2:10-12).

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14).

“God’s holy, everlasting, immutable law is the standard by which man is to be tried. This law defines what we shall do and what we shall not do, saying, Thou shalt, and, Thou shalt not. This law is summed up in the two great principles, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself’ (Luke 10:27).

“This means just what it says. O how few will be prepared to meet the law of God in the great day of judgment! If the work of individual preparation for which the Lord calls were carried on in the home circle and in the church, how much suffering, how much sin, would be avoided!”3

“Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4).

“It is not the greatness of the act of disobedience that constitutes sin, but the fact of variance from God’s expressed will in the least particular; for this shows that there is yet communion between the soul and sin. The heart is divided in its service. There is a virtual denial of God, a rebellion against the laws of His government.”4

This is the punishment for the offense. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

“This law that Satan so much desires to have regarded null and void, is the great moral standard of righteousness. Any violation of it is an act of transgression against God, and will be visited with the penalty of the divine law. To all the inhabitants of the world who make void the law of Jehovah, and continue to live in transgression, death must surely come.”5

The judge is a public official with authority to hear and decide any case in a court of law. In this case it is God (Genesis 18:25;1 Kings 8:32;Ecclesiastes 3:17; 2 Timothy 4:8).

“In all the Bible, God is represented not only as a tender father but as a righteous judge. Though He delights in showing mercy, and ‘forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet He ‘will by no means clear the guilty’ (Exodus 34:7).”6

This is the one who brings a legal action against another in a court of law. Zechariah 3:1 reveals Satan to be the one accusing us.

“Those who honor God and keep His commandments are subject to the accusations of Satan. The enemy works with all his energy to lead persons into sin. Then he pleads that on account of their past sins, he should be allowed to exercise his hellish cruelty on them as his own subjects. Of this work Zechariah has written. ‘And he shewed me Joshua the high priest’ - a representative of the people who keep the commandments of God - ‘standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him’ (Zechariah 3:1).”7

This is the person accused in a court case. In this instance, it is God’s people (Revelation 12:10).

“How careful is the Lord Jesus to give no occasion for a soul to despair. How He fences about the soul from Satan’s fierce attacks. If through manifold temptations we are surprised or deceived into sin, He does not turn from us and leave us to perish. No, no, that is not our Saviour. Christ prayed for us. He was tempted in all points like as we are; and having been tempted, He knows how to succor those who are tempted.

“Our crucified Lord is pleading for us in the presence of the Father at the throne of grace. His atoning sacrifice we may plead for our pardon, our justification, and our sanctification. The Lamb slain is our only hope. Our faith looks up to Him, grasps Him as the One who can save to the uttermost, and the fragrance of the all-sufficient offering is accepted of the Father.”8

The defense attorney is also referred to as the lawyer or the advocate.

“If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15, 16).

“And, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away” (Daniel 7:13, 14).

“Christ is our High Priest. Satan stands before Him night and day as an accuser of the brethren. With his masterly power he presents every objectionable feature of character as sufficient reason for the withdrawal of Christ’s protecting power, thus allowing Satan to discourage and destroy those whom he has caused to sin. But Christ has made atonement for every sinner. Can we by faith hear our Advocate saying, ‘The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?’ (Zechariah 3:2).”9

“While the followers of Christ have sinned, they have not given themselves to the control of evil. They have put away their sins, and have sought the Lord in humility and contrition, and the divine Advocate pleads in their behalf. He who has been most abused by their ingratitude, who knows their sin, and also their repentance, declares: ‘The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan.’ I gave My life for these souls. They are graven upon the palms of My hands.”10

“[Daniel 7:13, 14 quoted.] The coming of Christ here described is not His second coming to the earth. He comes to the Ancient of Days in heaven to receive dominion and glory and a kingdom, which will be given Him at the close of His work as a mediator. It is this coming, and not His second advent to the earth, that was foretold in prophecy to take place at the termination of the 2300 days in 1844. Attended by heavenly angels, our great High Priest enters the holy of holies and there appears in the presence of God to engage in the last acts of His ministration in behalf of man - to perform the work of investigative judgment and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits.”11

These are the persons with first-hand knowledge of a fact or event. A witness will testify, attest, or give evidence in a court of law. In this case, the witnesses are the angels (Hebrews 12:1, 22).

“Angels record the words of your lips in the books of remembrance.”12

“Angels of God were upon your track and have faithfully recorded every wrong act, every instance of departure from virtue’s path.”13

Proof is submitted in court to determine the truth of alleged facts.

“The books of record in heaven, in which the names and the deeds of men are registered, are to determine the decisions of the judgment.”14 Scripture refers to this in Malachi 3:16.

“Each day, each hour of life, from childhood to youth, from youth to middle age, and onward to old age, our life history is being as faithfully recorded in the books of heaven as the polished plate of the artist reflects the features of the sitter. Each day, each hour, brings with it advantages which the human agent must improve. We cannot afford to lose a moment by doing careless work for the Lord. We must use our entrusted talents with fidelity, that earnest, honest, pure, clean work may bring glory to God. Nothing less will be accepted by Him. Our work in this world is to reveal the pure principles that are current in heaven. This is the only kind of work that will be acknowledged in the courts of heaven and accepted as pure and holy by the Lord.”15

This is a body of persons (peers) sworn to hear evidence and to deliver a verdict on a case. Scripture refers to the 24 elders redeemed from the earth (Revelation 4:4; Matthew 27:50-52).

“After Jesus had blessed His disciples, He was parted from them and taken up. And as He led the way upward, the multitude of captives who were raised at His resurrection followed.”16

“At the time appointed for the judgment - the close of the 2300 days, in 1844 - began the work of investigation and blotting out of sins. All who have ever taken upon themselves the name of Christ must pass its searching scrutiny. Both the living and the dead are to be judged ‘out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works’ (Revelation 20:12).”17

The act of determining, a judicial sentence; a court’s decision.

“Solemn are the scenes connected with the closing work of the atonement. Momentous are the interests involved therein. The judgment is now passing in the sanctuary above. For more than [one hundred and sixty-six (166)] 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).”18

“God is weighing our characters, our conduct, and our motives in the balances of the sanctuary. It will be a fearful thing to be pronounced wanting in love and obedience by our Redeemer, who died upon the cross to draw our hearts unto Him. God has bestowed upon us great and precious gifts. He has given us light and a knowledge of His will, so that we need not err or walk in darkness. To be weighed in the balance and found wanting in the day of final settlement and rewards will be a fearful thing, a terrible mistake which can never be corrected. Young friends, shall the book of God be searched in vain for your names?”19