A great deal of speculation has arisen is to the precise manner in which the saints, both living and dead, are to be summoned before the judgment seat of Christ Many ideas ha\ e been expressed in Christadelphian writings in the past varying in degrees as to the probable order of events, but harmonizing basically in the purpose and final result of that great assembly When the time arrives for each of us to individually appear before the presence of His glory, shall we be informed of the time by Christ personally? Perhaps angels, or brothers or sisters in Christ recently awakened from the dead will be employed to announce to the living that their presence is required before the Judge of the whole earth Do the Scriptures throw any light on the exact method God will use in the last day to inform the living that their beloved Master has at last returned to the earth to distribute rewards and punishments to the responsible?
It would appear to this writer that there is indeed an abundant supply of information on the subject, clearly revealed in the teachings of Christ and Paul Before entering into an affirmative presentation of the divine order of the judgment, let us consider some of the thoughts that have been expressed.
It has been suggested, and this idea is quite popular among many in the house hold, that one of the saints will be resurrected (one known to those to whom he is sent) and, in the roll of an emissary, will solemnly proclaim to his surviving friends that their presence is required before Christ This unsuspected appearance of one whom they had laid to rest some time before is Intended to have a profound and sobering effect upon them, which Indeed it would have It would be, I am afraid, not only sobering, but frightening as well To suddenly be con fronted with one who has died would be an experience which the saints will un doubtedly be spared.
There are many reasons why the writer does not believe a resurrected saint will be used in this respect, one or two of which we would like to mention To begin with, the appearance of one from the dead would presuppose his acceptance at the judgment seat of Christ It would be quite incompatible with God s methods to employ the aid of one whom He plans to reject later on, at least with the issues at hand His acceptance, there fore, must be conceded If this be granted, It might be argued that inasmuch as the sleeping saints are to be raised first, It is quite natural that their judgment should take place before that of the living ones Although it is clearly taught that the dead in Christ shall rise first, it does not naturally follow that their glorification shall anticipate that of the living ones In fact, the Scriptures clearly indicate that the perfection of both classes will be simultaneous.
The writer to the Hebrews, speaking of the dead saints, assures us that “these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” (Heb. 11:39, 40). If they are not to obtain their perfection without the living ones, it follows that their attainment of immortality must coincide. Jesus, likewise, indicates that the rewarding of the faithful of both the living and the dead will take place at one and the same time. In His picture of the resurrection and judgment recorded in the 25th chapter of Matthew, the Master relates that after the division of the sheep and goats, He announces to those upon His right hand, en masse: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” The inheritance of that kingdom and the putting on of immortality are equivalent terms, for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God any more than corruption can inherit incorruption.
These facts then would seem to preclude the idea that a dead saint raised to life, either mortal or immortal, will be used by God to summon the living saints to judgment.
Another thought, although not as popular as the preceding one, is that the rejected will be sent back into the world to wander among the mortal inhabitants until they finally die. It is suggested that it will be they who shall inform the living responsible that the judgment of the sleeping saints has been completed and that their presence is now required. This idea, also, is incompatible with the arrangements set forth by Christ that are to prevail at the judgment of the household. In all references to the judgment, where both the faithful and unfaithful are mentioned, it is emphatically taught that they are to appear side by side. Part of the punishment that is to be inflicted upon the rejected will consist in their seeing the righteous adorned with immortality. Jesus indicated in the 25th chapter of Matthew that the sheep assembled on His right were to inherit the kingdom, in the sight of, and preceding the punishment of those on His left. In Luke 13:28 Christ warns the Jews of His day: “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”
The appalling realization that they could have had part in the glorious order of things which they behold, and might indeed have been granted the blessings of eternity had they but remained faithful, will be torment of a nature well symbolized in the Apocalypse as “fire and brimstone.” They will be subjected to this sad state of affairs “day and night for the Aion of Aions,” a time terminatory bound by their mortality. When they have at last suffered divine retribution sufficient to their guilt, they shall be subjected to “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess. 1:9). It is quite apparent that this final end of the wicked leaves no room whatsoever for the theory that they shall be turned back into the world to wander indefinitely, tormented with the thought, perhaps for years, that there is not a thing they could possibly do to alter their destiny.
This divine arrangement is borne out in all references to the judgment seat of Christ, where specific reference to the rejected is made. Both in the 19th chapter of Luke in the parable of the pounds and in the 25th chapter of Matthew where Christ relates the parable of the man traveling into a far country, the wicked are declared to be destroyed after the rewarding of the faithful.
If neither accepted nor rejected saints are to announce to the living that their presence is required before Christ, who will be employed by God for this momentous occasion ? Christ made specific reference to the gathering of the saints several times during His ministry, in which it would seem that He left no doubt whatsoever as to the manner in which He would summon the responsible to the judgment seat. In the 13th chapter of Matthew, the Master related the parable of the sower, in which He specifically outlined the great harvest that was to take place in the “end of the world.” Later on the disciples asked their Lord to explain the meaning of this story, which He did in detail in verses 37 to 43. The reapers who were to gather in the wheat and tares (which Jesus explained would be the children of the kingdom and the children of the wicked one, respectively) were identified as the angels. “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend” (v. 41). Later on in the chapter, Jesus relates the account of the net cast into the the sea, and the bringing in of all manner of fish. In explanation of this, Christ declares in verse 49: “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just.”
It has been suggested that when the saints are advised that Christ has truly returned and is now awaiting their presence at Sinai, the manner in which they respond to this news will be a test of their faith. In other words, if they gladly go about the business of making arrangements to join their Master, it would depict a heart that is sincere and faithful; whereas those who had to be forced or persuaded to go would be lacking in faith. However, when the angel of the Lord appears to the living saints and summons them to the great tribunal, is the time of their departure and the mode of their transportation going to be left up to them? Are we to suppose that they themselves are going to be allowed to make final arrangements, even to the extent of bidding some farewell and handing in their resignations at their various places of employment? I realize that there isn’t that clarity of purpose and method surrounding this element of the One Faith that there is in other first principles, and much of the fine detail is almost a matter of speculation. Still, it appears to this writer that the suggestions set forth above do not harmonize with what Jesus revealed concerning the call of the saints to judgment. Let us consider what Jesus says in the 24th chapter of Matthew about His return to the earth. In the words that follow, the Master is warning the household against imposters who would arise in every generation, proclaiming themselves to be the Christ, and deceiving many. The defense against such a deception was to be a stalwart disbelief. “Then, if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; Believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold he is in the desert; Go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; Believe it not” (v. 23-26).
Obviously, if the saints were not to believe any report that Christ is in the earth (or desert, such as Sinai), their reluctance to follow a stranger who insists that He has come would not be evidence of a faltering faith. Quite the contrary, for the faithful child of God will remember and obey the Master’s admonition as set forth in these verses. The truth of the matter is that the presence of the saints at the judgment seat is not a matter of choice. They are not going to be invited to accompany the angel. They are going to be commanded and forced to go with him, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. At the time of this command, there will be no doubt in their minds, no uncertainty as to the authenticity of the angel’s words, because of what Christ declares in the next verse: “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. . . . And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (v. 27, 31).
When this gathering occurs, will there be opportunity for the saints to make last minute arrangements? The order of events doesn’t seem to leave room for this idea either. In Luke’s gospel, chapter 17, verses 34 to 36, Jesus relates the finality of the harvest: “I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left Two women shall be grinding together, the one shall be taken, and the other left Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left ” There is a note of urgency throughout these references that implies that the saints will have no time to do anything but embark to the place of judgment We are reminded here of the business man who stored all his goods in newly constructed barns, intending to spend the rest of his life in luxurious living “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided” (Luke 12:20) ?
Whatever the order of events may be leading to our presentation before our Lord and Master, its consideration should be a source of spiritual stimulation. For this great event that will determine our eternal destinies is one to which the faithful children of God look forward with eager and hopeful anticipation There will undoubtedly be some to whom Christ’s coming will be unexpected and inopportune But to many, it will truly be a time of refreshing, and the beginning of a new existence in an era where pain, sorrow, unhappiness and all the other calamities attendant to this mortal life are completely lacking.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One