1 Tim 5:21, 22

21 I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.
22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.

1. What is Timothy told not to do in these verses?
2. What does verse 22c add to verses 21, 22a, b?
3. Define “pure” in verse 22 in context?

1 Tim 5:23

23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for they stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.

1. Define wine.  Is Paul here advising Timothy to drink an alcoholic drink?

1 Tim 5:24, 25

24 Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
25 Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.

1. Explain verses 24, 25.  (You may want to consult the Spirit of Prophecy materials regarding this concept.)

Assignment Answers

1 Tim 5:17, 18

1. When these two verses are taken as a unit threshing equals ruling well.  To rule is the translation of proestotes, which we have found, in a variety of forms, in 1 Tim 3:4, 5, 12, in addition to our verses.  It has the dictionary meaning of being at the head of, or ruling, directing; to manage or conduct (see Arndt & Gingrich, p. 713).

   No muzzle means worthy of honor, the pay means double honor.

   The message of these verses is that the church leader who manages well (kalos; beautiful) the Lord’s work, particularly if he labors in speech or teaching, is to be deemed worthy of double honor.  The implication being that every worker for God who does his or her work well is to be honored, therefore double honor is due to certain leaders.

1 Tim 5:19, 20

1. Verses 19 tells us to receive no evil report against a church leader that is not clearly proved.

   In verse 20 those church leaders who are sinning (present plural participle) Timothy is ordered to expose (elegche:  Imperative of elegaho, to bring to light, to expose, to set forth.  Arndt & Gingrich, p. 248.  The word also means to reprove or correct.  Ibid.)  This treatment is to discourage others from acting an evil part (v. 20c).  Leadership is commanded to expose the sins of leadership – – in this verse.

1 Tim 5:21, 22

1. Timothy is told he should keep the counsels given without discrimination; he is not to act in a spirit of partiality (prosklisin:  Arndt & Gingrich, p. 723); not laying hands on (epitithami – to inflict blows upon someone, or set upon, or attack.  See Arndt & Gingrich, p. 303) someone quickly; he is ordered not to participate (koinoneo: Imperative) in other people’s sins; the result of actually doing along with others their evil deeds, or the result of not doing the counsels he has been commanded to work out.
2. Verse 22c adds the clause which gives the reason for the foregoing prohibitions and counsels.
3. “Pure” in verse 22c is from the greek agnon.  According to Arndt and Gingrich the word originally designated an attribute of divinity and everything belonging to it (p. 11).

   In the context agnon has the negative meaning of being weak.  The meaning of “pure” in verse 22c is contextually connected to “keep”; to be “pure” in verse 22c is to do and to have done that which one has been counseled; to be chaste, literally.  Keep yourself pure here equals to do always the will of God.

1 Tim 5:23

1. “Some men’s sins are open before-hand, confessed in penitence, and forsaken, and they go beforehand to judgment.  Pardon is written over against the names of these men.  But other men’s sins follow after, and are not put away by repentance and confession, and these sins will stand registered against them in the books of heaven: (MS 1a, 1890). Ellen G. white, in the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 916.

Note:  Seventh-day Adventism is generally perceived as teaching a three-part judgment.  The investigative judgment, beginning in 1844 and continuing to the close of probation; the millennial judgment which occurs during the 1000 years the wicked are dead and the saints are in heaven; the final judgment which takes place after the resurrection of the wicked at the end of the 1000 years, during which the wicked learn of their individual punishment for the life they have lived.

When Mrs.  White writes above of some men’s sins being confessed, going beforehand to judgment and having pardon written, she is referring to the investigative judgment ; the 1844 judgment.  When Mrs. White speaks of sins standing registered in the books of heaven, she is apparently referring to both the sheep and goats judgment, which occurs at the time of the second coming, and to the final judgment, which occurs at the end of the millennium.

Notice the following materials from the Spirit of Prophecy as illustrative of these concepts, which when studied together present a picture approximately as follows.  (this material is taken from a paper on the Matt 25:31-46 judgment scene.)  Note especially the concepts of:

confession, and forsaken sin
sins preceding people to the judgment
pardon from God

no repentance and confession
record of sins retained in books of heaven
sins follow people to judgment
no pardon from God

The Reality of the Face to Face Accounting to God

Whereas we have often read, or at least heard, that we all “must individually answer to God for our habits and practices,”¹ we know that we have an individual accountability to God. When again we read that “Everyone must in the judgment give account of himself to God,… “² we know where the accounting is to take place.  And when we read “Men who claim to be Christians may now defraud and oppress the poor; they may rob the widow and the fatherless; they may indulge their Satanic hatred because they cannot control the consciences of God’s people; but for all this God will bring them into judgment. . . . Not long hence they will stand before the Judge of all the earth, to render an account for the pain they have caused to the bodies and souls of His heritage.”³ we know the kind of things the judgment will be concerned with.

Again when Mrs. White writes that “Every individual has a soul to save or lose.  Each has a case pending at the bar of God.  Each must meet the great Judge face to face.”⁴  We know that saved or lost, for life or for death, we will all look on the face of God.

Finally, the reliability of the judgment actions is clearly seen when Mrs. White points out there are two independent sources of information drawn upon – – the record books of Heaven and the memory and confessions of men.

“The great day of the execution of God’s judgment seems to have come.  Then 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.  Immediately I lost sight of the countless millions about the throne, and only those who were professedly children of the light and of the truth, engaged my attention.  As these persons were named, one by one, and their good deeds mentioned, their countenances would light up with a holy joy that was reflected in every direction.  But this did not seem to rest upon my mind with the greatest force.

“Another book was opened, wherein were recorded the sins of those who profess the truth. . . .
                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…. In anguish of soul each declares his own guilt….” ⁵

In the light of such an awesome concept we are not surprised to find Mrs. White admonishing, “How important then, that, every mind contemplate often the solemn scene when the judgment shall sit and the books shall be opened, when, with Daniel, every individual must stand in his lot…. ”⁶

This connecting, by Mrs. White, of the concept of face to face accounting with the judgment in which the books are opened leads us back to the question whether Revelation 20 and Matt 25:31-46 don’t describe, at least in part, the same event, for in both passages people are presented as face to face with their Judge.  In the light of this similarity one might feel forced to conclude tat both scenes depict the same event were in not that, while in both judgment passages men stand in the ‘bar’ of God in the Scripture accounts, the concept of rendering an account which occurs in Matt 25:31-46 is not explicitly mentioned in Rev 20.  It is also significant that Mrs.  White connects the giving of an account by individuals only with the face to face judgment picture presented by Jesus and recorded in Matthew 25:31-46.  Note the following as an example of her descriptions of this passage.

“When you stand before the great white throne, then your work will appear as it is.  The books are opened, the record of every life made know.  Many in that vast company are unprepared for the revelations made.   Upon the ears of some the words will fail with startling distinctness, “Weighed in the balance, and found wanting.’  To many parents the Judge will say in that day, ‘You had my Word, plainly setting forth your duty.  Why have you not obeyed its teachings?  Knew ye not that it was the voice of God?  Did I not bid you search the Scriptures, that you might not go astray?  You have not only ruined your own souls, but by your pretensions to holiness you have misled many others.  You have no part with Me.  Depart, depart.’”

“Another class stand pale and trembling, trusting in Christ, and yet oppressed with a sense of their own unworthiness.  They hear with tears of joy and gratitude the Master’s commendation.  The days of incessant toil, of burden bearing, and of fear and anguish are forgotten as that voice, sweeter than the music of angel harps, pronounces the words, ‘;Well done, good and faithful servant, enter ye into the joy of your Lord.’  There stand the hose of the redeemed, the palm branch of victory in their hand, the crown upon their head.  These are the ones who by faithful, earnest labor have obtained a fitness for heaven. The lifework performed on earth is acknowledged in the heavenly courts as a work well done.”⁷

This accounting of our deeds in the face to face judgment of Matthew 25:31-46 is probably not limited to a dialogue with the Lord for we read, “When parents and children meet at the final reckoning, what a scene will be presented!  Thousands of children who have been slaves to appetite and debasing vice, whose lives are moral wrecks, will stand face to face with the parents who made them what they are.”⁸  “The curse of God will surely rest upon unfaithful parents. . . . They must meet their own unfaithfulness when the judgment shall sit.  Many children will rise up in the judgment and condemn their parents for not restraining them and charge upon them their destruction.”⁹

Neither is our accountability in the judgment day limited to the family, for we read:

“There are many who have no desire to become acquainted with their unbelieving neighbors and those with whom they come in contact, and they do not feel it their duty to overcome this reluctance  The truth they teach and the love of Jesus should have great power to help them to overcome this feeling.  They should remember that they must meet these very men and women in the judgment.  Have they left words unsaid that should have been spoken?  Have they felt interest enough for souls, to warn, to entreat, to pray for them to make every effort to win them to Christ?  Have they united discrimination with zeal, heeding the direction of the apostle: ‘of some have compassion, making a difference:  and others save with ear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh?’”¹⁰

Now note the absence of any element of giving an account by individuals in the face to face judgment mentioned in Revelation 20:12.  The following comments by Mrs. White are representative of her statements in this connection.

“The Whole wicked world stand arraigned at the bar of God on the charge of high treason against the government of heaven.  They have none to plead their cause; they are without excuse; and the sentence of eternal death is pronounced against them. . . . The wicked see what they have forfeited by their life of rebellion. . . . ‘All this,’ cries the lost soul, ‘I might have had; but I chose to put these things far from me.  Oh, strange infatuation!  I have exchanged peace, happiness, and honor for wretchedness, infamy, and despair.”¹¹

“Then many who have professed to be Christ’s followers, but who had not honored God in their lives, enumerate their good deeds performed when they lived upon the earth, and entreat to be admitted into the city.  They plead that their names were upon the church books, and they had prophesied in the name of Christ, and in his name cast out devils, and done many wonderful works.  Christ answers, ‘your cases have been decided.  Your names are not found enrolled in the book of life.  You professed to believe in my name, but you trampled upon the law of God.  I know you not, depart from me ye workers of iniquity.  Satan and his angels try to encourage the wicked multitude to action; but fire descends from Heaven, and unites with the fire in the earth, and aids in the general conflagration.”¹²

We have seen that the giving of an account by the people being judged is an integral part of the Judgment at which Jesus interviews His professed followers.  This is apparently because the fact of personal accounting in the judgment serves ultimately the purpose of making clear to interested, but not-directly-involved intelligences, as well as involved people, the detailed basis of a judgment which can reward one professed follower with eternal life while committing another professed follower to eternal destruction.¹³

We have also seen that there is no mention of individuals giving an account to God mentioned in either the Bible or Spirit of Prophecy descriptions of the post – millennial judgment.

Therefore we conclude that while one reads in Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy two descriptions of men standing at the bar of God, the two accounts can’t refer to the same event because while the element of giving personally an account is part of the one judgment scene, it is not part of the other.

Before closing this chapter we should also note that “’The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.’ The Judge, the Prince of sufferers for the truth’s sake, is on the throne. . . . “¹⁴

“Because He tasted the very dregs of human affliction and temptation, and understands the frailties and sins of men; because in our behalf He has victoriously withstood the temptations of Satan, and will deal justly and tenderly with the souls that His own blood has been poured out to save, – – because of this, the Son of Man is appointed to execute the judgment.”¹⁵

In summary:  We have seen that every person must meet Christ face to face in His role of Judge of the earth.  We have also found that while there are two accounts of face to face judgment in the Bible, Matthew 25:31-46 and Revelation 20:12-15, the element of one’s giving an account of himself is only associated with the Matthew 25 account.

Finally we saw that it is because Jesus is our sacrificed-and-risen-again-Savior that He is qualified to be the Judge in the execution of the judgment.

Works and Faith in the Judgment

When one thinks of works and faith in connection with Christianity the first text that often comes to mind is James 2:8-26.  If, however, one is thinking of Christian works in the context of the judgment, then Matt. 25:31-46 is no doubt a key text to remember.

Mrs. White has written many interesting and enlightening comments on the significance of works in the judgment.  We will begin our presentation of her position with a quotation regarding Matt.  25:31-46.

“The terrible punishment the King threatened those on His left hand, in this case, is not because of their great crimes.  They are not condemned for the things which they did do, but for that which they did not do.  They did not those things Heaven assigned them to do.  They pleased themselves, and can take their portion with selfpleasers.”¹⁶

From this quotation it is clear that the Lord will be very concerned about our works when the judgment shall sit.  “We should remember the Lord will judge us by what we appear to be.”¹⁷

“Our acts, our words, even our most secret motives, all have their weight in deciding our destiny for weal or woe.  Though they may be forgotten by us, they bear their testimony to justify or condemn.”¹⁸ “All will be justified by their faith and judged by their works.”¹⁹

“In the great judgment day, those who have not worked for Christ, who have drifted along thinking of themselves, caring for themselves, will be placed by the Judge of the whole earth with those who did evil.  They receive the same condemnation.

“To every soul a trust is given.  Of everyone the chief Shepherd will demand, “Where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?’ And ‘What wilt thou say when He shall punish thee?’  Jer. 13:20, 21.”²⁰

The question that immediately comes to mind when one reads such statements is in regard to the nature of works that God gives them so much importance.  What, in God’s sight, is the significance of good works?  Why does He consider them of such great importance as to make them the basis of judgment?

Notice Mrs. White’s explanation.

“The good tree will produce good fruit.  If the fruit is unpalatable and worthless, the tree is evil.  So the fruit borne in the life testifies as to the condition of the heart and the excellence of the character.  Good works can never purchase salvation, but they are an evidence of the faith that acts by love and purifies the soul.  And though the eternal reward is not bestowed because of our merit, yet it will be in proportion to the work that has been done through the grace of Christ.”²¹

The reason that the ‘Record of Deeds’ testifies to the condition of the heart is because Christian works are not only the result of an active relationship with Christ, but they are God’s appointed agents to keep Christian experience alive.  Note:  “it is because this work is neglected that so many young disciples never advance beyond the mere alphabet of Christian experience.  The light which was glowing in their own hearts when Jesus spoke to them, “thy sins be forgiving thee,” they might have kept alive by helping those in need.”²²; Not only do Christian works keep us alive spiritually but they serve to unite us to Christ for Mrs. White writes that – “When we submit ourselves to Christ, [to do the things which are against our natural heart] the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life.”²³  The result of this blending of our nature into His, Mrs. White says, is “What it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness.  Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees . . . His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah.”²⁴

In the light of these principles we know that Jesus’ Character becomes ours as we do His works by His grace.  Notice again:

“Oh, what rays of softness and beauty shown forth in the daily life of our Savior!  What sweetness flowed from His very presence!  The same spirit will be revealed in His children.  Those with whom Christ dwells will be surrounded with a divine atmosphere.  Their white robes of purity will be fragrant with perfume from the garden of the Lord.  Their faces will reflect light from His, brightening the path for stumbling and weary feet.”²⁵

We shall individually be held responsible for doing one jot less than we have ability to do.  The Lord measures with exactness every possibility for service.”²⁶   The reason for this concern by God for us to do faithful and constant service is that others are lost when we don’t work.²⁷  But many people today say they can’t work.  To this Mrs. White makes the following answer.  “Many who excuse themselves from Christian effort plead their inability for work.  But did God make them so incapable?  No, never.  This inability has been produced by their own inactivity and perpetuated by their deliberate choice.  Already, in their own characters, they are realizing the result of the sentence, “Take the talent from him.”  The continual misuse of their talents will effectually quench for them the Holy Spirit, which is the only light.  The sentence, “Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness sets Heaven’s seal to the choice which they themselves have made for eternity.”²⁸

Not only do we lose our talents and cause other people to be lost by our neglect when we don’t work for Jesus, but we in fact give our service to Satan.²⁹  The fact of this service to the enemy of God is revealed by an examination of the record of an individual’s works.

“The hidden selfishness of men stands revealed in the books of heaven.  There is the record of unfulfilled duties to their fellowmen, of forgetfulness of the Savior’s claims.  There they will see how often were given to Satan the time, thought, and strength that belonged to Christ. . . . Money, time, and strength are sacrificed for display and self-indulgence; but few are the moments devoted to prayer, to the searching of the Scriptures, to humiliation of soul and confession of sin.”³⁰  Such an examination also serves to show if sin is “retained in the life, the whole being is contaminated.”³¹  The result of this contamination is that “The man becomes an instrument of unrighteousness,”³²  and as such does not have the character of Christ – – therefore he doesn’t do his works.

Another significance of our works is that they reveal whether or not we live in harmony with the will of God as it is expressed in Scripture.  “Christ’s rule of life, by which every one of us must stand or fall in the judgment, is “whatever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.  Matt. 7:12”.³³

Our works also reveal our characters, for we read “They are not aware that the great heavenly Artist is taking cognizance of every act, every word, and that their deportment, and even the thoughts and intents of the heart, stand faithfully delineated.  Every defect in their moral character stands revealed to the gaze of angels, and they will have the fearful picture presented to them in all its deformity at the execution of the judgment.”³⁴

Again we read that “The terrible punishment the King threatened those on His left hand, in this case, is not because of their great crimes.  They are not condemned for the things which they did do, but for that which they did not do.  They did not those things Heaven assigned them to do.”³⁵

Finally we learn that we are accountable for our influence, we are judged according to our profession, and our profession is tested by our works, when we read that “We should remember the Lord will judge us by what we appear to be.”³⁶

In summary:  We have seen that in the judgment we will be examined by our works rather than by our faith.  We have also seen Mrs. White give several descriptions of the nature of Christian works that enable us to understand why God would use those works as the basis of the judgment examination.  These descriptions can be summarized as followers:

1 – – Works reveal the condition of the heart
2 – – They are an evidence of true faith
3 – – Christian works are done through the grace of Christ.
4 – – Works done through Christ’s grace are the basis on which our eternal reward is decided.
5 – – They keep the Christian experience alive;
6 – – They unite us to Christ in heart, will, mind, and thoughts.
7 – – Doing Christ’s works produces in us Christ’s character.
8 – – The absence of faithful Christian Works –
                a – Causes others to be lost
                b – means the loss of our talents
                c – makes us workers for God’s enemy
9 – – Thus a study of one’s works reveals who his master is.
10 – – Our works show whether we love our fellowmen as Christ taught us to.
11 – – Our works reveal our character
12 – – they will show if we did our heaven assigned task,
13 – – and finally, our works are used to test our profession.

Conclusion: “The love of Christ binds together the members of His family, and wherever that love is made manifest there the divine relationship is revealed.” ³⁷  Where that divine relationship is not revealed there is no faith, for “a man will reveal all the faith he has.”  Therefore, the relationship between faith and works in the judgment is that we are justified by our faith and judged by our works. ³⁸

Which Words are Revealed at the Judgment?

If works are the basis of the judgment because they reveal the outgrowth of the working of Christ’s grace, and because they reveal the character, one wonders if only good works are revealed in the judgment.  It is obvious that while good works, as the outgrowth of the Holy Spirit’s work, if revealed, would show God’s power, so, it would seem, a revelation of the man’s evil deeds would also serve to show the adequacy of the regenerating power of God in his life, by contrast; such a revelation making clear the total dependence of the man on God’s grace when the deeds of the man before and after he became a child of God doing the works of Christ, were compared.

But if such a revelation of the evil works of all people is to be made in the judgment, then what is to be understood as the meaning of the Bible teaching about the blotting out of the sins of the righteous?  Are the sins of the righteous blotted out in the sense of not being charged against them in the judgment, though they are revealed there, or are only the good works of the righteous set forth in the judgment?  If only the good works of the righteous are set forth in the judgment, can they be truly said to reveal their character?

To answer these questions we will again quote from Mrs. White.  The first quotation is from the book Child Guidance.

“In the solemn assembly of the last day, in the hearing of the universe, will be read the reason of the condemnation of the sinner. For the first time parents will learn what has been the secret life of their children. Children will see how many wrongs they have committed against their parents.  There will be a general revealing of the secrets and motives of the heart, for that which is hid will be made manifest. Those who have made sport of solemn things connected with the judgment will be sobered as they face its terrible reality.”³⁹

 
Before proceeding further we will list the key points of this quotation:

1 – – in the judgment the reason for the condemnation of the sinner is read.
2 – – Parents learn of the secret sins of their children.
3 – – Children become aware of their wrongs against their parents.
4 – – There will be a general revealing of the secrets and motives of the heart.

Some questions now come to mind. Is the reading of the reason for the condemnation of the sinner to be seen as the source of knowledge from which parents learn the secrets sins of their children?  Is this “reading” that which Mrs.  White refers to when she says that there will be a general revealing of the secrets and motives of the heart?  I believe the answer to the first question is No, while the answer to the second may be Yes. Compare the following two quotations.

“Every defect in their moral character stands revealed to the gaze of angels, and they will have the faithful picture presented to them in all its’ deformity at the execution of the judgment.  For those vain, frivolous words are all written in the book.  Those false words are written.  Those deceptive acts, whose motives were concealed from human eyes, but discerned by the all-seeing eye of Jehovah, are all written in the living characters.  Every selfish act is exposed.”³⁹

“In the day when the Ledger of Heaven shall be opened, the Judge will not in words express to man his guilt, but will cast one penetrating, convicting glance, and every deed, every transaction of life, will be vividly impressed upon the memory of the wrongdoer.  The person will not, as in Joshua’s day, need to be hunted from tribe to family, but his own lips will confess his shame, his selfishness, covetousness, dishonesty, dissembling, and fraud.  His sins, hidden from the knowledge of man, will then by proclaimed, as it were upon the housetop.”⁴⁰

In Patriarchs and Prophets Mrs. White concludes these sentences with:  “The sins hidden from the knowledge of man will then be proclaimed to the whole world.”⁴¹

We can now see that whatever is given in the “reading” as the reason for the condemnation of the sinner, the specific sins of the sinner is not included.  The knowledge gained in the judgment by one person about the sins of another person – – parents learning the secret sins of their children, for example – – comes from the lips of the sinner – – not from God.

The realization of one’s own sins, is the result not of God’s “reading” but of His looking at the individual – – which look brings every deed and transaction of the life back to the individual’s memory with a clarity that wasn’t there before.

This may mean that the “reading” of the reason for the condemnation of the sinner is a collective work including all sinners who have rejected Christ.

It is also significant that all this revealing of sin takes place in these quotations in the context of the people being guilty.  This means the sins here dealt with would be unconfessed sins, for the Bible teaches us that if we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).  Therefore the one who confesses is no longer guilty.  He has been forgiven and cleansed.

Mrs. White also connects the revealing of sins with unconfessed sins.

“His pure eye sees, a witness records, all their sins, both open and secret; and unless they repent and confess their sins before God, unless they fall on the Rock and are broken, their sins will remain charged against them in the books of record.  Oh, fearful histories will be opened to the world at the judgment – – histories of sins never confessed, of sins never blotted out!”⁴²

Mrs. White also connects the repentance of sin with the blotting out of sin.

“The facts should be borne in mind by all who claim to be children of god, that there is a Watcher in every business transaction who records every act and deed of the transactor and that this record will stand just as it is written until the great day when every man shall receive according as his works have been, unless their wrongs shall have been repented of and blotted out.”⁴³

In Conclusion:  It is now clear that the works revealed in the judgment include both good works and evil works.  In the case of the lost their unconfessed and unblotted out evil deeds are included,  while the only works of the saved that are revealed are good works because all their evil works have been repented of and blotted out.  This means that the immediate contrast in the judgment is not between what a man was before he accepted Christ and what he was after he accepted Christ, but between the goodness of those who accepted Jesus as their Savior and the evilness of those who rejected Jesus as their Savior.  The respective goodness or evilness is, of course, seen in the person’s works.  The importance of these works lie in the fact that because the righteous could only do their good works through the grace of God operating in their lives, and because the wicked were doing those things suggested by Satan, that the righteous deeds of the saved reveal the character of Christ, just as the evil deeds of the lost reflect the character of him for whom they worked.  Therefore it is obvious that in the judgment the study of works is not to establish either the contrast between what a person was before and after accepting Christ, or, between the acts of the saved and the acts of the lost, but rather it is to show the contrast between the character of Christ and the character of Satan.  Therefore we can also see that the revelation of only the good works of the righteous does reflect their whole character, because all their evil works have been overcome through Christ’s grace, and as reflectors of His character their deeds are only good.

Our study of 1 Tim. 5:24, 25 and where the sins and good works there referred to are addressed in the judgment leads us to conclude that the doctrine of judgment presents us with four phases of judgment rather than three; the investigative judgment, beginning in 1844; the Sheep and Goats judgment occurring at the time of the second coming of Jesus; the Millennial judgment occurring during the one thousand years the wicked are dead and the saved are in heaven; and the final judgment which occurs after the resurrection of the wicked at the end of the millennium.

¹ Ellen G White, Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, California:  Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1942), p. 310 (Hereinafter referred to as M.H.)
² Ed., p. 188
³ C.O.L., pp. 178-179.  Emphasis supplied
⁴ Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan (Mountain View, California:  Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911, p. 488.  (Hereinafter referred to as G.C.)  Emphasis supplied.
⁵ Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1948), IV, 384- 385.  (Hereinafter referred to as T.)
⁶ G.C., p. 488.
⁷ Ellen G. white, Child Guidance (Nashville, Tennessee: Southern Publishing Association, 1954), pp. 568-569.  (Hereinafter referred to as C.G.)
⁸ C.G., p. 561.
⁹ Ibid., p. 561.
¹⁰ T., V, 255.
¹¹ G.C. p. 668.
¹² Ellen G. white, Spiritual Gifts (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1945), III, 86.  (Hereinafter referred to as S.G.)
¹³ The broader reason for such an accounting is of course to effect the justification of God.
¹⁴ Ellen G. White, “Upon the Throne of His Glory,” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, September 20, 1898 (Hereinafter referred to as R.&H.)
¹⁵ D.A., p. 210.
¹⁶ Ellen G. White, Instruction for Effective Christian Service (Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.:  Home Missionary Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1947), p. 216 (Hereinafter referred to as Ch.S.).
¹⁷ Ellen G. White, Counsels to Writers and Editors (Nashville, Tennessee:  Southern Publishing Association, 1946,), p. 72.
¹⁸ G.C., pp. 486-487.
¹⁹ T., IV, 386.
²⁰ D.A., p. 641.
²¹ D.A., p. 314.
²² D.A., p. 640
²³ C.O.L., p. 312.
²⁴ Ibid., Emphasis supplied.
²⁵ Ellen G. White, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1956), p. 135.
²⁶ C.O.L., p. 363.
²⁷ See D.A., p. 641
²⁸ C.O.L., p. 365.
²⁹ “All who are not decided followers of Christ are servants of Satan.” G.C., p. 508.
³⁰ G.C., p. 488
³¹ D.A., p. 313
³² Ibid.
³³ Ibid., p. 640
³⁴ T., I, 501
³⁵ Ch.S., p. 216 emphasis supplied.
³⁶ C.W., p. 72
³⁷ D.A., p. 638
³⁸ T., IV, p. 386
³⁹ T., I, 501.
⁴⁰ T., IV, 493.
⁴¹ Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Mountain View, California:  Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1940), p. 498.  (Hereinafter referred to as P.P.).
⁴² Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers (Mountain View, California:  Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1962), p. 146 (Hereinafter referred to as T.M.).
⁴³ Ellen G. White, Welfare Ministry: Instruction in Christian Neighborhood Service (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1952), p. 219 (Hereinafter referred to as W.M.).

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