The Open Door Bible Studies Number Ninteen
What startling message is given in Revelation
14:7?
"Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is
come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and
the fountains of waters." Revelation 14:7. What is the hour of God's judgment? "And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days;
then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." Daniel
8:14. See chart. Note.— The Jewish Day of
Atonement was on the tenth day of the seventh month, at which time
the sanctuary was cleansed. This Day of Atonement was looked upon by
the Jews as a day of judgment, and was, in fact, a type of the
investigative judgment in heaven. The 2300-day period, representing
2300 years according to symbolic prophecy, reaches to the cleansing
of the sanctuary in heaven or the investigative judgment. The typical
sanctuary service is fully met in the work of Christ. As the
atonement day of the former dispensation was really a day of
judgment, so the atonement work of Christ will include the
investigation of the cases of His people prior to His coming the
second time to receive them unto Himself. What assurance have we that there will be a
judgment? "God. . . he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the
world . . ." Acts 17:30, 31. Was the judgment still future in Paul's
day? "And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to
come, Felix trembled," Acts 24:25. Out of what will all be judged? "And the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is
the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works." Revelation
20:12. "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment
is come:" Revelation 14:6, 7. Note — There are three phases
of the judgment mentioned in the scriptures: the investigative
judgment, preceding the Second Advent; the judgment of the lost world
and wicked angels by Christ and the saints during the one thousand
years following the Second Advent; and the executive judgment, or
punishment of the wicked at the close of this period. The
Investigative judgment takes place in heaven before Christ comes in
order to ascertain who are worthy to be raised in the first
resurrection at His coming, and who among the living are to be
changed in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trump.
It is necessary for this to take place before the Second Advent, as
there will be no time for such a work between the coming of Christ
and the raising of the righteous dead. The executive judgment on the
wicked occurs after their cases have been examined by the saints
during the thousand years. (Revelation 20:4,
5; 1 Corinthians 6:1-3.) The investigative judgment is that
which is announced to the world by the angel's message of Revelation
14:6,7 .) What does Christ as the advocate of His
people confess before the Father and His angels? "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment;
and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will
confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." Revelation
3:5. (See Matthew 10:32, 33; Mark 8:38.) Note. — During this judgment
scene both the righteous and the wicked dead are still in their
graves. The record of each one's life however, is in the books of
heaven. The 2300 days was to reach, according to Daniel's prophecy, "from
the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build
Jerusalem," to the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary. 457 B.C. — Artaxerxes, king of
Persia, commanded the restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem. (Daniel
9:25; Ezra 6:1, 6-12.) Beginning of the 2300 years. 408 B.C. — The reconstruction
and restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem carried to completion
during the first 49 years of Daniel's long tome prophecy. The work
was finished in 408 B.C. (Daniel 9:25.) A.D. 27 — Jesus, anointed with
the Holy Spirit at His baptism, began to preach and to teach. (Matthew
3:16; Acts 10:38.) From 457 B.C. to Christ the "Anointed" 483
years. A.D. 31 — Messiah "cut off" in
the midst of the week, A.D. 31, after three and one half years of
blessed ministry. (Daniel 9:27; Matthew
27:50, 51.) The remaining three and a half years of the
seventieth week bring us to the close of the four-hundred-nintey-year
period allotted to the Jewish people. A.D. 34 — Stoning of Stephen.
From that time the gospel was preached to the Gentiles. (Daniel
9:24; Acts 7:54-58; 8:1). From 457 B.C. to "the times of the
gentiles," 490 years. A.D. 1844 — the threefold
message of Revelation 14:6-12 heralded
to all the world, just before Christ's second Coming. A.D. 1844 — End of the 2300 years. Cleansing of the heavenly
sanctuary in the hour of God's judgment. (Daniel
8:14; Revelation 14:7.) END2300 Days (Years)
The Most Significant Period in the Bible
