Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000038
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01:12 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:15 Father in heaven, we thank you once again 01:17 for the awesome privilege of being here to study 01:19 Your Holy Word. We ask that as we study 01:23 the concept of the judgment in the book of Genesis 01:26 that Your Holy Spirit will be with us to instruct us. 01:29 I ask, Lord, that You will help us to understand 01:32 that we are now living in the hour of Your judgment 01:35 and that we need to prepare to pass through that awesome 01:40 moment in time when our name comes up 01:42 before the judgment bar. 01:44 We thank you for the promise of Your presence 01:47 and we thank you for hearing our prayer. 01:49 For we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. 01:54 The title of our study today is 01:57 Innocent Until Proven Guilty. 02:01 Now it might be surprising to 02:04 some of those who are here that 02:05 that's the way in which 02:07 God operates. 02:09 It is not a modern concept of jurisprudence. 02:14 You know, in the United States we say that you're innocent 02:17 until proven guilty. 02:19 But this aspect of the judgment 02:22 that we have in our system of government 02:25 actually is based on a divine principle that we find 02:30 in scripture. Now what I want to do is 02:34 go through several stories that we find in the book of Genesis 02:38 that deal with the issue of judgment. 02:41 And then we will end our study by noticing 02:44 the concept of judgment in the book of Revelation. 02:48 And we'll see that the same sequence of judgment 02:51 in Genesis is found also in the book of Revelation. 02:55 Now let's being our study in Genesis chapter 2 02:59 and verses 16 and 17. 03:02 Genesis chapter 2 and verses 16 and 17. 03:08 It says there, and we've read this in previous context before: 03:38 Now there are three things that I want to underline 03:42 in these two verses with which we began our study today. 03:46 First of all, in these verses there is a moral authority 03:51 who is God. 03:52 Secondly, that moral authority 03:56 has a moral code or a moral law. 04:00 In this case, it's the command to not eat from the tree. 04:05 So the moral ruler has a moral commandment 04:10 or a moral law. And in these verses 04:13 God who is the moral authority who has this moral code 04:18 tells man that if he eats from the tree 04:22 the penalty is going to be what? Is going to be death. 04:27 So you have a moral authority. 04:29 You have... In the second place, that moral authority has a law 04:34 or a code and disobedience to that law 04:37 or to that code brings as a result death. 04:42 Now let's go to Genesis chapter 3 and verse 6. 04:46 Did man break that moral code? 04:51 Yes he did. 04:52 Notice Genesis chapter 3 and verse 6. And by the way, 04:56 when I say man here I'm referring to man AND woman 04:59 because they're both called man in the book of Genesis. 05:03 It's a generic term. 05:05 And so it says in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 6: 05:28 Question: did Adam and Eve break God's moral code? 05:35 Yes they did. 05:36 Did they commit the crime? Yes. 05:40 Crime is breaking the law. 05:43 And so Adam and Eve broke the moral code 05:46 of the moral ruler, and the penalty for committing the crime 05:52 was what? Was death. 05:54 Now did Adam and Eve attempt to cover up their crime? 06:00 You know, when somebody commits a crime, what do they try to do? 06:04 They try to cover it up. 06:06 They try to hide the fact that they committed the crime. 06:09 Do we have this in the story in the book of Genesis? 06:13 Yes we do. 06:14 Notice Genesis chapter 3 and verses 7 and 8. 06:20 Genesis 3 verses 7 and 8. 06:29 We'll come back to that in a few moments. 06:39 And now notice verse 8: 07:03 Did these criminals - so to speak - try to hide 07:07 what they had done? Yes. 07:09 First of all, by covering up their nakedness with fig leaves 07:13 and secondly by doing what? By hiding from the presence 07:18 of the Lord. And so we find a very interesting process 07:22 being followed here. You have a moral ruler 07:25 who has a moral code. 07:27 He expects His creatures to obey His moral code. 07:30 He says: "If you don't, that will bring death. " 07:34 Adam and Eve committed the crime. 07:37 And now that they commit the crime 07:39 they tried to hide the crime because they know that they're 07:43 responsible before the moral ruler. 07:47 And by the way, we're told in Genesis chapter 3 07:50 that they were afraid. 07:54 Criminals... when they commit a crime, are they afraid 07:58 of getting caught? They most surely are. 08:01 And so you see the same basic characteristics taking place 08:05 in Genesis as takes place when an individual commits a crime 08:10 today. And by the way, before this Adam and Eve 08:13 delighted to be in the presence of God. 08:15 But when they committed the crime 08:17 they knew they had something to hide. 08:19 And they no longer felt delight to appear before God... 08:22 they were afraid, because they knew that God was going to 08:25 judge them and God was going to execute the sentence 08:29 upon them. 08:31 Then I want you to notice that the evidence in the case 08:35 is examined. There's an inquiry in other words. 08:39 There's not a sentence first. 08:42 There's not the execution of the sentence first. 08:44 There is an inquiry or an investigation into the case. 08:49 Notice what we find in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 11. 08:54 Genesis chapter 3 and verse 11. 08:58 We're told here... God speaking: 09:16 Let me ask you: did God know that Adam and Eve had eaten from 09:19 the tree? Did He know that? 09:21 He most certainly did. 09:23 So why is God asking the question: "Have you eaten 09:28 from the tree that I told you not to eat from? " 09:31 Because God is investigating the case. 09:35 God wants to show us that in the judgment 09:38 He first of all examines the evidence. 09:41 He examines the case 09:43 before pronouncing sentence and before executing the sentence 09:48 upon the sinner. And so He says: 09:51 "Have you eaten from the tree 09:54 that I told you not to eat from? " 09:57 By the way, what is the action of Adam and Eve 10:00 being compared with? 10:02 I don't know whether you've noticed this 10:05 but God says: "Have you eaten from the tree I told you not to 10:08 eat? " Are their actions being compared with God's commandment? 10:13 Is the law of God the standard in this judgment? 10:18 It most certainly is! God is saying: "Did you obey 10:20 My law or did you disobey My law? " 10:23 So the law is the standard that is used 10:26 to compare the deeds of Adam and Eve. 10:29 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 10:31 And so the law is the standard of the judgment. 10:34 Now I want you to notice that God does not look for 10:38 Adam and Eve and say to them: 10:40 "You ate, didn't you? You ate! I told you not to 10:42 eat. Now you're going to really suffer for that. " 10:45 No. God comes down. He examines the case. 10:48 He examines the evidence. 10:50 He says: "Have you eaten from the tree? " 10:52 And then when it's proven that they ate from the tree 10:56 He's going to pronounce sentence. 10:58 Now let's go to Genesis chapter 3 and verses 12 and 13. 11:02 You know, it's said that there is no greater fool 11:05 than he who represents himself in a court of law. 11:09 Now did Adam and Eve try to defend themselves 11:13 as they were arraigned before God's tribunal? 11:16 By the way, have you noticed that in this story 11:19 Adam and Eve were arraigned by God before His tribunal? 11:23 I want you to notice Genesis 3 verse 9. 11:25 Before we go to verses 12 and 13 let's notice verse 9, 11:29 the arraignment of Adam and Eve. 11:31 It says there in verse 9: 11:41 Did God know where he was? 11:44 So why does He ask? 11:46 He's calling Adam to appear where? Adam and Eve to appear 11:50 before His what? Before His judgment seat 11:54 to answer for their actions. 11:57 So is there an arraignment 11:59 in Genesis chapter 3? 12:00 There most certainly is. 12:02 Now notice how these fools defend themselves in the court 12:04 of law. Genesis chapter 3 and verses 12 and 13. 12:09 Genesis 3 verses 12 and 13. 12:22 What is she doing? She's passing the buck. 12:26 She's blaming somebody else. 12:29 Is she really sorry for what she did? 12:33 At this point, does she have sorrow for sin? 12:37 No... she's sorry that she got... That she got what? 12:41 Or that he got what? Caught, 12:44 because this is the case of Adam. 12:45 Now let's notice Eve. Verse 13: 12:59 So notice that man says: "that woman that You gave to me 13:05 gave me the fruit and I ate. It's her fault. " 13:09 And the woman said: "That serpent that You made 13:12 gave me the fruit and I ate. So it's the serpent's fault. " 13:16 Are Adam and Eve truly repentant at this point? 13:19 They most certainly are not. 13:21 They're actually sorry that they got caught 13:24 and they're sorry about the consequences that they're going 13:27 to suffer because of the sin that they have committed. 13:31 But they're not really sorry for what they have done. 13:35 Now I want you to notice that this crime had an accessory. 13:40 Who was the accessory in the crime? 13:42 It was actually the serpent... the devil. 13:45 Did God have something to say to the serpent, to the accessory? 13:48 Did he have a sentence pronounced upon him? 13:51 Most certainly. Notice Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. 13:55 Genesis 3 verse 15. 14:10 And then what does God do? 14:12 God pronounces upon Adam and Eve the sentence 14:17 for their actions. And I'm just going to read one verse 14:20 where it speaks about the sentence for man 14:22 but we know that it happens with the woman as well. 14:24 Genesis chapter 3 and verse 19. 14:28 It says here in Genesis 3 verse 19... 14:33 God is speaking specifically to Adam: 14:50 Is God pronouncing sentence upon man in this verse? 14:54 He most certainly is. 14:55 He said: "I told you that if you broke My law 14:58 you were going to surely... " What? 15:00 "you were going to surely die that day. 15:02 And now I'm telling you that you are dust, and to dust 15:06 you shall... " What? "and to dust you shall return. " 15:10 This is the sentence that God pronounces 15:13 upon Adam and also upon Eve. 15:17 Now I want you to notice once again Genesis chapter 3 15:20 and verse 7. Could Adam and Eve appear before God 15:25 without fear in their naked state? 15:28 Absolutely not. 15:31 Notice Genesis chapter 3 and verse 7. 15:42 In other words, they covered their own nakedness. 15:45 Let me ask you: did that really solve the problem of 15:49 their nakedness? Could they appear before God 15:51 in full assurance knowing that God now was going to 15:54 receive and accept them? 15:56 Absolutely not! 15:58 In fact we notice in verse 10 that even after they covered 16:01 themselves they still feel naked. 16:03 Notice Genesis chapter 3 and verse 10. 16:13 Was he already covered with the fig leaves at this point? 16:17 Sure. But he says: "I was naked. " In other words 16:21 he's saying that even though he had covered himself with the 16:23 fig leaves he still felt what? Guilty and naked before God. 16:28 So what needed to happen? 16:29 The shame of their nakedness needed to be what? 16:33 Needed to be covered. 16:35 Now let me ask you: was the execution of the sentence 16:41 given that very day? 16:43 God said: "Dust you are and to dust you shall return. " 16:46 Was the death sentence executed that very day? 16:51 Yes it was. 16:53 You say: "Now wait a minute. Adam died when he was 16:55 930 years old. How is it that you say that that very day 17:00 the sentence of death was executed? " 17:03 I don't know whether you've noticed something very 17:05 interesting as we have studied this story in Genesis chapter 3. 17:08 You have... The first stage of the judgment is really 17:10 the investigation of the case. 17:13 The second stage of the judgment 17:15 is the pronouncing of the sentence 17:17 based on the examination of the evidence. 17:20 They're guilty, so God says: "This is going to be the 17:22 punishment. " And in the third place you have 17:25 the execution of the sentence 17:28 that has been pronounced by God upon Adam and Eve: 17:31 the sentence of death. 17:33 You say: "But they didn't die that very day. " 17:35 Well, the fact is that there was a death that day. 17:39 Notice Genesis chapter 3 and verse 21. 17:42 And by the way, the death that took place that day 17:46 actually covered the shame of their nakedness 17:49 so that they could then appear before God without any shame 17:52 and without any guilt. Notice Genesis chapter 3 17:55 and verse 21. Genesis chapter 3 and verse 21. 18:00 It says: 18:11 Tunics of what? Skin. 18:14 Now... skin from what? 18:17 Certainly not from an onion. 18:20 This word is used over 50 times in Leviticus 18:24 to describe the skin of animals, sacrificial animals. 18:28 Now skins... plural. How many people were there? 18:31 Two that needed their nakedness covered. 18:34 So you have these skins. 18:36 What needed to happen in order for God to get the skins? 18:40 The animals had to what? The animals had to die. 18:45 And when those animals died God took the skins 18:49 and He made garments and He clothed the nakedness 18:54 of Adam and Eve. 18:55 Now did you notice that in Genesis 2 God said 18:58 to Adam and Eve: 19:00 "The day that you eat of the tree, that day 19:03 you will surely die? " 19:05 Well, Adam lived until 930 years old. 19:09 He didn't die that very day. 19:10 You say: "Well, he began to die spiritually. " 19:12 Yes... but he didn't die in the fullest sense - 19:16 second death - on that day. 19:18 So how do we understand God saying: "The day that you eat of 19:22 the tree that day you will surely die? " 19:24 The fact is that that very day there was a death. 19:26 It was the death of lambs, and those lambs represented 19:32 what? Represented the future death of Christ. 19:36 In other words, when those 19:37 animals were sacrificed on earth 19:40 it was an earthly announcement 19:43 that at that very moment Jesus was presenting Himself 19:46 before His Father in heaven and saying: 19:49 "Father, I will pay. " 19:52 In fact, allow me to read you a very interesting statement 19:55 that's found in the book The Faith I Live By page 75. 19:59 It's a devotional book written by Ellen White. 20:02 And she says this... notice: 20:48 Isn't that a beautiful statement? 20:50 Now we understand why Adam and Eve did not die that very day. 20:53 Because a substitute was found. 20:55 You remember the story that we studied about Abraham 20:58 and Isaac? The sacrifice of Isaac 21:01 where a substitute was found in place of Isaac? 21:04 Here you have the first indication of substitution 21:08 already at the very beginning of human history. 21:12 And so in Genesis chapter 3 we have the method that God 21:17 is going to use in the process of judgment 21:21 all throughout the Bible. 21:23 Let's review what we've studied. 21:25 Was there a moral authority here in the book of Genesis? 21:29 Yes, God... like the government is the moral authority. 21:34 Did God have a moral code or a law that he expected to be 21:38 obeyed? Just like the government has a law. 21:41 Did God say what the penalty would be if the law was broken? 21:44 Civil codes have a penalty if certain crimes are committed. 21:48 Did Adam and Eve commit the crime? 21:51 They most certainly did. 21:53 And when they committed the crime 21:55 did they try to hide the crime? 21:57 Yes... by covering their naked- ness and by hiding from God. 22:01 Now they're afraid to appear before the great judgment seat 22:05 of God in their naked state because they know that they're 22:09 guilty and God has said that if they appear in that state 22:13 that day they are going to what? They are going to die. 22:17 Let me ask you: are they arraigned before God's judgment 22:20 seat? Just like in judgments today we have arraignments. 22:24 Absolutely. God says: "Where are you? 22:26 Come and appear before My judgment seat. " 22:29 Absolutely. Is there an examination 22:31 of the evidence in Genesis chapter 3? Sure. 22:34 "Have you eaten from the tree 22:36 that I told you not to eat from? " 22:38 God knew that they had eaten 22:40 but God wants them to present the evidence in the case 22:45 before He actually pronounces the sentence upon them. 22:51 Did they try to defend themselves in the court of law? 22:54 Was it very successful? 22:56 It was actually very foolish because there was really 22:59 no self defense for what they had done. 23:03 Was there an accessory that also received a sentence 23:07 that very same day? Absolutely. 23:09 Was there a pronouncing of the sentence that very day 23:14 based on the examination of the evidence? 23:16 The fact that they were found guilty? Absolutely. 23:19 Was there on that very day an execution of the sentence? 23:23 Absolutely... but the execution was made upon the substitute 23:29 not upon Adam and Eve. 23:32 Several years ago I was at Andrews University 23:35 speaking at the Spanish church there in Berrien Springs. 23:38 And, of course, during the day - I only preached at night 23:42 so during the day I went to the James White Library 23:44 to do research on the book of Genesis. 23:47 And it was really a blessing to be in that library 23:50 for 9 hours a day among the thousands - ten thousands - 23:54 of books on theology. 23:56 And of course I was examining especially the first 3 chapters 24:01 of Genesis. And, you know, as I read the different 24:05 commentaries I discovered that the commentaries caught this 24:09 very point that I'm sharing with you 24:11 in our lecture today, and that is that in Genesis you have 24:14 the same basic idea of jurisprudence that we have 24:17 in our American court system. 24:19 That is: you're innocent until the evidence is examined 24:22 and you're found guilty. And then the sentencing takes place 24:25 and then the execution of the sentence. 24:27 There was only one element missing in those commentaries. 24:31 They all had, yes, the arraignment. In fact, 24:33 the subtitles many times in those commentaries said 24:36 the arraignment. You know, and other commentaries would 24:40 say the inquiry or the examination of the evidence. 24:43 And they would say the sentencing. 24:46 But there was one point which every commentary 24:48 missed and that is the execution of the sentence. 24:51 They didn't catch the idea that that very day 24:54 the sentence of death was executed. 24:57 It was executed upon those two animals 25:02 that represented Jesus who was going to come to die 25:05 for the human race. And by the way, that's the reason 25:08 why in Revelation chapter 13 and verse 8 we find 25:13 a description of the fact that Jesus is the Lamb of God 25:17 slain from when? He is "the Lamb of God 25:21 slain from the foundation of the world" 25:24 it says there. 25:26 Now was Jesus actually slain - empirically slain - 25:29 at the very beginning? Of course not. 25:31 But the promise of redemption was what? 25:35 The promise of redemption was made. 25:37 Now do you know that in the book of Genesis we have other 25:40 stories that follow this same sequence? 25:42 Not in all of the details that we've studied 25:44 but the three main steps are there 25:46 which is first of all the examination of the evidence, 25:50 second, the pronunciation of the sentence, 25:54 and third, the execution of the sentence. 25:56 Now let's notice a few other stories in the book of Genesis 26:00 that have this concept that before the sentencing 26:04 and before the execution of the sentence 26:06 there is an examination of the evidence. 26:08 This is very important for when we get to the idea 26:12 of the judgment in the book of Revelation. 26:14 Go with me to Genesis chapter 4 and verses 9 and 10. 26:18 This is the story of Cain and Abel. 26:20 Genesis chapter 4 and verses 9 and 10: 26:24 the story of Cain and Abel. 26:25 And I want you to notice that the first thing we have 26:28 is an examination of the evidence. 26:30 It says in verse 9: 26:32 "Then the Lord said to Cain: 'Where is Abel your brother? ' " 26:38 Did God know that Cain had killed his brother Abel? 26:42 Yes. What is God giving Cain an opportunity to do? 26:47 He's giving Cain an opportunity of what? 26:51 Of admitting his guilt. That's right. 26:54 But God doesn't say: "You killed your brother, 26:56 didn't you? You killed your brother. " 26:57 No... He doesn't accept him as guilty 27:01 before the case is examined and Cain himself admits 27:05 that he's committed the crime. 27:07 And then notice verse 10: 27:09 "And He said: 'What have you done? 27:12 The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me 27:17 from the ground. ' " Is the blood of Abel 27:20 crying out for justice here? 27:21 It most certainly is. 27:23 So the first point that you have 27:25 is an examination of the evidence. 27:26 God is giving Cain 27:28 an opportunity of expressing his guilt. 27:31 The second step is the sentencing. 27:34 Did God then sentence Cain? 27:37 Yes. Notice verse 11. 27:39 Verse 11... it says: 27:41 "So you are... " What? "cursed from the earth 27:46 which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood 27:49 from your hand. ' " And then God pronounces 27:51 a series of judgments upon Cain. 27:54 And then let me ask you: does Cain actually 27:57 flee from there and become errant like God said he was 28:01 going to? Absolutely. 28:04 Notice Genesis chapter 4 and verse 16. 28:07 Genesis 4:16 says: "Then Cain went out from the 28:11 presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod 28:14 in the east of Eden. " 28:17 And so once again you have the idea of the inquiry. 28:20 "Where is Abel your brother? " 28:22 "Have you done something to Abel your brother? " 28:25 And then God says: "This is going to be your sentence. " 28:28 And then Cain actually has to leave. 28:30 The sentence is executed upon Cain. 28:33 Do you see the three steps? 28:35 Now let's notice another story, the story of the flood. 28:39 Go with me to Genesis chapter 6. And by the way, 28:42 I'm trying to make a very important point here 28:44 as we examine the concept of judgment in Genesis 28:47 because this is the process that God is also going to follow 28:50 in the book of Revelation. 28:51 In fact, we are going to discover that we are NOW 28:54 in the hour of God's judgment. 28:56 Notice Genesis chapter 6 and verse 3. It says: 29:14 Now that little word "strive" is very interesting. 29:18 "My Spirit shall not strive. " 29:22 It's the Hebrew word diyn. 29:24 You say: "Why is that such an important word? " 29:26 Because in most places where it is translated in the 29:30 Old Testament it is translated judgment. 29:34 It's not translated strive. 29:37 In most references in the Old Testament 29:41 it's translated judgment. Let me ask you: 29:43 was the message of Noah separating the human race 29:47 into two groups? Based on his preaching, 29:52 were people making decisions either for or against the Lord? 29:55 Absolutely! And so the preaching of Noah 29:59 was a preaching of judgment 30:02 where people chose to be on one side or the other. 30:05 In other words, first of all you have the taking of sides. 30:09 And then let me ask you: what happened 30:12 as soon as everybody had made their decision? 30:15 Noah preached his last words... 30:18 what did God do? He came and He what? 30:21 He shut the door of the ark. 30:27 Let me ask you: is that the close of probation? 30:32 Yes. Has the sentence been pronounced at that point 30:36 against the wicked and in favor of the righteous? Yes! 30:41 But is the sentence executed that very moment? 30:45 Is the execution of the sentence the moment that the door closes? 30:50 Absolutely not. Seven days go by, 30:53 and then what happens? The sentence is what? 30:57 Is executed. Do you see once again in Genesis chapter 6 31:02 these three steps of the judgment? 31:04 You have an investigation of the case. 31:06 The preaching that separates individuals into one group 31:11 or the other. Then you have the pronunciation 31:13 of the sentence which is indica- ted by the closing of the door. 31:17 The righteous will be righteous still 31:19 and the wicked will be wicked still. 31:21 And then seven days later you have what? 31:24 You have the execution of the judgment. 31:26 The same three steps. 31:29 Now let's go to another story. 31:30 Genesis chapter 11 verses 5 through 9. 31:33 I wish we had time to study other stories in Genesis 31:36 because this characteristic appears time and again. 31:39 Notice Genesis chapter 11 and verses 5 through 9. 31:45 This is the story of the Tower of Babel. 31:48 And it says in verse 5... very interesting: 32:04 What did God do? 32:07 He came down to what? 32:10 To see the city that they had built. 32:13 What is God actually doing here? 32:15 Actually God is investigating and inquiring to see whether 32:19 they have gone what? Whether they have gone too far. 32:24 Then what does God do? By the way, does God literally 32:27 have to come down in person and say: "I'm going to check 32:29 this out. " No, God is actually telling us 32:31 the way in which He operates for our good. 32:35 Not for His good... He knows everything. 32:37 But He wants to show that He never pronounces sentence 32:40 and never executes a sentence without our choice. 32:45 He's telling us that He examines things thoroughly 32:48 before He sentences and before He executes a sentence. 32:52 Now let's continue reading. 32:54 We stopped at verse 5. It says in verse 6: 33:12 So is God pronouncing a sentence here? 33:15 In fact, notice verse 7: 33:23 Where is this decision being made? 33:26 Where is this judgment... the decision of this judgment 33:30 being made? Is it being made before 33:33 the languages are actually confused 33:35 and before the tower comes down? 33:38 Absolutely. God... He comes down and He sees. 33:41 And then in the heavenly council He says: 33:45 "You know, let's go confuse their language 33:47 so they can't understand one another's speech. " 33:50 And then what does God do? Does God actually 33:52 come down and confuse their languages and execute 33:56 the sentence which He has determined? Absolutely. 33:59 In fact, let's notice that. 34:01 Once again let's read verse 7. It says: 34:03 "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language... " 34:24 Once again the same idea. 34:26 God sees, God sentences, 34:30 and God executes the sentence. 34:33 Now let's go to one more example in the book of Genesis 34:36 before we actually go to the book of Revelation. 34:39 Let's go to Genesis chapter 18 and verses 20 and 21. 34:45 Genesis 18 and verses 20 and 21. 34:48 This is before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 34:52 It says here in verse 20: 35:17 Now isn't that a strange concept? 35:20 God saying "I'm going to go down; I'm going to check things 35:22 out. " And basically He's saying: "I'm going to see 35:25 if they've gone beyond the point of no return. " 35:30 Is God investigating this... 35:32 these cities before they're 35:33 actually destroyed? 35:35 He absolutely is investigating 35:36 them. But then let me ask you: 35:39 were the inhabitants of the city divided into two groups 35:44 before the destruction? 35:46 And was there a closing of the door before the sentence 35:50 was executed? Absolutely! 35:53 Do you remember when the wicked men of Sodom 35:55 gathered around Lot's house and they wanted to do violence 35:58 to the two angels that were inside Lot's house? 36:01 That the angel pulled Lot inside? 36:05 And what did he do? He shut the door. 36:08 Let me tell you: when the door is shut 36:10 the righteous and the wicked were separated or divided. 36:14 The righteous could no longer become wicked 36:17 and the wicked could no longer become righteous. 36:20 In other words, the closing of the door 36:23 marked the moment of the close of probation. 36:26 The sentence was sure at that point. 36:29 But... was the sentence executed at that moment? 36:33 Absolutely not. 36:35 Now go with me to Genesis chapter 18 and verses 23-25. 36:40 Here's where things really get interesting. 36:42 Genesis chapter 18 and verses 23 to 25. 36:47 This is the conversation of Abraham with the Lord, 36:51 with God. It says there in verse 23: 36:54 "And Abraham came near and said: 36:57 'Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ' " 37:02 What is Abraham's concern? 37:05 Are You going to destroy the righteous 37:07 and the wicked together? 37:08 In other words, aren't You going to make a separation 37:10 between the righteous and the wicked before You actually 37:13 destroy? Notice verse 24: 37:16 "Suppose there were 50 righteous within the city. 37:21 Would You also destroy the place 37:24 and not spare it for the 50 righteous that were in it? " 37:31 And now notice verse 25... very important verse: 37:34 "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this: 37:38 to slay the righteous with the wicked so that the righteous 37:43 should be as the wicked. 37:45 Far be it from You. Shall not the Judge of all the earth 37:51 do right? " Is there a separation 37:55 of the righteous from the wicked 37:57 before these cities are destroyed? Absolutely. 38:01 Are both groups established before the sentence is executed? 38:05 Absolutely. Does the door close before the sentence is executed? 38:10 Absolutely. And so in the book of Genesis 38:13 time and again we find this idea 38:17 of an examination of the evidence, 38:19 the pronouncing of the sentence, 38:22 and eventually the execution of the sentence. 38:26 Now it's interesting that we find the same concept 38:29 in the book of Revelation 38:31 with concern of the final judgment 38:35 that is taking place in this world and that will take place. 38:38 Now allow me to say that in the book of Revelation 38:41 you have three stages to the judgment. 38:45 You have first of all the stage where the righteous 38:49 are judged. The second stage - and we're going to study these 38:53 so don't worry... I'm just giving you the concept - 38:56 the second stage is the millennial stage 38:59 where the wicked are going to be investigated. 39:02 And then there's a third stage which is the post-millennial - 39:06 in other words, after the millennium. 39:08 The wicked are going to be alive and they are going to 39:12 see their cases presented before them 39:15 on the basis of the records that God has kept. 39:18 Now let's talk first of all about the judgment 39:21 of the righteous. 39:24 Go with me to Revelation chapter 14 and verses 6 and 7. 39:29 Revelation chapter 14 and verses 6 and 7. 39:33 There are several important elements in these two verses. 39:38 It says there in Revelation chapter 14 and verse 6: 39:55 At this point is the door of probation still open? 40:00 Is the door of mercy still open? 40:01 It has to be. You say: "Why? " 40:04 Well, what good would it be to preach to every nation, 40:06 kindred, tongue, and people if the door of probation is closed? 40:09 I mean, the preaching would be fruitless. 40:12 There would be no reason to preach if all cases were 40:14 already decided. So when this angel preaches this message 40:18 to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people 40:20 the door of probation is what? Is open. 40:23 And based on the message, people are supposed to make what? 40:28 Decisions... either for or against. 40:31 Now notice verse 7... verse 7: 40:34 Notice what this angel says: 41:00 Question: does the judgment - this judgment - 41:04 begin before Jesus comes? 41:07 Yes it does. 41:09 Does it begin before probation closes? 41:15 Absolutely. How do we know that? 41:18 Because it begins when this angel is preaching... 41:21 the first angel. And by the way, 41:24 after the first angel there's a second angel's message. 41:27 And after the second angel's message there's a third, 41:29 and THEN probation closes. 41:31 So does the judgment begin before the close of probation 41:36 and before Jesus comes? Absolutely! 41:38 Now who is going to be judged in this judgment? 41:42 "The hour of His judgment has come. " 41:45 Folks, it's only the righteous who are being judged. 41:50 And by the way, where is this judgment taking place? 41:54 It must be taking place where? In heaven. 41:59 It's not taking place on earth. 42:01 God is judging His people where? 42:05 He's judging His people in heaven... not on earth. 42:09 And so we find that when the 1st angel proclaims his message 42:13 the hour of God's judgment begins. 42:17 You say: "Why would God have to judge the righteous 42:20 before Jesus comes? Before the door of probation closes? " 42:23 It's very simple. 42:24 You see, God has to determine or has to announce to the 42:28 universe which people He has a right to bring home with Him. 42:33 And that's why He needs to investigate the cases of the 42:36 righteous. Because those are the ones that He's going to take 42:40 with Him when He comes. 42:42 And so those have to be determined urgently 42:44 before He comes. With the wicked there's no problem 42:47 because the wicked are going to be left behind. 42:49 The wicked are going to actually be destroyed 42:52 after the millennium. So there's no urgency with the 42:54 wicked to judge them at this point in human history. 42:57 The urgency is to judge them before Jesus comes... 43:02 the righteous before He comes... because those are the ones that 43:05 He's going to show that He has a right to take to heaven 43:07 with Him when He comes. Are you understanding 43:09 what I'm saying? And so we find here 43:11 "the hour of His judgment has come. " 43:14 It takes place in heaven before the second coming 43:18 and it deals with the righteous. 43:20 You remember Abraham pleading for the righteous? 43:22 "Are You going to destroy the righteous with the wicked? " 43:25 He's concerned about the survival of the righteous 43:28 and he's interceding before God for the righteous. 43:31 "Are you going to destroy 43:32 the righteous with the wicked? " 43:34 God said: "Don't worry. 43:35 I'm going to be just. 43:37 I'm going to separate 43:38 the righteous from the wicked 43:39 and then I will destroy the cities of the plains. " 43:43 Now somebody's probably thinking: "Pastor Bohr, 43:45 this is kind of a fearful situation... 43:50 you know, the idea that all of us are going to have to 43:52 pass through the judgment. " 43:54 Let me ask you: must we fear the judgment? 43:57 Must we be afraid of passing through the judgment before 43:59 Jesus Christ? Well, it all depends. 44:03 You see: "It depends on what? " 44:05 Well, let me talk to you for a moment about the 44:07 Hebrew sanctuary. You know when an individual 44:09 committed a sin in the encampment 44:11 they were supposed to bring 44:13 a lamb. You can find this, for example, in Leviticus 4. 44:16 They brought a lamb. And then what did they do? 44:19 You would understand that they were repentant 44:21 because they're bringing this animal. 44:23 And then they were supposed to place their hand on the 44:25 head of the animal and what? 44:27 And confess the sin upon the head of that animal. 44:30 In other words, they repented, they confessed their sin. 44:34 and then what did they do? 44:36 They slew the animal 44:38 representing the fact that they were repentant. 44:42 They confessed their sin, 44:43 and in this way sin was being transferred to the animal 44:46 and the animal died in their place. 44:49 This, by the way, represented what happens with sinners. 44:52 You know: we repent of our sin; we confess our sin. 44:55 We place our sin upon Jesus Christ 44:58 and Jesus Christ takes our place. 45:01 But there's something else. 45:02 The blood which bore the record of sin 45:05 was then taken into the sanctuary and was sprinkled 45:08 in the sanctuary. Which means that the sin was 45:10 actually being transferred from the sinner to the victim 45:14 to the sanctuary. The record of the sin was in the sanctuary. 45:18 You say: "Well that's not a good thing 45:20 'cause the Israelites... they were threatened by having 45:22 their sin written in the sanctuary. " 45:25 Not really. You know what they had to fear? 45:28 They had to fear that their sin wasn't in there covered by 45:30 the blood. That's where they had to be afraid. 45:33 Because if the sin was on them and had not gone into the 45:37 sanctuary through the blood of the animal 45:40 they would have to suffer the penalty for the sin 45:43 if they didn't bring the animal and sacrifice it 45:44 and if the sin was not transferred into the sanctuary 45:47 by the blood. In other words, the greatest 45:50 assurance for the sinner in Israel was to have their sin 45:54 in the sanctuary covered by the blood of the lamb. 45:57 If it wasn't in there, it was here. 46:01 And so they didn't have to fear because on the day of judgment - 46:05 the great Day of Atonement - you know God wasn't out to 46:07 get the Israelites. What God was out to do was 46:11 to open the books... By the way, that's what the veil 46:14 represents where the blood was sprinkled, the transfer of sin, 46:17 you know, goes into the heavenly books. 46:19 Every time we sin, when we repent, when we confess our 46:22 sin, you know God writes it down but He writes next to it 46:25 "forgiven through the blood of Jesus. " 46:28 And so when those sins come up in the judgment 46:30 you know, God... I hate to say this but 46:34 God rubs it in Satan's face. 46:36 He says: "Yes, I realize that so and so sinned, but 46:40 look. I want to show you here that that sin was actually 46:44 covered by the blood. " 46:47 In other words, the Day of Atonement had the purpose 46:50 of pronouncing God's people not guilty 46:54 because they had repented of sin. They had confessed their 46:57 sin and they had put the sin in the sanctuary 47:00 through the blood of the lamb... through the blood of Jesus. 47:03 In other words, we don't have to fear the judgment 47:05 as long as we've repented from sin. 47:07 As long as we confessed our sin 47:09 and our sin has gone into the sanctuary through the blood 47:12 of Jesus and is covered there even if it's recorded. 47:16 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 47:18 You know, it kind of reminds me a little bit of 47:21 several years ago when I lived in New Jersey. 47:25 You know, Pastor Finn lived... he's actually from across the 47:28 river from Brooklyn. But I used to take the train 47:32 from Trenton, New Jersey, up to New York 47:35 'cause I didn't like to drive. 47:37 You know, the traffic in New York City is terrible. 47:40 You had gridlock all the time and so 47:42 I would take the train. And interesting, you know, 47:45 when you took the train. You'd buy the ticket; 47:46 you'd get into the train. And in the back of the seat 47:49 they had this little pocket. And you would take the ticket 47:52 that you had brought and you would put it in the pocket 47:54 and then the train attendant would come and he would take 47:58 out the ticket and he would punch it 48:00 to show that it was used. 48:03 Now when I got on the train and I purchased my ticket 48:07 do you think that when I saw the attendant coming down the aisle 48:11 of that train car that I was saying: "Oh no, he's coming down 48:15 the train car. Oh, I'm so afraid he's going to 48:19 examine to see whether I have a ticket or not. " 48:22 Do you think I was worrying and fretting about it? 48:24 No... because I have a ticket. 48:27 You see, we don't have to worry about God examining our case 48:31 as long as we have a ticket. 48:34 Now if somebody sneaks into the train 48:37 and doesn't have a ticket 48:39 there's where you have a problem. 48:42 By the way, Jesus told a parable of an individual who snuck in 48:46 without the wedding garment. 48:48 And he had reason to fear. 48:50 But those who have their sins go into the sanctuary 48:53 through the blood of Jesus have absolutely nothing to fear 48:57 as long as you've repented from sin, you've confessed your sin 49:01 and the sin has gone into the sanctuary through the blood 49:04 of Jesus Christ. So the judgment that takes place 49:07 in heaven of the righteous is with the purpose of 49:10 God showing to the universe "I have a right to bring these 49:13 people home because they're repented from sin. 49:16 They've confessed their sins and therefore they're My children. 49:19 I can bring them home. " 49:22 And when Jesus comes He comes to pick them up. 49:24 Let's go to our second stage 49:27 of this judgment before the second coming of Christ. 49:30 What's going to happen after everybody has made their 49:34 decision? Is the door of probation 49:36 going to close for the world? 49:39 It most certainly is. 49:41 Go with me to Revelation chapter 22. 49:43 Revelation chapter 22 and let's read verse 11. 49:47 This is the conclusion of the judgment. Notice: 49:50 God has examined the cases. 49:51 "The hour of His judgment has come. " 49:53 He's examining all the cases of those who claim Jesus 49:56 to see whether they were truly repentant 49:59 and whether they confessed their sins. 50:01 Whether there was real sorrow for sin. 50:03 When He finishes this work notice what happens. 50:06 A sentence is pronounced. 50:09 Revelation 22 and verse 11 says: 50:26 Is God pronouncing here that all cases are decided 50:31 for life or for death 50:32 as soon as the angels have proclaimed their messages? 50:35 Absolutely. 50:37 And then what is Jesus going to do? 50:38 Is He going to reward His people after this pronouncement? 50:42 You have the third stage which is actually the execution 50:45 of the sentence. By the way, the execution of the sentence 50:48 is to give His people their reward. 50:50 Because a judgment execution is not only negative 50:54 but it is also what? Positive! 50:56 Notice Revelation 22:12. 50:59 Here you have the actual reward 51:01 or the execution of the judgment. 51:03 And so it says in Revelation chapter 22 and verse 12 51:06 immediately after the sentence is pronounced... 51:09 it says: 51:21 If Jesus is going to come to reward everyone 51:23 according to his work, must He have examined 51:26 what that work was before He came? 51:29 Are we on the same wavelength? 51:32 I certainly hope so. 51:34 You see, He cannot bring His reward with Him 51:36 to give everyone according to their work 51:38 unless He has examined their cases in the judgment before. 51:42 So do we have the three stages 51:44 of the judgment 51:46 in Revelation chapter 14 51:48 and Revelation chapter 22? 51:50 We most certainly do. 51:51 Do we have an investigation of the case? 51:53 Absolutely. Through the preaching of the gospel 51:56 God is separating one group from another. 51:58 Do you have the pronouncing of the sentence 52:02 when the door of probation closes? Absolutely. 52:05 And do you have the execution in favor of the saints 52:08 of the Most High when Jesus comes with His reward? 52:11 Absolutely. 52:12 And so you have in Revelation the same idea that you have 52:16 in the book of Genesis: investigation, sentence, 52:20 and execution of the sentence. 52:23 In the case of the second coming it's an execution of the 52:26 sentence in favor of the saints of the Most High. 52:29 But I want you to notice that there are two other stages 52:32 to the judgment. There's a millennial stage 52:36 and there is also a post-millennial stage. 52:39 Now if the judgment before the 2nd coming is for the righteous 52:43 the judgment during the millennium must involve whom? 52:47 It must involve the wicked. 52:50 Now I'm just going to mention these verses because 52:53 time is short, but when Jesus comes according to 52:56 I Thessalonians chapter 4 52:59 Jesus is going to come all the way down to the earth 53:01 and set up His kingdom here, right? 53:04 No. I Thessalonians 4 says that He will come 53:08 and God's people will be what? Caught up in the clouds 53:12 to meet the Lord where? In the air. 53:15 And then John chapter 14 verses 1 to 3 says 53:18 that God's people will be taken to "My Father's house" 53:25 Jesus said. Where is the Father's house? 53:27 In heaven. "Our Father which art in heaven... " 53:30 And so Jesus comes. We're caught up in the air 53:33 and then Jesus takes the righteous where? 53:36 To His Father's house. 53:39 And what are the righteous going to do up there in 53:40 the Father's house? Well, it's going to be a working vacation. 53:46 You say: "How's that? A working vacation? " 53:49 Well actually Revelation 20:4 53:52 says that the righteous were given 53:57 the right to what? To judge. 54:07 So what is committed to God's people 54:10 who are in heaven at the Father's house? 54:13 Judgment is committed to them. 54:15 Question is: what are they going to judge? 54:19 Not the righteous 'cause the righteous are there. 54:22 It must be that they're going to judge the wicked. 54:25 And by the way, the devil and his angels. 54:28 This is the second stage of the judgment 54:31 or the second phase of the judgment. 54:33 See, the first stage is before Jesus comes. 54:35 "The hour of His judgment has come. " 54:37 It involves the righteous. 54:38 It's so that the heavenly beings... the angels and the 54:40 heavenly beings can see that God has a right 54:42 to bring these people home. 54:43 Not to inform God. It's to show the universe 54:46 that these people truly repented. They confessed 54:48 their sins. God has a right to bring them home. 54:50 The purpose of the millennial judgment is to show 54:54 God's people who went up there 54:57 why the individuals on earth were left behind. 55:01 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 55:03 In other words, it is to convince the righteous 55:06 along with the heavenly beings that God was right 55:08 in leaving those people on planet earth... 55:11 leaving those people behind. 55:14 The apostle Paul says in I Corinthians chapter 6 55:16 and verses 1-3. He says: "Don't you know that the saints 55:19 will judge the world? " 55:21 In fact, he goes on to say "Don't you know 55:24 that the saints will judge angels? " 55:28 That's the same judgment of Revelation 20:4 55:32 where it says: "judgment was committed to them. " 55:34 So let me ask you: are God's people going to 55:36 investigate the wicked during the thousand years? 55:38 Absolutely. 55:40 What's going to happen as they examine each case? 55:42 Are they going to pronounce the sentence upon each of those 55:44 individuals who were left behind? 55:46 Yes or no? Absolutely! 55:48 When is that sentence going to be executed? 55:52 It is going to be executed after the millennium. 55:56 Does God do the same thing with the wicked? 55:59 He most certainly does. Now, the final point 56:01 that I need to mention is the third phase of the judgment. 56:03 That's the post-millennial. 56:05 At that time all of the wicked will be alive 56:07 because the wicked are not convinced that God was right. 56:09 The heavenly beings? Yes. 56:11 The righteous who went to heaven to the Father's house? 56:13 They're convinced that God is right. 56:15 But the wicked haven't been convinced. 56:17 So God is going to resurrect them all. 56:19 The wicked are going to live according to Revelation 20:5. 56:24 And they are going to see the record of their lives. 56:27 You can find this in Revelation chapter 20 56:29 and verses 11 to 15. 56:31 They see... each one of them sees their life. 56:33 Sees their works. 56:35 And they see that their name is not in the Book of Life. 56:38 By the way, it was erased during the 1,000 years 56:42 on the basis of what was examined. 56:44 And they'll see all of their works. 56:45 They'll see that their name is not in the Book of Life. 56:49 And then God will say: "This is the sentence that was 56:52 pronounced against you. " And the Bible says 56:54 that they will say: "Just and true are Your ways 56:58 O God. " Even the devil will say that. 57:00 And then God will execute the final penalty 57:04 against Satan, sinners and He will have a clean universe. 57:11 Isn't this a marvelous concept? 57:14 I pray to God that we will all claim Jesus as our lawyer. 57:18 Let's not try and defend ourselves. 57:20 Let's adopt Jesus as our lawyer and representative 57:23 so we might pass the judgment. |
Revised 2014-12-17