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28 - The Investigative Judgement - The Great Controversy · Sacred Texts Archive

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Chapter twenty eight. The investigative judgment I beheld, says the prophet Daniel,
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till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit.
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His raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure
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wool. His throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire.
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A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him. Thousand thousands ministered unto
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him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The judgment was
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set, and the books were opened. Thus was presented to the prophet's vision,
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the great and solemn day, when the characters and the lives of men
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should pass in review before the judge of all the earth, and to every
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man should be rendered according to his works. The Ancient of days is God,
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the Father, says the Psalmist. Before the mountains were brought forth,
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or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to
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everlasting, Thou art God. It is he, the source of all being
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and the fountain of all law, that is to preside in the judgment,
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and holy angels as ministers and witnesses in number ten thousand times ten thousand and
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thousands of thousands attend this great tribunal, and behold, one like the Son
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of Man, came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of
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Days, and they brought him near before him, and there was given him
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dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages should
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serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away.
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The coming of Christ here described is not his second coming to the earth.
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He comes to the Ancient of Days in heaven to receive dominion and glory and
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a kingdom which will be given him at the close of his work as a
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mediator. It is this coming, and not his second advent to the earth,
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that was foretold in prophet to take place at the termination of the twenty
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three hundred days in eighteen forty four, attended by heavenly angels, our Great
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High Priest enters the Holy of Holies, and there appears in the presence of
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God to engage in the last acts of his ministration in behalf of man,
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to perform the work of investigative judgment, and to make an atonement for all
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who are shown to be entitled to its benefits. In the typical service,
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only those who had come before God with confession and repentance, and whose sins,
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through the blood of the sin offering, were transferred to the sanctuary,
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had a part in the service of the Day of Atonement. So in the
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great Day of final Atonement and investigative judgment, the only cases considered are those
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of the professed people of God. The judgment of the wicked is a distinct
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and separate work, and takes place at a later period. Judgment must begin
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at the house of God. And if at first begin at us, what
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shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel? The books of
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record in Heaven, in which the names and the deeds of men are registered,
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are to determine the decisions of the judgment, says the prophet Daniel.
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The judgment was set and the books were opened. The Revelator, describing the
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same scene, adds another book was opened, which is the Book of Life,
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and the dead were judged out of those things which are written in the
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books, according to their works. The Book of Life contains the names of
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all who have ever entered the service of God. Jesus bade his disciples rejoice,
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because your names are written in heaven. Paul speaks of his faithful fellow
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workers whose names are in the Book of Life. Daniel, looking down to
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a time of trouble such as never was, declares that God's people shall be
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delivered every one that shall be found written in the book, and the revelator
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says that those only shall enter the City of God whose names are written in
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the Lamb's Book of Life. A book of remembrance is written before God,
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in which are recorded the good deeds of them that feared the Lord and that
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thought upon his name. Their words of faith, their acts of love are
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registered in heaven. Nehemiah refers to this when he says, remember me,
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o, my God, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have
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done for the house of my God. In the Book of God's Remembrance,
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every deed of righteousness is immortalized there, every temptation resisted, every evil overcome,
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every word of tender pity expressed is faithfully chronicled, and every act of
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sacrifice, every suffering and sorrow endured for Christ's sake is recorded. Says the
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Psalmist, Thou tellest my wanderings, put thou my tears into thy bottle.
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Are they not in thy book? There is a record also of the sins
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of men. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret
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thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil, Every idle word
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that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment,
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said the Savior. By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by
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thy words thou shalt be condemned. The secret purposes and motives appear in the
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unerring register. For God will bring to light the hidden things of darkness,
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and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. Behold, it is written
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before me your iniquities and the iniquities of your father's together saith the Lord.
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Every man's work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness.
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Opposite. Each name in the books of Heaven is entered with terrible exactness,
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every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every
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secret sin, with every artful dissembling, heaven sent warnings or reproofs, neglected
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wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil,
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with its far reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording Angel. The
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law of God is the standard by which the characters and the lives of men
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will be tested in the judgment, says the wise man. Fear God and
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keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God
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shall bring every work into judgment. The apostle James admonishes his brethren, so
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speak ye, and so do as they that shall be judged by the law
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of liberty. Those who, in the judgment are accounted worthy will have a
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part in the resurrection of the just. Jesus said, they which shall be
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accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead, are equal
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unto the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of
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the resurrection. And again he declares that they that have done good shall come
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forth unto the resurrection of life. The righteous dead will not be raised until
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after the judgment, at which they are accounted worthy of the resurrection of life.
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Hence they will not be present in person at the tribunal. When their
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records are examined and their case is decided. Jesus will appear as their advocate
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to plead in their behalf before God. If any man sin, we have
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an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous. For Christ is not entered
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into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the True,
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but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for
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us. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come
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unto God by Him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
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As the books of record are opened in the Judgment, the lives of all
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who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who
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first lived upon the earth. Our advocate presents the cases of each successive generation
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and closes with the living. Every name is mentioned every case closely investigated.
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Names are accepted, names rejected. While any have sins remaining upon the books
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of record, unrepented of an unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of
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the Book of Life, and the record of their good deeds will be erased
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from the book of God's remembrance. The Lord declared to Moses, whosoever hath
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sinned against me him, will I blot out of my book, And says
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the prophet is Ekiel. When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness and committeth
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iniquity, all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned. All
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who have truly repented of sin and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as
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their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of
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Heaven. As they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their
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characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins
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will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life.
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The Lord declares by the prophet Isaiah. I even I am he that
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blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
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At Jesus, he that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment.
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And I will not blot out his name out of the book of Life.
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But I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
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Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men him, will I confess also before my
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Father, which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men him,
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will I also deny before my Father, which is in heaven. The
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deepest interest manifested among men in the decisions of earthly tribunals, but faintly represents
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the interest evinced in the heavenly courts. When the names entered in the Book
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of Life come up in review before the Judge of all the Earth, the
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divine intercessor presents the plea that all who have overcome through faith in His blood
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be forgiven their transgressions, that they be restored to their even home and crowned
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as joint heirs with himself to the first Dominion. Satan, in his efforts
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to deceive and tempt our race, had thought to frustrate the divine plan in
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man's creation. But Christ now asks that this plan be carried into effect as
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if man had never fallen. He asks for his people not only pardon and
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justification, full and complete, but a share in his glory and a seat
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upon his throne. While Jesus is pleading for the subjects of his grace,
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Satan accuses them before God as transgressors. The great deceiver has sought to lead
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them into skepticism, to cause them to lose confidence in God, to separate
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themselves from his love, and to break his law. Now he points to
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the record of their lives to the defects of character, the unlikeness to Christ,
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which has dishonored their redeemer, to all the sins that He has tempted
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them to commit, and because of these he claims them as his subjects.
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Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows their penitence and faith, and
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claiming for them forgiveness. He lifts his wounded hands before the Father and the
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Holy angels, saying, I know them by name, I have graven them
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on the palm of my hands. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
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a broken and a contrite heart. O God, thou wilt not despise.
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And to the accuser of his people, he declares, the Lord rebuke
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thee, O Satan, even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem, rebuke thee.
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Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire. Christ will clothe
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his faithful ones with his own righteousness, that he may present them to his
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Father a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
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Their names stand enrolled in the Book of Life, and concerning them it is
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written, they shall walk with me in white where they are worthy. Thus
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will be realized the complete fulfillment of the New Covenant. Promise, I will
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forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more in those days,
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And in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall
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be sought for, and there shall be none, and the sins of Judah,
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and they shall not be found. And that day shall the branch of
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the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be
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excellent and comely for them that are escaped to Israel. And it shall come
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to pass that he that is left in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem
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shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in
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Jerusalem. The work of the investigative judgment and the blotting out of sins is
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to be accomplished before the second Advent of the Lord, since the dead are
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to be judged out of the things written in the books, it is impossible
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that the sins of men should be blotted out until after the judgment at which
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their cases are to be investigated. But the apostle Peter distinctly states that the
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sins of believers will be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from
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the presence of the Lord, and he shall send Jesus Christ. When the
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investigative judgment closes, Christ will come, and his reward will be with him
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to give to every man, as his work shall be. In the typical
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service. The High Priest, having made the atonement for Israel, came forth
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and blessed the congregation. So Christ, at the close of his work as
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mediator, will appear without sin, unto salvation, to bless his waiting people
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with eternal life. As the priest, in removing the sins from the sanctuary,
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confessed them upon the head of the scapegoat, so Christ will place all
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these sins upon Satan, the originator and instigator of sin. The scapegoat,
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bearing the sins of Israel, was sent away unto a land not inhabited.
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So Satan, bearing the guilt of all the sins which he has caused God's
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people to commit, will be for a thousand years confined to the earth,
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which will then be desolate without inhabitant, and he will at last suffer the
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full penalty of sin in the fires that shall destroy all the wicked. Thus
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the great plan of Redemption will reach its accomplishment in the final eradication of sin,
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and the deliverance of all who have been willing to renounce evil at the
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time appoints for the judgment. The close of the twenty three hundred days in
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eighteen forty four began the work of investigation and blotting out of sins. All
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who have ever taken upon themselves the name of Christ must pass its searching scrutiny.
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Both the living and the dead are to be judged out of those things
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which were written in the books according to their works. Sins that have not
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been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned and blotted out of the books
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of record, but will stand to witness against the sinner in the day of
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God. He may have committed his evil deeds in the light of day or
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in the darkness of night, but they were open and manifest before him with
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whom we have to do. Angels of God witnessed each sin and registered it
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in the honouring records. Sin may be concealed, denied, covered up from
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father, mother, wife, children, and associates. No one but the
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guilty actors may cherish the least suspicion of the wrong, but it is laid
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bare before the intelligences of heaven the darkness of the darkest night. The secrecy
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of all deceptive arts is not sufficient to veil one thought from the knowledge of
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the eternal God has an exact record of every unjust account and every unfair dealing.
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He is not deceived by appearances of piety. He makes no mistakes in
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his estimation of character. Men may be deceived by those who are corrupt in
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heart, but God pierces all disguises and reads the inner life. How solemn
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is the thought? Day after day passing into eternity bears its burden of records
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for the books of Heaven. Words, once spoken, deeds once done,
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can never be recalled. Angels have registered both the good and the evil.
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The mightiest conqueror upon the earth cannot call back the record of even a single
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day. Our acts, our words, even our most secret motives, all
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have their weight in deciding our destiny, for real or woe. Though they
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may be forgotten by us, they will bear their testimony to justify or to
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condemn. As the features of the countenance are reproduced with honoring accuracy on the
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polished plate of the artist, So the character is faithfully delineated in the books
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above. Yet, how little solicitude is felt concerning that record which is to
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meet the gaze of heavenly beings. Could the veil which separates the visible from
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the invisible world be swept back, and the children of men behold an angel
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recording every word and deed which they must meet again in the judgment. How
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many words that are daily uttered would remain unspoken? How many deeds would remain
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undone in the judgment? The use made of every talent will be scrutinized.
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How have we employed the capital lent us of heaven? Will the Lord at
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his coming receive his own with usury? Have we improved the powers entrusted us
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in hand and heart and brain to the glory of God and the blessing of
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the world. How have we used our time, our pen, our voice,
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our money, our influence? What have we done for Christ in the
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person of the poor, the afflicted, the orphan, or the widow?
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God has made us the depositories of His Holy Word? What have we done
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with the light and truth given us to make men wise into salvation? No
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value is attached to a mere profession of faith in Christ. Only the love
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which is shown by works as counted genuine. Yet It is love alone,
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which, in the sight of Heaven, makes any act of value. Whatever
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is done from love, however small it may appear in the estimation of men,
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is accepted and rewarded of God. The hidden selfishness of men stands revealed
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in the books of Heaven. There is the record of unfulfilled duties to their
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fellow men, of forgetfulness of the Saviour's claims. There they will see how
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often were given to Satan, the time, thought, and strength that belonged
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to Christ sad as the record which angels bear to Heaven. Intelligent beings professed
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followers of Christ are absorbed in the acquirement of worldly possessions or the enjoyment of
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earthly pleasures. Money, time, and strength are sacrificed for display and self
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indulgence. But few are the moments devoted to prayer, to the searching of
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the scriptures, to humiliation of soul and confession of sin. Satan invents unnumbered
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schemes to occupy our minds that they may not dwell upon the very work with
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which we ought to be best acquainted. The arc deceiver hates the great truths
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that bring to view an atoning sacrifice and an all powerful mediator. He knows
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that with him everything depends on his diverting minds from Jesus and his Truth.
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Those who would share the benefits of the Saviour's mediation should permit nothing to interfere
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with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God. The precious hours,
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instead of being given to pleasure, to display or to gain seeking,
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should be devoted to an earnest, prayerful study of the Word of Truth.
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The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment should be clearly understood by the
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people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position and work
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of their Great High Priest. Otherwise it will be impossible for them to exercise
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the faith which is essential at this time, or to occupy the position which
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God designs them to fill. Every individual has a soul to save or to
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lose. Each has a case pending at the bar of God. Each must
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meet the Great Judge face to face. How important then, that every mind
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contemplate often this solemn scene, when the judgment shall sit and the books shall
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be opened. When with Daniel, every individual must stand in his lot at
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the end of the days, All who have received the light upon these subjects
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are to bear testimony of the great truths which God has committed to them.
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The Sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ's work in behalf of men.
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It concerns every soul living upon the earth. It opens to view the
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plan of redemption, bringing us down to the very close of time, and
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revealing the triumphant issue of the contest between righteousness and sin. It is of
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the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate these subjects, and be able to
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give an answer to every one that asketh them a reason of the hope that
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is in them. The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the sanctuary above
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is as essential to the plan of salvation as was his death upon the cross.
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By his death he began that work which after his resurrection he ascended to
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complete in heaven. We must, by faith enter within the veil, whither
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the forerunner is for us. Entered there the light from the cross of Cavalry
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is reflected. There we may gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of redemption.
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The salvation of man is accomplished at an infinite expense to heap them.
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The sacrifice made is equal to the broadest demands of the broken law of God.
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Jesus has opened the way to the Father's throne, and through his mediation,
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the sincere desire of all who come to him in faith may be presented
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before God. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth
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and forsaketh them shall have mercy. If those who hide and excuse their faults
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could see how Satan exalts over them, how he taunts Christ and Holy Angels
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with their course, they would make haste to confess their sins and to put
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them away. Through defects in the character, Satan works to gain control of
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the whole mind, and he knows that if these defects are cherished, he
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will succeed. Therefore, he is constantly seeking to deceive the followers of Christ
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with his fatal sophistry, that it is impossible for them to overcome. But
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Jesus pleads in their behalf, his wounded hands, his bruised body, and
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he declares to all who would follow him, my grace is sufficient for thee.
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Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek
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and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For
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My yoke is easy and my burden is light. Let none then regard their
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defects as incurable. God will give faith and grace to overcome them. We
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are now living in the great day of Atonement. In the typical service,
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while the High Priest was making the Atonement for Israel, all were required to
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afflict their souls by repentance of sin and humiliation before the Lord, lest they
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be cut off from among the people. In like manner, all who would
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have their names retained in the Book of Life should, now, in the
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few remaining days of their probation, afflict their souls before God by sorrow for
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sin and true repentance. There must be deep, faithful searching of heart.
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The light frivolous spirit indulged by so many professed Christians must be put away.
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There is earnest warfare before all who would subdue the evil tendencies that strive for
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the mastery. The work of preparation is an individual work. We are not
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saved in groups. The purity and devotion of one will not offset the want
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of these qualities in another. Though all nations are to pass in judgment before
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God. Yet he will examine the case of each individual with as close and
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searching scrutiny as if there were not another being upon the earth. Every one
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must be tested and found without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing.
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Solemn are the scenes connected with the closing work of the atonement. Momentous are
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the interests involved therein. The judgment is now passing in the sanctuary above.
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For many years this work has been in progress. Soon none know how soon
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it will pass to the cases of the living. In the awful presence of
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God, our lives are to come up and review at this time, Above
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all others, it hooves every soul to heed the Saviour's admonition, watch and
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pray, for ye know not when the time is. If therefore thou shalt
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not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, And thou shalt
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not know what hour I will come upon thee. When the work of the
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investigative judgment closes, the destiny of all will have been decided for life or
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death. Probation is ended a short time before the appearing of the Lord and
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the clouds of heaven. Christ in the Revelation, looking forward to that time,
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declares he that is unjust, let him be unjust still. And he
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which is filthy, let him be filthy still. And he that is righteous,
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let him be righteous still. And he that is holy, let him
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be holy still. And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is
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with me to give every man according as his work shall be. The righteous
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and the wicked will still be living upon the earth in their mortal state.
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Men will be planting and building, eating and drinking, all on co conscious
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that the final, irrevocable decision has been pronounced in the sanctuary above. Before
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the flood, after Noah entered the ark, God shut him in and shut
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the ungodly out. But for seven days the people, knowing not that their
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doom was fixed, continued their careless, pleasure loving life, and mocked the
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warnings of impending judgment. So says the Savior. Shall also the coming of
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the Son of Man be silently unnoticed, as the midnight thief will come,
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the decisive hour which marks the fixing of every man's destiny, the final withdrawal
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of Mercy's offer to guilty men. Watch you therefore must coming suddenly he finds
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you sleeping. Perilous is the condition of those who growing weary of their watch,
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turned to the attractions of the world. While the man of business is
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absorbed in the pursuit of gain, while the pleasure lover is seeking indulgence,
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while the daughter of fashion is arranging her adornments. It may be in that
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hour the judge of all the earth will pronounce the sentence Thou art weighed in
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the balances, and art found wanting. End of Chapter twenty eight.