The Pre-Advent Judgment
The concept of judgment before the return of Christ, or what we call
a “pre-Advent” judgment, is found in many places in Scripture.
Read Daniel 7:9–14; Matthew 22:1–14; Revelation 11:1, 18, 19; and
Revelation 14:6, 7. How do these passages shed light on the notion
of a pre-Advent investigative judgment in the heavenly courtroom?
What is the significance of such a judgment?
The concept of a pre-Advent investigative judgment of God’s people
is grounded in three basic biblical teachings.
One is the notion that all the dead—righteous or unrighteous—
remain unconscious in their graves until the final resurrections (John
5:25–29).
The second is the existence of a universal judgment of all human
beings (2 Cor. 5:10, Rev. 20:11–13).
The third is the fact that the first resurrection will be the blessed
reward for the righteous, and the second resurrection will be eternal
death for the wicked (John 5:28, 29; Rev. 20:4–6, 12–15).
What this means is that if all human beings will be judged, they
should be judged prior to their respective resurrections, because at
those resurrections they will receive their final rewards.
The book of Daniel helps us to understand both the time and the
nature of that pre-Advent judgment. At the end of the 2,300 symbolic
days—in 1844—the heavenly sanctuary would be cleansed (Dan. 8:14,
compare with Heb. 9:23) and the pre-Advent investigative judgment
would begin (Dan. 7:9–14), two different ways of expressing the same
event. And the judgment is “ ‘in favor of the saints of the Most High’ ”
(Dan. 7:22, NKJV). That is, it’s good news for God’s people.
In Matthew 22:1–14, Jesus spoke of an investigation of the wedding
guests before the wedding feast actually started.
And in the book of Revelation, the pre-Advent investigative judg-
ment is referred to in the task of measuring “ ‘those who worship’ ”
in the temple of God (Rev. 11:1, NKJV) and in the announcement that
“ ‘the hour of His judgment has come’ ” (Rev. 14:6, 7, NKJV; compare
with Rev. 14:14–16).
How should our knowledge of a judgment in heaven impact how
we live here on earth?
