FOR the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God,
and if it first begin at us,
what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God ?
And if the righteous scarcely be saved,
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear ?
1 Peter 4:17, 18
"This text we must regard as prophetic.
In the judgment of the race of man, but two great classes are
recognized —the righteous and the ungodly.
Each class has its time of judgment, and, according to the text, the judgment of the house, or church, of God comes first in order.
Both classes will be judged before they are raised from the dead. --The investigative judgment of the house, or church, of God will take place before the first resurrection ; --so will the judgment of the wicked take place during the 1000 years of Rev. xx, and they will be raised at the close of that period. *It is said of all the just, "Blessed and holy is to that hath part in the first resurrection," therefore all their cases are decided before Jesus comes to raise them from the dead. The judgment of the righteous is while Jesus offers his blood for the blotting out of sins. Immortal saints will reign with Christ 1000 years in the judgment of the wicked. Rev. xx, 4; 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. The saints will not only participate in the judgment of the world, but in judging fallen angels. See Jude 6. "'Some men's sins [the righteous] are open before hand, going before to judgment, and some men [the wicked ] they follow after." 1 Tim. v, 24. That is, some men lay open, or confess their sins, and they go to judgment while Jesus' blood can blot them out and the sins be remembered no more ; while sins unconfessed, and unrepented of, will follow, and will stand against the sinner in that great day of judgment of 1000 years. That the investigative judgment of the saints, dead and living, takes place prior to the second coming of Christ seems evident from the testimony of Peter.
and if it first begin at us,
what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God ?
And if the righteous scarcely be saved,
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear ?
1 Peter 4:17, 18
"This text we must regard as prophetic.
In the judgment of the race of man, but two great classes are
Each class has its time of judgment, and, according to the text, the judgment of the house, or church, of God comes first in order.
Both classes will be judged before they are raised from the dead. --The investigative judgment of the house, or church, of God will take place before the first resurrection ; --so will the judgment of the wicked take place during the 1000 years of Rev. xx, and they will be raised at the close of that period. *It is said of all the just, "Blessed and holy is to that hath part in the first resurrection," therefore all their cases are decided before Jesus comes to raise them from the dead. The judgment of the righteous is while Jesus offers his blood for the blotting out of sins. Immortal saints will reign with Christ 1000 years in the judgment of the wicked. Rev. xx, 4; 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. The saints will not only participate in the judgment of the world, but in judging fallen angels. See Jude 6. "'Some men's sins [the righteous] are open before hand, going before to judgment, and some men [the wicked ] they follow after." 1 Tim. v, 24. That is, some men lay open, or confess their sins, and they go to judgment while Jesus' blood can blot them out and the sins be remembered no more ; while sins unconfessed, and unrepented of, will follow, and will stand against the sinner in that great day of judgment of 1000 years. That the investigative judgment of the saints, dead and living, takes place prior to the second coming of Christ seems evident from the testimony of Peter.
"Who shall give account to him that is ready to judgeIt appears that the saints are judged while some are living, and others are dead. To place the investigative judgment of the saints after the resurrection of the just, supposes the possibility of a mistake in the resurrection, hence the necessity of an investigation to see if all who were raised were really worthy of the first resurrection."James Whitethe quick living and the dead. For, for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according [in like manner] to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. But the end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." 1 Pet. iv 5-7.
