The suspense of the courtroom has attracted the world’s attention. The courtroom is hushed. The evidence has been presented. Both sides have presented their final arguments. The jury has deliberated, and the sentence is about to be given. The destiny of the accused is about to be forever decided by a word from the spokesman. Will he walk the streets as a free man, or will he never return for a night in his own home? Will be spend his life incarcerated or will he count the days until his date with destiny? The tension and anxiety is high in an earthly trial, but of how much greater consequence is God’s great judgment day, when the court of the ages deliberates upon the eternal destiny of every man, woman and child that has ever lived? The trial we need to understand is not that of a Hollywood celebrity or a powerful politician, but our own!

II Corinthians 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Romans 14:10  But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

The subject of the judgment is one that affects every person who has ever lived. It is not just the wicked that are judged, nor is it just the righteous. “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” Not one exemption is granted.

When Will the Judgment Be?

Matthew 24:36  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

Acts 17:30, 31  Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.

While it is true that no one knows the day nor the hour when Jesus is to come, that does not mean that we do not know when the judgment is to begin. Although there is not an appointed day in prophecy for Jesus to come again (it is in our power to hasten or delay His coming, II Peter 3:12), there IS an appointed day for the judgment to begin. God has appointed a day in His prophetic clock when the great judgment day will commence. It behooves each of us to search the prophetic scrolls to know when the hour arrives.

God’s People Know and Proclaim the Judgment Day

Acts 24:25  Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”

Revelation 22:12  And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to His work.

Revelation 14:6, 7  Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

When Paul was preaching the gospel to Felix, Paul knew and understood the judgment. He used this powerful theme in seeking to bring the proud ruler to repentance, but Paul knew that it was still to come. He called it “judgment to come.” The day of judgment had not yet arrived. Jesus declared that while it was future in Paul’s day, it would take place before He would come again for His people. He stated that His reward would be with Him. If His reward is with Him, then the judgment must have previously been made before He comes for His own. The judgment must then take place sometime between the labors of the apostle Paul and Jesus’ return with the clouds of glory. It is even predicted that God’s people know and proclaim this great event. Revelation pictures a message going to the entire world, and the crux of this message is that “the hour of His judgment has come.” No longer is the judgment day some mystical event in the future it is something of which God’s people know and proclaim far and near. No longer is it “judgment to come” it has now become the judgment that “has come.” How do God’s people know and proclaim this worldwide message? By their study of Bible prophecy.

History’s Panorama

Daniel 7:9, 10, 13, 14  I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened… I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.

After seeing the rise and fall of successive empires, Daniel beholds the greatest event of all. It is not the clash of earthly arms, but the movement of Christ into a different phase of His work in the heavenly sanctuary—the judgment. Babylon rose and fell. Medo-Persia conquered the world only to be toppled by Greece. Greece spread its culture and learning throughout the world, but was absorbed into the vast Roman Empire. Rome’s dominion lasted for centuries, but weakened and prepared the way for the arising of the Antichrist. The Papal power continued for over a millennium, but in 1798 it received its deadly wound. (Revelation 13:3) Daniel’s prophetic eyes were then directed off this earth to the sanctuary above, where Christ began the investigative judgment, the final work to take place before His return in power and great glory. Sometime after 1798 but before Jesus’ second coming, the great judgment day was to commence.

In the following chapter, the same sequence of events is reviewed, with a greater elaboration, but the focus of this vision is to pinpoint when the judgment was to begin. Daniel 8 is really the climax of the entire book of Daniel. The preceding chapters build up to the revelation given and then the subsequent chapters elaborate more on that climatic event. Medo-Persia, Greece, pagan Rome, and papal Rome are seen again in their various symbols, but then a most important question is asked.

Daniel 8:13, 14  Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?” And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”

How long will it be until God’s people will be freed from the oppression of these despotic earthly powers which have long trammeled them? How long will it be until judgment is made in favor of God’s people? This is the same event Daniel had seen unfolding in the preceding chapter, just described with these words: “Until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.” (Daniel 7:22). When was the judgment to begin, which would set God’s people free from their oppressors? When would the sanctuary be cleansed?

Although nearly the entire vision is explained in great detail to Daniel (Daniel 8:17-26), the most important part of the vision went unexplained. “And I, Daniel, fainted.” (Daniel 8:27) The angel Gabriel could not finish the explanation because it was too much for Daniel to bear; he fainted. Daniel’s interest did not abate in this unexplained portion, though. In fact, it led him to a deeper study of the Word of God and an earnest pleading for light and understanding. (An example we should all follow when we do not understand the mysteries of prophecy.) He studied the scrolls of the prophets (Daniel 9:2) and fervently prayed for forgiveness for his people (Daniel 9:4-19) and an understanding to what now perplexed him. An answer was given!

Daniel 9:21-23  Yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:”

The angel Gabriel who had given Daniel the explanation of his vision, returned in answer to his prayer. He came to give him “skill to understand” “the vision.” Which vision? It could only be the vision of Daniel 8, which had thus far gone unexplained—the two thousand three hundred year prophecy. What was the explanation? What does this most important prophecy mean? When was the judgment to begin?

Daniel 9:24, 25  Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.

Gabriel begins his explanation by saying; “Seventy weeks are determined for your people.” The word translated determined is the Hebrew word chathak, which literally means, “to cut off.” Seventy weeks were determined, or cut off especially for the Jewish people. This leads us to ask, from what were they cut off? It could only be from the prophecy, which was being explained, the two thousand three hundred days. This twenty-three hundred day prophecy had no starting date and without a starting date it would be impossible to calculate when the judgment was to begin, but here is a smaller prophecy cut off from the larger one that gives the starting date. With the explanation given by the angel Gabriel, the longest time prophecy, the twenty-three hundred days, can now be understood.

As we have already seen in previous nights, a day in Bible prophecy equals a year. (Ezekiel 4:6; Numbers 14:34) Thus the twenty-three hundred days are not twenty-three hundred literal days, but two thousand three hundred years, and the seventy weeks are not four hundred and ninety literal days, but four hundred and ninety years. The starting date given for these two most important prophecies (these two prophecies predict, first, Jesus’ sacrifice and work on earth for the salvation of man and secondly, Jesus’ final work of judgment in heaven for the salvation of mankind) is when the decree goes forth to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, which occurred in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, or the fall of 457 BC. (Daniel 9:25; Ezra 6:14; 7:8) Jesus was anointed as the Messiah to His mission on earth in AD 27 at his baptism (Luke 3:1-3, 21, 22; Acts 10:37, 38) exactly four hundred and eighty-three years (sixty-nine weeks) after the decree was given. Jesus was then crucified in the “midst of the week,” (Daniel 9:26, 27), or AD 31 in fulfillment of the prophecy. Then in AD 34, at the conclusion of the four hundred and ninety years probation upon the Jewish people, Stephen was stoned and the gospel began to go to the entire world. (Stephen’s stoning – Acts 7; the disciples being dispersed everywhere preaching the Word – Acts 8:1-4; Philip takes the gospel to Samaria and the Ethiopian eunuch – Acts 8:5-8, 26-38; Saul who became Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles is converted – Acts 9; the wall of prejudice between Jew and Gentile is broken down in Peter’s mind by the conversion of Cornelius – Acts 10) The time period of Daniel 9 had met its complete fulfillment in AD 34. Every particular had occurred, exactly when predicted. Since the four hundred and ninety years were simply cut off from the larger time period reaching to the judgment, one thousand eight hundred and ten years were left to this far reaching prophecy. (2300 – 490 = 1810) By adding eighteen hundred and ten to AD 34, it brings us to the fall of 1844. (34 + 1810 = 1844) What monumental event transpired in the fall of 1844? In order to understand this, we must first understand why the terminology “the cleansing of the sanctuary” was used, but make no mistake about it, God’s great judgment day began on October 22, 1844.

The Cleansing of the Sanctuary

Leviticus 16:30-33  For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father’s place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments; then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.

Leviticus 23:28, 29  And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people.

To the Hebrew mind, the cleansing of the sanctuary was not an uncommon term. It was commonly known and had been instituted at Sinai itself with the sacrificial service. The “cleansing of the sanctuary,” the “judgment day” and the “day of atonement” were considered synonymous terms. They all referred to the one day every year that the final atonement and blotting out of their sins occurred. On the tenth day of the seventh month of each year, the priest performed the yearly service of cleansing the inner apartment of the Sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. It was a day of destiny for the people and if anyone did not join in searching their hearts and refraining from common duties they were cut off from their people. It was clearly a day of judgment when the Sanctuary, the tabernacle of meeting, the altar, the priests and all the people were symbolically cleansed from their sins. In the year 1844, the Day of Atonement was on October 22. Thus just as Christ died on the exact day of the passover, so he began the “cleansing of the sanctuary” on the very day that the typical feast was held, namely October 22, 1844. There was no earthly sanctuary at this time, though, so what sanctuary was cleansed?

The Cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary

Hebrews 8:1, 2  Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

Hebrews 9:23, 27  Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these… And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.

The only sanctuary in existence in 1844 was the real or true sanctuary in heaven. The earthly sanctuary was simply a copy or model made after the template and pattern in heaven. It was to this sanctuary that Jesus ascended after his work here on earth was finished. It is this sanctuary that has become the center of God’s operations to save mankind. It is this sanctuary that Jesus is seen ministering before in heaven (Revelation 1:12, 13; 8:3, 4). It is this sanctuary from which the final scenes of earth’s history are directed. (Revelation 15:5; 16:17) Just as there were two apartments in the earthly sanctuary, so there are two apartments in the heavenly sanctuary. As the priests ministered in the first apartment of the sanctuary every day, so Jesus ascended to the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary and began the round of ministration there. (Revelation 1:12, 13; 8:3, 4) As the high priest entered the Most Holy Place of the earthly sanctuary once a year in the work of judgment, so Christ our true High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16) entered the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary once and for all in 1844. The greatest event of recent history transpired when God’s great judgment day began on October 22, 1844, in the sanctuary above.

A Great American Revival

The years just before October 22, 1844, were years fraught with great interest in America and around the world. These were years of great religious interest, so much so that you can find this time period recorded in secular history books. The turn of the nineteenth century brought a great interest in evangelistic and missionary work. Many Bible societies were organized during this time. (1804—British and Foreign Bible Society; 1816—American Bible Society) An emphasis was placed on spreading the Word of God around the world. With an increased interest in the spread of God’s Word, a corresponding revival took place.

Around the world common men and women as well as ordained ministers began to study and came to the conviction that Jesus was coming again soon. This conviction resulted in an ardent desire to be prepared for this great event, and not only that, but to share this wonderful news with others. Consequently, people began to share the message that Jesus was coming again soon—a unique message for that time. The message met with great interest regardless of who was bringing it. In Europe, Africa and the Mid-East, Joseph Wolff, the missionary to the world, spread the message far and wide. In South America, a Jesuit priest by the name of Lacunza spread and wrote of His hope of Jesus’ soon coming. In Scandinavia, adults were prohibited to preach, and so children, endued with power and learning beyond their years, would stand upon the table and expound the message which was forbidden to be upon the lips of adults. But particularly did this message go forward in America.

A farmer who never had any intentions of preaching was the unlikely vessel called to herald this great American revival. William Miller, born in 1782, put the Bible aside as a young man in preference for the belief of deism, but after several years he turned to the Bible again. As he studied it for himself, he found that it spoke exactly to the need and longing of his heart. Soon he was devoting hours on end to the study of this most precious of all books. In seeking to answer the arguments brought against him by his colleagues (arguments that he himself had used), he determined to systematically study the Bible and see if the answers were there. He laid aside commentaries and man’s writings in order to come to an understanding of what God was saying through His Word. For years he studied, comparing Scripture with Scripture with the sole aid of a concordance and the marginal notes and references. He came to conviction, like others in various parts of the world, that Jesus was coming soon. Furthermore, as he studied the prophecies, he believed that this grandest of all events was going to take place in 1843 or 1844. This prophecy that we have just looked at was at the center of his study. But one point was covered from his understanding—he took “the sanctuary” to mean the earth. Thus he thought that Jesus would return to this earth as the fulfillment of the prophecy instead of going into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary for the final work of judgment. After studying these prophecies for years and after an intense struggle, he agreed to present his findings to others. As he began to share this message, it caused such a stir that the requests for preaching never stopped coming in. Soon others joined in the proclamation of this judgment hour message. Soon this great revival was sweeping through the rural villages and even the larger towns of America. Beginning with just small country churches, he was soon speaking to thousands in the centers of America as the revival began to grow and expand. Indeed this was a great American revival. While the event they hoped and longed for did not come, the prophecy met its fulfillment in the beginning of the last work of judgment. Although the prophecy was fulfilled in heaven, and thus we could not see the fulfillment on the earth, the accompanying revival turned the eyes of all to these prophecies and the Biblical signs in the heavens that revealed that something grand and stupendous was about to take place—the great judgment day of God.

Matthew 24:29  Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Joel 2:31  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.

Revelation 6:12, 13  I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.

Jesus and Bible writers had given supernatural signs that were to take place just before the coming of the Son of Man and, particularly in Revelation, in reference to the judgment: an earthquake, the sun and moon being darkened and then the stars falling from heaven. These signs were to be harbingers on the earth of the fulfillment of the prophecy in heaven.

 On November 1, 1755, the first of these signs shook the earth. The God of heaven was trying to get everyone’s attention so that all could see that stupendous events were about to transpire in the heaven above. An earthquake devastated the city of Lisbon, Portugal. Although earthquakes have become common today, then it was quite a rarity. This earthquake caused untold damage to Lisbon, but extended far beyond that. The shocks were felt into Africa and across the ocean upon the America continent. The first of the great signs foretelling that the judgment was near had struck.

On May 19, 1780, the second and third of the signs took place. On the American shores, a strange and yet unexplained phenomenon arrested the attention as all. The day began as usual, but by noon on that uncanny day the sun was darkened as never before. Birds began to roost, cows came in from the fields, businesses closed, congregations gathered. Then as night finally did come on that dark and unforgettable day, the moon refused to shine. Full it was, but the darkness was so dense that it seemed it could be felt. Eyewitness testimony was that if you held a sheet of paper a few inches from your eyes, it could not be seen. Then when the moon did appear, it had the appearance of blood as foretold by Joel.

Then on November 13, 1833, the fourth of these signs occurred, giving great impetus to the great American revival. The stars were to fall from heaven as the fig tree drops its figs. Probably the most impressive meteor shower on record took place that crisp fall evening. It has been said that, “never did rain fall much thicker.” The heavenly fireworks display was so bright and luminous that it woke people from their sleep.

Once again the God of heaven had revealed that the prophecies of Daniel in reference to the great judgment day were about to be fulfilled. Through these great signs, many were led to search the Scriptures for the evidences of truth. The Lord was seeking to bring to the forefront of America and the world what was soon to take place in the courts above. This great America revival, with its accompanying signs, focused the attention on the soon-to-be-fulfilled prophecies, but what exactly was to take place on this great judgment day? What would it be like?

The Books were Opened

Revelation 20:11-12  Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

Exodus 32:32, 33  “Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.”

Revelation 3:5  He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before my Father and before His angels.

Acts 3:19  Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

Views of the judgment have filled holy men with fear and admiration. John saw heaven and earth fleeing away from the presence of the One upon the throne. Then the books were opened. What books? The Book of Life, the book that registers the names of everyone who professes to follow our Lord. The Book of Remembrance (Malachi 3:16), the record of all the good deeds of God’s people and the book that records our sins and wanderings (Psalm 56:8). Although no one is saved by his works, we are clearly judged by our works. Our works reveal the character of our heart. All who have overcome their sins through Jesus’ power will have their names retained in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Those who have loved the Lord enough to obey and follow Him regardless of the cost will have their name engraved in the records of heaven where no eraser can efface it. Their sins, which may have been many and grievous, are no more remembered. The blood of our Lord has blotted them out. There is another class of people, though. These are the ones who have professed to love the Lord, but have neglected to follow and obey His Word. They have made a profession, and their names are written in the Book of Life, but their character does not correspond with the profession. Because they have clung to sin, the Lord cannot blot out their sins, and so their names are wiped from the record of the righteous. What a solemn time that is, and we are living in it right now! Thus the heavenly sanctuary is cleansed from all sin and sinners. Those who have repented and confessed their sins will have their sins blotted out from the books, but those who have clung to their sins will have their names blotted from the books above; thus the heavenly sanctuary is cleansed in the final phase of the plan of salvation.

Our Whole Duty

Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

James 2:10-12  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

Matthew 7:21-23  Not everyone who says to Me “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”

Many today are ready to laud that they are strong Christians, but how would you plead in that day? Every secret thing will be written in letters of fire—every action, every word, and every thought. Many people will plead that they are innocent. They call Jesus “Lord.” They parade their good deeds for all to know, but when the searching test comes home, Jesus says, “I never knew you!” Why were they lost, while believing that they were saved? They practiced lawlessness. To keep God’s Law is the whole duty of mankind. We may do many good works, but if we neglect to keep all of God’s holy Law we are rejecting the very duty the Lord has plainly laid before us. We may think that we are keeping God’s Law. We do not steal and we would never murder, but if we break one commandment, we will be arraigned as a lawbreaker. To break one commandment makes us guilty of all. Many today are keeping nine of the commandments, but rejecting God’s seal, His Sabbath commandment. Although, they are keeping the majority, this will gain them nothing in the judgment, unless they repent and determine through God’s strength to live in obedience to all of God’s Law. Thus the importance of the Sabbath is seen as never before in the light of the judgment. If we are not living up to all of God’s Law, we are jeopardizing our salvation because the judgment is transpiring today. We may plead that our parents and our grandparents didn’t keep the Sabbath, but they were not living in the close of the judgment. There are repeated prophecies that in the last days there would be a reform and awareness of Sabbathkeeping brought back again. (Revelation 14:6, 7; Isaiah 58:12-14; Revelation 22:14) As God has privileged us to be living in the most exciting time of earth’s history, so we have more exalted responsibilities, as well. One of these being to live in obedience to all of God’s Law, not just the commandments we agree with, but all of them including God’s holy Sabbath day, and to tell as many as will listen of these wonderful truths of God’s Law and His judgment.

The Final Decree

Revelation 22:11  He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.

Very soon the destiny fixing decree will rumble through the courts above—he that is filthy, let him be filthy still; he that is righteous, let him be righteous still. You will not be able to change your mind then. The destiny of every person who has ever lived will be sealed for time and eternity. How will it be with you? Which side will you be on? Multitudes will cry out too late, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!” (Jeremiah 8:20). Will that be you? Will it be me? Are we living up to all of the light that the Lord has allowed to shine on our pathway now? Are we preparing to meet our Lord in the clouds of glory? What if it were today?

I John 2:1-5  My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him. But whoever keeps His word,truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

We may have the strong assurance that our life is hid with Christ in God. We may know whom we have believed. There may be no doubt in our mind that Christ is our intercessor and that He is even now pleading our case, if only we are living in obedience to all of His Law. Do you want the assurance of protection in the days ahead? Do you want to know that when the decree sounds in the sanctuary above that your name is retained in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Will you make the decision right now to follow the Lord, no matter what He asks you to do? Will you choose to be obedient to Him in all things? Will you decide to love Him enough to keep all of His Law, including God’s Sabbath day?