Previous Study   |   Index   |   Next Study ~ Lesson #20 ~ Your Day In Court Download PDF of this page.       Have you ever witnessed the drama of a murderer being tried before a judge and jury? When a person is on trial for his life, every shred of evidence is weighed by the defendant and his attorney. His fate may hinge on the testimony of one witness.       The Bible tells us that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. There is no way to escape our day in court! The question we must answer is, —Are we ready to stand before the bar of justice and hear the verdict?       More than 2,500 years ago, Belshazzar, a Babylonian king, with a thousand of his nobles, feasted in a luxurious banquet hall. They reveled in the fact that the city of Babylon was impregnable. To show their defiance of the deities of other nations, and to demonstrate their own strength, they ordered that wine be served in the golden vessels which had been taken from the temple at Jerusalem. They drank until they were thoroughly intoxicated. God took notice of this defiance on the part of Belshazzar. He wrote a message of judgment on the wall of that banquet hall. Even in their drunken debauchery these nobles were sobered by the bloodless hand as it wrote the sentence of doom.       The Bible states that when Belshazzar saw this hand writing, “his knees smote one against another.” Daniel 5:6. This was no magician’s trick. It was a message of doom from God. Daniel was summoned. He read the message to the king. It read, “Mene” (“God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it”); “Tekel” (“Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”) Daniel 5:25-27. The divine judgment had found him guilty. He was not only to forfeit his life on this earth, but, having failed to prepare, he was to lose eternal life as well. Let us not be found Wanting as Belshazzar was. THE BIBLE SAYS 1. How many of us will have to appear before the judgment seat of Christ? II Corinthians 5:10 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 2. To Whom will man have to give an account in that day? Romans 14:12 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 3. With whom will this investigative judgment begin?  I Peter 4:17 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 4. How does Paul indicate that there is a definite time for the judgment? Acts 17:31 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 5. What message is to be proclaimed to all the world announcing the beginning of this judgment?  Revelation 14:6, 7 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 6. What records are used as evidence?  Revelation 20:11, 12 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 7. Whom does Daniel say presides at the judgment?  Daniel 7:9, 10 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Note: The Ancient of Days is God the Father, whom the Son of God approaches as our Advocate (verse 13). “Cast down” in verse 9 means “placed” —See marginal reading. 8. How much of what We have done will be known in that day? Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 9. What did Christ say about our words?  Matthew 12:36, 37 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 10. What book contains the records of those who follow the Lord? Malachi 3:16 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 11. In what book are the names recorded of those who have accepted Christ?  Philippians 4:3 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 12. What happens to the name of one who once confessed Christ but afterwards turned to a life of sin?  Exodus 32:31-33 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 13. What promise is given to the overcomer?  Revelation 3:5 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 14. What law will be the standard of the judgment?  James 2:10-12 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 15. What does Christ do for us in the judgment?  Hebrews 7:25 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 16. If we sin, what hope is held out to us?  I John 2:1, 2 The Bible Says: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________       In Paul’s day the judgment was still future. Acts 24:25. When Christ comes “His reward is with Him,” that is, the judgment is over. We are now in the judgment hour, according to the books of Daniel and Revelation. Daniel 8:14; Revelation 14:7. The cases of those who have accepted Christ are being examined. Those who have become over-comers through His power will be cleansed from all their sins. Those who have made a profession, but by their lives have denied their Lord, will have their names removed from the book of life. Perhaps you inquire, “If we are saved by grace, will our good works play any part in our salvation?” Our works indicate how complete has been our surrender, but they will not atone for our sins. There are many who have a form of godliness, but by their acts they deny the power of God in their lives. These will not enter the eternal city. Their works testify that they were Christians only in name. Christ describes this group of people in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? And in Thy name have cast out devils? And in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.”       The righteous, on the other hand, show by the fruitage of their lives that the Lord rules them. The life that they now live, they live by the power that God imparts to them through the indwelling of Christ. If we are Christ’s and He is our Advocate in the judgment day, the record of His perfect life of obedience will be applied to our record in heaven. The guilt of our sins and mistakes was borne by Him upon the cross of Calvary. We will stand before God in that day as though we had never sinned. Gone will be the record of our mistakes. They will be forgiven and blotted out. Why should we worry about the past or the future when we may have forgiveness today?       The Saviour stands ready to plead your case. He wants to be your Advocate. Will you not place your case in His hands?  Will you say, “l want to accept Christ as my Advocate today?”  I need help in overcoming a problem in my life. Pray for me. Next Lesson:  Does Christ Have A Church Today? Back To Top Previous Study   |   Index   |   Next Study