Could you Please Clarify on the Judgement?

judgment (1)Question: Could you please clarify on the judgment?

“I just finished reading, ‘The Big Picture,’ in the July 2001 issue of Present Truth, and I found it very well explained except for one point which I have to disagree on or either I misunderstand. That is: I believe the saints will also have to be allowed and given the time, to question why God allowed, all the righteous people to enter heaven, even though they would not be part of the ‘investigative judgement for the righteous that takes place before the second coming of Christ.’
“I believe we would question how someone was converted that we have known in our lives as a murderer, stealer, etc. I believe this would also be very important to ensure that everyone can see that God is just and righteous in all He does. Could you please explain this somewhere in Present Truth so that other readers can also gain a better understanding of this issue.”

Tennessee

Answer:

You brought up a good point here. For those readers who have not read the article entitled, “The Big Picture,” in the July 2001 issue of Present Truth, I encourage you to read it. If you do not have a copy, please contact us and we will send you one. If you have not read this article, this answer may not make much sense to you.

As I mentioned in the article, the righteous will not need to be present during the investigative judgment of the righteous that takes place before the second coming of Christ. (See Revelation chapters 4-6 and Daniel 7:9-13.) This is true because their input would not be valuable at this time since they are still living in a sinful human nature, and any input or analysis they could offer would be of no value because their judgment would be impaired by the weaknesses of the flesh. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

However, these things will not be true of us after the second coming of Christ when we shall have “put on incorruption.” (1 Corinthians 15:53) You may very well be right that during the millennium, while “the saints shall judge the world” (1 Corinthians 6:2), they will also have the opportunity to review God’s decisions regarding who has been permitted entrance into God’s kingdom. This could not include a review of the sins of the righteous, for God has promised that if we confess our sins He will forgive us and not mention them to us again. “None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him.” (Ezekiel 33:16)

I hope this helps to clarify the issue.