Open book exam...

"And so I sat and watched until all the thrones on earth had been overthrown and the one who is known as "The Ancient of Days" took his seat upon his own throne.  He was dressed in robes so pure that they were as white as snow and the hair of his head matched that purity like perfectly white wool.  He sat, enthroned upon a burning flame and the wheels of his chariot were circles of fire.  A stream of fire that burned to purity was constantly streaming out from his presence on the throne and incorporated the ranks of his servants: thousands of thousands were closest to him and ten thousands of groups of ten thousand surrounded all of them.  The time of judgment had arrived and the books were arrayed on stands round about the throne--and the books were opened!"  Daniel 7:9-10

Judgment is always serious business and, when properly done, takes preparation and wisdom, carefully studying the conditions to be judged.  In most cases, judgment is best accomplished when it uses recorded evidence as opposed to hearsay.  Good parents are quick to suspect the testimony of the tattle-tale since they have not examined the evidence and have only the word of one witness.  When parents champion the cause of what is right, they study the facts and take the side of what is proper and good. 

Those, such as Calvin, who like to come up with fanciful ideas of how God did things in the eternal realm try to give the picture that He worked out something called "reprobation" against most of humanity.  Reprobation, they claim, is how God decided in advance that evil humans that He had made would be automatically swept away as trash at the judgment.  Of course, this picture presents a serious problem when compared to the biblical picture of judgment.

In the picture given by Daniel, above, God arranges everything so that books can be set in place and other trustworthy witnesses beside the knowledge of the Judge Himself can be heard to corroborate the case of each person.  If there is a special class of persons who were made as evil trash from the very beginning, then why bring them to trial at all? Why not just sweep them away and have a trial for the lottery winners who were automatically saved before the foundation of the world? The reason that Daniel and other prophets and apostles give the authoritative, biblical picture of judgment that is connected with books (Revelation 20:12) is to remind all of mankind that God values His creation and is committed to the gift that He has given unto us; the gift of Jesus' blood shed on the Cross of Calvary. 

Humans are worth so much to Jesus that He became one with us in the awful condition of sin.  His provision for sin at the cross establishes the standard by which all of mankind will be judged.  To appropriate that ultimate act of Providence as a part of our personal life, we must visit Jesus and do business with Him at the place of His perfect sacrifice.

Come to Jesus.
Come to the Cross.