What is Jesus doing right now? And how can I let him use me? By Ellen White

At the appointed date of judgment - at the end of the 2300 days in 1844 - the investigation and cancellation of sins began. Everyone who has ever taken Jesus’ name will be subject to scrutiny. Both the living and the dead will be judged "according to their works, according to what was written in the books" (Revelation 20,12:XNUMX).

Sins not repented of and forsaken cannot be forgiven and blotted out of the record books, but will bear witness against the sinner on the day of God. Whether he did his evil deeds in broad daylight or in the pitch black of the night; Before the one we are dealing with, everything was completely open. God's angels witnessed every sin and recorded it in infallible records. Sin can be hidden, denied or covered up from father, mother, wife, children and friends; Apart from the guilty perpetrator, no one may even suspect anything of the injustice; but everything is revealed to the heavenly intelligence service. The darkest night, the most secret art of deception is not enough to hide a single thought from the Eternal.

God has an accurate record of every fake account and unfair treatment. Pious appearances cannot blind him. He makes no mistake in evaluating character. People are deceived by those with corrupt hearts, but God sees through all masks and reads our innermost lives like an open book. What a powerful thought!

One day after another passes and his burden of proof finds its way into the eternal record books of heaven. Words once spoken, works once committed, can never be undone. Angels recorded good and evil. The most powerful conquerors on earth are unable to erase a single day from the records. Our actions, words, even our most secret intentions decide by their weight over our fate, our well-being or woe. Even if we have already forgotten them, their testimony contributes to our justification or condemnation. Just as facial features are reflected in the mirror with unerring accuracy, character is faithfully recorded in the heavenly books. But how little attention is paid to this report into which heavenly beings gain insight.

Could the curtain that separates the visible from the invisible world be drawn back, and could the children of men see the angels recording every word and deed that they will face in judgment, how many words would remain unsaid, how many works undone!

The court examines the extent to which each talent was used. How have we used the capital that heaven has lent us? When the Lord comes, will he receive back his property with interest? Have we refined the skills we are familiar with in our hands, hearts and brains and used them to the glory of God and to the blessing of the world? How have we used our time, our pen, our voice, our money, our influence? What did we do for Jesus when he met us in the form of the poor and the suffering, the orphan and the widow? God has made us guardians of his holy word; What have we done with the knowledge and truth that was given to us so that we can show others the way to salvation?

A mere confession of Jesus is worthless; only the love that is shown through works counts as real. Nevertheless, in the eyes of heaven, love alone makes an action worthwhile. Everything that happens out of love, no matter how small it is in human eyes, will be accepted and rewarded by God. Even the hidden selfishness of men is revealed through the books of heaven. All sins of omission against our neighbors and our indifference to the Savior's expectations are also recorded there. There you can see how often time, thought and energy were devoted to Satan that should have belonged to Jesus.

Sad is the report that angels bring to heaven. Intelligent beings, professed followers of Jesus, are completely absorbed in the acquisition of worldly possessions and the enjoyment of earthly pleasures. Money, time and strength are sacrificed for appearances and pleasures; only a few moments are devoted to prayer, Bible study, self-abasement and confession of sins. Satan invents countless tricks to occupy our minds so that we do not think about the very work with which we should be most familiar. The arch-deceiver hates the great truths that speak of the atoning sacrifice and the all-powerful mediator. He knows that everything depends on his art of diverting minds from Jesus and his truth.

Anyone who is to benefit from the Savior's mediation must not allow anything to distract them from their task: "to perfect holiness in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7,1:XNUMX). Instead of wasting the precious hours on pleasure, show or profit-seeking, she devotes prayerfully to the serious study of the Word of Truth. It is necessary that God's people clearly understand the subject of sanctuary and investigative judgment, that all personally understand the position and ministry of their great High Priest. Otherwise they will not be able to have the confidence that is essential at this time or to assume the position that God has intended for them. Everyone personally has a soul to save or lose. Every case is pending in God's court. Everyone has to answer for themselves before the great judge. How important it is that we often remember the solemn scene when the court sits down and the books are opened, when everyone, with Daniel, must stand in their place at the end of days.

Ellen White, great controversy, 486-488