Chapter 4—“When the Judgment Shall Sit”

According to the Spirit of Prophecy, the time is coming when the tables of stone on which the Ten Commandments are written will be brought forth to the view of the inhabitants of earth. All of the known E. G. White statements on this matter are quoted here in chronological order:ACWF 3.3

“Human theories are exalted, honored, and placed where God and His law should be. But God has not altered the thing which has gone out of His lips. His word will stand fast forever, as unalterable as His throne. When every case is decided in the courts of heaven, this covenant will be brought forth, plainly written with the finger of God. The world will be arraigned before the bar of Infinite Justice to receive sentence—a life measuring with the life of God for obedience, and death for transgression.”—Ms 82, 1899. (See The Review and Herald, November 20, 1913 and Prophets and Kings, 187.)

“With His own finger God wrote His commandments on two tables of stone. These tables were not left in the keeping of men, but were placed in the ark; and in the great day when every case is decided, these tables, inscribed with the commandments, will be placed so that all the world will see and understand. The witness against them will be unanswerable.”—Letter 30, 1900 (Manuscript Releases 19:265).

“The precious record of the law was placed in the ark of the testament and is still there, safely hidden from the human family. But in God’s appointed time He will bring forth these tables of stone to be a testimony to all the world against the disregard of His commandments and against the idolatrous worship of a counterfeit Sabbath.”—Ms 122, 1901 (The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 1:1109).

“When God’s temple in heaven is opened, what a triumphant time that will be for all who have been faithful and true! In the temple will be seen the ark of the testament in which were placed the two tables of stone, on which are written God’s law. These tables of stone will be brought forth from their hiding place, and on them will be seen the ten commandments engraved by the finger of God. These tables of stone now lying in the ark of the testament will be a convincing testimony to the truth and binding claims of God’s law.”—Letter 47, 1902 (The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 7:972).

“The holy law of the ten commandments, written on tables of stone by the finger of God, and placed in the ark, is the standard of righteousness. Before the obedient and the disobedient it will appear in the last great day, and all the wicked will be convicted. They will see that their actions proceeded from a depraved character. They will see that the part they acted served to carry on the rebellion begun in the heavenly courts. They will see all the cruelty and all the wickedness that have dishonored their Creator and brought about the wretchedness that fills the world.”—Ms 5, 1904 (Manuscript Releases 13:381).

“The Holy Spirit traced these truths upon my heart and mind as indelibly as the law was traced by the finger of God, upon the tables of stone, which are now in the ark, to be brought forth in that great day when sentence will be pronounced against every evil, seducing science produced by the father of lies.”—Letter 90, 1906 (Colporteur Ministry, 126).

“There is a sanctuary, and in that sanctuary is the ark, and in the ark are the tables of stone, [on] which is written the law spoken from Sinai amidst scenes of awful grandeur. These tables of stone are in the heavens, and they will be brought forth in that day when the judgment shall sit and the books shall be opened, and men shall be judged according to the things written in the books. They will be judged by the law written by the finger of God and given to Moses to be deposited in the ark. A record is kept of the deeds of all men, and according to his works will every man receive sentence, whether they be good or whether they be evil.”—Ms 20, 1906 (Manuscript Releases 20:68).

“There are abundant evidences of the immutability of God’s law. It was written with the finger of God, never to be obliterated, never to be destroyed. The tables of stone are hidden by God, to be produced in the great judgment-day, just as He wrote them.”—The Review and Herald, March 26, 1908 (The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 1:1109).

“When the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened, and every man shall be judged according to the things written in the books, then the tables of stone, hidden by God until that day, will be presented before the world as the standard of righteousness. Then men and women will see that the prerequisite of their salvation is obedience to the perfect law of God. None will find excuse for sin. By the righteous principles of that law, men will receive their sentence of life or of death.”—The Review and Herald, January 28, 1909. (The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 1:1109; from Ms 117, 1908.)

“God has not altered the thing that has gone out of His lips. His word will stand fast forever, as unalterable as His throne. At the judgment, when every case shall be decided in the courts of heaven, this covenant will be brought forth, plainly written with the finger of God. The world will be arraigned before the bar of Infinite Justice to receive sentence.”—The Review and Herald, November 20, 1913. (From Ms 82, 1899; see Prophets and Kings, 187.)

“God will not break His covenant, nor alter the thing that has gone out of His lips. His word will stand fast forever as unalterable as His throne. At the judgment this covenant will be brought forth, plainly written with the finger of God, and the world will be arraigned before the bar of Infinite Justice to receive sentence.”—Prophets and Kings, 187. (From Ms 82, 1899; see The Review and Herald, November 20, 1913.)

Several things should be noted in these statements quoted above. Nowhere is it said that the tables of the law will be brought forth by men as a result of finding them hidden in a cave. In fact, it is clearly stated that God Himself will bring forth the tables of the law to the view of men, and in one statement Ellen White specifies that “these tables of stone are in the heavens.” Moreover, the time when He will do this is said specifically to be:ACWF 5.1

“when every case is decided in the courts of heaven”

“in the great day when every case is decided”

“when God’s temple in heaven is opened”

“in the last great day”

“in that great day when sentence will be pronounced against every evil, seducing science”

“in that day when the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened, and men shall be judged according to the things written in the books”

“in the great judgment-day”

“at the judgment”