The appearance before a heavenly divine council just before the coming of Jesus is a biblical reality.

Kim Papaioannou

Belief in a heavenly, pre-advent judgment has been a landmark belief of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It holds that in the time prior to the second coming of Jesus, a judgment takes place in heaven where records are reviewed, and verdict is pronounced.

Among other Christians it is perhaps the least understood of Adventist doctrines, possibly because there is nothing remotely similar in non-Adventist Christian theology.

Part of the problem is that Adventist apologetic has focused on a select few key texts. While every text has its value, doctrines gain credibility when built on a broader biblical understanding. To that aim, this short study aims to contribute.

Human Councils

A council is “an advisory, deliberative, or administrative body of people formally constituted and meeting regularly.”1 Related words are board and committee, among others. Even a parliament, congress, or senate is a type of council.

Every person reading this article who is involved in administration will have taken part in such meetings. We have them in churches, schools, businesses, and government entities. Whether their function is to govern, manage, or advise, their purpose is to ensure transparency, accountability, as well as constituency participation in decision-making processes.

Councils are not a modern invention. We recognize them in the earliest of times in every culture. The legendary King Arthur had his Knights of the Round Table, the ancient Athenians the Boule, the Spartans the Apella. Even the most authoritarian and absolute monarchs had their circle of advisors. King Nebuchadnezzar had his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans (Dan. 2:2), and king Rehoboam his council of elders (1 Kings 12:6).

In pagan polytheistic mythology, the gods would meet in council to decide on human affairs.

The Council of God

            Though history and contemporary culture are inundated with councils of every sort, most never consider God operating through a council. Perhaps the very thought would seem to detract from His sovereignty. The concept, however, is deeply rooted in Scripture.2 Understanding it gives a better glimpse of how God administers the cosmos.

A study may begin in the Book of Job. When Eliphaz thinks that Job is too self-righteous, he asks him rhetorically, “‘Have you listened in the council of God?’” The implication is that Job, a mere sinful human, has not. Eliphaz then adds, “‘What do you understand that is not clear to us?’” (Job 15:8, 9).3 For Eliphaz, then, to listen in on God’s council would give insights unknown to others.

Of the false prophets of the time of Jeremiah who were proclaiming peace and prosperity, the Lord asks: “‘For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord?’” (Jer. 23:18). And adds: “‘But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds’” (vs. 22). As in Job, participation in God’s council leads to true knowledge of God and His will.

Though sinful humans are excluded from God’s council, there are exceptions. A prophet was called a “seer” (1 Sam. 9:9), perhaps because on occasion he or she was allowed to see or hear the proceedings of God’s council. “‘For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets’” (Amos 3:7). In the Hebrew text, the word for “secret” is sodh, council. The Lord will do nothing in His council without revealing it to His prophets. It is because of this that while the false prophets in Jeremiah’s time did not participate in God’s council and were therefore proclaiming messages from their own minds, Jeremiah probably did and could advise correctly.

This contrast between true and false prophets and their participation or not in the council of God comes out clearly in the story of Micaiah. When Ahab and Jehosaphat are deliberating whether to wage war against Ramoth Gilead, they first consult with the 400 false prophets of Ahab, who promptly prophesy victory (1 Kings 22:6). But they are speaking of their own accord.

Unconvinced by this pleasant prophecy, Jehoshaphat asks for a second opinion and Micaiah, a true prophet, is called. He prophesies defeat based on things he has seen in the council of God: “‘I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; and the Lord said, “Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?” And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, “I will entice him”'” (1 Kings 22:19–21). Micaiah is clearly an observer in the council of God; he not only hears, but also sees what is taking place.

Psalm 82

One of the best examples of the divine council in session is Psalm 82. The psalm begins with God taking His seat: “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment” (vs. 1). The “gods” here are the same as the “sons of the Most High” who appear in 82:6. This is a group will be met again in this study as participating in the council of God.

The deliberations of the council are described in Psalm 82:2 to 7. The main topic appears to be human sinfulness. Instead of protecting the weak and the fatherless, the afflicted and the destitute, the wicked are defend (vss. 2, 3). Part of the reason humans do such things is because they “have neither knowledge nor understanding,” and walk “in darkness” (vs. 5). Clearly, they do not see things the way God does. Because of this, they deserve to die (vs. 7).

The council meeting ends with God standing up (vs. 8), an indication that the proceedings are over. When He rises, He pronounces the decision of the council, judgment upon the earth (vs. 7).

The fact that this council’s proceedings are found in the Psalms, the hymnbook of ancient Israel, indicates that the concept was familiar and sung about on a regular basis in Israel’s worship services.

The Divine Plurals

Perhaps we can further see an echo of the council of God in the four Old Testament divine plurals: “‘Let us make man in our image’” (Gen. 1:26); “‘Man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil’” (3:22); “‘Come, let us go down and there confuse their language’” (11:7); “‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us’” (Isa. 6:8).

These plurals have been variously understood. Some see them simply as plurals of majesty; though the subject is singular, God, a plural pronoun is used to denote God’s exalted status. A plural of majesty, however, is unlikely since in these four instances it is not humans addressing God in majesty, but God speaking to others. It is unlikely that humans would habitually address God in the singular, but that God would address Himself in plural to highlight His own majesty.

More appropriately these plurals have been understood as veiled references to the Trinity whereby the us refers to the three persons of the Trinity consulting among themselves.

Alternatively, these could be instances of the divine council in session. The plural us therefore could be God addressing other heavenly beings in His council.

Options 2 (veiled reference to the Trinity) and 3 (divine council) are not mutually exclusive. The divine plurals could certainly signify the three members of the Trinity in internal consultation.

But the God who will do nothing without revealing it to His prophets (Amos 3:7) will likewise not do anything without revealing it to the heavenly beings closest to Him, those who participate in His council.

The Council Meetings in Job 1 and 2

Two better known examples of the meetings of the divine council are Job 1:6 to 12 and 2:1 to 7. Both begin with almost identical words:

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them” (Job 1:6). “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord” (2:1).

Two things are worth pointing out here. First, the meeting takes place on a certain day. According to the rabbis, the two sessions in question took place on Rosh Hashanah, the Hebrew New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. These two days in Hebrew thought were the days in which judgment in heaven took place. While the exact timing of the meetings cannot be demonstrated from the text, a certain regularity is evident in the fact that the second meeting occurs soon after the first.

Second, apart from God and Satan, a group of participants called “sons of God” are there. “Sons of God” is semantically identical to the “sons of the Most High” we met in Psalm 82:6. Who are they? Most commentators assume they are angels. Indeed, this is how some Bibles translate the Hebrew text.

While the association of sons of God with angels cannot be discounted, it is unlikely. Angels are nowhere else clearly called “sons of God.” Indeed, Hebrews 1:5 seems to rule out such an association: “For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’? Or again, ‘I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son’?” It is beyond the scope of this study to explore the possibilities. We can simply say that the “sons of God” are heavenly beings, probably distinct from angels, who have access to God’s presence.

God’s agenda for this council meeting is not stated. Satan, however, has his own agenda—Job—and he brings it up. God allows this topic to be discussed and allows Satan to partly have his way.

To the reader of the Book of Job, these two council meetings help explain why God allows suffering. In the deliberations of the council, the person who is under scrutiny is not Job, but God. Satan in essence is accusing God of buying Job’s fidelity through abundant blessings.

This is a very important point. The fact that God allows His actions to be discussed and judged in the presence of the heavenly council indicates His willingness to come under scrutiny: “‘Come now, let us reason together’” (Isa. 1:18) is His invitation, not only to us, but to all heavenly beings. Transparency is a key virtue of every true leader, and from such transparency God does not exclude Himself.

Job’s faithfulness in adversity proves Satan wrong. Ultimately, however, it is the faithfulness of Jesus in adversity, becoming obedient all the way to death on the cross, that proved Satan wrong and highlighted for all time God’s selfless love for fallen humanity.

A Grandest Council Meeting—Daniel 7:9 to 14, 22, 26

A grandest meeting of the heavenly council is the one described in Daniel 7. Daniel sees in vision a sequence of earthly powers, four beasts followed by 10 horns, and then by a little horn that becomes great, persecutes the people of God, and utters blasphemies against God. The identity of these is not of concern at this point. What is important to note is that the little horn is the last in this sequence of powers and lasts until the end of the world.

Toward the end of the ravages of the little horn—near the end of earth’s history—Daniel’s eyes are directed away from events on earth to the heavenly realm. There, like other prophets before him, he prophetically beholds this yet future divine council meeting coming into session.

First, he sees the Ancient of Days, God, dressed in garments “‘white as snow,’” and seated upon a fiery throne (Dan. 7:9). The imagery is sanctuary-related. White was the color of the garments of the priests, while the reference to the throne points to the Holy of Holies in the sanctuary. This should be of no surprise. Ancient biblical and extra-biblical writers understood God’s throne to be located in a heavenly sanctuary/temple. Indeed, Jewish apocalyptic exegetes, contemporaries of Jesus, understood the scene described in Daniel 7:9 to 14 to be a heavenly archetypal, Day of Atonement.4

Surrounding the throne of God are angels. Their number is given as “‘a thousand thousands . . . and ten thousand times ten thousand’” (vs. 10). Taken literally, this would be 1 million and 100 million, respectively. But Daniel did not count them; rather this is a way of saying that they were innumerable. This is the largest number we find in the Bible, indicating just how inclusive and grand this session is.

In addition to God’s throne, Daniel sees other thrones that are set, presumably for this occasion. He then declares, “‘the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened’” (vs. 10). Who sits on these other thrones? Probably not the angels. The angels are not depicted as seated around God.5 They are either standing in service (Luke 1:18; Rev. 7:11; 8:2), or prostate in worship (Neh. 9:6; Phil. 2:10, 11; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 7:11, 12). It would be the enigmatic “sons of God” met earlier here.

It is worth noting that eventually the saved, also called “sons of God” on numerous occasions (Luke 20:36; Rom. 8:14, 15, 19, 23; Heb. 12:7), will sit on thrones in judgment in the divine council (Matt. 19:28; Rev. 20:4. Clearly, it cannot be the saved saints in Daniel 7, since these are still on earth. But the parallel is worth pondering.

Once the court is seated, books are opened. The main heavenly book is the Book of Life, the book where the names of the people of God are recorded. “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life” (Rev. 3:5). Moses asked: “‘But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written’” (Ex. 32:32). Malachi 3:16 mentions the book of remembrance. Jesus said that we will give account for everything, including idle or careless words (Matt. 12:36).

Clearly then, the books that are opened contain the records of human history. Their opening suggests that they are about to come under scrutiny. And just as with Job, when humans come under scrutiny, God’s interaction with them is also scrutinized. This session of the council of God, therefore, reviews the lives of the people of God, and God’s interventions in human affairs.

The outcome of this last divine council is twofold. First, the Son of Man, Jesus, receives dominion and glory and a kingdom (Dan. 7:13, 14). As the One who paid the ultimate price for the salvation of all of God’s people, both in Old Testament and New Testament times, it is no surprise that the person proclaimed righteous is not the saved, but the Savior. He and His work receive the applause. However, together with the Son of Man, judgment is given in favor of God’s people. Since they have taken hold of the Savior, they are declared righteous. As such, they come to co-possess the kingdom with the Son of Man (vs. 22). Second, the evil horn loses its power and is eventually destroyed.

The end of the proceedings of this council meeting, therefore, launches the Second Coming, which concludes earth’s history as we know it.

Implications

Though we are not used to think of God as presiding over a heavenly council, we in Scripture the motif of the council of God is common and prominent. God presides, and heavenly beings participate openly in its proceedings. Humans are at times allowed to observe.

The divine council meets regularly. Not only are many examples of it in different times, but the two examples from Job indicate regular meetings.

In the divine council, all aspects of divine administration of the world are discussed. Judgment on human affairs is included.

A grand, divine council meeting is described in Daniel 7. It seems to include the complete totality of heavenly beings. God presides and His appearance is described in priestly language. The meeting takes place at the end of earth’s history and concludes with the end of human kingdoms, and with the Son of Man, Jesus, establishing His own kingdom.

It is fairly evident that the Seventh-day Adventist belief in a heavenly pre-advent judgment is fully congruent with these findings. Just before Jesus comes to earth to take His people (millions perhaps billions of forgiven sinners), the Father holds a meeting of the divine council to prepare the way, similar to those He regularly holds, but perhaps grander and with a very specific purpose.

The purpose is not so much for Jesus, or for the Father, to find out who is eligible to be in the kingdom. This they know from before we were born. But other heavenly beings do not know. And since God’s administration is transparent in everything, this is the chance for the whole heavenly realms to review God’s decisions and confirm the eligibility of God’s people to enter heaven. The saved are eligible not because of their own goodness, but because they have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

The meeting of the divine council ensures that all questions relating to the status of the saved are cleared. This is our assurance that upon entry into the heavenly realms we will be welcomed and not disapproved of.

It is on the basis of the proceedings of this last (in terms of human history) divine council meeting that Jesus can declare: “‘Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done’” (Rev. 22:12). For Jesus to be in a position to offer a reward, indicates a process whereby the reward of each has been determined, not only in God’s mind, but in a manner transparent to all, that is, in the divine council. This final meeting of the divine council, therefore, paves the way for Jesus to return to earth and take the saved to heaven.

Two beautiful verses highlight the fact that examination in the divine council is a solemn blessing for the people of God, not something to be feared. Proverbs 3:32 declares: “For the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence [sodh, ‘council’].” The last part could better be translated, “[God is] with the upright in his council.” Whenever the name of one of His children comes into view, God stands by each, as He stood by Job.

Likewise, Psalm 25:14 states: “The friendship [sodh, ‘council’] of the Lord is for those who fear him.” This may be translated: “The council of the Lord is for those who fear him.” This means that for God’s people, the judgment of the divine council is good news, because before the whole realm of heaven they will be acquitted of every wrongdoing and declared forgiven.

The appearance of the people of God before a heavenly divine council just before the coming of Jesus is a biblical reality that should fill us with solemn confidence not in our own goodness, which is glaringly lacking, but in the determination and ability of God to stand by us and declare us forgiven in Jesus before the watching heavens. This is good news indeed!

Kim Papaioannou, PhD, pastors in Cyprus.

NOTES AND REFERENCES

1. Http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/council. Accessed December 21, 2015.

2. See E. Theodore Mullen, Jr, The Assembly of the Gods: The Divine Council in Canaanite and Early Hebrew Literature, Harvard Semitic Monographs, Scholars Press, 1980; E. Theodore Mullen Jr, “Divine Assembly,” The Anchor Bible Dictionary, David Noel Freedman, ed. (N.Y.: Doubleday, 1996), 2:214.

3. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references in this article are quoted from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

4. Martha Himmelfarb, Ascend to Heaven in Jewish and Christian Apocalypses (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983), 18.

5. Though see the angel who rolled the stone at the tomb of Jesus sat on it (Matt. 28:2).