DOCTRINES >> JUDGMENT
SDAH 416
The judgment has set, the books have been opened;
How shall we stand in that great day,
When every thought, and word, and action,
God, the righteous Judge, shall weigh?
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For Worship Leaders
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Hymn Spotlight: The Judgment Has Set
Franklin E. Belden’s hymn proclaims a distinctly Adventist truth—the pre-Advent judgment that began in 1844 and continues until Christ’s return. Drawing from Matthew 12:36, 1 Peter 4:17, and Revelation 22:12, it calls God’s people to live in readiness, knowing that “the hour of His judgment is come.” As we sing, we are reminded that every word, choice, and action matters, and that now is the time to stand in faith, clothed in Christ’s righteousness, awaiting the day when He comes to reward each according to their works.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
This hymn was written and composed by Franklin Edson Belden (1858-1945; see Biographies), and appears in Hymns and Tunes, 1886, under two Scripture headings: “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matt. 12:36), and “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God” (1 Peter 4:17).
This hymn is particularly Seventh-day Adventist, stressing the belief that the pre-Advent judgment (or “investigative” judgment) began in 1844 and will end at the second advent of Christ, when He brings his reward with Him (Rev. 22:12), “to give every man according as his work shall be.”
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
The judgment has set, the books have been opened;
How shall we stand in that great day,
When every thought, and word, and action,
God, the righteous Judge, shall weigh?
Refrain
How shall we stand in that great day?
How shall we stand in that great day?
Shall we be found before Him wanting?
Or with our sins all washed away?
2
The work is begun with those who are sleeping,
Soon will the living here be tried,
Out of the books of God’s remembrance,
His decision to abide.
3
O, how shall we stand that moment of searching,
When all our sins those books reveal?
When from that court, each case decided,
Shall be granted no appeal?
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Dan 7:10; Matt 12:36; 2 Tim 4:8 (b) 1 Pet 4:17 (r) Dan 5:27
Author
Franklin E. Belden (1858-1945)
Year Published
1886
Metrical Number
11.8.9.7.Ref.
Composer
F.E. Belden
Year Composed
1886
