In 1992, Cameron Todd Willingham was convicted for killing his three daughters in a fire at his home. His conviction depended on forensic research showing the fire was intentionally started, and the testimony of Johnny Webb, who said Willingham had admitted guilt to him. In 2004, Willingham was executed for his crimes.
Since then, evidence has shown the fire was an accident. The forensic research was flawed, and Webb had given false testimony. He later confessed that the prosecutor had promised to reduce Webb’s own prison sentence in exchange for this false testimony. Webb had even sent in a “Motion to Recant Testimony” in 2000, but this was buried by the prosecutor, and never shown to the defense. Eventually this was all uncovered, but for Willingham it was much too late.
In 2 Timothy 3:3, Paul prophesied that our world would be full of “false accusers” like Willingham’s prosecutor. The Greek word used for “false accusers” is diaboloi, and is elsewhere used for “devils.” False accusations like that give us insight into the very nature of Satan.
Satan sees the worst in us. Even when someone is doing good, he imputes bad motives. Perhaps the clearest example of accusation in the Bible is when Satan accused Job. He came before God’s heavenly courtroom and declared to know Job’s heart: Job is obedient because of the blessings You pour into his life—take those away, and You will see that deep down he hates You! (Job 1:9-11).
Thankfully, God’s system of justice is not like that in this world; He will never falsely convict someone and put them to death. Let’s take a look what goes on in the court of heaven.
Your Case
Imagine a court room, where Satan is the unfeeling prosecutor, attempting to discredit us before God, the Judge. Satan has a team of diaboloi on his side, always at the ready to point out some fault or potential flaw in our character. His team consists of demons, but also certain men who have given in to the spirit of accusation. Remember, Paul refers to our generation as one filled with diaboloi—false accusers!
What is at stake in this court case? Your eternal life.
Satan and his demons are engaged in a desperate attempt to snuff out your eternal life. He literally works day and night to find things to accuse you of (Revelation 12:10). What he is looking for is evidence that you are wholly given to rebellion, that you have been insincere in your calling, or perhaps that you’ve given up completely. His accusation is that we are irreparable just like him. God, the righteous Judge, seeks the truth, and wants to save us. He hopes to create His own heart in us.
In Malachi’s Message, we read what is perhaps the best description of our case before God’s throne room: “God wants to know who will qualify for His Kingdom. That is the whole purpose for our existence,” Pastor General Gerald Flurry writes. He explains that this is why God allowed Satan to bring strong delusion: to see who is Philadelphian, and who is not. God brought in the prosecution so that the trial could be as fair and thorough as possible. By the end of our trial, God knows whether we will be God or nothing.
Contempt of Court
In the court room, it is important that everyone understands what role they play.
“Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge” (James 4:11).
In a 1978 article titled “Gossip and Accusation Must Stop,” Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong showed that this verse is about judging the intent, thoughts and beliefs of a brother. Gossip, and other accusatory activities, are condemned in the Scriptures because we are taking God’s prerogative on ourselves. God is our judge. He alone knows how to judge intent. He will pronounce the final verdict (verse 12).
This passage brings out that we ought to be doers of the law. We are standing before court in the same manner that all the brethren are. We are the ones being judged (1 Peter 4:17)! Taking on this level of judgment is to say: “I will be like the most High.” If someone who was being prosecuted came and shoved the judge out of his seat, that would not be tolerated. This is what we do when we judge the intent of others!
So we aren’t just being judged for our everyday law keeping, but also for our behavior in court. This is a biblical principle which goes back to the Old Testament court system. Deuteronomy 19:16-20 bring out that in God’s judicial system, someone who had falsely accused another was to suffer the punishment he would’ve brought upon the accused. How dangerous it is to accuse others! How will God judge you for accusing another of committing the unpardonable sin?
Our Advocate(s)
We will be brought into judgment even for every “thoughtless word” (Matthew 12:26, New English Bible). Even if we don’t have an evil intent, gossip and accusation still damage the God Family—so God holds us to account. Thankfully, there is one more role in the heavenly court room that we have not yet considered. We’ve talked about the prosecutor, the accused and the Judge, but we’ve not yet discussed the Advocate, the Defense Attorney for our case.
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). Satan is our prosecutor, God the Father is our Judge, and He appointed Christ to be our Advocate! Just as Satan works tirelessly to find blame in us, Christ lives to make our case for us! In The Last Hour booklet Mr. Gerald Flurry stresses: “Christ is our Advocate, not when we are righteous, but when we sin.” If we never sinned, we would not need an advocate. Christ didn’t need an advocate, His case spoke for itself, but we desperately need an advocate!
It’s easy to dwell on our accusatory thoughts, and let them develop into sin. Maybe we let out some thoughtless words, accidentally starting a rumor. This even happened to Mr. Armstrong, on Aug. 21, 1978, he wrote an apology to the ministry for accidentally starting a rumor. However, when that happened, Mr. Armstrong had an Advocate pleading his case before his Judge. Of course, Mr. Armstrong never intended to start that rumor, and He was already committed to being more careful; this case wasn’t difficult to judge.
But Christ is working tirelessly on all of our cases, whether easy or hard, and we all have the opportunity to plead cases for the brethren in prayer. 1 John 5:16 instructs us to bring these cases before God, and God will hear us! The only time He won’t hear our witness is if the case was already closed, the unpardonable sin having been committed.
Presenting Evidence
We can actually be on Christ’s team, presenting exculpatory evidence before God! This doesn’t just apply in our prayers. There are often great opportunities to advocate for others, where most would accuse them. Remember, this world is full of false accusers. If we are following in Christ’s footsteps, we will counteract any false accusations and rumors we hear.
The Last Hour brings out two definitions of the word for “Advocate.” We can be more effective defense attorneys with Christ if we apply these two techniques.
First of all, an advocate is a comforter. When someone is on trial, we can bring real comfort to them by letting them tell their side of the story. Everyone wants to feel understood, and oftentimes we bring comfort by simply listening. Christ came in the flesh so he could better understand His wife, and uses His unique experience to help us (Hebrews 2:18). Think of how many times Christ has made sure we knew we were understood. We ought to comfort others the same way (2 Corinthians 1:4). Then we can come before God and intercede in an effective way, just as Christ helps the Father understand us better.
When a loving husband offers an attentive ear to his wife, he doesn’t intend to use that information against her, or to make light of her problems—or his wife might stop opening up to him. Christ never pretends our problems aren’t real. He became human and placed Himself in our shoes, not so He could condemn or accuse us, but to save us! (John 3:17). When someone opens up to God about sins or problems, He carefully listens, and is ready to forgive! God says that if we admit our sins, He won’t have to reveal them to us through a trial or interrogation (1 Corinthians 11:31-32). This really should be the way we treat everyone in God’s family: let them know they are heard.
Secondly, an advocate is an encourager. The Last Hour stresses how important it is for a husband to encourage his wife, just as Christ encourages the Church. This is one way to actively overthrow an accusatory mindset. Instead of believing the worst, you believe the best! You can’t fake believing the best and give insincere encouragement—it will always float to the surface. Remember, God will bring every case to its rightful conclusion.
How does Christ encourage the Church? Think about when Satan hoists an accusation at one of God’s people. Where God would point to a man’s faithful keeping of the Sabbath, Satan may respond: “If his boss forced him to work Friday nights, he would choose his career over the Sabbath!” God may or may not allow Satan to bring this exact test upon the man, just as a judge can exclude evidence if he thinks it is unfair.
If God does allow this trial—as He did with Job—perhaps the man begins to doubt: should I just work a little into the Sabbath? This is when Christ, our Advocate, could step in. Sometimes He uses a big miracle, like a new job offer, and at other times an encouraging word from an old friend is exactly what is needed.
Consider the promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13. God is saying He will never allow Satan to bring trials upon us that are unfair, and even within our trials He has appoints Christ to lead us through a way of escape, so we “may be able to bear it.” Think of the love God the Father has in appointing an Advocate for us. The Advocate makes trials bearable! One of the ways He does that is by fine-tuning the encouragement we receive. What a spectacular way for Christ to come to our defense in the heavenly court room!
Final Verdict
God knows there will be a point in every man’s trial when He has to close the case: Evidence will amount to proof, and He will give his final verdict, whether good or bad. Time is running out, and Satan is working all the more furiously to produce inculpatory evidence.
His final verdict already stands—the prosecutor, and all his false witnesses will be thrown into the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41). But God gives us an opportunity to become successful defense attorneys under Christ—counteracting Satan’s false accusations through intercessory prayers, attentive ears and encouraging words.
If we do these things, and remember that God has appointed an Advocate to do the same for us, then our final verdict will be that of the sheep that set on Christ’s right hand: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (verse 34). We will have achieved the purpose of our existence!