FORMER ADVENTIST PHILIPPINES: SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM REFUTED: “1844 & INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT”

Bill Fritz

Ellen White and the Seventh-day Adventist Church teach that the Investigative Judgment is a judgment for believers only.

Ellen G. White made these comments:

"So in the great day of final atonement and investigative judgment, the only cases considered are those of the professed people of God. The judgment of the wicked is a distinct and separate work, at a later period.” The Great Controversy, 1950 edition, page 480.

"The blood of Christ, while it was to release the repentant sinner from the condemnation of the law, was not to cancel the sin; it would stand on record in the sanctuary until the final atonement; so in the type the blood of the sin offering removed the sin from the penitent, but it rested in the sanctuary until the Day of Atonement. " Patriarchs and Prophets, page 357.

This is what the doctrinal statement from the “28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church” says,

24. Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary:

There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle that the Lord set up and not humans. In it Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefits of His atoning sacrifice offered once and for all on the cross. At His ascension, He was inaugurated as our great High Priest and, began His intercessory ministry, which was typified by the work of the High Priest in the holy place of the earthly sanctuary. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry, which was typified by the work of the high priest in the most holy place of the earthly sanctuary. It is a work of investigative judgment which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin, typified by the cleansing of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. In that typical service, the sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of animal sacrifices, but the heavenly things were purified with the perfect sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. The investigative judgment reveals to heavenly intelligence who among the dead are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgment vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom. The completion of this ministry of Christ will mark the close of human probation before the Second Advent (Lev. 16; Num. 14:34; Ezek. 4:6; Dan. 7:9-27; Dan. 8:13, 14; Dan. 9:24-27; Heb. 1:3; Heb. 2:16, 17; Heb. 4:14-16; Heb. 8:1-5; Heb. 9:11-28; Heb. 10:19-22; Rev. 8:3-5; Rev. 11:19; Rev. 14:6, 7; Rev. 20:12; Rev. 14:12; Rev. 22:11, 12).

Theological Considerations:

Seventh-day Adventists claim that Daniel 8:14 teaches that in 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, Christ entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry.

According to Seventh-day Adventist theology, each prophetic day mentioned in the Bible in apocalyptic literature, (like the Books of Daniel and Revelation) stands for an actual year of chronological time. Adventism teaches that the 2,300-day prophecy of Daniel 8:14 starts in 457 B.C. when the Persian ruler Xerxes ordered that Jerusalem should be fully rebuilt, reaching all the way to A.D. 1844 when Christ was said to have entered the Most Holy Place to investigate the records of the saints and offer final atonement for their sins.

Seventh-day Adventists claim that Christ's work of redemption wasn't completed at the cross. There is nothing in the Bible that says that. There is no Investigative Judgment ever spoken of where Christ completes His work of redemption sometime after His death and resurrection. Seventh-day Adventists fear for their salvation and can never know they are saved because of their false belief in the Investigative Judgment. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Jesus is still in the process of redeeming them when in fact, Jesus accomplished our salvation at the cross. The notion of a "second phase" of redemption is exclusive to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Investigative Judgment is a heretical teaching that is not taught anywhere in scripture.

Summary: The doctrine of the Investigative Judgment is not biblical for many reasons. The following is a summary listing some of the major objections to this doctrine:

• The word translated as “cleansed” in Daniel 8:14 is not the same word used for the cleansing of the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement.

• The term translated “days” in Daniel 8:14 should actually be understood as “evenings-mornings,” referring to the 1,150 sacrifices rather than 2,300 prophetic days.

• Daniel 8:14 refers to 1,150 days, not 2,300 days.” [1]

• The year-day principle is nowhere proven in scripture.

“1) The rule that a day in prophecy is equal to a year is incapable of proof. Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6 are more pretexts than proof texts. They do not say what Seventh-day Adventists have traditionally tried to make them say. There are many instances in Bible prophecy where a day means a day and a year means a year.

2) The "seventy weeks" of Daniel 9 cannot prove the year-day principle, because the expression is actually "seventy 'sevens"' (Daniel 9:24 NIV). We know that Daniel 9 is talking about "weeks of years," not "weeks of days," but this knowledge comes from the context, not from the word.

3) The formula "a day for a year" was not used by the New Testament, nor by the early Christians. It was first suggested by a medieval Jewish scholar, and only later adopted by some Christian expositors. It reached its zenith of acceptability in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.” [2]

• The atonement was finished at the cross; the Bible doesn’t teach an anti-typical Day of Atonement.

• The little horn desolates the sanctuary and halts the daily sacrifices; therefore, the sanctuary in question cannot be the heavenly sanctuary, for it cannot be desolated by any human power (such as Rome).

• The SDA teaching is contradictory regarding the source of pollution in the heavenly sanctuary: is it caused by the little horn, or is it caused by the confessed sins of God’s people?

• The little horn arises from the divided Greek empire, so it cannot be Rome.

• Rome cannot be the Little Horn because the desolation of the sanctuary begins under the Persian empire (if the start date of 457 B.C. is correct).

• The date 1844 in Roman Catholic history has no particular significance that would tie it to the end of the Little Horn’s activities.

• What desolating act took place in 457 B.C. that could possibly impact the Most Holy Place in heaven?

• The righteous are not judged by the law.

• The Investigative Judgment focus on perfection is unbiblical; it robs believers of assurance.” [3]

Most commentators agree that Daniel 8:13-14 is talking about Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ desecration of the temple in Jerusalem.

Daniel 8:13-14 says, “Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” (ESV)

"In Daniel 8:13-14, the "Holy one" refers to an angel. Daniel overheard the angelic conversation concerning how long Antiochus should continue to tread underfoot the host of Israel. The answer was that Antiochus would continue for 2,300 evenings and mornings (Literally: evening-mornings). How literally may Daniel's prophecy be reckoned? Judas Maccabaeus cleansed the temple about December 25, 165 B.C. Tracing the chronology in reverse, 2,300 days brings us to 171 B.C., when Antiochus began his harassment of the Jews." [4]

"Antiochus' desecration of the temple was to last 2,300 evenings and mornings before its cleansing (Daniel 8:14). Some take the 2,300 evenings and mornings to mean 2,300 days, that is, a little more than six years. In this interpretation, the six years were from Antiochus' first incursion into Jerusalem (170 B.C.) to the refurbishing and restoring of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in late 164. A second interpretation seems preferable. Rather than each evening and each morning representing a day, the reference may be to evening and morning sacrifices, which were interrupted by Antiochus' desecration (cf. "the daily sacrifice," Daniel 8:11-21). With two sacrifices made daily, the 2,300 offerings would cover 1,150 days or three years (of 360 days each) plus 70 days. This is the time from Antiochus' desecration of the temple (December 16, 167 B.C.) to the refurbishing and restoring of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in late 164 and on into 163 B.C. when all the Jewish sacrifices were fully restored and religious independence gained for Judah. Whichever interpretation it is that one accepts, the figure of 2,300 was a literal one and so the time period was literally fulfilled." [5]

"Daniel 8:25 says, “he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes”. This title refers to God and indicates the rebellion of Antiochus IV against even God’s legitimate sovereignty. Antiochus IV’s coins even have the phrase “god manifest” (Greek: theos epiphanēs) on the back of them, which probably means that he thought he was the gods’ representative on earth." [6]

Where did the idea that the Second Coming would take place in 1844 come from?

"Daniel's prophetic 2,300 days have interested many throughout history who have sought to predict the date of the Lord's return. By interpreting each day as a year, William Miller, a Baptist pastor from New York, calculated that Christ's second advent would take place between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844. As the date approached, a wave of excitement and expectation swept across America. Thousands of Christians from mainline churches, convinced of the accuracy of Miller's prognostication, joined with the new Adventist movement. Many of these "Millerites" sold their property to wait anxiously for the arrival of God's kingdom. When the date passed without any cataclysmic event, Miller set October 22, 1844, as the new date for the parousia, or return of Christ. A second failure, known as the "Great Disappointment," led Miller to repent of his errors. Several of his followers, however, said that Miller's latest date was correct but that his explanation was wrong. According to them, on October 22, 1844, Jesus moved from His seat at God's right hand into the holy place to begin an "investigative judgment" of all professing believers, many of whom will be blotted out of the Book of Life. This remnant of Millerites eventually founded the Seventh-day Adventist Church." [7]

The Little Horns of Daniel 7 and Daniel 8 Compared:

It is important to note that the little horns of chapters 7 and 8 are two distinct persons. Several factors make this distinction clear:

The Little Horn of Daniel 7:

Would come from Rome (the fourth kingdom).

Would be an eleventh horn, rooting up three of ten horns.

Would persecute God's people for 42 months or 3 1/2 years.

The Little Horn of Daniel 8:

Would come from Greece (the third kingdom).

Would be a fifth horn, coming out of one of four horns.

Would persecute God's people for 2,300 days or over 6 years.

What the Bible says about the judgment of Christ’s followers:

Christ entered the Heavenly Sanctuary shortly after his death:

Hebrews 1:3, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Hebrews 6:17-20, “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 9:11-12, "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”

Hebrews 9:23-24, "Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”

Christ's final judgments are after He returns, not before:

Matthew 25:31-32, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."

When Christians stand before God in this judgment it is to receive their final reward, not to determine whether or not he or she is saved:

Romans 14:10, "Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;”

2 Corinthians 5:9-10, "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

• Both Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 speak of the “judgment seat” of Christ. This is a translation of the Greek word, “bema” which was the tribunal bench in the Roman courtroom where the governor sat while rendering judicial verdicts. Metaphorically it refers to the place where the Lord will sit to evaluate believers' lives for the purpose of giving them eternal rewards.

Our sins are not remembered when we become members of the New Covenant:

Jeremiah 31:33-34, "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Romans 11:27, "and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

John 3:18, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Hebrews 8:10-12, "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

Hebrews 10:16-17, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

Once we become a member of the New Covenant our sins are not remembered by God (Jeremiah 31:34; Romans 11:27; Hebrews 8:12; 10:17). If God cannot, and will not remember them, they can no longer be on any books of record that God has kept. God knows all things. 1 John 3:20 says, “God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”

The Investigative Judgment is a doctrine that was invented by Seventh-day Adventists to explain away a false prophecy about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, by people who were completely deceived.

Our sins are blotted out when we repent:

Isaiah 44:22, "I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.”

Acts 3:19, "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,”

1 John 1:7, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

John 19:30, "When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

Hebrews 10:12-14, "But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 5:9, "Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”

God knows who His children are from the beginning:

John 10:14, "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,”

2 Timothy 2:19, "But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

Acts 15:16-18, "After these things, I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again, so the rest of humanity may seek the Lord— even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, declares the Lord who does these things, known from long ago.”

John 2:24, "But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people”

John 6:64, "But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)”

1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Colossians 2:13, "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,”

The Bible says believers do not come under negative judgment:

John 5:24, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

John 10:27-28, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 5:1-2, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

1 John 5:13, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Whoever accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior has (present tense) eternal life:

John 5:24, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

1 John 5:13, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

1 John 5:11, "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 17:3, "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 3:36, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

1 Timothy 6:12, "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

1 John 3:14, "We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.”

The Bible clearly shows that the cases of the righteous have already been decided long before any make-believe Investigative Judgment:

• “Jesus told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 22:43). How could Jesus determine his case before the Investigative Judgment began?

• Abraham was justified (accounted righteous) by faith (Romans 4:2-5) nearly 1800 years before the Investigative Judgment supposedly began.

• Jesus did not need an Investigative Judgment to determine the cases of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so why does He need one to determine our destiny (Matthew 8:11)?

• How could Enoch be taken to heaven without the Investigative Judgment (Genesis 5:24).

• Seventh-day Adventists claim from Jude 1:9 that after Moses sinned and died, he was resurrected and taken to heaven. How could Moses enter heaven if everyone's sins were not blotted out until after the Investigative Judgment?

• How could God take Elijah in a “whirlwind to heaven” (1 Kings 2:11) before the Investigative Judgment took place?" [8]

These examples prove that Christ needs no Investigative Judgment to determine who will be saved.

However, according to Ellen G. White, Christians must believe in the Investigative Judgment to be saved!

"Those who would share the benefits of the Saviour's mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God. The precious hours, instead of being given to pleasure, to display, or to gain seeking, should be devoted to an earnest, prayerful study of the word of truth. The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need knowledge for themselves of the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise, it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time or to occupy the position which God designed them to fill. Every individual has a soul to save or to lose. Each has a case pending at the bar of God. Each must meet the great Judge face to face. How important, then, that every mind contemplate often the solemn scene when the judgment shall sit and the books shall be opened, when, with Daniel, every individual must stand in his lot, at the end of the days.

All who have received the light upon these subjects are to bear testimony of the great truths which God has committed to them. The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ's work in behalf of men. It concerns every soul living on the earth. It opens to view the plan of redemption, bringing us down to the very close of time and revealing the triumphant issue of the contest between righteousness and sin. It is of the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate these subjects and be able to give an answer to everyone who asks them a reason for the hope that is in them.

The intercession of Christ on man's behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death, He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven." [9]

Later she wrote:

"The correct understanding of the ministration in the heavenly sanctuary is the foundation of our faith." [10]

Concerning the Biblical justification for 1844 and the Investigative Judgment:

"A committee appointed by the General Conference met for five years and could not resolve the issues. A minority admitted that the Adventist position could not be proved from the Bible. The majority wanted to solve the problem by ignoring context and language altogether. . ."

"This great testing truth is not based on a few scattered texts, much less on a doubtful interpretation of a difficult Scripture. But people are prone to set other tests. In the place of this bright light of the gospel, many want to make less certain things into tests of faith. Some of these tests rest on the interpretation of a single doubtful text.

In this category I must place the traditional Adventist interpretation of Daniel 8:14. I do not mind if the Adventist wants to think his calculations give him an exact prophetic reckoning, including his use of a Karaite calendar. What concerns me is that this interpretation of a single text, with no other scriptural witnesses and no New Testament confirmation, should be made an article of faith alongside faith in the sinless life and resurrection of Jesus. Some Adventists think that believing in this interpretation of Daniel 8:14 is as important as believing in Christ. October 22, 1844, is considered an event in salvation history that a person must believe as fully as one believes that Christ has risen from the dead. The mentality that makes a particular interpretation of Daniel 8:14 an article of faith to be placed alongside the certainties of the New Testament is rank sectarianism. It is esoteric and cultic.

Many Adventists will not really accept other Christians as sound in the faith if they do not believe that Jesus passed from one heavenly compartment to another in 1844. Yet not one Adventist in a thousand would know how to prove it from the Bible, and scholars like Raymond Cottrell and Don Neufeld have stated that it cannot." [11]

Conclusion:

Ellen G. White was a false prophet who taught a non-Christian, works-based, Investigative Judgment that is not found anywhere in scripture and her writings should be completely rejected. The Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches her false gospel that can only lead a person to have self-doubts, fear, and failure.

Always remember what John 5:24 says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." You can believe God’s Word when He says that every true believer has eternal life.

We never have to fear for our salvation when we have put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

References:

1. Adapted from: nonegw.org/1844rb.shtml

2. Adapted from: sabbatismos.com/doctrines/investigative-judgment

3. Adapted from: nonegw.org/1844rb.shtml

4. See The Believer's Study Bible Notes.

5. See: The Bible Knowledge Commentary

6. See: ESV Study Bible Notes

7. See: The Apologetics Study Bible Notes "Twisted Scripture: Daniel 8:14"

8. Adapted from: nonegw.org/1844rb.shtml

9. See: The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White, pages 488-489

10. See Evangelism by Ellen G White, page 221.