Scriptures quoted, apart from those by Ellen White, unless otherwise indicated, are from The New International Version © 1995, The Zondervan Corporation
Key words: 1844, afflict, atonement, Crosier, decalogue, fundamental, judgment, (most) holy place, pre-advent, sanctuary, shrine, temple, vision, White, Satan
Introduction
Much has been already published on the topic of the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of the Cleansing of the Sanctuary and the Investigative Judgment, in books, journals, magazines, on the internet and in lectures. Although I have written Appendix 8: The Investigative Judgment in Seventh-day Adventist Doctrine, in this research paper I have included excerpts from documents that have charted the doctrine and its acceptance from its beginnings to more recent expressions. Doctor Desmond Ford’s landmark lecture, on October 27, 1979 at Pacific Union College, in which he publicly questioned the teaching, is available online. It is my conviction that new expressions of the doctrine have been influenced by Ford’s emphasis on the Gospel. My own belief in the Gospel is recorded in Appendix 12: The Good News.
“Why did Christ not return when expected on October 22, 1844?”
“The subject of the sanctuary was the key which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844. It opened to view a complete system of truth, connected and harmonious, showing that God’s hand had directed the great advent movement and revealing present duty as it brought to light the position and work of His people.”
So wrote Ellen White in the opening paragraph of chapter 24 “In the Holy of Holies” in the 1911 (and final) edition of her book The Great Controversy.
In the same edition she wrote this as the opening sentence of chapter 23 “What Is the Sanctuary?”
“The scripture which above all others had been both the foundation and the central pillar of the advent faith was the declaration: ‘Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.’ Daniel 8:14.”
On Tuesday, October 22, 1844, at the going forth of the commandment to cleanse the sanctuary Jesus relocated from the Holy Place of the sanctuary in heaven, where are the candlestick with seven lamps, the table of showbread and the altar of incense, to the adjacent Most Holy Place, where is the original of the Ten Commandments enshrined in the Ark of the Covenant. (See EW 32, 251)
The New Englanders who were anticipating the return of Jesus on that day were not aware that while Tuesday, October 22, was dawning in New England, New Zealand was already about an hour into Wednesday, October 23. In other words, eighteen hours earlier in another part of the world, Tuesday was already over!
Ellen White’s writings have been considered as prophetic confirmation of a view that began with Hiram Edson and Owen Crosier in spite of Crosier soon after repudiating his position about the sanctuary. (See P. Gerard Damsteegt, Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist Message and Mission, 122, f.n. no. 125.). She affirmed,
I believe the Sanctuary, to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days, is the New Jerusalem Temple, of which Christ is a minister. The Lord shew [sic] me in vision, more than one year ago, that Brother Crosier had the true light, on the cleansing of the Sanctuary, &c; and that it was his will, that Brother C. should write out the view which he gave us in the Day-Star, Extra, February 7, 1846. I feel fully authorized by the Lord, to recommend that Extra, to every saint. (A Word to the Little Flock, 12)
The “Cleansing of the Sanctuary” in Ellen White’s writings6
The following quotations from Ellen White’s relevant books are in chronological order and grouped under five headings. Any repetition in what follows demonstrates that certain views were not only promulgated but perpetuated through later publications. To my knowledge none were ever retracted.
- Where Jesus is
… shut the door of the Holy place of the heavenly Sanctuary, and has opened a door into the Most Holy place, and has entered in to cleanse the Sanctuary. (GC 1858, 157)
the Most Holy place where he had gone to cleanse the Sanctuary, and make a special atonement for Israel. (GC 1858, 157)
I saw the Father rise from the throne, and in a flaming chariot go into the holy of holies within the veil, and sit down. (EW 1882, 55)
[P]rophetic time closed in 1844, and Jesus entered the most holy place to cleanse the sanctuary at the ending of the days. (EW 1882, 243)
I was then bidden to take notice of the two apartments of the heavenly sanctuary. The curtain, or door, was opened, and I was permitted to enter. In the first apartment I saw the candlestick with seven lamps, the table of shewbread, the altar of incense, and the censer. (EW 1882, 251)
[T]he ministration of Jesus closed in the holy place, and He passed into the holiest, and stood before the ark containing the law of God. (EW 1882, 254)
In harmony with the typical service, [Christ] began his ministration in the holy place, and at the termination of the prophetic days in 1844, as foretold by Daniel the prophet, he entered the most holy to perform the last division of his solemn work,—to cleanse the sanctuary. (4SP 1884, 265)
Thus [in Daniel 7:9, 10, 13, 14.] was presented to the prophet’s vision the opening of the investigative Judgment. … He comes to the Ancient of days in Heaven to receive dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, which will be given him at the close of his mediatorial work …at the termination of the 2300 days, in 1844. Attended by a cloud of heavenly angels, our great High Priest enters the holy of holies, and there appears in the presence of God to engage in the last acts of his ministration in behalf of man,—to perform the work of investigative Judgment, and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits. (4SP 1884, 307)
2. What Jesus is doing
I saw that while Jesus was in the Most Holy place he would be married to the New Jerusalem. (GC 1858, 157)
Jesus entered the Most Holy of the heavenly, at the end of the 2300 days of Dan, viii, in 1844, to make a final atonement for all who could be benefited by his mediation, and to cleanse the Sanctuary. (GC 1858, 161)
“I am going to My Father to receive the kingdom; keep your garments spotless, and in a little while I will return from the wedding and receive you to Myself.” Then a cloudy chariot, with wheels like flaming fire, surrounded by angels, came to where Jesus was. He stepped into the chariot and was borne to the holiest, where the Father sat. (EW 1882, 55)
As the priest entered the most holy once a year to cleanse the earthly sanctuary, so Jesus entered the most holy of the heavenly, at the end of the 2300 days of Daniel 8, in 1844, to make a final atonement for all who could be benefited by His mediation, and thus to cleanse the sanctuary. (EW 1882, 253)
I was pointed down to the time when the third angel’s message was closing. The power of God had rested upon His people; they had accomplished their work and were prepared for the trying hour before them. They had received the latter rain, or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and the living testimony had been revived. The last great warning had sounded everywhere, and it had stirred up and enraged the inhabitants of the earth who would not receive the message. I saw angels hurrying to and fro in heaven. An angel with a writer’s inkhorn by his side returned from the earth and reported to Jesus that his work was done, and the saints were numbered and sealed. Then I saw Jesus, who had been ministering before the ark containing the ten commandments, throw down the censer. He raised His hands, and with a loud voice said, “It is done.” And all the angelic host laid off their crowns as Jesus made the solemn declaration, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” (EW 1882, 279)
Every case had been decided for life or death. While Jesus had been ministering in the sanctuary, the judgment had been going on for the righteous dead, and then for the righteous living. Christ had received His kingdom, having made the atonement for His people and blotted out their sins. The subjects of the kingdom were made up. (EW 1882, 280)
In harmony with the typical service, [Christ] began his ministration in the holy place, and at the termination of the prophetic days in 1844, as foretold by Daniel the prophet, he entered the most holy to perform the last division of his solemn work,—to cleanse the sanctuary. (4SP 1884, 265)
[A]t the termination of the 2300 days in 1844, Christ then entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, into the presence of God, to perform the closing work of atonement, preparatory to his coming. (4SP 1884, 266)
When Christ, by virtue of his own blood, removes the sins of his people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of his ministration, he will place them upon Satan. (4SP 1884, 266)
[O]ur Advocate examines the cases of each successive generation, and closes with the living. Every name is mentioned, every case closely investigated. Names are accepted, names rejected. From age to age, all who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon written against their names in the books of Heaven, and in the closing work of Judgment their sins are blotted out, and they themselves are accounted worthy of eternal life. (4SP 1884, 309)
While Jesus is pleading for the subjects of his grace, Satan accuses them before God as transgressors. … Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows their penitence and faith, and, claiming for them forgiveness, he lifts his wounded hands before the Father and the holy angels, saying, “I know them by name. (4SP 1884, 309)
Jesus will appear as their advocate, to plead in their behalf before God. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1. “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 9:24; 7:25. (GC 1911, 482)
3. Why it is necessary
[O]ur sins are, in fact, transferred to the heavenly sanctuary by the blood of Christ. (4SP 1884, 266)
[The] actual cleansing of the heavenly is to be accomplished by the removal, or blotting out, of the sins which are there recorded. This necessitates an examination of the books of record to determine who, through repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of his atonement. The cleansing of the sanctuary therefore involves a work of investigative Judgment. (4SP 1884, 266)
Our acts, our words, even our most secret motives, all have their weight in deciding our destiny for weal or woe. Though they may be forgotten by us, they will bear their testimony to justify or condemn. They go before us to the Judgment. … . (4SP 1884, 311)
Every man’s work passes in review before God, and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. (GC 1888, 481)
Sins that have not been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned, and blotted out of the books of record, but will stand to witness against the sinner in the day of God. (GC 1888, 486)
But before this [the blotting out of sins] can be accomplished, there must be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of His atonement. The cleansing of the sanctuary therefore involves a work of investigation—a work of judgment. This work must be performed prior to the coming of Christ to redeem His people; for when He comes, His reward is with Him to give to every man according to his works. (GC 1911, 422)
Every man’s work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered with terrible exactness every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel. (GC 1911, 482)
4. Man’s responsibility
All who would have their names retained in the book of life, should now, in the few remaining days of their probation, afflict their souls before God by sorrow for sin, and true repentance. (4SP 1884, 314)
Every soul that has named the name of Christ has a case pending at the heavenly tribunal. It is court week with us, and the decision passed upon each case will be final. (4SP 1884, 315)
But the people were not yet ready to meet their Lord. There was still a work of preparation to be accomplished for them. … (GC 1888, 424)
While the investigative Judgment is going forward in Heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14. (GC 1888, 425)
When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for his appearing. … (GC 1888, 425)
We are now living in the great day of atonement. In the typical service, while the high priest was making the atonement for Israel, all were required to afflict their souls by repentance of sin and humiliation before the Lord, lest they be cut off from among the people. … sorrow for sin, and true repentance … deep, faithful searching of heart. … earnest warfare … work of preparation. (GC 1888, 490)
Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14. When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His appearing. (GC 1911, 425)
In the parable it was those that had oil in their vessels with their lamps that went in to the marriage. Those who, with a knowledge of the truth from the Scriptures, had also the Spirit and grace of God, and who, in the night of their bitter trial, had patiently waited, searching the Bible for clearer light—these saw the truth concerning the sanctuary in heaven and the Saviour’s change in ministration, and by faith they followed Him in His work in the sanctuary above. And all who through the testimony of the Scriptures accept the same truths, following Christ by faith as He enters in before God to perform the last work of mediation, and at its close to receive His kingdom—all these are represented as going in to the marriage. (GC 1911, 427)
It is those who by faith follow Jesus in the great work of the atonement who receive the benefits of His mediation in their behalf, while those who reject the light which brings to view this work of ministration are not benefited thereby. (GC 1911, 430)
5. When it will end and with what result
When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for his appearing. … (GC 1888, 425)
When the work of investigation shall be ended, when the cases of those who in all ages have professed to be followers of Christ have been examined and decided, then, and not till then, probation will close, and the door of mercy will be shut. … (GC 1888, 428)
When the work of the investigative Judgment closes, the destiny of all will have been decided for life or death. (GC 1888, 491)
The doctrine
Excerpts from relevant Statements of Fundamental Beliefs from 1872 to the present
From the Fundamental Principles of Seventh-day Adventists in 18721
II
That there is one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, the one by whom God created all things, and by whom they do consist; that he took on him the nature of the seed of Abraham for the redemption of our fallen race; that he dwelt among men full of grace and truth, lived our example, died our sacrifice, was raised for our justification, ascended on high to be our only mediator in the sanctuary in heaven, where, with his own blood, he makes atonement for our sins; which atonement, so far from being made on the cross, which was but the offering of the sacrifice, is the very last portion of his work as priest, according to the example of the Levitical priesthood, which foreshadowed and prefigured the ministry of our Lord in heaven. See Leviticus 16; Hebrews 8:4, 5; 9:6, 7 etc
X
That the sanctuary of the new covenant is the tabernacle of God in Heaven, of which Paul speaks in Hebrews 8, and onward, which our Lord, as great High Priest, is minister; that this sanctuary is the antitype of the Mosaic tabernacle, and that the priestly work of our Lord, connected therewith, is the antitype of the work of the Jewish priest of the former dispensation, Hebrews 8:1-5, etc.; that this is the sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days, what is termed its cleansing being in this case, as in the type, simply the entrance of the high priest into the Most Holy Place, to finish the round of service connected therewith, by blotting out and removing from the sanctuary sins which had been transferred to it by means of the ministration of the first apartment, Hebrews 9:22, 23; and that this work, in the antitype, commenced in 1844, occupies a brief but indefinite space, at the conclusion of which the work of mercy for the world is finished.
XVII
That God, in accordance with his uniform dealings with the race, sends forth a proclamation of the approach of the second advent of Christ; this work is symbolized by the three messages of Revelation 14, the last one bringing to view the work of reform on the law of God, that his people may acquire a complete readiness for that event.
XVIII
That is the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary (see proposition X), synchronizing with the time of the proclamation of the third message, is a time of investigative judgment, first with reference to the dead, and at the close of probation with reference to the living, to determine who of the myriads now sleeping in the dust of the Earth are worthy of a part in the first resurrection, and who among living multitudes are worthy of translation – points which must be determined before the Lord appears.
From the Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists in 19702
13. That no prophetic period is given in the Bible to reach to the Second Advent, but the longest one, the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14, terminating in 1844, reaches to an event called the cleansing of the sanctuary. (Daniel 8:14; 9:24, 25; Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6)
14. That the true sanctuary, of which the tabernacle on earth was the type, is the temple of God in heaven, of which Paul speaks in Hebrews 8 and onward, and of which the Lord Jesus, as a great high priest, is minister. The priestly work of our Lord is the antitype-of the work of the Jewish priests of the former dispensation. That this heavenly sanctuary is the one to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14, its cleansing being, as in the type, a work of judgment, beginning with the entrance of Christ as the high priest upon the judgment phase of His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, foreshadowed in the earthly service of cleansing the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. This work of judgment in the heavenly century began in 1844. Its completion will close human probation. (Daniel 7:9, 10; 8:14; Hebrews 8:1, 2, 5; Revelation 20:12, Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6)
15. That God, in the time of the judgment and in accordance with his uniform dealing with the human family and warning them of coming events vitally affecting their destiny (Amos 3:6, 7), sends forth a proclamation of the approach of the second advent of Christ; this work is symbolized by the three angels of Revelation 14, and that the threefold message brings to view a work of reform to prepare a people to meet Him at His coming. (Amos 3:6, 7; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 14:6 -12.]
16. That the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary, synchronizing with the period of the proclamation of the message of Revelation 14, is the time of investigative judgment, first, with reference to the dead, and second, with reference to the living. This investigative judgment determines who of the myriads sleeping in the dust of the earth are worthy of a part in the first resurrection, and who of its living multitudes are worthy of translation. (1 Peter 4:17, 18; Daniel 7:9, 10; Revelation 14:6, 7; Luke 20:35)
From the Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists in 19713
8. Upon his ascension, Christ began his ministry as High Priest in the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, which sanctuary is the anti type of the earthly tabernacle of the former dispensation. A work of investigative judgment began as Christ entered the second phase of his ministry, in the most holy place, foreshadowed in the early service by the Day of Atonement. This work of the investigative judgment in the heavenly sanctuary began in 1844, at the close of the 2300 years, and will and with the close of probation. Hebrews 4:14; 8:1, 2; Leviticus 16:2, 29; Hebrews 9:23, 24; Daniel 8:14; 9:24-27; Revelation 14:6, 7; 22:11.
27. In accordance with God’s uniform dealing with mankind, warning them of coming events vitally affecting their destiny, He has set forth a proclamation of the approaching return of Christ. This preparatory message is symbolized by the three angels messages of Revelation 14, and meets fulfillment in the great second advent movement today. This has brought forth the remnant or the Seventh-day Adventist church, which keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Amos 3:7; Matthew 24:29-34; Revelation 14:6 -10; Zephaniah 3:13; Micah 4:7, 8; Revelation 14:12; Isaiah 26:2; Revelation 22:14.
From the Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists in 19804
12. The Remnant and Its Mission: The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ, but in the last days, a time of widespread apostasy, a remnant has been called out to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This remnant announces the arrival of the judgment hour, proclaims salvation through Christ, and heralds the approach of His second advent. This proclamation is symbolized by the three angels of Revelation 14; it coincides with the work of judgment in heaven and results in a work of repentance and reform on earth. Every believer is called to have a personal part in this worldwide witness. (Rev. 12:17; 14:6-12; 18:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:10; Jude 3, 14; 1 Peter 1:16-19; 2 Peter 3:10-14; Rev. 21:1-14.)
23. Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary: There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle which the Lord set up and not man. In it Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefits of His atoning sacrifice offered once for all on the cross. He was inaugurated as our great High Priest and began His intercessory ministry at the time of His ascension. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. 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 are purified with the perfect sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. The investigative judgment reveals to heavenly intelligences 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. (Hebrews 8:1-5; 4:14-16; 9:11-28; 10:19-22; 1:3; 2:16, 17; Daniel 7:9-27; 8:13, 14; 9:24-27; Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6; Leviticus 16; Revelation 14:6, 7; 20:12; 14:12; 22:12.)
New explanations as time goes by
The following excerpts from four Seventh-day Adventist publications reflect recent moves to modify the doctrine, remove any apprehension, and provide it with an alternative name, “Pre-advent Judgment.”
The blood of Christ cleanses from sin by Richard Coffen, (“These Times,” August 1980)
“Wait” you say.. “I’m a Christian and I can remember many of my past sins.” You can? Well, don’t fret. That’s not important. What is important is that God won’t remember your sins. “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17). And since God no longer recalls our sins we no longer need to feel dirty inside. Jesus’ blood can completely cleanse our conscience (Hebrews 10:32 ). No longer need we feel out of place.
And here’s even more good news. Although Jesus shed his blood once for all nearly two thousand years ago, His blood keeps on cleansing (1 John 1:7 — the Greek here means an ongoing cleansing. So should new sins cause those feelings of inner dirtiness to return, we don’t need to offer another lamb, like the Israelites did. Jesus’ blood will cleanse us again (1 John 1:9) It never wears out. It never loses its cleansing power.
In the Seventh-day Adventist church’s magazine, Adventist Review of March 19, 1981, Kenneth Wood, the then-editor wrote,
“Moreover, God is eminently just and fair, and He must make this clear to every rational creature everywhere before He terminates Satan and his followers. To do this requires time—how much time we do not know. … And, since angels are not vastly superior to human beings (Ps. 8:5; Heb. 2:7), perhaps they need considerable time to do their assigned tasks in the judgment. (And after they have done their work, is it possible that there are review boards or ‘superior courts’ in heaven to make sure that each case has been dealt with fairly?”
THE COMING UNIVERSAL ELECTION by Marvin Moore (“These Times,” January 1981)
God and Satan are on the ballot of a universal election. We individually must cast our votes, along with every angel in heaven.
The pre-Advent judgment.
Daniel 7:9, 10 is the clearest Biblical description of the pre-Advent judgment. Daniel describes God on a fiery throne, dressed in pure white, and surrounded by millions of angels. He concludes the description by saying, “The judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
These “books” are not for God’s benefit, for God knows everything. He does not need records to refresh His memory. Daniel’s description of the angels before God’s throne makes clear the reason for the books. Angels are created beings with limited minds. The books are for their benefit. They will review the history of sin. They will listen to Satan’s charges against God’s people (Revelation 12:10; Zechariah 3:1, 2) and evaluate those charges in light of God’s perfect record of their lives. This judgment is not the time when God decides the world’s destiny, but rather it is the time when He reveals it to the angels.
This revelation will make it possible for the angels to cast their votes on God’s side and sing, “Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. . . . For thy judgments are made manifest” (Revelation 15:3, 4).
This judgment takes place in heaven.
How will God judge humans? by Richard W. Coffen (“Signs of the Times,” USA, March 1991)
Are humans nothing more than numbers in a celestial computer or insignificant accounts in the colossal record books of the universe? Or does God take an interest in us as individuals and in our eternal destiny?
Now the idea of facing God in judgment often evokes within us terror like that with which Martin Luther wrestled. We envision a fastidious God who scrutinizes our lives and who will broil alive anyone who flunks His nitpicking. But when I read about judgment in the Bible I learn three significant facts. The metaphor of judgment implies that God treats me (1) as a person, (2), as a free moral being, and (3) as an adult. …
Christian confidence.
“Here comes the judge!” Once the scriptural truth about Christ’s mission dawned on Martin Luther, judgment no longer petrified him. It is good news to learn that “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). Luther’s anxieties melted when he learned that it is not what God thinks of us that matters but what He thinks of Christ. Jesus provides our right standing before God. As a result, Luther’s hatred of God turned into love, and “herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. . . . There is no fear in love” (1 John 4:17, 18).
Judgment, then, should be good news for us, too, because it means that God takes each of us seriously enough to treat us as individuals, as free moral beings, and as adults. Judgment is God’s supreme compliment to human beings.
A note in the adult Sabbath School lesson for January 16, 2024 reads:
The Lord probes people’s hearts as part of His judgment. Read Psalm 14:2. It is reminiscent of Genesis 6:5, 8. Both texts show that the execution of God’s judgment of the world is preceded by God’s examination of the people’s lives and seeking whomever He can save. This judgment is sometimes called “the investigative judgment,” when God defends the righteous and decides the fate of the wicked.
Clearly, from these articles, the leadership of the church has begun to suggest that the angels must first be satisfied with God’s decision and, consequently, might well be a reason for “the delay” of the second advent. Besides, although it is a serious matter, there is no need to fear the judgment because “Jesus provides our right standing before God.”
Observations and Questions
The failure of the Lord to return on October 22 was explained by the Lord’s migration from one place within the heavenly sanctuary to another. In 1858 it was taught that there He would conduct the final atonement and cleansing of the sanctuary. This would be followed by His reception of the kingdom. And then, in 1882, it was again taught that Christ’s return would follow His reception of the kingdom. Thus there were two heavenly events, the final atonement and the reception of His kingdom, that must occur before His second advent.
The cleansing of the sanctuary is an activity that does not take place in the Holy Place where Christ had been since His ascension, where sins or their records have been accumulating, but in the Most Holy Place.
It is said that the sanctuary requires cleansing because of the record of sins there. Ellen White wrote in 1884 that our sins are transferred there by the blood of Christ. This is a most confusing position. On the one hand the sinner is cleansed; on the other the sanctuary is polluted. She added that even our most secret motives, although forgotten, go before us to the judgment. Four years later she wrote that everyone’s work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. She further says that by virtue of the same blood the sin recorded there is removed.
On the annually-held Day of Atonement of Old Testament times the Most Holy Place was the place in which the High Priest presented the blood of the Lord’s goat. This was a ceremonial gesture to indicate that the sacrifice had been made for all of Israel. Now, important to the doctrine of the investigative judgment was the transfer of sin to the Holy Place of the earthly sanctuary. According to that teaching this was done in figure, person by person, as sin was confessed, sacrifice by sacrifice; sin’s record there necessitated its removal. But it should be remembered that, if that was the case, any record of sin was anywhere but in the Most Holy Place. Yet that is the chamber in the heavenly sanctuary in which is conducted the “cleansing.”
Considering the fact that those with a desire to be saved must afflict their souls before God by sorrow for sin, the question must be asked, “When is the record of our ongoing lives completed that the investigation can be finalized?” After all, she asserts that through the grace of God and our own diligent effort we must be conquerors in the battle with evil. Not only are we to be conquerors in the battle with evil, in order to receive the benefits of Christ’s mediation we must also, by faith, follow Jesus in the great work of atonement. (See GC 1911, page 430.) In fact, she adds, “those who reject the light which brings to view this work of ministration are not benefited thereby.” Obviously this means that there will be no salvation for those who reject the Seventh-day Adventist teaching of the sanctuary, the cleansing of which requires a second atonement by an investigative judgment.
In the 1888 edition of The Great Controversy, cited above, Ellen White made it clear that
- the followers of Christ will be ready for his appearing when this work is accomplished
- no mercy will be available after the completion of the investigation
- when the investigation is completed everyone’s destiny will have been decided
Despite the fact that Ellen White had indicated that our destinies will have been determined as a result of the investigation, in 1980 the Seventh-day Adventist church declared, in what came to be known as “The 27 (later 28) Fundamentals,” that this investigation “reveals to heavenly intelligences who among the dead are asleep in Christ and … who among the living are abiding in Christ.” The first group thus qualifies for inclusion in the first resurrection and the second group for translation.
To “reveal” is “to make known what was previously unknown.” To “determine,” in this case, is “to find out something by research, and make a decision based on what has been researched.” It should be clear that the 1980 Statement of Fundamental Belief quoted above has not the intent of the doctrine which made Seventh-day Adventists distinctive at their outset. Whereas the original doctrine taught that God’s decision would result from an investigation which did not begin until October 22, 1844, the post-1980 doctrine makes it clear that the decision had already been made and would be available to the scrutiny of heavenly intelligences from October 22, 1844. And all this while retaining the concept and name “Investigative Judgment” with October 22, 1844 as the starting point.
And so, when a Seventh-day Adventist hears “Day of Atonement” he reads “Judgment” for “Atonement.” Far from being a time of atonement and reconciliation, it has been viewed as a time of investigation by Christ and a time for introspection by Christians. The Cleansing of the Sanctuary (Investigative Judgment) is an elaborate procedure involving professing Christians, Satan as their accuser, Christ as their defender and the angels as witnesses.
What began as an investigation of records has involved a simultaneous investigation of lives and a call for personal reform. Because the divine probe would be so thorough, soul-searching was essential. While grace has been acknowledged, to this day the relevant Fundamentals, from their inception, expect human effort, not for one’s spiritual benefit but for one’s salvation.
Today there are many questions about aspects of this teaching. These are only some.
- Is the investigative judgment an investigation of records?
- Is the investigative judgment an investigation of lives?
- If of records, when is the record finalized?
- If of lives, how is the sanctuary actually cleansed?
- Has the sanctuary actually been cleansed when only sins for which forgiveness is asked are blotted out?
- If it is still an “investigative judgment” (of records) why has it sometimes been retitled “the pre-advent judgment?”
In the 1950 printing of The Great Controversy, and the online edition, chapter 28, which was originally and formerly titled The Investigative Judgment, has been renamed Facing Life’s Record. This means, to this author at least, that more than records of the past are under examination. Considering the history of the Seventh-day Adventist church this is probably one of the best explanations for the tenacity of pockets of perfectionism.
The doctrine, although experiencing a peripheral metamorphosis, is still vital to the identity of the Seventh-day Adventist church. The teaching remains, albeit under two titles, one describing its nature, investigative, and the other its timing, pre-advent. The date of Christ’s move from the Holy Place to the Most Holy is still affirmed as October 22, 1844. Christ’s role is unchanged. There is a two-apartment sanctuary in Heaven, and it must be cleansed of the record of sin. More lately, though, angelic confidence in God’s decisions must first be achieved before the process ends; all of this, an explanation for Christ’s non-appearance in 1844.
Other than that, the reason for Christ’s non-appearance might well be accepted as a mistake, a misunderstanding and that, in fact, no one knows either that day or that hour. This in no way diminishes the depth of disappointment endured by the Millerites, for the true believer in Christ loves and looks forward to the “blessed hope.” At the same time it would be unwise for anyone, well-intentioned though he might be, to raise the hopes of anyone by predicting a time, either near or distant, for that event.
Until then, may St Paul’s conviction be ours.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
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“Now, the Sanctuary that was cleansed by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross is a building made of living stones (1 Pet. 2:5 — you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.). We—who put our faith in Jesus—are that sanctuary. The Spirit of Jesus dwells in all whose sins have been atoned for by his sacrifice on the cross.(Matt. 18:20 — ‘For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.’). Full stop.”
— Ritchie Way to Angus McPhee, May 12, 2024
More questions arising from this research
1. When did Jesus begin His role as our Advocate?
In GC 1911, 482, the following Scriptures are cited to assure that in the investigative judgment, Jesus will appear as advocate.
- 1 John 2:1 “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
- Hebrews 9:24 “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”
- Hebrews 7:25 “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
The verbal tense in those Scriptures is the present tense.
2. Where were the Israelites during the annual Day of Atonement?
In GC 1884, 270, there is this: “In the typical service, when the high priest entered the most holy place, all Israel were required to gather about the sanctuary …”
Deuteronomy 16 lists festivals on which Israelites were required to travel to the place that God would designate. The Day of Atonement is not in the list.
3. Is there a two-apartment sanctuary in Heaven?
In EW 32, Ellen White records that in a vision she was in the New Jerusalem.
“I saw a temple, which I entered. I passed through a door before I came to the first veil. This veil was raised, and I passed into the holy place. Here I saw the altar of incense, the candlestick with seven lamps, and the table on which was the shewbread.”
In the same book on page 251 she wrote,
“I was then bidden to take notice of the two apartments of the heavenly sanctuary. The curtain, or door, was opened, and I was permitted to enter. In the first apartment I saw the candlestick with seven lamps, the table of shewbread, the altar of incense, and the censer. All the furniture of this apartment looked like purest gold and reflected the image of the one who entered the place. The curtain which separated the two apartments was of different colors and material, with a beautiful border, in which were figures wrought of gold to represent angels.”
Because John, in Revelation, says that he saw, in vision, seven lamp stands (KJV, candlesticks) and a person standing among them, one must query the veracity of Ellen White’s statements. What she reported was a candlestick with seven lamps (a menorah), not seven separate lamp stands. While their site is not indicated, their meaning is.
At the same time it is worth considering all references to the temple of God in the NT epistles and a (heavenly) Temple in the Apocalypse. In these, and taking into consideration the concept, in the Epistles, of the Temple of God being the body of believers, it seems that the Temple of the Apocalypse is not only the body of believers, where God dwells by His Spirit, but the site of God’s throne. There is no suggestion here of a sanctuary composed of two apartments.
The “temple” of the Epistles
- 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 — Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? [17] If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
- 2 Corinthians 6:16 — What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
- Ephesians 2:21 — In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4 — He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
- Hebrews 6:19 — We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
- Hebrews 8:2 — and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.
- Hebrews 8:5 — They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
- Hebrews 9:1 — Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.
- Hebrews 9:24 — For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.
The “temple” of the visions of John in Revelation
- Revelation 3:12 — The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
- Revelation 7:15 — Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.”
- Revelation 11:1 — I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers.”
- Revelation 11:19 — Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.
- Revelation 13:6 — He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. (Compare Revelation 13:6 (KJV) And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.)
- Revelation 14:15 — Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
- Revelation 14:17 — Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
- Revelation 15:5 — After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. (Compare Revelation 15:5 (KJV) And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened…)
- Revelation 15:6 — Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests.
- Revelation 15:8 — And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
- Revelation 16:1 — Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”
- Revelation 16:17 — The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!”
- Revelation 21:3 — And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. (Compare Revelation 21:3, KJV, And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.)
- Revelation 21:22 — I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
The three words that are emphasized in Revelation 15:5 (above) are translated from these three Greek words:
- ναο𝜍 (naos) = shrine, temple
- σκηνη (skēnē) = a tent or cloth hut (lit. or fig.), habitation, tabernacle
- μαρτυριον (marturion) = The Decalogue, testimony, witness
John, in the Apocalypse, uses the Greek word skēnē which is translated as “tabernacle” in the KJV. From this, some might assume that John means that a structure similar to the tabernacle of the Old Testament is in Heaven. In his gospel, John wrote, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us …(KJV)” The Greek word which is translated here as “dwelt” is “skenoō” the verb that is related to the Greek noun “skēnē.” Because a skēnē is just a dwelling, one must determine from its context its type and purpose. As far as John is concerned, in the Apocalypse, the skēnē is the dwelling place of God.
The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary on Revelation 15:5 concedes that in Numbers 17:7, 8 “this name apparently applies to the Most Holy Place.” See Numbers 17:7, 8; 18:2 (LXX); 2 Chronicles 24:6 (LXX) and Acts 7:44. All things considered, this author believes that that is what is inferred here.
In harmony with the Letter to the Hebrews, esp. 9:24, the “tabernacle” of the New Testament is “heaven itself,” symbolized by the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle of Old Testament times.
From this it can be deduced that “the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony” is referring to a heavenly site which is not only the dwelling place of God but also is the repository of the archetype of The Decalogue. After all, Jesus made it clear that the first and greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments,” he said, quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. (See Matthew 22:34-40, et al.) As in Jerusalem, Israel, “The Shrine of the Book” is the repository of the Dead Sea Scrolls and especially The Great Isaiah Scroll, in Heaven there is The Shrine of the Covenant, the Witness, the Testimony.
So, is there a two-apartment sanctuary in Heaven reminiscent of the one in the wilderness? In Heaven is there a sanctuary that houses a menorah and a table displaying showbread that has to be replaced each Sabbath (1 Chronicles 9:32)? According to the Biblical information, “No.” The New Testament Scriptures portray a reality of which the Old Testament sanctuary and its ceremonies are a shadow.
Endnotes
- Damsteegt, Appendix II, pp. 301-305
- Damsteegt, Appendix III, pp. 306-309
- Church Manual, 1971
- This was the statement that was voted by the General Conference session of 1980 and can be found in Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . .: A Biblical Exposition of 27 Fundamental Doctrines (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988).
- Scanned copies of Signs of the Times (U.S.A.) and These Times can be accessed online at the Adventist Archives
- EW = Early Writings published in 1882, GC = The Great Controversy published in 1858 (revisions published in 1888, 1911), 4SP = The Spirit of Prophecy, Volume 4 published in 1884
Bibliography for this paper
Damsteegt, P. Gerard, Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist Message and Mission (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1977)
Nichol, Francis D., ed., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, (Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1978)
White, Ellen G., The Great Controversy published in 1858 (revisions published in 1888, 1911)
White, Ellen G., Early Writings published in 1882
White, Ellen G., The Spirit of Prophecy, Volume 4 published in 1884
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© 2024, Angus McPhee
A Look at the books of Daniel and The Revelation 