The investigative judgment is the core doctrine of the Seventh-day Adventist system of theology—particularly surrounding judgment and eschatology. It was formally given the name in 1855 by SDA pioneer Joseph Bates. It is step 5 of their very elaborate 7-Step Sanctuary Model of salvation history. Speaking about this, Ellen White wrote:
The correct understanding of the ministration in the heavenly sanctuary is the foundation of our faith.
Ellen G. White, Christ In His Sanctuary, pg. 5 (CIHS 5.4)
While the SDA Church will be quick to affirm that all of their doctrine comes from scripture alone, this teaching was a development over time as a response to the Great Disappointment of 1843 and 44 which claimed that Jesus was returning October 22, 1844. As many Millerites sought to find meaning in the Disappointment, a man named Hiram Edson claimed to have a vision on October 23, 1844—the day after the Great Disappointment—where he was shown that they weren’t wrong about the date, but the event and location. He claimed that Jesus wasn’t returning to earth, but entered into the Most Holy Place of a sanctuary in Heaven on that date to begin his next phase of heavenly atonement—the cleansing of the Sanctuary.
This began the snowball of development which later turned into the Investigative Judgment. Along the road of development was what is known as the “7 Year Period”—a time in which this Little Flock of disappointed Millerites were teaching that upon Jesus leaving the Holy Place to enter the Most Holy Place, the door or mercy was shut off to the rest of the world. Salvation was no longer possible for those who rejected their message or who left their small group.
The movements prophetess, Ellen G. White, claimed to have seen this in the Midnight Cry vision from God (First Vision of December 1844), though the Adventist Church has sought to distort this fact for decades. This is because Ellen would later claim (in 1883) that it was her first vision that turned people away from the Shut Door theory. This is 100% false. She also claimed to be shown in the same vision the day and the hour of Jesus’s coming.
As time went on they were forced to reject the Shut Door theory with a new hypothesis that when the door of the Holy Place shut, the door of the Most Holy opened, thus the door of mercy and period of probation (another extra-biblical, key doctrine in their system) was extended. This is then what the Investigative Judgment ended up developing into.
Interestingly, when the SDA Church uses the word “atonement,” they are actually referring to the investigative judgement. As SDA theologian Jon Paulien writes:
One of the most debated topics of Christian theology is expressed in these questions: Why the cross? What really happened at the cross? The answers to these questions have been widely debated under the general heading of the atonement. But when Seventh-Day Adventists (SDA) approach the matter of atonement, an immediate dilemma is perceived. When Adventists talk about atonement, they refer specifically to what Jesus is doing now in the heavenly sanctuary. On the other hand, when scholars outside the Seventh-Day Adventist Church discuss the atonement, they refer specifically to the cross of Jesus Christ and what God was doing there.
Dr. Jon Paulien, Salvation: Contours of Adventist Soteriology, pg. 189
It is important to note that, the Adventist Church has readily put forth the narrative that 1844 and this doctrine were arrived at through serious bible study and prayer.
This is not true.
As Seventh-day Adventist theologian P. Gerard Damsteegt documents in his 1992 How Our Pioneers Discovered the Sanctuary Doctrine:
When October 22 passed with no appearance of the High Priest, the Adventists felt acute disappointment….The Adventists’ daily searching and praying was not in vain. Beginning with Hiram Edson’s remarkable experience of perception regarding Christ’s sanctuary ministry on the very morning of their disappointment, they went on to discover in the Bible amazing light that gave them strength, comfort and profound insights into Christ’s closing work for the salvation of humanity. Some of their important discoveries are listed below.
P. Gerard Damsteegt, How Our Pioneers Discovered the Sanctuary Doctrine
It began with Edson’s supposed “vision” the day after the Great Disappointment. Edson then shared this information with O.R.L. Croiser and F.B. Hahn, two other disappointed Millerites, who then published this information in the February 7, 1846 issue of the Day-Star (which was a Millerite publication). This was then built upon in the subsequent years to try and figure out how to make it work.
What ultimately kept it going was a later vision that Ellen G. White claimed to receive from God where she stated that:
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 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.
Ellen G. White, Word to the Little Flock, pg. 12 (WLF 12.8)
This was the supposed stamp of approval from God that the early Seventh-day Adventist’s needed. Croiser would later go on to renounce this teaching that Ellen G. White claims God confirmed to her.
What All Does It Entail?
Over time, the doctrine developed into its current representation with the help of Ellen G. White’s alleged “visions” alongside the Bible. It contains numerous moving parts and foundational claims.
1. No sins were cancelled at Calvary
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.
Ellen G. White, Patriarchs & Prophets, pg. 357 (PP 357.5)
They errantly claim that Leviticus 4 teaches that, in the daily ministration for penitent, individual Israelites, the priest would take the blood of an individuals sacrifice into the sanctuary to sprikle it before the veil. They claim this was a picture of a person’s sin being transferred “in type” into the sanctuary to rest until the Day of Atonement when the sanctuary would be cleansed.
The most important part of the daily ministration was the service performed in behalf of individuals. The repentant sinner brought his offering to the door of the tabernacle, and, placing his hand upon the victim’s head, confessed his sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the innocent sacrifice. By his own hand the animal was then slain, and the blood was carried by the priest into the holy place and sprinkled before the veil, behind which was the ark containing the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony the sin was, through the blood, transferred in figure to the sanctuary.
Ellen G. White, Christ In His Sanctuary, pg. 50 (CIHS 50.2)
We have shown why this is in error here.
But this is supposed to be a picture of how it is in the New Covenant, only Jesus is the single sacrifice and Great High Priest that one comes to, confesses their sins, and they are transferred “in type” into a heavenly sanctuary building, not the earthly one like Old Covenant Israel, where they have been standing on record until Jesus began this “second phase” of the atonement.
2. Jesus Entered the Most Holy Place of a Sanctuary Building in Heaven on October 22, 1844 to begin the antitypical Day of Atonement
At the time appointed for the judgment—the close of the 2300 days, in 1844—began the work of investigation and blotting out of sins. All who have ever taken upon themselves the name of Christ must pass its searching scrutiny. Both the living and the dead are to be judged “out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
Ellen G. White, Christ In His Sanctuary, pg. 182 (CIHS 182.1)
The SDA Church refers to this as a “second phase” of the atonement:
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.…
Seventh-day Adventist Church, Fundamental Belief #18
Building on the error of sin transference, they claim that what the Levitical priest did every year on the Day of Atonement was a picture of what Jesus would begin doing, only in heaven during the investigative judgment.
3. This “Investigation” is only for professed believers, beginning with Adam and Eve
As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes with the living.
Ellen G. White, Christ In His Sanctuary, pg. 177 (CIHS 177.1)
4. Jesus is reviewing the life’s record of every professed believer and “blotting out” confessed sins
Every individual will come up in review and their “book” or “record” will be examined and tested against the 10 Commandments and one’s faithful obedience to them.
Every name is mentioned, every case closely investigated. Names are accepted, names rejected. When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life, and the record of their good deeds will be erased from the book of God’s remembrance. The Lord declared to Moses: “Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book.” Exodus 32:33. And says the prophet Ezekiel: “When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, … all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned.” Ezekiel 18:24.
Ellen G. White, Christ In His Sanctuary, pg. 177 (CIHS 177.1)
In this model, 1 John 2:1 is cited to claim that if we sin we have an Advocate with the Father is speaking into the process of the investigative judgment. Once one comes to Christ, they are given a clean slate for all of their past sins:
The law requires righteousness,—a righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give. He cannot meet the claims of God’s holy law. But Christ, coming to the earth as man, lived a holy life, and developed a perfect character. These He offers as a free gift to all who will receive them. His life stands for the life of men. Thus they have remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.
Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages, pg. 762 (DA 762.2)
But moving forward, one must confess each sin to have it “transferred,” in type, to the heavenly sanctuary building so that Jesus can cover it with His blood while the investigative judgment is still going on. Only those whose characters are found to be in harmony with the 10 Commandments will have their sins blotted out and be found worthy of eternal life:
All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life.
Ellen G. White, Christ In His Sanctuary, pg. 177 (CIHS 177.2)
5. The Standard to Pass: Perfect Obedience to the 10 Commandments
The law of God [10 Commandments] is the standard by which the characters and the lives of men will be tested in the judgment. Says the wise man: “Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment.” Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14.
Ellen G. White, Christ In His Sanctuary, pg. 175 (CIHS 175.3)
One single sin, either unconfessed or forgotten, will result in one’s name being blotted from the Lamb’s Book of Life:
How solemn is the thought! Day after day, passing into eternity, bears its burden of records for the books of Heaven. Words once spoken, deeds once done, can never be recalled. Angels have registered both the good and the evil. The mightiest conqueror upon the earth cannot call back the record of even a single day. 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 to condemn.
Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (1888), pg. 486 (GC88 486.3)
Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement. Then the latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain fell upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost.
Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, pg. 214 (5t 214.2)
Do not appeal to your own sympathies. Do not dwell upon what Brother J has done or has neglected to do. Humble your own heart before God. You are not to sit in judgment upon the case of others until you show greater wisdom in making straight paths for your own feet. You may say, “Does Sister White think me all bad?” No, I do not; but one blot upon the character, one sin unconfessed and unrepented of, will close for you the gates of the city of God.
Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, Vol. 12, pg. 40 (12MR 40.3)
One will even be judged based on sins they would have committed but didn’t:
God’s law reaches the feelings and motives, as well as the outward acts. It reveals the secrets of the heart, flashing light upon things before buried in darkness. God knows every thought, every purpose, every plan, every motive. The books of heaven record the sins that would have been committed had there been opportunity. God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing. By His law He measures the character of every man. As the artist transfers to the canvas the features of the face, so the features of each individual character are transferred to the books of heaven. God has a perfect photograph of every man’s character, and this photograph He compares with His law. He reveals to man the defects that mar his life, and calls upon him to repent and turn from sin.
Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, July 31, 1901
One will need to be in a condition identical to Jesus, with a character as perfectly spotless as His, or they won’t actually make it through the coming Time of Trouble or the investigative judgement:
Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself: “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.” John 14:30. Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.
Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pg. 623 (GC 623.1)
6. This doctrine must be understood and believed to be saved and benefitted by Jesus’s mediation
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. The Jews who rejected the light given at Christ’s first advent, and refused to believe on Him as the Saviour of the world, could not receive pardon through Him. When Jesus at His ascension entered by His own blood into the heavenly sanctuary to shed upon His disciples the blessings of His mediation, the Jews were left in total darkness to continue their useless sacrifices and offerings. The ministration of types and shadows had ceased. That door by which men had formerly found access to God was no longer open. The Jews had refused to seek Him in the only way whereby He could then be found, through the ministration in the sanctuary in heaven. Therefore they found no communion with God. To them the door was shut. They had no knowledge of Christ as the true sacrifice and the only mediator before God; hence they could not receive the benefits of His mediation.
The condition of the unbelieving Jews illustrates the condition of the careless and unbelieving among professed Christians, who are willingly ignorant of the work of our merciful High Priest. In the typical service, when the high priest entered the most holy place, all Israel were required to gather about the sanctuary and in the most solemn manner humble their souls before God, that they might receive the pardon of their sins and not be cut off from the congregation. How much more essential in this antitypical Day of Atonement that we understand the work of our High Priest and know what duties are required of us.
Ellen G. White, Christ In His Sanctuary, pg. 160 (CIHS 160.3)
Conclusion
At it’s core, this teaching plays a larger role in their central claim of the Adventist model of theology which is that God’s character (His law) is on trial due to accusations from Satan. God is now having to clear His name and has chosen to do so through this typological 7-Step sanctuary model the SDA Church proposes. God vindicating His law/character is what they claim redemption is ultimately about.
This doctrine fundamentally distorts the historic, biblical Christian gospel of Jesus Christ and is partly why the Adventist Church is outside the bounds of Christian orthodoxy. Despite the many efforts over the decades to update, change and rethink the teaching, the problems only become worse. Since all Adventist roads lead back to 1844, if this doctrine falls so goes the entire SDA framework.
