The Challenge Discussed
Like Mr. Sanders, I am a third generation Adventist, and though I never fled the denominational ship as so many others have, I have felt the reality of Jesus’ predictions in Luke 21:12 and 16. Adventism is not always a comfortable place to be.

I deeply appreciate the honest concerns of Mr. Sanders and others who have recognized some of the human frailties and inconsistencies that have been clearly manifested in the history of the Advent Movement.

Yet all these things can be found in the history of the children of Israel as well. We can find pagan worship, heresy, dishonesty, scheming, lying, murder, false prophecy, and every other species of evil among the chosen people of God who were His exclusively chosen church on earth and His chosen repository for spiritual truth for more than fifteen hundred years. And God still loves them and has promised to save “all Israel” in the end, including the “natural branches” who are the Jews, whom I love as well.

A Gem In The Rough
It is my personal conviction that the Investigative Judgment doctrine that Mr. Sanders speaks of is the very gem of misapprehended, misunderstood, and misrepresented Bible truth that I have been alluding to for weeks. I see it as the truth that William Miller missed. He was correct to announce the coming of Christ, but he announced the wrong coming. There is another coming mentioned in Scripture that must precede the second visible appearing of Christ to the earth in the clouds of glory.

Post Millerite Adventism went through a period of reexamination of the scriptures to see where they had gone wrong. It was not Ellen White, but O. L. R. Crosier, Hiram Edson, and other Advent pioneers who developed the Biblical understanding of Christ’s heavenly Sanctuary ministry and the coming “to his temple” (Malachi 3:1), that is the foundation for the end-of-time, Investigative Judgment doctrine.

Though Ellen White was there during the Bible studies to understand these truths, she says her mind was "locked" so that she could not understand anything that they were studying together. Only when these hungering and thirsting Bible students had reached a brick wall in their attempts to understand the "strong meat" of the scriptures, was Ellen White taken off in vision and divine help given in their efforts to understand the Bible.

Ellen White describes the experience:

"Many of our people do not realize how firmly the foundation of our faith has been laid. My husband, Elder Joseph Bates, Father Pierce, Elder {Hiram} Edson, and others who were keen, noble, and true, were among those who, after the passing of the time in 1844, searched for the truth as for hidden treasure. I met with them, and we studied and prayed earnestly. Often we remained together until late at night, and sometimes through the entire night, praying for light and studying the Word. Again and again these brethren came together to study the Bible, in order that they might know its meaning, and be prepared to teach it with power. When they came to the point in their study where they said, "We can do nothing more," the Spirit of the Lord would come upon me, I would be taken off in vision, and a clear explanation of the passages we had been studying would be given me, with instruction as to how we were to labor and teach effectively. Thus light was given that helped us to understand the scriptures in regard to Christ, His mission, and His priesthood. A line of truth extending from that time to the time when we shall enter the city of God, was made plain to me, and I gave to others the instruction that the Lord had given me.

"During this whole time I could not understand the reasoning of the brethren. My mind was locked, as it were, and I could not comprehend the meaning of the scriptures we were studying. This was one of the greatest sorrows of my life. I was in this condition of mind until all the principal points of our faith were made clear to our minds, in harmony with the Word of God. The brethren knew that when not in vision, I could not understand these matters, and they accepted as light direct from heaven the revelations given. (Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 207).

Although all truth is contained in the scriptures, our ability to fully comprehend it comes progressively as we grow more and more into Christ. These early Adventists still carried with them many doctrinal errors from the denominations they had come out of. For example, they were tainted by semi-Arian heresy, which denies certain aspects of the Biblical doctrine known to some as the Trinity, and to others as the Godhead.

It is true that Ellen White's understanding of this doctrine evolved over the years so that her later statements shocked the old standard-bearers in the church who still held to the idea that the Son of God had a beginning in time, as a Person of the Godhead, and kindred errors.

And other misapprehensions of God's truth and character tainted every one of them to some degree, (as we ourselves are all imperfect in our understandings of God), so that even the valid truths they were discovering were not always expressed in the best, gospel-friendly language. Nor did they fully comprehend all aspects of the truths they were just beginning to see.

Did they even entertain some mistaken ideas about these valid truths? I think there is evidence that this may be the case.

So then, while the truth of God in the Bible is pure and untainted, our ability to correctly comprehend it immediately is not so perfect. It takes time, prayer, study and restudy, and the application of many different minds to the problem of comprehending truths that have never been seen or understood since they were penned by God's servants.

Old Or New Covenant?
Adventism has had an ongoing and genuine struggle to free itself from the lingering effects of a legalist, Old Covenant gospel of salvation by works, that is still prevalent in some segments of the denomination. It is my view that we have genuinely misunderstood and misrepresented the full nature and purpose of this judgment event that is plainly prophesied in both Daniel and Revelation. Consequently, I can not blame the many who discard the doctrine as monstrously anti-gospel, and anti-New Covenant.

The paradox is that, rightly understood, as I see it, this judgment which is announced by the first of three angels in Revelation fourteen, and highlighted under the seventh trumpet of Revelation eleven, brings to view the very climax of the New Covenant as a living experience in God’s people who live on the eve of His Second Coming. It is not Old Covenant theology at all!

Investigative Judgment From Beginning To End 
With God’s help, I hope to not only show that there is an Investigative Judgment event prophesied at the end of the world, but that the concept of Investigative Judgment is part of the very character and nature of God.

It comes to light first in the garden of Eden at the fall of man. It is enshrined as a fundamental principle of the ten commandments, which rightly understood, are a transcript of who God is—a God whose very nature is LOVE.

Investigative Judgment lurks in the majestic story of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. It reveals itself more openly in the sad story of the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah. And there is even fascinating evidence that Divine Investigation has been going on throughout the generations of the Advent Movement itself.

Dates In The Bible
There is one Bible text that states that the principle of Investigative Judgment exists. But, naturally, it would be impossible for there to be a text that names October 22, 1844, or any other date in the Gregorian calendar.

The very year of Christ’s baptism and crucifixion are hidden in Messianic prophecy. Christians from many denominations acknowledge these facts. But you have to dig for those kinds of truths. You won't find one Bible text that says, “Messiah will be baptized in 27 A.D.” But you can make a very persuasive case for that date by an in-depth study of Daniel 9 and history, though some will argue for another date.

In the end, it is really the salvational event itself that is most important to agree on and quibbling over calendar dates can be left to the proud and the lost. But for diligent students, those same prophecies in Daniel that pinpoint the time of Christ's first appearance, also provide the key to discovering that there is indeed a significance attached to the year 1844 by God himself.

But while I plan to use the Bible and history to uphold what I see to be true about these doctrines, I will also, by God’s grace, use the Bible to free them from any human mythology that may have grown up around them, causing them to be repulsive in the sight of many honest, Bible-believing Christians.

The Challenge Accepted
So, Brother Sanders, with deepest respect for your honesty and sincerity, and with deepest humility and recognition of my sinfulness and inadequacy, I accept your challenge, with the modification that we will obviously never find a Gregorian calendar date in any part of the Bible.

But even should you be convinced, I do not want your money. I only want my precious Jesus and His precious truth to be lifted up, so that all who will see may see and be ready to receive the wonderful New Covenant gift that I believe He is about to pour out upon His believing, penitent people.

Reader Comments

From: Gary Harrison
Subject: RE: synthesis 1.15

Thank you for your e-mail.  You may find this helpful.  Back in 1998, the GC/SDA Church published a book entitled "Millenimania" by Martin Weber.  This book predicted the events of 9/11/01 "in essence" based on DAN 11:40-45.  The book helps to identify modern ISLAM as part of the "King of the South" (along with atheism, communism, secular humanism, etc..)As for "The King of the North", that can be seen as the Papacy, USA & the countries of Western Christendom (including Old Europe).  I know the Bible says "do not despise prophecyings" 1 Thess 5:20, so what should we make of this?  Do you have the book?  God bless, Gary Harrison, Elder, Memphis First SDA Church