THE 1844 INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT DOCTRINE: COMMENTS AND COMMENTARIES—PART 6
Ervin Taylor, Series Editor

“The Gospel, 1844, and Judgment” is the topic of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Third Quarter Adult Bible Study Guide, published by the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The study guide states that one purpose of this series of lessons is to “establish the biblical basis for the 1844 judgment [doctrine].” This doctrine teaches that a pre-Advent judgment—the investigative judgment—was begun by God in 1844.

The Adventist Today web site, www.atoday.org is hosting a series of varied and contrasting commentaries and discussions designed to illuminate the nature of the arguments supporting and opposing the only unique doctrinal position taught by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Some Adventist scholars and pastors understand and teach that this doctrine constitutes the central core of Adventism. Other Adventist scholars and pastors believe that this doctrine, as traditionally taught, has no unambiguous biblical support. And still others view this doctrine as fundamentally flawed

To clarify questions raised by some readers, Adventist Today wishes to state that the opinions and points of view expressed in the materials presented in ATNewsbreak are those of the individual authors and may or may not be shared by any member of the Adventist Today board or editorial staff. The purpose of ATNewsbreak is to advance one of the goals of Adventist Today which is to promote a sense of connection among people who treasure both their Adventist heritage and the continuing quest for “present truth” by fostering creative conversations about how to preserve and promote the best of Adventism.

Another source of constructive commentaries on these lessons can be found at the web site of the PROBE comments from the School of Theology at Walla Walla College edited by Dr. Alden Thompson. They can be found at www.wwc.edu/probe. Other interesting commentaries and blogs on this topic can be found at the Spectrum web site, www.spectrummagazine.org. The web site, www.ATomorrow.com, also contains some interesting comments on this topic.

Excerpts from Week 6 Comments and Commentaries
Title: Daniel 9

Comments on Lesson Six: Daniel 9            Desmond Ford

Chapter nine of Daniel contains the greatest of Old Testament prayers. Jews recited it over the centuries on the Day of Atonement, and with better reason than they knew, for verse 24 contains six terms, which are found in the Day of Atonement chapter, Leviticus 16. No other verse in the entire Bible does. The six terms are “transgression,” “sin,” “iniquity,” “atonement,” “holy,” and “seven.”

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The Sanctuary Doctrine – Asset or Liability? Part 6            Raymond F. Cottrell

6. My Personal Encounter with the Sanctuary Doctrine

I first encountered problems with the traditional interpretation of Daniel 8:14, professionally, in the spring of 1955 during the process of editing comment on the Book of Daniel for volume 4 of the SDA Bible Commentary. As a work intended to meet the most exacting scholarly standards, we intended our comment to reflect the meaning obviously intended by the Bible writers. As an Adventist commentary it must also reflect, as accurately as possible, what Adventists believe and teach. But in Daniel 8 and 9 we found it hopelessly impossible to comply with both of these requirements.

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Cleansing the Sanctuaries: The Vital Connection between the Heavenly Sanctuary and the Sanctuary of the Human Soul? Part 2            Tim Jennings

What cleanses the sanctuary? What cleanses the sanctuary in heaven and the sanctuary of the human soul? “The blood of Jesus” cleanses. But what does that mean? How does the blood of Jesus cleanse? Jesus said, “"I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.” (John 6:53-55). We know that Jesus was not promoting cannibalism, so His words must mean something else, what does it mean to drink His blood and eat His flesh?

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The Judgment Was Set: Part 2            William H. Grotheer

Adventist Today Comment: Eric Jones, the webmaster of adventistlayman.com has provided Adventist Today with the following selection from the extensive works of William H. Grotheer on the subject of Investigative Judgment. In the Adventist Today interest of providing a forum for varied and contrasting viewpoints on this topic, Adventist Today posted this selection of the views of Elder Grotheer in two parts. This is the second part.

Before Whom Do We Appear?

Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad “(II Cor. 5:10).

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Qualities of an Ambassador for God            Dorothee Cole

Daniel’s beautiful prayer, which is recounted in chapter 9, reflects the ideal thoughts and desires of a mature spokesperson of God on earth. We should study carefully the elements that made Daniel trustworthy and capable of receiving the prophecies that are so important for us, living 2,500 years later. Daniel reveals all the essential characteristics of a representative of God on earth: an intimate knowledge of God, as with a Friend; a primary concern for God’s reputation; and finally, a longing for the restoration of the original plan where God lives with and within his people.

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Comments from Readers

Adventist Today Comment: We have received a number of comments, both supporting and disagreeing with earlier postings. Adventist Today will attempt to post at various times throughout the quarter as many of these comments as possible, subject to editing for length and appropriate language. The date of receipt of a reader comment and the posting may be from one to five weeks apart.

An Embarrassing Vestige of Our Unsophisticated Past

Dear Editor:

The articles published to date by Adventist Today on the "sanctuary doctrine" have bifurcated along two predictable lines. The first, usually authored by the academics who recognize the recalcitrant illogicality of the doctrine, try to maintain its life-support systems by rendering it as a metaphor or symbol. "What the doctrine really means is . . ." or "What the Founders were really saying was . . ." The ellipses are followed by non-controversial bromides that simply demonstrate that this doctrine, to the extent it can even be considered coherent, is at best superfluous.

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Rational Minds Are Non-Believers?

Dear Editor:

Having just read the article "Prophecies Cannot and Do Not Fail for the Committed," [by T. Joe Willey] I have at least two questions for the author:

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Investigative Judgment On Firm Ground?

Dear Editor:

Thoughts after reading T. Joe Willey's essay "Prophecies Cannot and Do Not Fail for the Committed": Beliefs are important, for both organizations and individuals. If an organization that solicits voluntary financial support from its members holds to a belief so strongly that it is willing and able--even eager—to destroy the careers and/or membership of members over disagreements about that belief, then it would seem obvious that said belief should stand on firm ground.

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It’s Not Rocket Science

Dear Editor:

When we study Daniel 9 in the current lesson quarterly, we will be asked to accept an argument based on Daniel's use of the two Hebrew words, HAZON and MAREH. I believe the argument first appeared among Adventists in Questions on Doctrine, pp.270,271.
 
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Receipt and Web Site Posting Schedule

The dates for the receipt of comments and commentaries and posting target dates on the Adventist Today web site for the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study for July-August-September 2006, “The Gospel, 1844, and Judgment”

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