THE 1844 INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT DOCTRINE: COMMENTS AND COMMENTARIES—PART 13
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.com 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 13 Comments and Commentaries
Title: The Gospel and Judgment

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel / Questions, Questions, Questions       Chris Mack

A sound method that is a fundamental tool which must be utilized in order to reach the solution to our theological problems is to ask the right questions. In this article, I will seek to ask what I consider to be the critical questions that pertain to the subject at hand. But more than that, I will provide what I believe are answers to these questions, solutions to the problems, and alternatives to the present view points.

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Comments on Lesson Thirteen: The Gospel and Judgment Desmond Ford

The first reference in our Lesson is Lev 16, a splendid passage for illustrating the gospel. It contains the key words of Dan 9:24: sin, transgression, iniquity, holy, atone, seven. And with good reason—for the Day of Atonement was the type, and Dan 9:24 the prophecy, of the Cross.

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The Sanctuary Doctrine – Asset or Liability? Part 13 Raymond F. Cottrell

13. A Permanent Remedy for Doctrinal Obscurantism.

The church urgently needs a bona fide consensus of all of its qualified Bible scholars in order to ascertain as accurately as possible all matters of biblical exegesis in harmony with the sola Scriptura principle, preliminary to the formulation of doctrinal statements in partnership with
church administrators. Such a consensus can be achieved only by an organization that would provide its members with an opportunity to confer together apart from every influence or concern other than faithfulness to sola Scriptura and loyalty to the church.

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Second Reply to Dr. Desmond Ford Kevin D. Paulson

It seems one point, among perhaps others, in Dr. Ford’s and my discussion has been settled conclusively—that scholars and theologians, not the naked Bible, are the source of his convictions about salvation and the judgment.

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Second Reply to Kevin D. Paulson Desmond Ford

I wonder what relevance my church membership has for Kevin's peculiar Biblical exegesis. Is there really a connection, or is Kevin panicking and looking for what he considers to be mud that can be thrown to divert attention from true exegesis? Is it not the case that thousands of people have their names still on the church rolls who are no longer sabbatarian or tithepayers and who have given up"the blessed hope"? Did the apostolic band or the early Christian churches maintain rolls for membership? I find no reference to such in Scripture.

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1844 Made Simple Marco Belmonte

Instead of repackaging the mechanics of how “The 2300 Days Prophecy in Daniel 8 brings us to the date 1844,” I would like to share some information that many who stand in opposition to this interpretation may find intriguing. While some have rejected this prophecy based on the fact that they can not reconcile it with their views on The Atonement of Christ I’d like to submit that instead of rejecting the wonderful truth about a God who wants to bring complete restoration and harmony to His universe they may want to investigate other perspectives on the meaning that encompasses The Cross. Unfortunately, that topic is not even addressed this quarter. And why should it, right? Jesus died for me me me… end of discussion.

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Comments from Readers

Daniel 8 and 9: The Way I See Them Now

Dear Editor:

It used to be that when I read Daniel eight and nine I saw all the support I needed to propagate the standard views of my church regarding those chapters. The little horn could not have anything to do with Antiochus Epiphanes. The 70 weeks began in 457 B.C. and ended in A.D. 34. The 2300 days also began in 457 B.C. but ended in October of 1844. The main event of 1844 was the moving of Christ into the most holy place, or second apartment, of the heavenly sanctuary in sync with the beginning of the antitypical Day of Atonement and the investigative judgment.

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Another Theory Lacking Scriptural Authority

Dear Editor:

The Dorothee Cole article has an interesting comment near its conclusion. She writes: "The awareness of the existence of a universal conflict over God's true character is one of the distinctive contributions of Adventism through the writings of Ellen White which developed in the aftermath of 1844."

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Paulson on Doctrinal Authority of Ellen White

Dear Editor:

Kevin D. Paulsen in his article “1844: Embattled Yet Enduring” relates what is often used as the definitive presupposition among many traditional Adventists. Paulsen puts forth the idea that Ellen White is authoritative in doctrinal matters.

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Good and Loyal Adventist

Dear Editor:

It needs to be very strongly affirmed that a person can be a good and loyal Adventist without belief in an 1844 fulfillment of Leviticus 16 - for three very good reasons.

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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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