The Investigative Judgment: A Biblical and Spirit of Prophecy Study

I. The Judgment Begins Before the Second Coming (Investigative Judgment)

The Bible teaches that a judgment occurs before Christ returns, where the records of God’s people are reviewed.

1. God Judges Before Rewarding Anyone

• Revelation 22:12 – “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

  • Jesus brings His reward at His coming, meaning the judgment must occur before His return.

• 1 Peter 4:17 – “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.”

  • Judgment begins with God’s people, not the wicked.

• Daniel 7:9-10 – “The judgment was set, and the books were opened.”

  • A courtroom scene in heaven shows that records are examined before final rewards are given.

• Ecclesiastes 12:14 – “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

  • Judgment is based on a review of life’s records.

This shows that before people receive eternal life or condemnation, a review of their lives must take place in heaven.

II. The 2300-Day Prophecy and the Beginning of the Judgment (Daniel 8:14)

1. Prophecy of the Cleansing of the Sanctuary

• Daniel 8:14 – “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”

  • The sanctuary is cleansed after 2,300 prophetic days (years).

  • What does this cleansing mean?

2. What is the Cleansing of the Sanctuary?

The only place in the Bible where the sanctuary was cleansed was on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16)—a day of judgment for Israel.

• Leviticus 16:29-30 – “For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.”

  • The earthly sanctuary was cleansed once a year during the Day of Atonement.

  • This symbolized the final judgment of sins before the people were permanently declared clean.

The heavenly sanctuary (Hebrews 8:1-2) must also have a cleansing phase, which Daniel 8:14 points to.

3. When Does the 2300-Day Prophecy End?

Daniel 9:24-27 gives the key to calculating the start and end of the 2300-day prophecy.

• Daniel 9:25 – “From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks.”

  • The starting point of the prophecy is 457 B.C., when the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was issued (Ezra 7:7-13).

4. Timeline of the 2300 Years

Event	Date	Reference
Decree to rebuild Jerusalem	457 B.C.	Ezra 7:7-13
Baptism of Jesus	A.D. 27	Daniel 9:25
Crucifixion of Jesus	A.D. 31	Daniel 9:26-27
Gospel to Gentiles	A.D. 34	Acts 7:54-60
End of 2300 years	A.D. 1844	Daniel 8:14

• The 2300 years end in 1844, marking the beginning of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, which is the Investigative Judgment.

III. Jesus as Our High Priest and the Work of Judgment

1. Jesus is Our High Priest in the Heavenly Sanctuary

• Hebrews 8:1-2 – “We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”

  • Jesus is ministering in the true sanctuary in heaven, doing a priestly work for us.

• 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.”

  • Jesus’ ministry in heaven is real, not symbolic.

2. The Judgment and the Books of Record

• Daniel 7:9-10 – “The judgment was set, and the books were opened.”

  • A review of records occurs in heaven.

• Revelation 20:12 – “And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

  • The judgment is based on heavenly records.

Since Jesus is still in heaven as our High Priest, it makes sense that He is performing this work of judgment now, before He returns (Revelation 22:12).

IV. Ellen G. White’s Writings on the Investigative Judgment

1. The Judgment Began in 1844

“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.”(The Great Controversy, p. 486)

2. Judgment Takes Place Before the Second Coming

“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.”(The Great Controversy, p. 483)

3. Jesus is Now in the Most Holy Place, Interceding for Us

“Christ had entered the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary, to perform the closing work of atonement preparatory to His coming.”(The Great Controversy, p. 422)

4. The Judgment is Good News for God’s People

“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 among God's people upon earth.”(The Great Controversy, p. 425)

This shows that God's people should be preparing now by fully surrendering to Christ.

V. Summary: Why the Investigative Judgment is Biblical

Aspect	Biblical Evidence
Judgment happens before the Second Coming	1 Peter 4:17, Revelation 22:12
Judgment is based on heavenly books	Daniel 7:9-10, Revelation 20:12
The 2300-year prophecy ends in 1844	Daniel 8:14, Daniel 9:24-27
Jesus is our High Priest, interceding for us	Hebrews 8:1-2, Hebrews 9:24

Conclusion:

• The Investigative Judgment is biblical and was prophesied in Daniel 8:14.

• It began in 1844, fulfilling the prophecy of the cleansing of the sanctuary.

• Jesus is now reviewing the records of all believers, preparing to give rewards at His Second Coming.