Investigative
Judgment From The Bible
This
Bible study is to prove there are two phases of the Judgment – the
investigative phase and the final white throne phase. Most religious leaders
consider only the white throne judgment. This study focuses on the first phase while affirming the truth
of the final phase. To understand the first phase, we must ask the
question: Where and when does the
investigative phase begin and proceed?
Scripture gives us clues below.
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our
God?
The apostle Paul in his
letter to the Hebrews describes the earthly and heavenly sanctuaries below,
describing our Saviour as the High Priest of the Heavenly Sanctuary:
8 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an
high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the
heavens;
2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true
tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and
sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to
offer.
4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest,
seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of
God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou
make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
The apostle Paul continues on the
sanctuary in chapter 9:
9 Then verily the first
covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2 For there
was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table,
and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle
which is called the Holiest of all;
4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of
the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that
had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5 And
over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
6 Now
when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first
tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
7 But into the second went the
high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for
himself, and for the errors of the people:
Notice verses 3 - 7 above
pertain to the most holy place, the key location of Christ’s judicial action in
the Most Holy Place.
Not only does Jesus have
priestly authority but judicial authority as well:
22 For the
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed
all judgment unto the Son:
The prophet Isaiah stated
that Jesus would establish His government, His kingdom, with judgment and justice. Thus, Christ’s
kingdom is established by His judicial actions performed in the Heavenly
Sanctuary.
7 Of the
increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David,
and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from
henceforth even for ever. The zeal of
the Lord of
hosts will perform this.
So what happens in the
heavenly sanctuary when these judicial actions take place? When do they take place? Clues as to WHEN
these take place are found in Daniel 9.
The angel Gabriel showed Daniel a timeline that is to be used in
determining the approximate time when the actions regarding the judgment begin.
Verses 24-25 are very important.
21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in
the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the
time of the evening oblation.
22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O
Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment
came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore
understand the matter, and consider the vision.
24 Seventy
weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision
and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
25 Know therefore and understand, that 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 street shall be built again, and the wall, even
in troublous times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be
cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come
shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one
week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it
desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon
the desolate.
In Ezekiel 4:6 and in Numbers 14:34 a day in prophecy
is equal to an actual year. Thus the seventy weeks
equals seventy “sevens” or 490 years. The commandment to restore and
rebuild Jerusalem was given by Persian king Artaxerxes in 457 BC when the Babylonian captivity of the Jews was at an end.
At a certain point in time, the heavenly sanctuary is justified, or cleansed, according to the following
important scripture:
14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three
hundred days; then shall the sanctuary
be cleansed.
From this date of 457 BC we can add 2,300 years to arrive at the year
1844.
NOTE: Rather than random date setting or taking other
scriptures out of context to fabricate a date we are given permission by the
angel Gabriel to calculate a time, AFTER
the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 has been stated, when the prophetic timeline has
been given in Daniel 9:24-25.
How is the sanctuary cleansed, or justified?
Jesus our High Priest purges, purifies, or cleanses the heavenly sanctuary with
His own blood! How? First He blots out OUR CONFESSED SINS from the books of the
heavenly sanctuary when we confess and put them away.
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that
your sins may be blotted out, when the times of
refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
The apostle Paul continues in the book of Hebrews regarding how Jesus’ ministry in the sanctuary is linked to the Judgment (first and second phases in context) and how Jesus returns the second time AFTER THE JUDGMENT IS FINISHED.
20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God
hath enjoined unto you.
21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle,
and all the vessels of the ministry.
22 And almost all
things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no
remission.
23 It was
therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified
with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than
these.
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:
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the
high priest entereth into the holy place every year
with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the
foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared
to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but
after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin
unto salvation.
The apartment where Jesus performs
his act of blotting out sin is in the Holy Place, but
the first part of the Judgment takes place in the Most Holy Place. Jesus
appears second time after this part of the Judgment is over.
This
process of judgment is done from the books in Daniel
7:9-14. It is an investigation of the books where all the works and sins of
the professed people of God have been written (see Acts 3:19 and Eccl
12:14). The following Scripture confirms
this as well, stating that the investigative judgment starts at a certain time;
more specifically, the year of 1844 as previously
mentioned.
Rev 14:7
7Saying with a
loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship
him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
The prophet Daniel describes in vivid detail how
the judgment takes place
9 I beheld
till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment
was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was
like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery
stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered
unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was
set, and the books were opened.
11 I
beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I
beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the
burning flame.
NOTE:
The
beast is not given to the burning flame until after the judgment scene of
Daniel 7 is completed (verse 11) and in Rev 19:19 Jesus comes again to utterly
quench a last rebellion of the armies of the earth against Him. Rev. 17:14
foretells this final rebellion against the Lamb Jesus. The passage is continued
below:
12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
13 I saw
in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds
of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before
him.
14 And
there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people,
nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be
destroyed.
TWO RESURRECTIONS AND THE JUDGMENT
Daniel
12 states that there are two
resurrections, one to the resurrection of
life and the resurrection of everlasting
contempt (or damnation).
Dan 12:2
And many of them that sleep in the dust shall awake, some to everlasting
life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
First, the dead are judged from
the house of God (Rev. 11:1 and 1 Pet 4:17).
Revelation 11:1 King James Version (KJV)
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood,
saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that
worship therein.
17 For the time
is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at
us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Measuring
and judging are the same in prophecy:
Matt 7:1,
2
Judge not,
that ye be not judged. For what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Let
us remember that judging unrighteously by sharp
criticism, insults, put-downs, and discouraging comments is forbidden by the
Word. However, Jesus commands us to
judge righteous judgment (John 7:24).
Those
who are counted worthy (or overcome sin) in the investigative judgment will
remain in the book of life. Malachi 3:16
states that a book of remembrance is kept for those that feared the Lord and
that thought upon His name. The book of life and book of remembrance may be
very closely related, if they are not the same book itself.
Rev 3:5
He
that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his
name before my Father, and before his angels.
Revelation
11:15-19 King James
Version (KJV)
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven,
saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of
his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats,
fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God
Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee
thy great power, and hast reigned.
18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou
shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and
them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which
destroy the earth.
[Note: The dead are judged in Rev. 11:18-19 while they
are still in their graves.]
19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his
temple the ark of his testament: and
there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings,
and an earthquake, and great hail.
Since the investigative judgment
occurs in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, no resurrection of the
dead can occur until Jesus leaves the Sanctuary and comes again the second time
(Dan. 7:10-11, 22, 26-27; Heb. 9:27,28; 1 Thess 4:16,
17; 1 Cor 6:2-3; Rev 20:4-6) and gives the saints judgment over the wicked during the thousand years the saints
live and reign with Christ. The
wicked will not be resurrected yet
until the final judgment in Rev 20:12, 13.
Rev
20:11-15 describes the FINAL WHITE THRONE judgment after the second
resurrection of Daniel 12:2 takes place. The wicked dead are resurrected for
the final judgment and sentence.
This
concludes this study.
Thank
you and God bless.
Rob Sterbenc