These are the the high level critiques I see of the Adventist investigative judgment.
1. The activity of the earthly high priest in the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement was not a review of records, but an applications of blood for the sins of all the people. There was no investigation, but applying of the blood of the sacrifice. Those who did not afflict themselves were cut off, but this was not the activity of the high priest in the sanctuary. This happened outside the sanctuary as they rejected the ministration. This cutting off also occurred in connection to those who did not regard the Passover. In both cases the person was cutting themselves off from the benefit of the ministration.
2. Daniel 7 does not meet the criteria that Ellen White lays out for the investigative judgment. It is conducted prior to the second coming. However, It includes powers that were not composed of professed followers of God, such as Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, etc. who have their dominion stripped. Per Ellen White the investigative judgment is only on the professed followers of God, so this would not match up. Moreover, the judgment pictured is on nations, and God has been judging nations from the beginning. The saints are delivered from the little horn power. There is no reference to individual judgment of individuals, or confusion regarding those who are the saints.
3. Daniel 8 points to cleansing from the activity of the little horn, not the Day of Atonement cleansing. When Miller formulated the doctrine he thought the earth was the sanctuary, and the little horn power would be destroyed at the coming of Jesus. However, since the Adventist interpretation of Daniel 8 is that the Day of Atonment cleansing is in view, the context does not match up. The cleansing in chapter 8 is not the cleansing of the Day of Atonement. Rather, as in Daniel 7, the little horn power is in view.
Daniel 8:11 He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. 12 Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.
The context is the place of His sanctuary being cast down by the little horn power. It is in this context that we see the question regarding the 2,300 days:
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”
The context does not reference the Day of Atonement, but restoring the sanctuary after the activity of the little horn against the sanctuary.
4. We will stand before Christ Himself, in person. As was pointed out by the Liturgist in the other thread, there will be a judgment for each person, and it will resolve any issues of justice, etc. Everything will already be revealed when we stand in person before the judgment seat of Christ:
In the eschaton, we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ Pantocrator, and our Lord and God, in the person of the same Jesus Christ who is our savior and the only begotten Son and Word of God, will judge the living and the dead, and Himself separate the wheat from the tares.
The texts that speak of this indicate that it is not a judgment in absentia before His coming, but rather an in-person judgment at His coming.
1Co 4:4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.
1Co 4:5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
When the Lord comes He brings to light the things now hidden in darkness and discloses the purposes of the heart. There will be no question after that. And this includes Paul, a professed follower of God.
Rom 14:10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;
Rom 14:11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
Rom 14:12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
We stand before the judgment seat. We bow before Him. We confess. We give an account. This is not describing a judgment from books without our presence. This clearly portrays a judgment in person by the Lord. And this includes the professed followers of God because Paul is speaking to believers.
5. The portion of the Day of Atonement that related to entry with blood and presentation before the Father already happened in the first century, along with all the other blood-work.
While the type had many sacrifices throughout the year the fulfillment had only one perfect sacrifice of Christ, once for all. Following Jesus' death He appeared before the Father, presenting His completed sacrifice. And in that act all that was necessary for sin purification was completed.
Hebrews 1:3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, He, having made purification for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
He then sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Hebrews 10:11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.
He not only died, but offered the one sacrifice for sins forever.
Having done all of the blood work he sat down. This is contrasted with the priest who does not sit but must stand daily daily to present offerings. Jesus did not need a prolonged ministration of multiple sin offerings, daily. He made one sacrifice and presented it. He reigns as King and High Priest, having completed all the blood work.
Since He completed the ministration of His sacrifice we now come to Him to receive the benefits in real time:
Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Just as His sacrifice was once for all, so too was the entry with blood once for all.
Hebrews 10:11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the holy places once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
The entry is once for all, and the result is obtaining eternal redemption.
The Fundamental belief notes the necessity of the cleansing of the heavenly things. This is spelled out beginning in Hebrews 9:23.
23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Here the necessity of cleansing is stated. And then it is spelled out that Christ entered in to the true sanctuary and appeared in the presence of God, which is shown to be superior to the yearly entry of the high priest with blood.
He enters in this way with blood only once, or else He would have to suffer more than once, and that is stated to be not the case. He was sacrificed once. And He entered once, into God's presence in comparison to the earthly high priest's yearly entry.
The rest of the Day of Atonement will presumably occur at the end when He leaves the sanctuary. However, the death of Christ, and His entry into God's presence where He made purification for sins only occurred one time in history, in the first century, and are once for all.
6. The heavenly intelligences still have to trust God's just actions in this scenario. If the angels needed review of the books prior to the second coming to be assured of God's justice, how would they know that the names God presented as the "professed" followers of God was the correct list either?
In summary, there is no need for a pre-advent investigative judgment, as Christ will judge us individually in person.
2 TIMOTHY 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
This would not be the fulfillment of the blood application in the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement because Jesus already appeared with blood on our behalf in the first century, and the blood presentation on the Day of Atonement was not an investigation of books, but a cleansing of sins of the whole camp.
The cutting off of those who did not avail themselves happened outside the sanctuary.
