Seventh-day Adventists teach that Daniel 8:14 refers to October 22,1844, the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary and beginning of the “investigative judgment”

     The Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, No. 23, “Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary,” describes this doctrine as follows:

    " There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle which the Lord set up and not man. In it Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefits of His atoning sacrifice offered once for all on the cross. He was inaugurated as our great High Priest and began His intercessory ministry at the time of His ascension. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgment which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin, typified by the cleansing of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of Atonement. In that typical service the sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of animal sacrifices, but the heavenly things are purified with the perfect sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. The investigative judgment reveals to heavenly intelligences who among the dead are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who, among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgment vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom. The completion of this ministry of Christ will mark the close of human probation before the Second Advent."
     Many SDA theologians, administrators and pastors know there is no biblical support for this doctrine and many will admit to this fact in private conversation with trusted people. However, this doctrine serves as the very foundation of Adventism and is strongly endorsed by Ellen White who called Daniel 8:14 “the central pillar of Adventism.” It is the glue that holds the central message of Adventism—the three angels messages of Revelation 14—together. Many feel that to jettison this teaching would be to commit denominational suicide. After all, how can the “central pillar” of Adventism be error?
     The investigative judgment doctrine is like an octopus with tentacles reaching into every aspect of SDA theology. Following is a summary of what is included in this doctrine. Those who want more detail with the supporting references quoted and not just listed, may find these in Cultic Doctrine in the chapter entitled, “The Sliver.”
     The Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary and the investigative judgment teaches that at His ascension Christ entered the outer apartment of the heavenly sanctuary. From that time until 1844, he performed a ministry of intercession and forgiveness analogous to that of the earthly sanctuary’s outer apartment, where forgiveness was only provisional and believers were not entirely freed from the condemntion of the law. In 1844 Christ entered into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary for the first time , to begin a work of investigative judgment. This judgment deals only with those who have professed to believe in God. The wicked, according to SDA theology, will be investigated during the 1000 years and executed shortly after the close of the 1000 years of Revelation 20. The investigative judgment starts with the cases of the dead, reaching clear back to Adam, and reviews the life records of every person who has professed faith in God. Every deed is closely examined. Each succeeding generation is investigated and judged. At some time—none know when—the cases of the dead are completed and God then moves to the cases of the living. SDAs believe they will not know when their name comes up in judgment. Therefore, it is extremely important that they engage in no frivolous activity or sin. Every sin must be confessed. Sins which have been forgotten and unconfessed will stand against them in the judgment. Their characters must demonstrate perfect obedience to the Ten Commandment law, especially the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Some names in this list of professed believers will be accepted, others will be rejected. When every person confessing faith in God has come up in review, Jesus then pleads his blood before the Father on behalf of those who are found worthy, and blots out the record of their sins from the books of heaven. After that, not knowing if or when the work of investigative judgment has been completed, the righteous, still in their human state, before the second coming of Christ, will have to live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. Next, Jesus takes the sins of God’s people and transfers them to Satan, who, Adventists teach, is represented by the Day of Atonement scapegoat in Leviticus 16. Satan then bears the sins he has caused the righteous to commit. He will suffer for these sins in the lake of fire and then be blotted from existence. This completes the atonement. The investigative judgment is conducted before all the intelligences of the universe. This vindicates the character of God before all the unfallen beings. At that time everyone will know the immutability of the law of God and the righteous character of God.
     This doctrine rests upon some twenty-two linking assumptions. Most of these are contrary to biblical evidence. Not only is this doctrine unbiblical, its teachings are contrary to the New Testament gospel of grace. Remember, this “work of judgment in heaven” judges believers by their works, and that “every believer” is called to have a personal part in this worldwide witness—the SDA church. Obviously, then, no “believer” who fails to heed the call to join the “remnant” church and participate in its witness can legitimately expect to pass this judgment if one accepts SDA theology.
     The lengths to which Adventists will go to find support for this doctrine are amazing! For example, The Clear Word Bible without any manuscript support, at Daniel 8:14, reads SDA theology right into the text! Following is this text quoted from the NASB and then from The Clear Word Bible.

    "And he said to me, “for 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored” (Daniel 8:14, NASB).

    "He said to him, “After two thousand three hundred prophetic days (or two thousand three hundred years), God will step in, proclaim the truth about Himself and restore the ministry of the Sanctuary in heaven to its rightful place. This is when the judgment will begin, of which the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary was a type” (Daniel 8:14, TCWB)
    
    Adventists teach that only those who have professed belief in God are judged in this investigative judgment. However, the Bible teaches that true believers do not come into judgment!
    
    "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life John 5:24.

      …The Lord knows those who are His 2 Tim. 2:19.

     One can see how this contrary-to-the-gospel, unbiblical, teaching creates an insurmountable wall between Adventists and other gospel believing Christians and causes guilt, uncertainty and fear in the hearts of those who believe it .

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