Chapter 4 47

paper which prompted me to drill

Questioning even further into a word study of the

Hebrew word translated “cleansed” in
Dan 8:14. The findings will surprise
the answer many.

Readers are encouraged to confirm

the evidence presented in this chapter
The foregoing chapters now allow us
by consulting the following
to read the answer in Dan 8:14 as:
reference sources reliant on coded
text references in Strong’s
“Until when 2300 years have
Concordance:
passed then the heavenly
sanctuary will be cleansed”.
Theological Wordbook Of The Old
Testament by R.L Harris, G.L Archer
Let us now question the answer and
& B.K Waltke. Moody Bible
ask why the heavenly sanctuary
Institute Chicago (1980).
should require cleansing. Some
pp 752-755.
exhaustively read all Bible
commentaries and Bible translations
The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew &
on the word translated “cleansed”. Is
English Lexicon by F. Brown, S.
it not preferable to first learn in what
Driver & C. Briggs. Hendrickson
context Bible writers use the word
Publishers, Massachusetts. 7th
translated “cleansed”? The gathering
printing. (Jan 2003).
of Bible teaching on the matter
safeguards against the prejudicial
The Interlinear Bible by J.P Green.
influence of commentator’s opinions.
Trinitarian Bible Society London.
Let the Bible be its own
(1976).
commentator.
If you experience difficulty obtaining
Word Study
or using the reference material please
Those of you who find a close
email me:
inspection of Hebrew words dull,
hkea@hkea.org.au
may I encourage you to take careful
notice of this chapter as it delivers a
Nitsdaq
fatal blow to many criticisms of SDA
The Hebrew verb ‘nitsdaq’ is the
interpretation of Dan 8:14. If you
word the KJV translates as
read no further than this chapter you
“cleansed”. This has come under
will have benefited much.
criticism as the traditional SDA
position has been to seize on that
I am indebted to the work of Dr A.M
word and find parallelism in Lev 16.
Rodriguez “The Sanctuary & Its
Modern translations treat the word
Cleansing” 1994 Adventist Review
differently. e.g. “re-consecrated” in
Supplement. It was Dr Rodriguez’s
the NIV; “restored to its rightful
47
Chapter 4
state” in the RSV. The fact there is
so much disparity between English
translations of the word translated as
“cleansed” in the KJV should have
prompted many folk decades ago to
complete a serious word study. Our
last resort in circumstances where
there is a ‘babel’ of translations on a
key word such as this is a close
examination of how OT writers used
the word.
The verb nitsdaq comes from the root
tsadaq which means “to be in the
right”, “to have a just case”, “to be
vindicated”, “to be righteous”.
A variety of interpretations for
nitsdaq have arisen because there are
admittedly a number of problems in
correctly understanding its meaning.
It has been translated “shall be
cleansed” (KJV), “shall be restored to
its rightful state” (RSV), “purified”
(NAB), “be properly restored”
(NASB), "be re-consecrated” (NIV).
One difficulty is that the verbal form
Daniel uses in verse 14 is not used
anywhere else in the Old Testament
(such as Leviticus 16) so comparative
material for nitsdaq is non-existent.
The other difficulty is that the verbal
root tsadaq nowhere else (except in
Dan 8:14) takes the sanctuary as its
object. Because tsadaq means “be in
the right”, “be vindicated”, “be
righteous” it comes as no surprise
that the primary use of tsadaq in
Scripture is in a legal context where
legal procedure is in view. If a
person is wrongly accused of a crime
tsadaq means the person’s legal
rights are restored. If you are in
Christ your sad sin record wrongly
accuses you of a crime because you
48
are already justified! In the setting
of the sanctuary, a person is righteous
who has been judged by God and
declared innocent and is thereby
vindicated. The individual who
knows he is innocent (Ps 7:8) goes to
the sanctuary to be vindicated where
God declares him innocent (1 Kings
8:31, 32; Ps 9:4; 24:3-6; Isa 50:8, 9).
God will not justify the wicked (Ex
23:7). In legal contexts such as this
where tsadaq is employed, the
righteous are declared innocent and
the accusers are not. (Deut 25:1; 2
Chron 6:23; Ps 7:8-9).
Psalms 15:1-2 says that those who
participated in the sanctuary services
were required to be tamim
(blameless) and righteous (tsedeq).
This righteousness was a gift from
God and impossible apart from
atonement because the righteous one
(tsaddiq) was a person whose sins
God had forgiven (Ps 32:1, 5, 11).
The important distinction between
tsadaq and our notion of justice is
restoring righteousness to those
whose right to regain it has been
taken away. Punishment of the
wicked is manifested as God’s
righteousness on behalf of those
whom He vindicates. In contexts
where tsadaq is used, “salvation” and
“righteousness” are linked together
(Ps 98:2-9; Isa 1:27, 28; 46:13).
God’s righteousness is His saving
action on behalf of His people.
Those whom he saves and vindicates
he also rescues from persecution.
Order is restored by destruction of the
oppressor (Ps 143:11, 12; 71:2-4, 24;
33:5-11). Salvation is an integral part
of tsadaq.
48
Chapter 4 49

In Leviticus a person had to be clean confession, forgiveness, atonement,

to gain access to the sanctuary (Lev vindication, righteousness by faith,
13:46; 14:1-20) and in Psalms access restoration, cleansing, and assurance.
required righteousness. A person The concept of righteousness is
declared clean is a person declared embedded in the sanctuary services
righteous. This duality is found in (Deut 33:19; Ps 4:5; 24:3-5; 51:19;
Isaiah 53:11-12. To be declared 118:19; 132:9). To be declared
righteous is the same as to be righteous by God is to be cleansed
cleansed. The cleansing of the from sin because our sin is borne by
sanctuary is the same as justification Him who justifies us (Isa 53:11).
by faith. The root tsadaq is also used as a
synonym for purity (Job 4:17; 17:9;
It comes as no surprise that there is a Ps 18:20; 51:4). The New Brown,
connection between tsadaq and the Driver, Briggs and Gesenius Hebrew
sanctuary services because the and English Lexicon defines tsadaq
sanctuary services typified all the as summarized in Table 1:
elements of the plan of salvation:
TABLE 1
qal Simple active be just, be righteous have a just cause, be in the right, be
voice justified in ones plea, by witnesses, by
acquittal, by condemnation of
opponent. Be just of God in His
government, in charging with sin. Be
just and righteous in conduct and
character.
niphal Passive voice To be put right To be put in a right condition. To be
justified, its cause vindicated.
Piel Intensive voice To justify To make appear righteous
Hiphael Causative Do justice in Declare righteous, justify. Vindicate the
voice administering law cause of, save. Make righteous, turn
to righteousness.
Hithpael Reflexive voice Justify ourselves Clear ourselves from suspicion.

49
Chapter 4 50

Table 2 lists all Old Testament usages1 (41 times) of the verb tsadaq:

TABLE 2
Qal Simple “be just” 3 times Job 4:17; 9:2; 33:12 (KJV)
active
“be justified” 8 times Job 11:2; 13:18; 25:4; Ps 51:4; 143:2;
voice
Isa 43:9, 26; 45:25
“be righteous” 10 times Gen 38:26; Job 9:15; 10:15; 15:14; 22:3;
34:5; 35:7; 40:8; Ps 19:9; Ezek 16:52 (KJV)
“justify self” 1 time Job 9:20 (KJV)
Niph’al Passive “be cleansed” 1 time Dan 8:14 (KJV)
voice
Pi’el Intensive “justify” 5 times Job 32:2; 33:32; Jer 3:11; Eze 16:51, 52
voice (KJV)
Hiph’al Causative “do justice” 2 times 2 Sam 15:4; Ps 82:2, 3 (KJV)
voice
“justify” 9 times Ex 23:6, 7; Deut 25:1; 1 Kings 8:32;
2 Chron 6:23; Job 27:5; Prov 17:15;
Isa 5:23; 50:8; 53:11 (KJV)
“turn to 1 time Dan 12:3 (KJV)
righteousness”
Hithpa’el Reflexive “clear selves” 1 time Gen 44:16
voice

1
Robert Young. Analytical Concordance of the Bible
Table 2 confirms that in the majority
of cases the Old Testament uses the
word tsadaq to mean “be justified”,
“be righteous” and “justify”.
Adventism has been criticised for
depicting Daniel 8:14 as portraying a
heavenly judgment scene in which an
investigation is underway for the
purpose of vindicating the righteous.
Critics allege that the notion of
“vindication” was subsequently
added and was not originally
contemplated by Adventist pioneers.
Against Tables 1 and 2 those
criticisms appear manifestly hollow.
Tsadaq and “cleansed”
The KJV translates tahor 50 times as
“clean”, 41 times as “”pure”, 2 times
as “fair” and once as “pureness”. It
translates zakah 2 times as “be
clean”, 2 times as “cleanse”, 2 times
as “make clean”, once as “clear” and
once as “count pure”.
If all Old Testament uses of the word
tsadaq are imported into Daniel 8:14,
(See Table 2) it is inescapable that
the word “cleansed” is entirely
appropriate. Table 3 reviews all Old
Testament usages of tsadaq in
association with the two Hebrew
words tahor and zakah meaning
“clean” or “pure”. Each text is
Hebrew poetry where the rhyme is a
rhyme of thought and not of sound.
They are examples of ‘synonymous
parallelism’ where the first line of the
couplet means essentially the same as
the second line (See Table 3):

50
Chapter 4
TABLE 3
st
Text 1 line of couplet
Job 4:17 tsadaq “righteous”
Job 15:14 zakah “pure”
Job 25:4 tsadaq “righteous”
Psalm 19:9 tahor “pure”
Psalm 19:9 tahor “clean”
Psalm 51:4 tsadaq “justified”
Table 3 is clear enough that tsadaq
keeps company with “clean” or
“pure”. This is highly significant
because Leviticus 16:19, 30 uses the
word ‘tahor’ (clean or cleanse) to
depict the purpose of the Day of
Atonement service:
“He shall sprinkle some of the
blood on [the horns of the
altar] with his finger seven
times, cleanse (taher) it, and
consecrate it from the
uncleanness of the children of
Israel”. (v 19)
“For on that day the priest
shall make an atonement for
you, to cleanse (taher) you,
that you may be clean (taher)
from all your sins before the
Lord” (v 30).
The point is that the word taher
which is close enough to be used in
synonymous parallelism with tsadaq
(Table 3) is used to describe the
purpose of the Day of Atonement
service in Leviticus 16. It is
compelling that the word taher used
in Leviticus 16 occurs in a
synonymous way with the key verb
tsadaq in Daniel 8:14 which lends
51
nd
2 line of couplet
tahor “pure”
tsadaq “righteous”
zakah “pure”
tsadaq “righteous”
tsadaq “righteous”
zakah “blameless”
new support to Adventist linking of
Daniel 8:14 to the typical Day of
Atonement services. The numerous
observations listed in this chapter so
far pose considerable difficulty for
those folk who consider that the
Adventist position on Dan 8:14 is
un-Scriptural and anti-gospel. May I
please repeat:
If a person is wrongly accused of a
crime ‘tsadaq’ means the person’s
legal rights are restored. If you are
in Christ your sad sin record
wrongly accuses you of a crime
because you are already justified!
Without question the foregoing
examination has indeed been tedious,
but it is impressive if for no other
reason than this material was not
known to Adventist pioneers. Our
microscopic analysis into original
languages manifestly supports and
underpins the original Adventist
interpretation.
Tsadaq and legality
Table 4 lists OT texts that use tsadaq
to portray a legal setting with
vindication as its goal. Why cannot
tsadaq in Daniel 8:14 also carry the
same legal force?
51
Chapter 4 52

TABLE 4
Job 3:18 “justified” tsadaq “Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know I
(KJV) shall be justified” (KJV)
“vindicated “See now, I have prepared my case, I know that
(NKJV) I shall be vindicated” (NKJV)
Isaiah 43:26 “acquitted” tsadaq “Put me in remembrance; let us contend
together; state your case, that you may be
acquitted”.
Genesis 38:26 “righteous” tsadaq “She has been more righteous than I”. (Tamar
was vindicated and her life was saved).
Psalm 82:1-3 “justice” tsadaq “..do justice to the afflicted and needy” (See also
Job 34:5; 40:8; Ps 143:2; Isa 50:8).
Deut 25:1 “justify” tsadaq “If there is a dispute between men and they
come to court, that the judges may judge them
and they justify the righteous and condemn the
wicked”
Genesis 44:16 “clear” tsadaq “How shall we clear ourselves?”
2 Sam 15:4 “justice” tsadaq “..and I would see that he gets justice”

Conclusion further examined in the remainder of

The foregoing reveals that Scripture
repeatedly uses tsadaq synonomously
with “clean”, “pure”, and “clear”. It
is specifically used with tahor which
Leviticus 16 uses to describe the
ultimate purpose of the Day of
Atonement service. The KJV
translation “cleansed” is appropriate
but not adequate. It also extends to
the expunging of one’s record as the
natural outcome of a legal process
that vindicates. The foregoing also
reveals that Scripture repeatedly uses
tsadaq in a legal setting.
The parallelism between the
judgment scene of Daniel 7 and the
cleansing of the sanctuary of Daniel 8
is set out in Table 5. Coupled with
the linguistic basis already examined,
the connection between cleansing the
sanctuary and judgment
(justification) of the righteous is not
easily discounted. This connection is
this chapter.
The foregoing also reveals that the
word tsadaq when used in
conjunction with the sanctuary,
justifies God’s restoration of order
through judgment, vindication,
cleansing and salvation.
Daniel 8:14 refers to an event that
leads to this consummation and can
only be understood within the context
of the sanctuary services. You will
recall that this event can only take
place after the chazon (vision) of the
whole chapter is fulfilled. It must
follow on after the tamid (daily
ministry) of the Prince. It vindicates
God’s people who have been
persecuted by the little horn whose
rebellion and desecration is brought
to an end. The little horn’s control
over the daily would come to an end

52
Chapter 4
at a particular moment of time when
the cleansing/vindication of the
sanctuary is taking place.
What event then is Dan 8:14 referring
to? Is there a Biblical event that
functions as a type for the last day
event of Daniel 8:14? Is there a
Biblical parallel for the event
described in this text?
Day of Atonement
The Day of Atonement was an annual
event that followed after the daily
(tamid) ministry of the priests during
the year. This satisfies our criteria
that the event we are looking for “can
only take place after the chazon
(vision) of the whole chapter is
fulfilled. It must follow on after the
tamid (daily ministry) of the Prince”.
The Day of Atonement was part of
the sanctuary services, impacted on
God’s people and the sanctuary itself
and addressed the problem of flagrant
rebellion against God. This satisfies
our criteria that the event we are
looking for addresses the question
“How long shall be the pesha’ (the
rebellion)..?”
Please remember verse 11-14 echoed
immediate familiarity to the readers
in Daniel’s day because of the
sanctuary language employed. Three
times the word “daily” is used. Three
times the word “sanctuary” is used.
The word nitsdaq (cleansed) would
have had special meaning. It would
have been impossible for readers in
Daniel’s day to disassociate the
sanctuary from verse 14. That the
Day of Atonement has been
identified as the typical event to
53
which verse 14 refers comes as no
surprise.
The sanctuary services embrace an
amalgam of judicial and redemptive
ideas. The daily services made
divine forgiveness available to
penitent sinners through sacrificial
atonement whereby sin and impurity
were transferred to the sanctuary. On
the Day of Atonement God removed
sin and impurity from the sanctuary
revealing that God’s dwelling place is
absolutely unrelated to sin. God’s
holiness on that day was vindicated
by identifying Satan as the originator
of sin and in making him responsible
for the sin problem. Thus the
cleansing of God’s people reached its
consummation. God’s court is in
session on the Day of Atonement.
His people are evaluated. Those not
in a faith relationship with Him are
removed from the camp of His people
(Lev 23:27-31) and no sacrificial
atonement is made for them. So is
the fate of the little horn (Dan 8:25.
Compare Eze 7:22; 25:3; 24:21; Jer
51:11; Ps 74:3-14). The close of the
Day of Atonement brings a powerful
manifestation of God’s holiness and
righteousness, God’s people
experience a final salvation and the
wicked are destroyed resulting in
order and harmony.
It is to this amalgam of judicial-
redemptive ideas to which Dan 8:14
refers. Daniel’s apocalyptic vision
renders a cosmic dimension to the
Day of Atonement that results in the
final resolution of the sin problem.
The foregoing is supported by the
parallelism in Table 5 between
Daniel 2, 7, 8:
53
Chapter 4
TABLE 5
DANIEL 2 DANIEL 7
Gold head Lion
Silver breast Bear
Brass girdle Leopard
Iron legs Beast
Feet 10 horns + little horn
Stone Judgment scene
Mountain Kingdom
There has been little dispute amongst
Bible commentators from different
faiths that chapters 2, 7 and 8
progressively expand on scenes
presented. This progression
amplifies details about the nature of
the great controversy between good
and evil and on specific events within
salvation history. What is portrayed
as a rock in Daniel 2 representing the
setting up of God’s Kingdom is
“fleshed out” in more detail in
subsequent chapters. The important
point is that you please observe the
connection between the judgment
scene in Daniel 7 and the cleansing of
the heavenly sanctuary in Dan 8:14.
Combining the global view that Dan
2, 7 and 8 present, it is quite clear
that the judgment (Dan 7:9-10) and
the cleansing of the sanctuary (Dan
8:13-14) complement each other,
enriching our understanding of
Christ’s mediatorial work (Dan 8:11)
shortly before the second advent
(Dan 2:34, 44). Compare Hebrews
9:19-28.
When did this judgment occur?
DANIEL 8 MEANING
- Babylon
Ram Medo-Persia
Goat Greece
Little horn phase 1 Pagan Rome
Little horn phase 2 Papal Rome
Sanctuary scene Christ’s last work
- God’s kingdom
established
The judgment scene in Dan 7: 9-10 is
introduced when the little horn was in
the second phase of its work (Dan
8:8, 11). The judgment scene in Dan
7: 26 is again introduced when the
little horn was in the second phase of
its work (Dan 8:25). It has been
persecuting the saints for three and a
half times. The judgment clearly
takes place towards the end of the
little horn’s reign of terror because
the little horn loses its dominion and
is destroyed as a result of the
judgment. The vision of Daniel 7
moves from persecution of the saints,
to judgment, to God’s kingdom. The
judgment in Dan 7:10-11 however
takes place before the little horn is
destroyed and before God’s kingdom
is established.
What sort of judgment?
Many hints are given in Dan 7:9-10
(and Dan 12:1-2) that an
investigation is underway.
Please note Table 6:
Chapter 4
TABLE 6
The occasion
Takes place in heaven
God is present with his council
Books are opened
God’s people living are judged
God’s people who have died are judged
Thousands of His messengers are present
The universe is interested in the proceedings
The foregoing point to an
investigation preceding the actual
execution of judgment. Some refer to
these proceedings as the
“investigative judgment”. One could
also refer to them as the “vindicative
judgment” because God and the
saints are vindicated before unfallen
heavenly beings. God is vindicated
because His plan of salvation and His
government are shown to be just.
The saints are vindicated because of
their faith in Christ.
Record books in our own society
bothers most people and it is
understandable that we recoil from
the idea that there are record books in
heaven. But what says Scripture?
See Ex 32:32-33; Neh 13:14; Ps 56:8;
69:28; 139:16; Isa 4:3; Mal 3:16;
Phil 4:3; Rev 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12,
15; 21:27.
Who is being judged?
Dr Ford asserts it is the little horn
which is on trial here and the
judgment scene in Dan 7:10-11 has
nothing to do with judgment of the
saints. However Dan 7:21-22 reads:
“As I watched, this horn was
waging war against the saints
Verse
9
9, 10
10
22
12:1-2
10
10
and defeating them, until the
Ancient of Days came (cf 7:9)
and pronounced judgment in
favor of the saints of the Most
High and the time came when
they possessed the kingdom”
(NIV) and Dan 12:1-2 reads:
“But at that time your people
– everyone whose name is
found written in the book –
will be delivered. Multitudes
who sleep in the dust of the
earth will awake: some to
everlasting life, others to
shame and everlasting
contempt”.
The little horn cannot be judged in
the sense of a vindicative judgment
which is what is portrayed here
although it is certainly condemned as
a result of that judgment. The theme
of Daniel is vindication of God’s
people who have been oppressed by
powers contrary to God’s
government.
Please review how the verb tsadaq
has to do with the notion of restoring
righteousness to those whose right to
regain it has been taken away. (If you
Chapter 4
are in Christ your sad sin record
wrongly accuses you of a crime
because you are already justified!)
This type of judgment cannot apply
to the little horn. See Ps 7:8-9; 26:1-
2 where the verb tsadaq is used. The
wicked one served as the accuser in
court (Zech 3:1-4; Ps 35:1). What we
have in Dan 7:9-10 is vindication of
the righteous that confirms the evil of
the wicked. In order to restore the
righteous the wicked that caused the
disruption are condemned and
removed. In Dan 7:10-11 the
righteous are vindicated by judgment
and although the little horn is
condemned, its judgment and its final
destruction occurs after the
millennium (Rev 20).
These additional aspects of the plan
of redemption are not evident in the
traditional gospel teaching of the
Protestant community who typically
present the wonderful atonement
secured for us at Calvary but leave
unanswered how God deals with the
sin problem in a cosmic sense. The
sanctuary truth provides additional
dimension to the plan of redemption.
It reveals how God can be both just
and the justifier of those who have
transgressed. It reveals God’s
solution to the sin problem that
ensures rebellion will not break out
afresh after His kingdom has been
established. If this is a subject into
which angels desire to look (1 Pet
1:12) it behooves all believers to do
so.
The gospel in the judgment
Some believers look at the
Investigative Judgment with fear. It
arises from uncertainty about exactly
what it is that makes a person right
56
with God. Is it about a perfect record
or simple faith in a perfect substitute?
Please note that Daniel looks forward
to the time when the salvation of
God’s people will be final.
Accepting Christ’s sacrifice by faith
makes them saints of the Most High
because that simple act of acceptance
entitles them to the cleansing benefits
of the sacrificial death of Christ (Dan
9:24-27). This act of faith allows
Christ to represent the believer in the
heavenly court (Dan 7:13-14,18).
This is the gospel of righteousness by
faith and justification by faith as the
Protestant community understands it.
Adventism’s sanctuary doctrine
considerably enhances that
understanding. The believer’s grimy
record is covered with Christ’s
spotless record. The believer’s case
before the heavenly tribunal is
mediated by Christ Himself who
presents His own blameless record as
if it were the believer’s record. This
is the gospel. It is the theme of both
Old and New Testament. It provides
assurance now to all who come just
as they are and accept by faith the
free gift of redemption. It is
significant that many hundreds of
passages in Ellen White’s writings
support this fundamental gospel
principle.
Justification is immediate to those
with faith. God looks at believers as
if they possessed Christ’s
righteousness as soon as and for as
long as they are in Christ. Sin is
instantly forgiven when confessed.
However the record of sin is not
blotted out until the final
56
Chapter 4
consummation. Why the delay if a
believer has been instantly forgiven,
accepted, justified, saved and
redeemed?
During the typical Day of Atonement
God judged His people. We have
seen that the cleansing of the
sanctuary as depicted in Dan 8:14
also includes a work of judgment.
We have seen that the verb tsadaq is
primarily a legal term making it
possible to interpret the work of the
Prince in judicial and redemptive
terms, a forging of law and grace. As
in the typical Day of Atonement the
judgment’s purpose is to vindicate
God’s people. The Israelite who
confessed sin over the head of the
sacrificial victim was forgiven that
sin. The sin however was transferred
by faith and in type to the earthly
sanctuary by means of sacrificial
blood (Lev 4:20, 26, 31, 35).
Although forgiven it remained there
until the Day of Atonement.
Similarly on the antitypical Day of
Atonement the believer’s record is
examined. It is a grim record. The
believer’s sins are forgiven and
covered by Christ’s spotless record.
Although covered with Christ’s
sinless record, the forgiven sin record
remains. The final consummation
blots out the believer’s sin record.
Believer’s names who are preserved
in the books inherit the Kingdom
(Dan 7:22; 12:1-2). By allowing
unfallen beings to examine the
heavenly records God is shown to be
57
both as just and the justifier of those
who believe (Rom 3:26). Thus the
sanctuary is cleansed. God’s
government and His plan of
redemption to save fallen mankind
from the demands of His law have
been vindicated. The loyalty and
love of unfallen beings for God’s
government is gained by complete
openness about the destructive effects
of sin. Fallen mankind has been
legally reconciled to God through
Christ’s sacrifice. Those who
specifically accept that gift by faith
are in fact reconciled. This is the
gospel. What mechanism is there to
prevent a second Lucifer-like
rebellion in the New Earth requiring a
second plan of redemption? Apart
from Adventism few have considered
the import of this question. The
investigative judgment is God’s
invention to prevent a second
outbreak of Lucifer-like rebellion in
the New Earth. God’s plan of
redemption has been justified. All
who are in Christ are regarded as
righteous in the judgment because
Christs’ perfect righteousness covers
them. A believer’s record has
nothing to commend except faith in
Christ’s righteousness. Sinners who
are in Christ can be admitted into
God’s kingdom. God is just. He is
the justifier of all who believe.
Outbreaks of repeat rebellion in our
own lives become unattractive
because of the Spirit’s conviction,
leading us to Christ for forgiveness,
cleansing and assurance that we are
indeed right with God.
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