Sit and Standing of Christ in the Investigative Judgment Scenes

 

For this researcher, it is no longer a question whether there was or was not or is or is not an Investigative Judgment in heaven before the Second Coming of Christ. It is accepted as a given. Destiny has to be settled before the Second Coming otherwise He cannot bring His reward with Him.

Hell is not a judgment but an Executive Judgment acting out what was decided and fixed the Investigative Judgment.

What has become interesting in the careful reading of some passages in the Bible, is that Christ sit and stand-up during and after this Investigative Judgment.

The Investigative Judgment takes place in heaven since it is ongoing from 1844 following the historicist calculation of the 2300 evenings and mornings as one day thus one day for one year thus 2300 years. Starting with Ezra 7 in 457 BCE and ending in 1844. The transitional move of Christ from the First Apartment since His ascension and a move into the Most Holy, now acting like the Highpriest on Yom Kippur or the Great Atonement Day is what is at stake since 1844. That is called the Investigative Judgment of which 1 Peter 4:17 said that it should start with the House of God first.

In case readers want to follow some Adventist preterist influenced researchers to decry this view and say it refers not to the Investigative Judgment but to persecution, I remind them of the Pesher Habakkuk from Cave 1 at Qumran, that also had the concept of an Investigative Judgment to take place for the people of God before the Coming of the Righteous One. Peter knew others who had the same view as his and others knew him and thus had the same view as Peter. Because Qumran is before Peter, one is inclined to say that they were very keen historicist readers of the Old Testament and thus had their “periods” their “chronology” of eschaton events all lined up correctly. And that is what historicism is all about as opposed to preterism who easily jump to “metaphorical” when they cannot understand.

 

Christ took His seat in 31 CE

In Hebrews 1:13 God said to Christ to sit next to Him at the ascension until He [the Father] will make His [Christ] enemies a footstool for Him.

 

Thus, Christ in 31 CE entered heaven and sat next to His Father.

Jesus took on His Priestly ministry and became a mediator for humanity to the Father for their salvation.

 

ποιησάμενος καθαρισμν τν μαρτιν δι’ ατο κάθισεν ν δεξιτς μεγαλωσύνης

poiēsamenos katharismon tōn hamartiōn di hautou ekathisen en dexia tēs megalōsynēs

When he had made purification for sins through him, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high

 

Christ standing in 34 CE 

Stephen in 34 CE said that he saw in a vision Christ standing as Acts 7:55.

 

εδεν δόξαν θεο κα ησον σττα κ δεξιν το θεο

eiden doxan theou kai Iēsoun hestōta ek dexiōn tou theou

I saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God

 

Christ took His seat in 1844 CE

Daniel 7 explains that the thrones were set and they sat down for the Investigative Judgment in 1844. Daniel 7:10.

 

דִּינָ֥א יְתִ֖ב וְסִפְרִ֥ין פְּתִֽיחוּ:

The court sat down and the books were opened.

 

Thrones were set there for participants to sit on in verse 9. Judgment did not start until the Ancient of Days came. There was thus a starting-point for the Judgment, it was not an ongoing process since the Fall of Adam and Eve. When the Ancient of Days came, Judgment was given to the saints of the Most High (Daniel 7:22). It is also correct to say it is on behalf of the saints of the Most High. The same idea Peter had in 1 Peter 4:17. The same idea the scribe of the Pesher Habbakkuk from Cave One had in mind. Christ the Mediator of the Book of Hebrews means He also sit with them.


Christ stood up at the end of the Investigative Judgment

Maleachi 2 indicates that Christ left the Investigative Court scene after the completion of the Investigative Judgment. Why and where He went is not clear. Maleachi says that He returned and Maleachi is not alone on this, for in Daniel 7:13 Christ was brought again to the Ancient of Days or His Father, to receive the Kingship. Reception of the Kingship is a protocol and ceremony for Christ after the completion of His Highpriestly role. It was to happen in accordance with Daniel 7:14. Here is Daniel 7:13:

וַֽאֲרוּ֙ עִם־עֲנָנֵ֣י שְׁמַיָּ֔א כְּבַ֥ר אֱנָ֖שׁ אָתֵ֣ה הֲוָ֑א וְעַד־עַתִּ֚יק יֽוֹמַיָּא֙ מְטָ֔ה וּקְדָמ֖וֹהִי הַקְרְבֽוּהִי

and behold with the clouds of the heaven, one like a Son of man was coming, and he came up to the Ancient of Days and was brought before Him.

 

This is not the Second Coming since then Christ will come with the clouds to earth. This is a movement on a horizontal level still in heaven.

The Door of Mercy closed. The Investigative Judgment is finished. Destinies are settled for humanity. Christ left and is brought back again to the Father to receive the kingdom. Daniel 7:14

וְלֵ֨הּ יְהִ֚ב שָׁלְטָן֙ וִיקָ֣ר וּמַלְכ֔וּ וְכֹ֣ל עַמְמַיָּ֗א אֻמַּיָּ֛א וְלִשָּֽׁנַיָּ֖א לֵ֣הּ יִפְלְח֑וּן שָׁלְטָנֵ֞הּ שָׁלְטַ֚ן עָלַם֙ דִּי־לָ֣א יֶעְדֵּ֔ה וּמַלְכוּתֵ֖הּ דִּי־לָ֥א תִתְחַבַּֽל

And He gave him dominion and glory and a kingdom, and all peoples, nations, and tongues shall serve him; his dominion is an eternal dominion, which will not be removed, and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.


Christ sits down again

Maleachi 3:1 says that Christ will have an Elijah precursor announcing His coming and preparing His way for Him, just like John the Baptist did it with the First Coming. This verse is not about the First Coming because it says that He will come “suddenly to His temple”. Jesus never came suddenly to the Jerusalem Temple on earth. This is a temple in Heaven. Suddenly should remind us of Jesus words of His coming as a “thief in the night”. It is also relevant in the context of the last chapter of the Bible where in Revelation 22 three times He said that at that final events in history, “Behold I come quickly”.

וַֽאֲרוּ֙ עִם־עֲנָנֵ֣י שְׁמַיָּ֔א כְּבַ֥ר אֱנָ֖שׁ אָתֵ֣ה הֲוָ֑א וְעַד־עַתִּ֚יק יֽוֹמַיָּא֙ מְטָ֔ה וּקְדָמ֖וֹהִי הַקְרְבֽוּהִי

Behold I send My angel, and he will clear a way before Me. And suddenly, the Lord Whom you seek will come to His Temple.

 

When Christ came the first time, it was part of a periodic announcement prophetically charted out as 490 years for the days in Daniel 9:24-27. This is the way Calvin and Luther saw it, it is the way a number of Reformists like Hugo de Groot (albeit a papo-Reformist as his critics called him) saw it and even the Catholic Thomas Aquinas also propounded this view. They were partial historicists and that being Catholic! It is a pity they did not make the 1260 days and 2300 days also years, according to the year day principle. They would have also ended up with 1844, 538 until 1798.

When Christ comes at the Second Coming, He is not going to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. This temple is in heaven. Before He comes down, He will make a horizontal appearance at the Temple because He left it after the Investigative Judgment.

 

It is at this time that He is supposed to receive the kingship (Daniel 7:14) and in Revelation. The Door of Mercy is closed. The Second Coming not yet.

Christ comes with a cloud to the Ancient of Days according to Daniel 7:14. He is brought there by many angels who form the cloud.

 

Arriving again before the Ancient of Days. What does He do? He sat down. Says Maleachi 3:3

 

וְיָשַׁ֨ב מְצָרֵ֚ף וּמְטַהֵר֙ כֶּ֔סֶף וְטִהַ֚ר אֶת־בְּנֵֽי־לֵוִי֙ וְזִקַּ֣ק אֹתָ֔ם כַּזָּהָ֖ב וְכַכָּ֑סֶף וְהָיוּ֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה מַגִּישֵׁ֥י מִנְחָ֖ה בִּצְדָקָֽה:

And he shall sit refining and purifying silver, and he shall purify the children of Levi. And he shall purge them as gold and as silver, and they shall be offering up an offering to the Lord with righteousness.

 

Christ purifies or perfect the saints that are still living before He comes. He purge them. He purifies them. But sitting down again. The action of perfection of the saints takes place while Christ sits down after the Door of Mercy is closed during the Time of Trouble. This is during the Time of Trouble. With Christ’s Righteousness they are the offer to the Lamb.

 

The offerings or harvest of the Lord shall be pleasant to Him.

Maleachi 3:4 reads: וְעָֽרְבָה֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה מִנְחַ֥ת or “the offerings shall be pleasant to the Lord”. It is “like eternity” and in former years. Perfection was in Eden before sin came. It was supposed to be eternal.

 

Maleachi3:4 כִּימֵ֣י עוֹלָ֔ם וּכְשָׁנִ֖ים קַדְמֹֽנִיּֽוֹת “Like eternity and like the years from before”.

 

Christ stands up for His Second Coming

Daniel 12:1 says that Michael stood up during the Time of Trouble to come and resurrect the saints who’s destiny was proper to live eternal.

 

 

וּבָעֵ֣ת הַהִיא֩ יַֽעֲמֹ֨ד מִֽיכָאֵ֜ל הַשַּׂ֣ר הַגָּד֗וֹל הָֽעֹמֵד֘ עַל־בְּנֵ֣י עַמֶּךָ֒ וְהָֽיְתָה֙ עֵ֣ת צָרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֚ר לֹֽא־נִהְיְתָה֙ מִֽהְי֣וֹת גּ֔וֹי עַ֖ד הָעֵ֣ת הַהִ֑יא וּבָעֵ֚ת הַהִיא֙ יִמָּלֵ֣ט עַמְּךָ֔ כָּל־הַנִּמְצָ֖א כָּת֥וּב בַּסֵּֽפֶר:

וְרַבִּ֕ים מִיְּשֵׁנֵ֥י אַדְמַת־עָפָ֖ר יָקִ֑יצוּ אֵלֶּה לְחַיֵּ֣י עוֹלָ֔ם וְאֵ֥לֶּה לַֽחֲרָפ֖וֹת לְדִרְא֥וֹן עוֹלָֽם:

1Now at that time, Michael, the great prince, who stands over the children of your people, will be silent, and it will be a time of distress that never was since a nation existed until that time, and at that time, your people will escape, everyone who is found inscribed in the book.

2And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken-these for eternal life, and those for disgrace, for eternal extinction.