As far as God is concerned, there are always other choices. The problem is that the sinner has closed and locked the door upon themselves and that there is nothing else that God can do to change them and to keep them from choosing eternal death. They would rather not exist than to live in a universe that has the law of self sacrificing love. They have prevented themselves from any second chance. They have destroyed their ability to choose. God can't do anything else for them unless he takes away their freedom and forces salvation upon them, but they would find it torture to live in a universe based on self sacrificing love, ....

When the prophets saw God they felt like they were being burned alive, but found that they could not only survive the fire but thrived in it and hated to leave it. The lost refuses to have the life giving relationship with God that would lead to surviving and thriving in this fire. They pull back from the only source of life and thus are killed by the glory of God.


Now, are you saying that God's love, beauty, power and glory is too weak to cleanse the earth and that God needs something else that is strong enough to do it?

It's true, when clothed with righteousness God's people will be very comfortable in the flaming glory of God's holiness. Those who cling to sin and refuse Christ's cleansing power can not survive in that flaming glory of God's holiness.

Also, God can do anything with just a Word. He doesn't need the fire, He can command the earth to be cleansed and it would be so.

However, God tends to use natural things, and scripture as well as Spirit of Prophecy depict a literal fire that fills the whole earth and burns everything up. Like the flood of Noah's time when it was a real flood of real water. (see 2 Peter 3) so in the end it will be a real fire.

[b[It may even be using the weaponry the lost have created in preparation to take the city (after all, every modern weapon would be known to some in that vast crowd) When the lost turn their weapons on Satan who knows what they use? They could ignite a lot of fire[/b]!


"As it was in the days of Noah so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. Water will never destroy the earth again, but the weapons of God are concealed in the bowels of the earth which he will draw forth to unite with the fire from heaven to accomplish his purpose in the destruction of all those who would not receive the message of warning and purify their souls in obeying the truth and being obedient to the laws of God. {ST Jan. 3, 1878}

It's often asserted that Adventists build their belief of the Investigative Judgment on inconsequential information and on one misunderstood text.
But this is a straw man!
In reality, the Investigative Judgment is based on a broad understanding of scripture, and it is in agreement with a proper understanding of the Protestant gospel.

However, there is more than one way to understand the gospel within the broader scope of Protestantism ? There are several basic Biblical doctrines which determine how we understand the gospel which in turn determine our understanding of the Investigative Judgment -- indeed the Pre-Advent judgment is a logical and fully Biblical conclusion when those OTHER biblical doctrines are understood.

What are these beliefs that must first be understood before the Investigative Judgment becomes a logical conclusion, and necessary event in salvation's story?

1. The understanding of the great controversy between Christ and Satan (the dragon).
This includes the whole understanding of creation and the beginning of sin, Satan's enmity against God's commandments, yet accusing people as not savable sinners before God.
Revelation 12, Isaiah 14:12-15, Genesis 1-3, Zechariah 3, Matt, 4:1-11, Luke 10:18; Luke 22:31; Acts 26:18; Rev. 20:2; Ephesians 6:11-12

2. The understanding of freedom of choice. Arminianism not the Calvinism's concept of God's fixed predetermined predestination of who is to be saved and who is to be left unsaved.
We need to understand the Biblical call to all, whosoever will, may come.
Rev. 22:17, Mark 8:34; Joshua 24:15

3. Once saved is not necessarily always saved. The understanding that a person is free to turn away and stop following Christ even if at some point in their lives they accepted Him.
Luke 8:14, Heb.6:4-6; Heb. 10:26; 2 Peter 3:17, Matt. 7:21-22, Ez. 18:24

4. The understanding that the dead are really dead until the resurrection. No immortal soul. All are asleep in their graves having not yet received their "eternal rewards" .
Acts 2:35; 1 Thess 4:16-17; Eccl 9:5, Ps.146:3-4, Ps. 115:17, Rev. 11:18, Rev. 22:12


5. The understanding that God does judge.
Daniel 7:9-10; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Peter 4:17; Romans 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10; Eccl 3:17; Ez. 18:30-31; Acts 10:42; Romans 2:16; 2 Tim.4:1

Adventist doctrine of the Investigative Judgment is the natural outgrowth of the Arminian concept of people's choice as to whether they accept the offered salvation, as well as the doctrine of Soul Sleep.
Everything else in our study of the investigative judgment is useful in understanding the doctrine and its relevance. Once those doctrines are understood the pre-Adventist Judgment is seen as a logical part of the salvation process, and the doctrine does not rest solely on the usual arguments discussed.

The necessity for a - judgment stands or falls on how salvation itself is understood. The scope of the sin problem as it relates on a cosmic scale, the aspect of our choice to follow Christ faithfully and the Biblical concept of the dead asleep in their graves awaiting a resurrection all fit with an investigative judgment.

Since Adventists have a biblical foundation for these concepts, it is easy to understand the essential nature of the Investigative or Pre-Advent Judgment.

So if people agree on those point, other details supporting the IJ become relevant as well.
But if any of the five above points are denied, then the waters get more muddy.