The Silencing of Satan: The Gospel of the Investigative Judgment by Bradley Roy Williams

The Silencing of Satan: The Gospel of the Investigative Judgment, gives new compelling proof of the investigation of the saints, new perspectives on why there is an investigation, and a more encouraging understanding of what God is looking for. It demonstrates how the investigative process builds Christian assurance. It answers the most important gospel-based objections detractors have with the investigative judgment doctrine. It also shows that the hour of God's judgment announced in Revelation 14:6,7 was repeatedly prefigured in the history of God's dealings with mankind. This unquestionably affirms its end-time fulfillment (1844 – ) in Adventism's experience and doctrine. Read this book. You will see that the investigative judgment is better news and more Biblical than you ever thought before.

Here is why, Seventh-day Adventists should read The Silencing of Satan: The Gospel of the Investigative Judgment, and here is why Christian's who are not Seventh-day Adventists should read this book:

From the beginning Adventists have been on the right track with their investigative judgment doctrine. Yet, beginning early on, the investigative judgment doctrine has had a rough ride. In the past few decades its troubles became greater. With many it has fallen out of favor. Non-Adventist critics have multiplied. Yet, as seen in the first chapter there is plenty of evidence to show that the investigative judgment is true at its most fundamentally important level: According to Scripture, God investigates believers.

It is surprising but true that the investigative judgment is more biblically sound than the Adventist pioneers reasoned. How can such a statement be defended? In 1980, in his book, God and His Sanctuary, the late Dr. C. Mervyn Maxwell, while defending Adventism's investigative judgment doctrine, stated, "Although the terms are not used in the Bible, for convenience we can speak of phases of the final judgment that deal with 'investigation, . . . examination . . ." (88).

In 1993, in his book, The Sanctuary, Roy Adams indicates his agreement that there are no Scriptures that clearly teach that the judgment is investigative in nature. Adams wrote, "It has not always been easy to provide a straightforward demonstration of the particular notion of an investigative judgment in Scripture." (125) He also stated, "We venture to suggest that 'investigative' is not absolutely indispensable" (124).

Adams suggested that there had been an unwise waste of a "vast amount of time and energy expended in years of controversy and debate over the use of the expression 'investigative judgment'" (124). So, Adams saw new terminology as a solution to this problem. He writes, "The expression 'pre-Advent' . . . is currently finding growing acceptance" (124).

These two good men, loyal Adventist scholars, virtually concluded that there is not one Bible passage stating, in language that cannot be misunderstood, that God investigates believers. If any Seventh-day Adventist pioneer, or if later Adventist theologians, wrote about the investigative judgment using such a passage(s) of Scripture, Dr. C. Mervin Maxwell, whose specialty was the study of the development of Seventh-day Adventist theology, would have known it. And, he would not have stated that the term "investigate" was a term of convenience. Instead he would have used such evidence to defend the investigative judgment doctrine in 1980.

Adventist pioneers did not notice the evidence considered in this book–evidence that makes the investigative judgment more true than they knew. And, more true than our critics give credit. The following comment by a former Seventh-day Adventist minister suggests that our investigative judgment doctrine may be more true than today’s Adventist ministry realizes:

"Brad, I finished your book [first edition]. Obviously because I studied theology at both La Sierra and Andrews, I am well aware of the arguments for the Investigative Judgment. In The Silencing of Satan however, you plowed new creative ground. I found especially enlightening the first chapters where you show that although the exact word 'investigate' is not used in modern translations, there is plenty of evidence in the Greek and Hebrew that shows that many texts in both the New & Old Testaments could be translated using the word 'investigate.' This is new work that I have seen no where else." Rick Kuykendall

It seems obvious then, that it is worth our while to pursue further where this new evidence leads. What does it say about our understanding of the Gospel and how it should be presented? How does it fit with the traditional view of the investigative judgment and the last days? It was to answer these questions that the book, The Silencing of Satan: The Gospel of the Investigative Judgment, was written.