We believe Jesus didn’t float off to heaven in 31 AD and immediately sit down to binge-watch the universe. Instead, He went to work.
According to the Bible’s sanctuary system—an elaborate object lesson involving tents, goats, blood, and a shocking amount of ritual—God has always cared deeply about justice and mercy. These two things, annoyingly, require administration.
So Jesus is now serving as our High Priest in a real heavenly sanctuary. Not metaphorical. Not “in our hearts only.” Real. Functional. With phases.
First phase: forgiveness, mediation, grace on tap.
Second phase (starting in 1844): the Investigative Judgment—aka the moment when God publicly demonstrates that saving deeply flawed humans was not, in fact, a clerical error.
This isn’t about God “checking the books” because He forgot something. It’s about transparency. The universe is watching. Satan made accusations. Receipts are being shown.
The point is not fear. The point is confidence. If Jesus is your lawyer and the judge trusts Him completely, you’re doing fine.
The sanctuary doctrine says history is moving somewhere, justice matters, grace is real, and God doesn’t sweep evil under the cosmic rug.
Also: Adventists didn’t invent this to be weird. We became weird trying to explain it.
❤️ If this kind of theology-with-a-pulse makes your brain light up, Patreon is how you keep it coming. Supporting BarelyAdventist means more unapologetically honest takes on Adventist ideas that actually matter—without fear-mongering, jargon, or pretending the weird parts aren’t weird. You’re not buying certainty; you’re funding clarity, curiosity, and the freedom to say the quiet parts out loud. Join us, help keep the lights on in the sanctuary, and let’s keep talking about Jesus like He’s actually doing something.
