Reddit mentions of Case for the Investigative Judgment, The

Hi. Thanks for your questions. I'm a lifelong Adventist, but I've spent some time studying through these things, so I'll give you my best answers. However, I second watching Tell the World. It is surprisingly good and tells the story of how Adventism started very well, including Ellen White's role. It should help you understand a little better. Now for your questions (and I apologize for the wall of text):

1. I consider Ellen White to be a prophet, and her insights contributed greatly to the establishment of Seventh-day Adventism. However, I think one must ask what is meant by "prophet." Some people understand "prophet" as one who writes down the dictated words of God. Ellen White was not that. She drew heavily upon other authors to form her expressions and her work was edited as well. Uriah Smith, who formulated much of the Adventist understanding of prophecy had a difficult shift from the first understanding when Ellen White asked him to edit The Great Controversy for historical accuracy. Regarding her emphasis on health, as I understand it, God told her it was important, but she did much of the research for herself. Additionally, she referred to herself as a "lesser light pointing to the greater light" (the Bible). Although she had visions and received messages from God, she was clear that her writings were not to be used to settle doctrinal disputes. Only the Bible should do that.
   
   Understanding how Ellen White was "inspired" has helped Adventists understand how the Bible was inspired. God did not simply speak for men to record his words (except on rare occasion). Rather, he spoke to men who then expressed his ideas as best they could--in their distinct styles and contexts. Adventists do not believe in verbal inspiration, but rather thought inspiration (God gave the ideas, not the specific words of Scripture) in part because of what was seen in Ellen White's ministry.
   
   For myself, I have found Ellen White's writings to be a great help to my own understanding of God and his love. I highly recommend Steps to Christ, and the Conflict of the Ages series. To me, that is the real question--what difference does her work make in my life?
   
   
2. Adventists in no way deny the divinity of Christ. He is not an angel, he is God. "Michael the Archangel" is understood as simply another name for him, recognizing him as leader of the angels.
   
   
3. This is a topic I recommend studying further. This article gives an excellent explanation of how the Investigative Judgement makes sense of the gospel, in the context of various understandings of salvation. Regarding the timelines, that will require further study. Any pastor would be happy to go through it with you. W. A. Spicer's Our Day in Light of Prophecy, while a bit dated (and thus free online), gives an excellent explanation of all this. Marvin Moore's The Case for the Investigative Judgement is a far newer study of the topic which I quite enjoyed.
   
   Regarding the IJ, it is important to Adventism in terms of our picture of God as acting in history and having a plan laid out to establish his goodness to all who have questions. Details and dates are secondary to this fundamental idea--that God's goodness is in question and will be demonstrated before the entire universe through his interactions with humanity.