The Wedding Garment and The Investigative Judgment
The parable of the wedding garment in Matthew 22:1-14 represents the judgment of the living and the imparted righteousness of Christ.
“And when the King came in to see the guest, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment.” Matthew 22:11
The King coming in to “see" the guest shows the work of investigation. He was investigation who had the wedding garment on or not.
The wedding garment which was provided for each guest at infinite cost represents the spotless character of Christ imparted to the believer. It represents the righteousness of Christ imparted to the believer by faith.
The king coming in to examine those who had the wedding garment on or not represented the work of judgment. The King was examining the LIVING guest at the wedding, therefore this parable represents the judgment of the living.
“By the Kings examination of the guest at the feast is represented a work of judgment. The guest at the gospel feast are those who profess to serve God, those who names are written in the book of life." Christ object lessons page 310
According to the pen of Inspiration, the parable of the wedding garment is clearly representing the investigative judgment. Again the living are being examined so it is clearly pointing to the investigative judgment of the living.
“And when the King came in to see the guest, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment.” Matthew 22:11
When your case comes up to be examined before God at the judgment of the living, if you do not have a spotless character through the imparted righteousness of Christ, the man in the parable represents you.
“And he said unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.” Matthew 22:11
There will be no excuses for not having on the wedding garment because the spotless character is put into anyone who exercises faith in Christ.
“It is while men are still dwelling upon the Earth that the work of investigative judgment takes place in the courts of heaven. The lives of all His professed followers pass in review before God. All are examined according to the record of the books of heaven, and according to his deeds the destiny of each is forever fixed." Christ Object Lessons page 310
Again the parable of the wedding garment clearly points to the investigative judgment of the living and the imparted righteousness of Christ. This judgement starts at the passing of the Sunday law pagan sabbath.
Every living person that profess to believe in Christ life will pass before God in review. this is why we need to accept righteousness by faith. this is why we need to be justified by faith.
justification by faith removes sin completely out of our lives. and when sin is completely removed out of your life you are prepared to stand in the judgment of the living.
it is impossible to stand in the judgment of the living without receiving the message of justification by faith. without that message you are ungodly because sin will be found in your life. if sin is found in your life by the time your name come up in the judgment of the living you will not be able to stand in the judgment and you will received the mark of beast be lost for eternity
"Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Psalm 1:5
Do you see how scripture says that the ungodly cannot stand in the judgment. what does it mean to stand?
"O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou has fallen by thine iniquity." Hosea 14:1
It is iniquity or sin causes us to fall. The opposite of fallen is standing. if sin causes me to fall, when sin is taken out of my life then I will be able to stand. therefore in order to stand in the judgment, or pass the judgment of the living you must have sin out of your life.
And it is the message of justification by faith that removes sin out of your life. The wedding garment represents the spotless character of Christ imputed to the believer. when Christ's character or righteousness is imputed to the believer this removes sin completely out of his life and enables him to stand when the judgment passes from the dead to the living.
the judgment passes from the dead to the living when the 144,000 are sealed. judgment cannot pass from the dead to the living until the 144,000 are sealed. the time of trouble and the Sunday law, represented by the four winds of Revelation 7:1, the investigative jusgement, and the sealing of the 144,000 all happens at the same exact time.
but none of these events can happen until the key event happened. and that key event is the sealing of the 144,000.
"and after these things I saw four Angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on the tree. and I saw another Angel ascending from the east, having the Seal of the living god: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, her not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God and therefore heads. and I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed and 140 and 4,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel." Revelation 7:1-4
right in these verses is represented the time of trouble which takes place at the passing of the pagan Sabbath which is the Sunday law. these verses show you that the winds cannot blow upon the Earth until the 144,000 are sealed.
The wedding garment which represents the imputed righteousness of Christ is what is sealed upon the believers.
"by the wedding garment in the parable is represented the pure, spotless character which Christ true followers will possess... it is the righteousness of Christ, his own unblemished character, that through faith is imparted to all who receive him as their personal Saviour." COL p. 310
The true followers of Christ, or his true church that will be alive when the judgment passes from the dead to the living, is the 144,000. the 144,000 will have a clean, and white and, and spotless character through the righteousness of Christ being imputed to them through the work of the 1888 message.
The 144,000, Jesus' living "wife hath made herself ready." How did the 144,000, the Church, the wife of Christ make herself ready? By being "arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." Revelation 19:7,8 Through the imparted righteousness of Christ, which is represented by the wedding garment, they have developed a character "not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Ehpesians 5:27