The greatest question to the human mind is similar to one Job pondered when he said: "How should man be just with God? Job 9:2. This question has been debated for many centuries since.

The Jewish nation and religious leaders had their own answer to this important question. But what did Jesus say about their answer? "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:20. With their method they were not able to be just before God.

Why? What was their answer? "Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not." Matthew 23:1-3. They had a good theory, but it never changed their life. For this reason, "The greatest deception to the human mind in Christ’s day was that a mere assent to the truth constitutes righteousness." Desire of Ages, p. 309:2.

Although they knew a great deal of theory, "Jesus . . . said unto them, do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?" Mark 12:24. It wasn’t a lack of study because Jesus said: Ye "search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." John 5:39. They did study but still were not capable of receiving eternal life. Why? Because, "The greatest deception to the human mind in Christ’s day was that a mere assent to the truth constitutes righteousness."

Therefore, Isaiah 8:22 applied to that time: "And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness." It was truly an age of darkness and dimness of anguish upon the earth at the time Jesus prepared to come to this world. Therefore, at that very moment "when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Galatians 4:4, 5.

Jesus came to this world to show us by precept and example the way to the kingdom. But how could He teach a people that were self deceived? The greatest deception is self deception. Even though Jesus saw this, He had a great burden upon His heart of reaching these souls; and so he taught them in parables. One such parable is that of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew chapter 25.

"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom." When it says "the kingdom of heaven be likened unto," it means that this is what it is compared to. It’s not any other way that we may imagine.

Jesus gave parables because they were stories that involved everyday life. "In many parts of the East, wedding festivities were held in the evening. The bridegroom goes forth to meet the bride and bring her to his home. By torch light the bridal party proceeds from her father’s house to his own, where a feast is provided for the invited guests." Christ Object Lessons, p. 405:1. Often times there would be seen a company of people, like these ten virgins, waiting for the bridegroom to come from the bride’s home.

What was the difference between these virgins? "And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps."

The difference is not seen immediately "While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves."

It is during delays that character is revealed. "But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers." Luke 12:45, 46.

It was "when the lord delayeth his coming" that this servant showed what was really in his heart. And so it is with these virgins; at first, they were all waiting to join the procession with eagerness. But as time drew on, all of them slept. When the call came "Go ye out to meet him," the foolish were not prepared. "Their lamps were going out."

What do the lamps represent? "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105. The lamps are the word of God. They all have their Bibles. The majority of Christendom have the word of God available to them today; and for a while, there is no apparent difference between these two classes.

What does the oil represent which they were lacking? They all began with oil, but some did not have enough. Neither group planed for the delay, but the wise were prepared for what ever happened along the way. Often times in our Christian experience we do not plan for discouragements and trials, although we must have that in mind.

But what is this oil that is symbolized here? "And the angel . . . said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. . . . This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. . . . What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?" Zechariah 4:1-6, 11, 12.

What gave these lamps power to burn? It was the oil. What gave Zerubbabel power in his work? "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." The Spirit of God is the power or the oil of which we are talking about. The virgins that were lacking the oil were lacking the power of the Holy Spirit even though they had the word of God.

Why is the Spirit of God so important in our experience? "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." John 16:13.

How does He guide us into all truth? "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." John 16:7, 8. The word here reprove in the margin says, "convince." One of the major reasons we need the Holy Spirit is to convince us of our sin.

He also comes so that we may be born of the Spirit: "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." John 3:5, 6. This experience we must have before we can enter the kingdom of God.

What does it mean to be born of the Spirit? "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit." Romans 8:5. Those that are born of the Spirit bear the fruit of the Spirit—they act like the Spirit of God and not like the world. What does the Spirit of God act like? "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Galatians 5:22.

The very first fruit is love. What is this love that the Spirit of God transforms the Christian believer into? "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5:3.

This is the difference between the wise and five foolish. Although they both had the word of God, the result to the wise was obedience; to the foolish it was not true obedience. Jesus emphasized this when he was explaining why he spoke in parables to the people. "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive." Matthew 13:13, 14.

Another example of who the wise and foolish virgins is given in another parable: "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Matthew 7:24-27.

"While they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not." Matthew 25:10-12.

The foolish virgins now went to make that preparation which they neglected before hand but when they came back, were not allowed admittance to the marriage. In the last days the same thing is going to happen: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst." Amos 8:11-13.

Before the wedding takes place, there is a division among those waiting for the coming of the bridegroom—between the wise and the foolish virgins. Let’s look to another parable to see how and why this division takes place.

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them." Matthew 22:1-6.

Two calls were given for the marriage. The first was disregarded; the second was made light of and some even slew his servants. "When the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."

As this parable explains the kingdom of heaven, the King is God the Father while the marriage is for His Son Jesus Christ. God invited His people (for centuries known as the Jewish people) before Calvary and afterward through His disciples. But they refused the invitation and killed some of them. What was the consequence? God sent forth His armies and burnt up their city. This was fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem, in A.D. 70, by the Roman armies.

But there was still a problem: "The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests." Matthew 22:8-10. More guests were needed. Therefore, the servants called all they found on the highways. This third call was given to the Gentiles. In this way, the Lord was able to gather all the needed guests. This all happens before the wedding.

In the process of this parable, we find all the guests have arrived and are waiting. But before the wedding proceeds, something special happens. "When the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 22:11-13.

The king came to inspect those who had accepted the invitation. Among them he found one who didn’t have on the wedding garment. What does this wedding garment represent? "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy." Revelation 3:4.

Some in the church of Sardis had not defiled their garments—they had white clothing. How are garments defiled? "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isaiah 64:6.

We defile our garments by our own righteousness. What is our own righteousness like? "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21.

The garments that this man had on was his own righteousness of sin and not the pure sinless wedding garment. This sinful character is what separates us from God, the King. "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." Isaiah 59:2.

God the Father inspected the guests and saw one who did not have on the wedding garment. Therefore, he had to be separated because he held on to his sins.

Since our righteousness is as filthy rags, what should we do? The True Witness, answers this: "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Revelation 3:18.

What is the righteousness of Christ like that we are to put on? "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.: 1 Peter 2:21, 22. The righteousness of Christ is His perfect character.

It is not enough only to put on His righteousness. According to Revelation 19:8 ("And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints), His righteousness must become our own. Christ’s righteousness must become a reality to us. This is not only perfection in a theory but perfection in reality. Otherwise we have no part in Him. "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." 1 John 3:4-10.

All the people that accepted the wedding invitation were considered God’s people. They were inside waiting for the wedding to take place. But before the wedding there was an examination. The examination was upon all the professed people of God and not upon those that refused the invitation. [The examination does not take place on the wicked at that time.] This examination of character takes place before the wedding, before the wicked are examined: "For the time is that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 1 Peter 4:17, 18.

In this judgment of the professed people of Christ, we see that one man among all those did not have on the wedding garment. If we stop at Matthew 22:13, we would think that the majority of the people that professed the name of Christ will be saved. But notice the proportion of people that this one man represents in the next verse: "For many are called, but few are chosen." The majority of people that call upon the name of the Lord will not be saved because their cases will be investigated before the marriage of the King’s Son.

Since only a minority of those who profess the name of Christ will be saved, we should take heed to these words: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" 2 Corinthians 13:5.

Since this parable is speaking of the kingdom of heaven, the King is God the Father; His Son is Jesus Christ; the guests are God’s people—His church here on earth. But who then is the bride? We know that in many places the Bible speaks of the bride as the church, but the church cannot represent both the bride and the guests at the same time. The fact that we are the guests at this event is seen in Revelation 19:9: "And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb."

Who then is the bride? "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. . . Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God." Revelation 21:2, 9, 10.

The bride is the new Jerusalem—the most appropriate symbol. In ancient customs, it is said that when a person took his position as ruler over the people and was invested with power, his coronation was called a marriage. This marriage was usually accompanied by a feast afterward. This feast was appropriately called the marriage supper. Thus we see that the new Jerusalem is representative of the kingdom or bride that Christ is to receive.

The teachings of these parables clearly coincides with our understanding of Daniel 7:9, 10: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down and the Ancient of days did sit whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened."

The word cast down in old English does not mean thrown down as we would understand it today, but rather set up. In this sense, whenever the Oriental kings had a gathering, they threw their cushions (thrones) down and sat upon them. Therefore, the Ancient of days, who is without a doubt the Father, sat down. It is at this time that a judgment was begun.

It is when this judgment is set that: "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him." Daniel 7:13. The Son of man without a question is Jesus Christ. He, at this time, comes to the Ancient of days not to this earth. And what was given to Him after He came to the Ancient of Days? "And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Daniel 7:14.

Christ comes to the Father in order to receive the kingdom. As we saw in the previous parables, first there is a call to come to the supper; then while they are waiting, there is to be an inspection or investigation. After this, the wedding proceeds. Therefore, it is only after the investigation takes place that Christ Jesus receives His kingdom (wedding) and not before.

We are not present at the wedding in person, but are present by faith: "And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them." Luke 12:36, 37. The wedding takes place not while we are present in the kingdom of heaven, but while we are still here on the earth waiting for Him when He returns from the wedding.

It cannot be emphasized enough over and over again, as we understand these parables, that there is a work of investigation taking place upon those who claim to be God’s people. This investigation takes place before the wedding, and the wedding takes place, not here on this earth, but in heaven before the coming of Christ. For this reason we are entreated, by faith to uplift our thoughts to heaven where this investigation is taking place, so that when He comes and knocks we may open unto Him.

It is quite obvious, throughout this study, that this investigation is a judgment (Daniel 7:10). I know that many times some get worried about the term Investigative Judgment, but that is the most appropriate term that we can use to describe it. Let us not get sidetracked by terminology, but let us weigh the solemnity of the subject before us.

"Solemn are the scenes connected with the closing work of the atonement. Momentous are the interests involved therein. The judgment is now passing in the sanctuary above. For many years this work has been in progress. Soon—none know how soon—it will pass to the cases of the living. In the awful presence of God our lives are to come up in review. At this time above all others it behooves every soul to heed the Saviour’s admonition: ‘Watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.’ Mark 13:33. ‘If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.’ Revelation 3:3." Great Controversy, 490:1.

Satan is working with untiring effort "as a roaring lion," walking "about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8. Especially now, in these final moments of this world’s history, he is making his utmost attempt to turn the thoughts of those who are called to be saved away from that work of investigation taking place in heaven so that they may fail in putting on that wedding garment.

My dear friend, are you being thus sidetracked from the reality before us? Why don’t you take this opportunity to flee Satan’s trap and surrender your whole mind, life, and being to the only One who has power to snatch you away from Satan’s grasp—Jesus Christ our ONLY Lord and Saviour.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:11-14

2. The King came in to inspect those who accepted the invitation.

My dear friend, are you being thus sidetracked from the reality before us? Why don’t you take this opportunity to flee Satan’s trap and surrender your whole mind, life, and being to the only One who has power to snatch you away from Satan’s grasp—Jesus Christ our ONLY Lord and Saviour.