he
night of their bitter trial, had patiently waited, searching the Bible for
clearer light,--these saw the truth concerning the sanctuary in heaven and
the Saviour's change of ministration, and by faith they followed Him in
His work in the sanctuary above. And all who through the testimony of the
Scriptures accept the same truths, following Christ by faith as He enters
in before God to perform the last work of mediation, and at its close to
receive His kingdom,--all these are represented as going in to the
marriage.

In the parable of Matthew 22 the same figure of the marriage is
introduced, and the investigative judgment is clearly represented as
taking place before the marriage. Previous to the wedding the king comes
in to see the guests,(710) to see if all are attired in the wedding
garment, the spotless robe of character washed and made white in the blood
of the Lamb.(711) He who is found wanting is cast out, but all who upon
examination are seen to have the wedding garment on, are accepted of God,
and accounted worthy of a share in His kingdom and a seat upon His throne.
This work of examination of character, of determining who are prepared for
the kingdom of God, is that of the investigative judgment, the closing
work in the sanctuary above.

When the work of investigation shall be ended, when the cases of those who
in all ages have professed to be followers of Christ have been examined
and decided, then, and not till then, probation will close, and the door
of mercy will be shut. Thus in the one short sentence, "They that were
ready went in with Him to the marriage, and the door was shut," we are
carried down through the Saviour's final ministration, to the time when
the great work for man's salvation shall be completed.

In the service of the earthly sanctuary, which, as we have seen, is a
figure of the service in the heavenly, when the high priest on the day of
atonement entered the most holy place, the ministration in the first
apartment ceased. God commanded, "There shall be no man in the tabernacle
of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy
place, until he come out."(712) So when Christ entered the holy of holies
to perform the closing work of the atonement, He ceased His ministration
in the first apartment. But when the ministration in the first apartment
ended, the ministration in the second apartment began. When in the typical
service the high priest left the holy on the day