K121. Is God still concerned with what we wear (or how we wear) our garment when we see Him? (2)

Jesus told us in the parable (Matt 22:11-12) that the king will question those who do not have the wedding garment. Now, please ask ourselves, Can we create that wedding garment that is so beautiful and glorious for us to attend the marriage supper in heaven? No, I believe that it is beyond our effort or ability. Hence, I believe that it is a God-given garment or God-given command.

When there is God's commandment, there is God's glory
We can see the illustration of this Bible truth all over the Bible:

1. First illustration - I have explained that the garment is a garment of glory like the one  worn by Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. It is the garment of command too because they lost it the moment they disobeyed God's command. Hence, when there is God's command, there is God's glory. When there is God's glory, there is God's covering and God's protection, like a shield or a garment. This is the first illustration we saw in the Bible:
Gen 2:16-22 KJV  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  (17)  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.  (18)  And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him ..  (22)  And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

When God gave Adam His commandment, He could have also given him the 'garment of glory and protection' too. So, Eve, who was created later out of Adam, could be covered and protected by the same glory that was given to Adam. Hence, Adam could have warned Eve about the danger of losing it because Eve knew it (Gen 3:2-3) even though she was not there when God gave the command to Adam. We may not have the full picture of why there was a need for God's protection when there was no corruption of the world in the garden of Eden yet, but we can imagine that after the fall of Lucifer who became Satan or the Serpent, there was already lawlessness in the universe or the air; but probably not in the ground or the earth yet. Hence, God's command or word could be an unseen garment of protection which shielded Adam and Eve from the effect (poison or corruption) of the lawlessness from the 'dark side'. God's commandment is always known as the true light of the world in both the Old and the New Testament:
Pro 6:23 KJV  For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
Rom 13:12 KJV  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

2. Second illustration - When Moses came down with God's commandments, there was God's glory too:
Exo 34:29 KJV  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

3. Third illustration - When Jesus came to the world, He came with the light. This was the third illustration we saw in the Bible:
Joh 1:1-14 KJV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God .. (5)  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not .. (14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
1Jn 2:8 KJV  Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
Did John really mean it when he said he beheld His glory or the glory of the Word (or God's command who came down in the flesh)? Yes, John was certainly referring to that glory which he saw when Jesus was transfigured before them:
Mat 17:2-3 KJV  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.  (3)  And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
Mar 9:2-3 KJV  And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.  (3)  And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
Luk 9:29 KJV  And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.

The garment of glory is a gift from the Lord
I have mentioned about the glory of the Lord's transfiguration in my previous posts. I know that His face and His whole body shone. But today, I saw something more which shone from Him - His raiment. I believe that His raiment or garment was transfigured too, and it became the garment of glory! It could be the same garment which we have lost in the garden of Eden because of Adam's disobedience. Hence, Jesus would not just die for our sins and cleanse us from all our lawlessness. He will clothe us with His garment of glory too:
Mat 28:3 KJV  His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
Rev 3:5-6 KJV  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.  (6)  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Rev 3:18 KJV  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.
Rev 4:4 KJV  And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

4. The final illustration - Can we see the final picture or illustration in the Bible? I don't know about you, but I can see a great picture of all those who are saved wearing the garment of glory. It is more than just a clean garment or white garment. It was a garment of beauty and glory like the one worn by Adam and Eve before they rejected God's command. It is not just a garment which shows that we are holy, sinless, and forgiven; it is also a garment which shows the glory of God's command in the lives and hearts of His people once again:
Heb 8:10 KJV  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Heb 10:16-17 KJV  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;  (17)  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

We are not saved by the garment; but we must still put on the garment
Many will say, "But we are saved by grace; not by the laws or commandments. We should not preach the mixture; we should preach only pure grace (with no more commandments) .."
I will tell them, Who told you that when there is command (or glory) and grace, it is a mixture? Do you know what is a mixture? A mixture is something which cannot mix; for example, we cannot mix the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. But, if there is still God's command in the New Covenant, we do not call it a mixture; we call it a restoration because men can now find their garment back.
I said in K119 that the Holy Communion cannot save us or make us clean but it must be taken worthily; otherwise, there will be condemnation (1Co 11:34), sickness, and death (1Co 11:30). Similarly, God's command cannot save us or make us clean too, but we must still put on God's command; otherwise, we have no part with Him. I have explained in K114 that washing by the word or command of God is a continuous washing or sanctification for all the believers who are in Christ:
Joh 13:8-10 KJV  Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. .. (10) Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
Eph 5:26-27 KJV  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,  (27)  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Hence, the washing of the 'feet' or washing by the word may not make us clean; but it makes us holy, glorious, or more complete to wear the garment of glory.

We cannot afford to remove that garment
Many 'mature' (old) believers today have been convinced by the lawless preachers that having God's command in their hearts is now 'out-of-fashion'; hence, they want to think of grace only:
Luk 15:20-22 KJV  .. (22)  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
When many traditional believers, old believers, or 'elder brothers' were tempted as they saw how God blessed the prodigal son, prospered him, and gave him the best robe (garment), they would want to be like him too. They did not read further or understand what God would say to them. They did not know that our Father would still want to clothe us with His garment (command):
Luk 15:29-32 KJV  And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends .. (31) And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.  (32)  It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
It means: When the elder son kept and did his father' commandment, he would always be with his father and he would have everything that the father has. He thought the best garment that his father gave to his brother was cool, but he had forgotten that the garment that he was wearing was the garment of glory and protection too. If he removed it, he would become the next prodigal son who lost his garment.

If we are already in the Father's house, why should we envy the 'prodigal sons' or those who may still need to find grace?
Today there are many 'prodigal sons' who have lost their garments. They may seem to prosper more; however, we should know that we are more blessed because we have not departed and removed our garment. We do not envy them just because they still have grace to find their garment back. Yes, today there is still grace for the 'prodigal sons' who have lost their garments. We can still see the 'picture' or illustration of the giving of forgiveness, blessings, and garments to them. But when grace expires, it will be another 'picture' - it would be a picture when they will stand speechless if they do not repent:
Mat 22:12-14 KJV  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.  (13)  Then said the king 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.  (14)  For many are called, but few are chosen.

Many will try to remove the parable of the Lord
They know that, if they want to remove the garment without feeling condemned or insecured, they must remove the parable of the Lord. To do that they will come up with many silly arguments:
1. Only one guest had no wedding garment?
So, they will argue, "But in the parable, only one guest was found without the garment. So, in the kingdom of God, everyone is saved, except one who is really rebellious or wicked. He could be someone like Judas Iscariot. We should preach the positive picture that everyone is saved."
I will ask them, Did you read v(14)? Many are called, but few are chosen. It means, Many are invited, but few will finally enter the kingdom of God. In the parable, of course, 'one guest' is a metaphor or illustration for a group of people or believers. It cannot be taken literally as one person. Please think, When Jesus talked about the prodigal son in His parable, does it mean that there is only one prodigal son, literally? Of course, no. Interpreting the Bible foolishly in this way to give false Bible assurance to the sinners who are desperate, distressed, or doubtful is never the way of God or the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must preach the truth with the Spirit of Christ; not the spirit of blindness, deceitfulness, or lawlessness.
2. The guest who came without the wedding garment was a sinner?
They will say, "In the parable, all the guests in the marriage supper or wedding were the believers who were saved. Only the guest without the wedding garment was not a believer. Since we are the believers, this parable can never be applicable to us. Stop reminding us about this 'garment' business .."
I will tell them, If the guest without the wedding garment was invited and he came for the wedding, this shows that he was 'almost' a believer and he was like the sinners of the world who rejected the gospel. Yes, strictly speaking, he may not be the true believers who have the garment; but he could be someone who think that he was the a true believer. If this was the case, it was serious enough to be a warning to all the present believers in the churches or the world.
3. The parable of the Lord was for the Jews only
Many could be so desperate that they will give us this silly argument: "The parable is obsolete. The parable is a done thing. It is no longer a prophecy or warning for us the future. It has happened historically when the Jews were gathered in their homeland and form the nation of Israel. Many Jews from the many different countries (from the highways and byways) were invited to come. But one or a few groups of the Jews who came were mixed in marriages with the Gentiles. Hence, there were the ones who did not have the 'wedding garments' .. .. etc.
I will ask them, How do you explain the beginning of the parable: "Mat 22:2 KJV  The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son .." Is this a physical event or spiritual event?

But Jesus will expose the false prophets in the end time
Of course, the lawless preachers may find many ways, convincing ways, noble ways, 'anointed' ways, 'spiritual' ways, or even 'gracious' ways, to nullify or remove the parable of the Lord, but we know what are their real motives or fruits? They are the false prophets who will rise in the end time to preach against the words of Jesus and work lawlessness, blindness, or deceitfulness:
Mat 7:14-23 KJV  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.  (15)  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  (16)  Ye shall know them by their fruits.. .. (20)  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  (21)  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  (22)  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  (23)  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat 7:23-24 LITV  And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; "depart from Me, those working lawlessness!" (24)  Then everyone who hears these Words from Me, and does them, I will compare him to a wise man who built his house on the rock;
Please read Mat 7:14 and Mat 7:22 again. Jesus said, ".. few there be that find it" and "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord .."
It means that many will not have the wedding garment.

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