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THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS - A VITAL TRUTH FOR TODAY!
The parable of the ten virgins given by Christ is a vital truth to understand in these last days and every single professed believer in Jesus Christ must be
stirred by the message given, because ALL ten virgins represent ALL believers in Christ who profess to be waiting for His return, just as all the virgins are 'waiting'
for the bridegroom in the parable. We know this because in verse 11 of Matthew 25, the foolish virgins call the 'bridegroom' (Jesus) "Lord, Lord." So
clearly, ALL of the virgins are the professed 'Church' of Christ.
This parable does NOT include the world of unbelievers. It is solely dealing with those who profess to be followers of Christ. Those professing to be 'waiting' for His return. This should make every professed believer sit up and take notice, because the foolish virgins are SHUT OUT of the wedding (kingdom of God).
Matthew 25:1-13 ...'Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 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. 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 gone 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. And 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. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.'
"The name 'foolish virgins' represents the character of those who have not the genuine heart-work wrought by the Spirit of God. The coming of Christ does NOT change the foolish virgins into wise ones." (The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Aug.19, 1890, pgr.8)
Please listen! Church 'pastors' and leaders today teach that Jesus WILL change our characters when He returns to KEEP the churches ASLEEP. Yet the Word of God says otherwise! The foolish virgins (professed believers) were NOT changed into wise virgins. They were eternally shut out and lost!
Just let that sink in for a moment. Pray about it. Ask for the Spirit of God to impress your heart and search your heart. The foolish virgins were NOT changed into wise 'perfect' virgins at the coming of the bridegroom (Christ). They RETAINED their unimproved faulty characters which they made little effort to change, and were SHUT OUT of the wedding (kingdom of God). And the book of Revelation comfirms this point when probation closes, look:
Revelation 22:11-12 ...'He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.'
Do you see? When probation closes, which Revelation 15:5-8 and Daniel 12:1 speaks of, which is BEFORE the actual return of Christ, if you are a foolish virgin, you will REMAIN a foolish virgin and be forever lost. Jesus will not change our characters when He returns. This is a work that must be performed NOW.
"Those who would be saints in heaven, must first be saints upon the earth; for when we leave this earth, we shall take our character with us, and this will be simply taking with us some of the elements of heaven imparted to us through the righteousness of Christ." (The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald; Review and Herald, Aug.19, 1890, pgr.9)
This should cause every believer to plead with God, saying the prayer of David ... "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24)
This is what TRUE faith should move us towards - a hatred of all sin and a hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God through Christ. But the foolish virgins do not have this true faith. What they have is presumption! It is presumption to say you have accepted the mercy of God in your life, but are not willing to walk in obedience to the will and ways of God. Presumption is the world's substitute for real faith. The wise virgins have a real faith that submits to the sanctifying power of Christ in their lives, thus they RECEIVE the 'oil' - the 'power' to discern truth and 'lighten' their paths, with grace and character transformation. The foolish virgins have mere presumption, which the apostle James and Jesus Himself calls "faith without works" (James 2:17, Luke 6:46, Matthew 25:31-46). Thus they receive no oil and are empty.
So let us look at the particulars of this parable. All of the virgins have 'lamps.' And what does the Word of God say is a 'lamp'? ... "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). It's interesting that Psalm 119 is the 'law' Psalm, the very thing that many professed believers try to do away with, and as it confirms, the Word of God is our 'lamp.' So ALL of the virgins HAVE a lamp, which therefore means they all HAVE the Word of God. But what are the foolish virgins without? Oil. And what does the oil represent? In Exodus 29:7 we have an example of Aaron being 'anointed with oil' for the service of high priest unto God. Then in Luke 4:18 Jesus repeats a prophecy from Isaiah saying ... "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel." Do you see the connection? The anointing of oil represented the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Thus, what were the foolish virgins without? The Holy Spirit.
The foolish virgins HAVE the Word of God, but they go to the wrong source for understanding. Let me give you an example of this problem today in the churches:
GOD says ... "I will put my laws into their hearts and minds and CAUSE THEM TO WALK IN MY WAYS" (Ezekiel 36:26-27, Hebrews 10:16-17).
Church leaders say ... "We CANNOT keep God's commandments in this life and we will CONTINUE to sin until Jesus returns."
Who do most people in the churches listen to? The church leaders, because most people in the above particular example believe the word of the pastor in agreeing that they can't get victory over all sin in this life and will continue to sin until Jesus returns. Thus, even though they 'have' God's Word which says He WILL cause us to sin no more if we allow Him, they distrust God and trust their own deceitful hearts, their pastors and brethren instead! Thus they are without oil - destitute of the Spirit of God just like the foolish virgins. The only way the Word of God and Christ Himself through the Spirit can become a sanctifying presence within our minds is by BELIEVING God's Word and SUBMITTING our lives to it in obedience.
So what is the difference between the wise and foolish virgins? The wise, in the fear of God, prayerfully study the scriptures to find out what is truth, rather than rely upon someone else to tell them. And they SUBMIT their lives to that truth, allowing the Holy Spirit, through the truth, to become a sanctifying presence that turns them away from the world and sin, unto righteousness:
John 17:17 ...'Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.'
2 Timothy 3:15-17 ...'And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.'
1 Timothy 4:13,15,16 ...'Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine ... Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.'
James 1:22 ...'But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.'
Romans 2:13 ...'For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.'
Are you getting the picture? The foolish virgins are those who simply 'heard' the Word but were not DOERS of the Word, because either they were deceived by their pastor and brethren, or the truth of God's Word did not fit with their OWN ideas and desires. God will only give His Spirit to those who humbly 'give themselves wholly' to the His Word and are 'doers' of His truth. This is why the wise virgins HAD oil in their lamps, because they gave themselves fully to the truth and thus God was able to work with them, giving them His Spirit to shine His light.
Without the sanctifying and enlightening Spirit of God, merely "having" the Word of God is of no avail. Jesus said in John 16:13 that it is the Spirit that guides us into all truth, and to Peter, when he declared his faith that Jesus IS the Son of God, Jesus said ... "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17). It is not the church preacher, leader, pastor who reveals truth to us. It is certainly NOT the pope or any other world leader. It is the Spirit of our Father in heaven which reveals truth to us. But what do the foolish virgins rely upon? The 'wisdom' of others, their pastors, church leaders, their brethren. They failed to gain a thorough understanding of God's truth through personal, prayerful, humble Bible study and they also failed in allowing God's Word to have a sanctifying effect upon their lives. Thus they are without oil! Without that character to stand the test, and without light to shine!
Another important feature of this parable is where it says the virgins 'trimmed their lamps.' What does it mean to trim a lamp? It means to trim the wick of the lamp which soaks up the oil to burn. Did you know that a wick that has already been burning contains impurities in the top black part? Also, if it is not trimmed, the flame will not burn smoothly or might be dim. So clearly, this represents us 'trimming' the impurities out of our lives, getting rid of the rubbish, so that our flames can burn more brightly.
Now did you notice in the parable that the foolish asked for some oil from the wise? Why didn't the wise give them some of their oil? Because the oil represents the Holy Spirit abiding within the wise virgins and their righteous character development. This cannot be 'borrowed' from anyone. It can ONLY be obtained through faith in Jesus Christ and personal earnest devotion to God and His ways. Now the reply from the wise and response of the foolish virgins is very telling.
"Go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And 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."
Who are those who 'sell' the 'oil'? The false teachers and pastors of the churches! But it is NOT the true oil.
The foolish virgins actually go and seek out the oil, NOT FROM CHRIST, but from their pastors, teachers, brethren who DECEIVED them with false teachings, false grace, a false gospel that spoke much of 'love', but had no sanctifying power to transform their lives into the image of Christ, and thus they are not ready for the bridegroom! THE DOOR IS SHUT! Probation has closed! The 'spiritual' harvest is done! All cases have been decided ready for the actual harvest, and the cry of the foolish virgins will be:
"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!!" (Jeremiah 8:20)
Oh I pray all will take a closer heed to this parable of the ten virgins, for it speaks much truth to us in these end times and gives a definite warning to all of God's professed people to make sure we do not fall into the camp of the foolish virgins. God has told us to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). We are NOT to rely upon our churches or pastors for truth or salvation. We are to work it ourselves, between us and Christ alone. And we are never to presume we are saved, while making no effort to right the wrongs in our lives, or doing works of love. We are to work out our salvation in fear and trembling. In fear of our own deceitful hearts. In the fear of God, which means to turn from all sin and seek righteousness (Psalm 34:11-16). Presumption, which the foolish virgins and much of 'Christianity' today are guilty of is not true faith. True faith is a faith that takes hold of God's Word, studies it, loves it, cherishes it, and in the faith of Jesus Christ, LIVES by it.
Revelation 3:18-19 ...'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. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.'
Revelation 14:12 ...'Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that KEEP the commandments of God, and the faith OF Jesus.'
For more truth, please see the following pages:
DUTY OF GOD'S PEOPLE IN THE DAY OF ATONEMENT AND IN VIEW OF THE TIME OF TROUBLE