The Parable of the Ten Virgins
“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” (Matthew 25:1,2).
Jesus gave this parable right after the Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servant. He had also just given the prophecies regarding the destruction of the Temple, and the signs of the end times. Just as the Romans destroyed the Temple in AD 70, the signs of the end times He gave us will come about just as He said they would. In this Parable of the Ten Virgins, the Lord is teaching on the Rapture of the church.
The ten virgins represent those in the church. The lamps represent the light of the Gospel which is Christ and Him crucified. The Bridegroom going forth to meet the virgins represents Christ’s coming in the Rapture for His church. All ten had lamps, but five were wise and five were foolish.
“They who were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them” (V3).
These foolish virgins were religious but not born again. The oil represents the Holy Spirit Who brings us Salvation and “Newness of Life” by way of our repentance and faith in Christ and Him crucified. We cannot be saved by what we do. All our efforts are in vain if we have not been born spiritually.
“But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps” (V4).
As has been said, we need a continual flow of the Holy Spirit within our hearts. We must place our faith in Christ and His sacrificial death on Calvary daily to have the ongoing help of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:2). The Holy Spirit works in no other way. Our Christian life is one of faith in the proper object – Christ and Him crucified.
“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” (V5,6).
There is no negative conotation here. We are to go about our daily lives as we should with the expectation that the Lord could return at any moment. Though he tarries, we are to live our lives by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit with that anticipation. This verse speaks of our “Blessed Hope” – the Rapture of the church.
“Then all the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out” (V7,8).
The foolish virgins had approached the Lord by a false way. The correct way (represented here by the lamp), is by faith in Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary. The Holy Spirit (oil) will work in our lives to keep us on the right path. The foolish virgins in this parable represent those who are trusting in religion, what they do, to gain acceptance from the Lord. We cannot depend on our church, denomination, pastor, or anything else. We must go the way prescribed by the Lord. What is the work God requires? We are to believe in the One He sent Who payed the price for our sins and opened the way to Heaven through the born again experience.
“But the wise answered, saying, not so, lest there be not enough for us and you: but go yourself rather to them who sell, and buy for yourselves” (V9).
We must go to the Lord ourselves to receive of Him. The Lord is gracious and will freely give to all those who seek to walk with Him, but we must seek Him, and once we come to Him, remain in His way. We cannot seek from others what only the Lord can provide.
“And while they went to buy, the Bridegroom came; and they who were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and door was shut” (V10).
We are not promised tomorrow. The Scriptures tell us that today is the Day of Salvation. The coming of the Bridegroom took the five foolish virgins by surprise. They were not ready and they suffered great loss. This is a stern warning to the church of our day. The signs are all around us of the Lord’s soon return.
“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” (V11,12).
We must be ready at all times for the Lord’s return. As has been stated; there are many in churches today that are religious but have never been born again. There are also those who have been born again who have either lost their way or become lax in their walk with the Lord. Whoever these might be, they do not realize the lateness of the hour. If we have been born again we will go in the Rapture, but we do not want to be ashamed at the Lord’s Coming and have to stand before Him knowing that we had not served Him with all our heart in the life He has blessed us with. He died a horrible sacrificial death that we might have Eternal Life with Him.
We owe the Lord are very lives and His great love for us should spur us on to serve Him with all our heart. Again, the way, the only way, is faith in Christ and Him crucified on a daily basis with the Holy Spirit then providing the “oil” to keep us and give us victory in our lives. The Lord closes this parable with the following warning:
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh” (V13).
We are born again into a spiritual relationship with the Lord. And just like a natural relationship is must be maintained. The Lord has chosen to make faith the coin of the Kingdom. We are to walk by faith not sight. This is the requirement for a continued relationship with the Lord as we walk out this life. Some would argue that the “foolish virgins” were all unsaved, but we have many warnings in the Word of God regarding the possibility that if we turn away from having our faith in Christ and Him crucified we could be cutoff, or lost. Admittedly, this would not come about quickly, or easily for the Lord is patient and longsuffering with us. But whatever the condition of the five foolish virgins was, the fact is that the Lord said to them “I know you not.” I’ll close with a warning from the Lord Himself just prior to His crucifixion, He gave this warning to the Apostles who had been with Him throughout the entirety of His ministry.
“I Am the True Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman. Every branch (Believer) in Me (having Salvation) that beareth not fruit (by the oil of the Holy Spirit) He (the Father) takes away (loses his Salvation). (John 15:1,2 commentary mine)
Always Remember,
God Loves You!
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“I am the True Vine
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