| Brothers and Sisters, (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. As we read and study over the parable of the 10 virgins, it is evident that the return of the bridegroom (Jesus) is near. All 10 of these virgins went forth to meet the bridegroom. They all had in common that they were virgins which means they were morally pure. Even though they all looked pretty much the same on the outside, Jesus said 5 of them were wise and 5 were foolish. What made the difference? The 5 foolish virgins went forth to meet the bridegroom with their lamps and took no oil with them whereas the 5 wise virgins took oil in their vessels along with their lamps. The “oil” in this parable is representative of the Holy Ghost. The 5 wise virgins had the Holy Ghost with them as they awaited the arrival of the bridegroom while the 5 foolish virgins waited without having the Holy Ghost. This is a picture of those in the church today that have been born again as compared to those who have not received salvation. They both look the same on the outside, but the difference is found on the inside. When Jesus returns, He will only be taking those with Him who have received the Holy Ghost in salvation. Only the saved ones will make up the bride. As these 10 virgins were waiting for the bridegroom, we see they all slumbered and slept. This is a picture of the modern day church that has fallen asleep at the wheel when we should be wide awake with anticipation for our Lord’s return. As they slept, a cry was made at midnight, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him”. All 10 virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. Now it became obvious the difference between the wise and foolish virgins. The 5 foolish virgins began frantically searching for some oil to put in their lamps. They even tried to talk the wise virgins out of some of their oil. We know that the gift of the Holy Spirit is not ours to give. We can only point others to the one who can give them eternal life. The wise virgins instructed the foolish ones where to go and get oil for their lamps, but while they were gone the bridegroom cometh and closed the door. There is coming a day when the door of opportunity and the door of salvation will be closed. When this happens it will be too late for our family, friends and loved ones to be saved. The lost will hear Jesus say in that day, “I know you not”. What a terrible thing to think about. I believe God has given us this period of grace to get as many people as we possibly can to come to Jesus for salvation. We all should heed the admonition that Jesus gave at the end of this parable. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Our Lord is coming soon and when He comes only those wise servants that have the Holy Ghost living within will be prepared. Don’t be one of the foolish one’s waiting for the return of the Lord without any oil (Holy Ghost) in your vessel, but be wise as you wait on the Lord. Be certain that you have the oil in your vessel, so that you will be prepared when the Lord returns. | |
