by Chuck Ness
To get a proper understanding of the mindset that Jesus was in as He presented the parable of the ten virgins, one must go back to Matthew chapter 23, where he said,
“The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.” Matthew 23:2-4
Jesus was chastising the scribes and the Pharisees for pretty much being false followers of God who did terrible things to His Children. He told them they acted like they were self righteous, when in fact they were no better than whitewashed tombs with dead men’s bones inside. He explains that they rejected God by twisting the teachings of Moses. Like the time He accused them of being of their father the devil, He now tells them they are witnesses against themselves, because they are the sons of those who persecuted and murdered the prophets, and will do the same things to those who are and will follow in His name.
Mind you, in Jesus Christ we are all priests. So we can share the Good News and win souls for Christ, baptize them, and thus free them from the condemnation of the Law. Once the Jewish people learned there was no need for an unbelieving High Priest to sacrifice an animal for their salvation, the Religious leaders would lose their power over them. Thus they people would be free to worship God as Jesus leads them to. Like the Jews, we gentiles are free from the shackles of men who claim we need to go through them to reach God.
As an aside, just as Christ confronted the High Priests and the Pharisees for being hypocritical, so too did the reformation free men from the enslavement to the Catholic religious leaders of the dark Ages. Chapter 23, is the last time Jesus would confront the religious leaders until His arrest and crucifixion.
“for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say,
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!”
They had been put on notice that their time was up, and he literally kicked the dust off his sandals, just like He told his disciples to do if a house or city rejected them when He sent them out by twos in Matthew 10:14.
Now in chapter 24, Jesus goes on to explain how bad the last days will be, which He refers to as the “beginning of the sorrows” (vs 8). He then lists the tribulations, which many followers who come after them (the disciples) will suffer for His namesake. He also describes how the last days will be as the days of Noah were, when but only eight people made it through because their hearts were not prepared to meet the Lord. Like a house broken into because the owner was not prepared, so too will men be unprepared for Christ when he returns.
These five virgins with no oil were unprepared. Similar to how a thief of the night can break into a home and steal the valuables if the home owner is unprepared, so too can the evil one steal their chances of salvation if they are not spiritually sound. They did not have the full armor of God, they could not fight the devil and his desires, because without putting one’s trust into Christ, you are no better than the Seven sons of Sceva, who tried in the name of Jesus to cast demons out of a possessed man;
Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. Acts 19:16
If we do not have Christ in our hearts, if we do not have a relationship with the lover of our soul, if we are just faking it to get along like so many false Christian teachers do, or as the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes Jesus confronted in ch 23 were. Well, then we will not be ready, and instead we will be like the chaff that is tossed into the fire.
So now we get to chapter 25 and the Ten Virgins of Jesus parable, and before we continue, it must be stressed that nowhere in this parable, is the word bridesmaid or bridesmaids used. The original Koine Greek is virgins, not bridesmaids.
In chapter 25, Jesus starts by telling the Disciples what the kingdom of heaven will be like. By doing so, he actually describes who will be in the Kingdom, by contrasting them with those who will not be in heaven, and what the difference was between those who would end up in heaven and those who will not. After all, we know that the kingdom of God will be filled with only true believers. So now he is just distinguishing between the true believers and the false ones.
Mind you, we are all virgins until the marriage ceremony. Some went home before us, but others have not made it yet, because we must all first physically die. Those who died and made it to heaven are already married and thus are no longer virgins. As for the rapture, I will not use that in this analogy, because billions of Christians have lived before us who went home without such an experience and billions could live after us without experiencing such a moment.
Just so no one accuses me of being on either side, I am not saying I disagree, or agree with the doctrine of the Rapture. I just refuse to turn this commentary into a discussion over it, because I wish to dwell upon the importance the parable has on one’s salvation, should their day for departure from this World happen to come while walking to the store today. Or, if God decides to take you home via a snow plow running you over in the process of dashing across the street in a snow storm, your salvation can depend upon you understanding the message Jesus sharing in this parable.
Now try to divorce from your mind the human idea of what a marriage is supposed to be like. While there is no consummating of a marriage to Christ as we understand it in human terms of this World, there is a consummation that must take place in a spiritual sense. In legal terms, consummation is the signature that binds each party to an agreement. You did so when you signed the mortgage agreement, we also do so when we get with our new bride or groom after we are legally married. In our marriage to Christ, the consumption is the moment our Lord and Savior comes to bring us to His Kingdom, or His home if you will.
We always liken the Church as the bride of Christ, even though there is no direct quote ever stating so in the Scriptures. It has however become an accepted phrase in Christian doctrine. So that makes all Christians, His brides. Until then we are just virgins waiting for Him to accept us. Something He does by seeing the true intentions of our hearts, which only He and the Father can know. Our wedding is the day we leave this World, and enter into a marriage as His bride and an official member His Kingdom. If we are unworthy, then like a harlot who has no loyalty to any one man, we too will be rejected. It is our hearts that decide our destination. A heart that He will know.
Like a benevolent Ruler of a vast Kingdom, who has many wives. Until he approves of them by their loyalty and good characters, they are just concubines. That is why we read that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. 1Kings 11:3 700 women proved to be worthy of being his bride, the rest were just concubines. The 300 concubines were just there for the perks not the relationship. I know, it’s kind of weak, but it is the best example, and like slavery is an example of sin, it is also weak because in slavery so many are forced into it, yet it fits and that’s why the analogy is used.
So, while ten virgins await the arrival of the groom, only five of them looking for a true relationship. All true Christians must have a desire in their hearts to have an honest to God relationship with Christ to be considered one of His. While the other five are only there for the perks. Like the Israelites who committed harlotry by loving other god’s, while pretending they loved the One True God, they never fully committed to just one man. This question Jesus asked comes to mind,
But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will
show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug
deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose,
the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake
it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing
is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation,
against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.
And the ruin of that house was great. Luke 6:46-49
Now the part that ties it all together, is the Holy Spirit. Which is the oil for the lamps.
Throughout the Scriptures, anointing oil has been likened to an anointing from God, or rather the Spirit of God, which is the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 61:1 & Acts 10:38 The final the stage of us becoming a born again believer. The anointing by the Holy Spirit makes us as complete in Him as is possible until we are taken home to be in His very presence.
As Jesus pointed out in ch 23, the Pharisees claimed to follow the One true God, but refused to truly follow His teachings, because they were all about the power and possessions they could gain in this World, not what God had in store for them in heaven. Then they reject, and ultimately murdered His Son, like they did the prophets before. Finally they rejected the Holy Spirit, because time and time again God warned them by having the Holy Spirit spoken to them through the Scriptures they studied, and through men like Nicodemus who warned them to investigate the matter before condemning Jesus.
“Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” John 7:51
The lamp oil represents the Holy Spirit which each and every true believer of Christ has. If you are a true believer, you will always be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2 The five virgins who had no oil, did not have the Holy Spirit in them.
They are the ones the false teachers have led astray, making them believe they are saved, but the truth they shared was laced with just enough poison to lead their souls to hell instead of the kingdom of Heaven. The Pharisees Jesus confronted in ch 23 had the spirit of Satan, because they denied God’s Son. Just as these five virgins had the spirit of satan instead of God. These five virgins were not the anointed ones the Bridegroom was coming for
“Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” 1John 4:3
Consider the billions of people Worldwide who truly believe they are following the right Jesus. Just as the Pharisees believed they were following what the Law said. Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, etc. etc. etc. Paul was one. He was a good man. He thought he was doing as Moses told him to. After all, he was blessed. A Pharisee of Pharisees. He was so zealous for God, that he became a serial killer, tracking down evil men telling lies about his God. So he thought. That is until he had a visit by Christ on his way to persecute more Christians in Demascus. Acts 9:1-19
The Five virgins with no oil are the tares in the parable of Matthew 13:24-30. They were false followers of the True God. They are the weeds that grow up amongst the wheat, and will eventually be separated during the harvest. In an roundabout way, Jesus is describing their fate. They will not see salvation, instead they will be separated from the wheat, and tossed into the fire of damnation. Thus the last thing the virgins with no oil will hear is, “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.”(vs 12)
This parable is a great example of todays Church throughout the World. Sadly, not since the very early days, after Pentecost, has the church ever been a true representation of Jesus Christ. My heart weeps when I consider how shameful the church has represented Christ through the ages. A close examination of the ecumenical organizations like the World Council of Churches, along with the many questianable televison evangelists and what they all do in the name of Christianity is enough to make a one realize that Satan has gotten ahold of a large portion of the Christian churchs in the World.
Yet, just as God told Elijah that there was a remnant of true prophets who had not bowed to Baal, so too are there faithful followers of Christ throughout the whole church who are filled with the Holy Spirit. These five wise virgins, are our examples of how we should be prepared by having our hearts, minds, and souls prepared for when the Bridegroom comes. Jesus said to the church of Philadelphia, “thou has kept the word of my patience.” Revelation 3:10 There are those who are keeping true to the Word of God. And within the church itself there is a seperate true body of Christ.
So the Five wise virgins are representative of the true body of Christ. They were ready for Christ, and thus they were found worthy to be His bride as part of His Kingdom. Those who acting like the Pharisees Jesus confronted in ch 23, who are walking the walk only for the World to see, but are not truly living the life are woefully unprepared, because Christ knows the heart of all men, and that’s why the five virgins with no oil will be rejected.
The last part I will cover is a short response to anyone who may wonder about the foolish virgins heading out to purchase oil. Well once the Bridegroom shows up, its too late. If you are not saved by the time you are to be presented to Christ, there is no more time to do it. Thus the reason the door was closed when they returned. They, we, all of us need to prepared, because like a thief in the night who will not warn you he is coming, so too is the hour you will be taken away. So be prepared.
Many would rather dwell on the analogy of the parable being of the rapture and the end times. Ok, that is fine for them, but I usually stay away from end times scenarios. Mainly because no one knows the hour He will come. Should I be alive when a rapture happens, then I’ll be blessed, but to dwell on it loses the emphasis Christ wants us to dwell upon. Which is spreading the Gospel and teaching the sheep how to live a life that is acceptable to Christ.
As for me, instead of getting all tied up in the when, where, and how of the end, I would rather be prepared for the time a drunk driver may cross the centerline and thus send me to meet Christ a bit earlier than I expected. So unexpected I may leave this World, but when it comes time for me to meet the Bridegroom, I will have plenty of oil.
Leave a Reply