THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS!

SOME PRELIMINARY THOUGHTS ON

THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VERSIONS!

(All Scripture is based upon my understanding of the KJV.)

WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT HYPOCRISY!

The life of a born again believer is filled with much irony.  The world has convinced most genuine believers that they are being hypocrites when they sin, and yet, the Word says we will continue to sin until we are face-to-face with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (see Romans 7:15-25; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54; 1 John 1:8-10; 3:1-2).  We are not being hypocrites; we are being human; we are still in this body which fights our spirit every inch of the way!  That is why the offering for the Feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, is two loaves of bread containing leaven, the symbol of sin in the Bible (Note: The Church is composed of two groups of imperfect but saved individuals:  Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ - see Leviticus 23:14-17; Acts 2:1-47; 10:9-48).  The Apostle Paul wrote:

Galatians 1:6-7; 3:1-3 - I marvel that you are so soon removed from him (I) who called you into the grace of Christ (grace, unmerited favor, not religious works - see Ephesians 2:8-9) unto another gospel:  which is not (really) another; clearly there are some who trouble you, and who pervert the Gospel of Christ. . . . O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whom Jesus Christ has been clearly presented as crucified?   This only would I learn of you:  Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith?  Are you so foolish; having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?

The parable itself, is based upon the traditional Jewish Wedding Story.  The engagement of a Jewish couple was unlike an engagement today; it was a legally binding agreement, requiring a bill of divorcement to break to covenant.  Following the agreement, the prospective groom would go to prepare a dwelling place for his bride.  When his father approved the finished dwelling, he would give permission for his son to go get his bride and bring her to her new home.  The bride's attendants waited with her until her groom came for her.  In this parable, half of those in her entourage were prepared for the return of the groom, and the others were not. 

THE PARABLE:

Matthew 25:1-12 - Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who 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 saying, Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go 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 have gone out.  But the wise answered saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you:  but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage:  and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE PARABLE:

The Groom is Jesus, The Lamb, and the bride is believing Jews and believing Gentiles or the Church (see Revelation 21:9-14).  The oil is the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38). and the lamps are the Word of God (Psalm 119:105), the source of light.  The virgins may very well be the remnant of the nation of Israel:  half are genuine believers, having the Holy Spirit due to believing the Gospel, and half are merely religious, having the Word of God, but having no oil; like the Church of the Laodiceans, Jesus stands outside their lives waiting for them to invite Him in (Revelation 3:20). 

To be quite honest, I am guessing!  I have heard so many different interpretations of this very complex parable, I don't feel totally confident in any of them.  Ironically, the Lord used this very parable to bring me to Him.  I, an alcoholic atheist, picked up a Bible on a whim, and thought, this ought to be good for a laugh.  I was amazed at the beauty of the writing, and told my wife the next morning, a Sunday, about reading it.  She almost fainted!  I no sooner told her about it, when a preacher on TV stated, My message this morning is on Matthew 25, the Parable of the Ten Virgins!  I was in shock.  After listening to three sermons in a row, I fell to my knees on the floor and surrendered myself to Jesus.  I immediately knew three things were true:  my sins were gone; the Bible was the Word of God; and that I was to prepare for ministry (Bible college and seminary were not completed for twenty years, but God sent me to pastor a little Kentucky church at the age of 48; I was 28 the day I got saved:  January 31st, 1971!

ACCEPT JESUS AS YOUR LORD TODAY;

AND PRAISE GOD WITH ME FOREVER!