Untitled Sermon (38)
10 virgins foolish
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).
Thought 3. The man who walks ignoring, twisting, misinterpreting, or denying the Lord’s return is walking by his senses—what he knows about the physical universe. He is walking as he senses things to be, not as God has revealed them to be.
CHAPTER 25
F. The Parable of the Ten Virgins: The Warning to Watch,1,2 25:1–13
(See Lu 12:35–37)
1. The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to ten virgins
2. The wise & foolish virgins (believers) attend the wedding
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
a. Five are wise; five are foolish
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
b. The foolish take no oil for their lamps: Do not prepare
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
c. The wise take oil for their lamps: Do prepare
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
3. The bridegroom delays: All are drowsy & fall sleepDS3,4
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
4. A great summons is made when the bridegroom comes
a. A surprise: Midnight
b. A cry: “Come—meet Him”
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
c. The awakening: To prepare their lamps5
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
d. The foolish discover their lamps are out: Frantic—beg for oil
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
e. The wise scarcely have enough for themselves
9 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.
5. The bridegroom returns & the gathers the wise, the prepared
6. The door is shut to the foolish, the unprepared
10 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.
a. The foolish cry for entry
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
b. The foolish will be rejected
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
7. The point: We must watch & expect the Lord’s return at any moment
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
F. The Parable of the Ten Virgins: The Warning to Watch, 25:1–13
(25:1–13) Introduction: the believer must watch for the Lord’s return, and he must be wise and not foolish in watching (see note—Mt. 24:42). This is the point of Jesus’ parable in this passage (v.13): the parable of the ten virgins, five foolish and five wise.
⇒ The bridegroom, of course, is Christ Himself.
⇒ The virgins are believers, all professors of religion. The five wise virgins are genuine believers; the five foolish virgins are false believers, those who have a false profession.
⇒ The lamps represent the lives, that is, the testimony, the witness, the heart, and the profession of the virgins (professing believers).
⇒ The oil is the provision of righteousness, the supply of the Holy Spirit that is to fill the lamps (lives) of the professing believers.
The parable is a dramatic picture of just what will happen to all professing believers, both the wise and the foolish, when the Lord returns.
1. The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to ten virgins (v.1).
2. The wise and foolish virgins (believers) attend the wedding (vv.1–4).
3. The bridegroom delays: All are drowsy and fall sleep (v.5).
4. A great summons is made when the bridegroom comes (vv.6–9).
5. The bridegroom returns and the gathers the wise, the prepared (v.10).
6. The door is shut to the foolish, the unprepared (vv.10–12).
7. The point: We must watch and expect the Lord’s return at any moment (v.13).
DEEPER STUDY # 1
(25:1–13) Wedding, Jewish: this event, so unlike what occurs in most countries, was a common custom among Jews. The wedding festivities, which lasted for a whole week, were centered in the home where the couple was to live. The bridegroom was allowed to show up at any moment and enter the house; but when he chose to come, he always sent a man ahead crying out, “Behold, the bridegroom comes.” This enabled everyone to prepare for his arrival. The bride had ten young ladies (virgins) who were always to be prepared to rush out and meet the bridegroom. In the event that he came at night, they were to have lamps ready so they could go out to light his path along the streets. This is the picture Christ was painting of His return.
DEEPER STUDY # 2
(25:1–13) Jesus Christ, Bridegroom—Great Marriage Feast: throughout Scripture the symbolism lying behind this parable involves three pictures.
1. Christ is pictured as the bridegroom.
“For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee” (Is. 62:5).
“And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast” (Mt. 9:15).
“He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled” (Jn. 3:29).
“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.… And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up: and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey” (Re. 10:7, 9).
“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Re. 21:2).
2. Believers and the church are pictured as the bride of Christ.
“For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee” (Is. 62:5).
“And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies” (Ho. 2:19).
“Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God” (Ro. 7:4).
“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones” (Ep. 5:30).
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Co. 11:2).
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Re. 19:7).
“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Re. 21:2).
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Re. 22:17).
3. The return of the Lord is pictured as a great marriage feast.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.… And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God” (Re. 19:7, 9).
“And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Re. 21:9; see outline and notes—Mt. 22:1–14).
1 (25:1) Kingdom of Heaven—Jesus Christ, Return: the word then refers back to the Lord’s return discussed in Chapter 24. He was saying, “Then [when the Lord returns] the kingdom of heaven shall be like ten virgins [believers].” Five are foolish and five are wise, and there is going to be a separation of the wise from the foolish. Note the kingdom of heaven does not refer only to the perfect state of being in the future; it also refers to the present imperfect state of religion in the church (see DEEPER STUDY # 3—Mt. 19:23–24; see Mt. 13:1–58).
When Christ returns, something will be clearly seen—the foolish within the kingdom, those who have a false profession within the church and religion, shall be separated from the wise, “Watch therefore” (v.13).
2 (25:1–4) Parable: there are wise and foolish virgins or believers who attend a wedding. Christ says three things about them.
a. The ten virgins (all professing believers) take their lamps (lives or testimonies) and go forth to meet the bridegroom. All believers take their lives and go forth, professing a testimony that they live for Christ and look to Christ. All professing believers (whether genuine or just religionists and church people) go forth to meet the Lord. However, as they go forth some (five) are wise and some (five) are foolish.
b. The foolish virgins (believers) take no oil except what they already have in their lamps (lives). They have no provision of righteousness beyond themselves, beyond their own righteousness. They have no supply of the Holy Spirit.
“He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Mk. 7:6).
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders” (Mk. 7:21).
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Ro. 3:10).
c. The wise virgins (believers) take oil; they do not depend upon what they have in their lamps (lives). As they go forth through life to meet the bridegroom (Christ), they lay hold of additional oil, the provision of righteousness, the supply of God’s Spirit.
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Co. 5:21).
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Co. 11:2).
“These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Re. 14:4).
Thought 1. The main duty of the virgins (believers) is to meet and light the path for the bridegroom.
Thought 2. Note: there was no visible difference between the virgins. They all had lamps, and they were all called to participate in the marriage feast. The lack of provision by the foolish could not be seen until the Bridegroom actually came.
Thought 3. How foolish! To depend only on the oil in one’s lamp or life. No one has enough oil, enough righteousness, to make himself perfect, that is, to make himself acceptable to God.
Thought 4. When Christ comes, He must find righteousness in a person if that person is to be allowed in God’s presence. A man must be a “partaker of the Divine nature” by faith (2 Pe. 1:4). (See DEEPER STUDY # 2, Justification—Ro. 4:22; 5:1.)
3 (25:5) Jesus Christ, Return: Christ said an interesting thing. There is a long delay before the bridegroom came and all the virgins slumbered and slept—not just the foolish virgins, but all the virgins slumbered and slept.
a. The idea is that this bridegroom waited much longer than was expected. The virgins had lit their lamps expecting him any moment, but he never came. As they waited and waited, the night wore on and on.
In the eyes of many, the Lord’s return has lingered and lingered, well beyond what many have thought and taught (see 2 Pe. 3:3–4, 9–10).
b. All the virgins slumbered and slept. Not just the foolish slept, but the wise slept as well (see DEEPER STUDY # 3,4—Mt. 25:5). This is true throughout life. Even the wise grow weary and find it difficult to stay awake and alert, to stay at peak performance all the time. No believer, whoever he is, walks anywhere as close as he should. The world is too dark and the darkness too heavy for the believer to see enough light so that he can always be victorious over the pull of heavy eyelids.
⇒ His body is too weak to be always laboring.
⇒ His mind is too undeveloped to be always concentrating.
⇒ His energy is too limited to be always driving.
⇒ His spirit is too young to be always sacrificing.
⇒ His motives are too self-centered to be always walking unselfishly.
“Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mk. 13:35–37).
“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (Jn. 4:35).
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Ro. 13:11).
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Co. 15:58).
“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Col. 3:23).
“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Th. 5:6).
“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” (2 Ti. 1:6).
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest” (Ec. 9:10).
Thought 1. Christ has delayed His coming longer than many thought He would. Why? Only God really knows, but Scripture does give some indication.
(1) God’s purposes have to be completely fulfilled.
(2) “The time of the Gentiles” has to be completely fulfilled.
(3) God’s love must be fully demonstrated, apparently to a certain number of people. A certain number of people apparently have to be saved before Christ returns.
(4) The gospel must first be preached “in all the world for a witness to all nations” (Mt. 24:14).
(5) The harvest must be ripened and then fully gathered.
(6) The sufferings of Christ must be completely filled up (see note—Col. 1:24).
(7) God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish (2 Pe. 3:9).
