125 - The Parable of the Ten Virgins#
125 - The Parable of the Ten Virgins
(JP Text Group - Organized by Happy Angel)
Matthew 25:1-13:
1 At that time, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them; 4 the wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 At midnight, the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. The door was shut. 11 Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ 12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank You! Here through Your words, let us know our Lord Jesus more deeply. We are like the virgins preparing ourselves, waiting for the return of our Lord Jesus. Lord, give us a heart that is alert, prayerful, and obedient, so that in these last days, we can see that our Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon. We are willing to be Your bright lamps, shining to bring more people before our Lord Jesus, so that their lives may be preserved in You. Especially lead every brother and sister who comes seeking You, remove all their burdens, let them enjoy rest in You, and completely entrust this time to the Holy Spirit to personally guide each one of us. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray! Amen!
We should not be like the foolish virgins but become wise virgins. In the Palestinian countryside, weddings are very festive events, and the whole village comes to accompany the newlyweds into their new home. They walk the longest route in the village. In our country, weddings are similar; in the countryside, the bride's family is here, and the groom's family is over there, a straight line that takes just a few minutes, but they have to take a long detour. Why? To let the whole village know that they are getting married. To receive more congratulations.
Jews from sixteen to sixty years old will follow the sound of drums in the wedding procession. Weddings are celebrated with drumming. At this time, the rabbis will show leniency; they have a very stern face, and those Pharisee rabbis are very rigid, strictly adhering to the Bible, but on the wedding day, they will temporarily set aside the study of the law to attend the wedding feast. Temporarily setting aside the law to attend a joyful wedding feast, isn’t that wonderful!
The key point of this story is to be familiar with Jewish wedding customs. If you do not understand Jewish customs, you cannot unravel this passage of scripture. In Palestine, after a couple gets married, unlike us who immediately go on a honeymoon, they stay at home and open their new house for a week, allowing everyone to eat, drink, and play, and then bless them.
Isn’t that great? We Chinese do not know if there is a week, at most three days. In Israel, it is a week where you can eat and drink for free at the newlyweds' home. They provide everything. How do others see the newlyweds? In the records of the rabbis, they treat the newlyweds like princes and princesses and call them as such. They have a noble status, and the whole village refers to them as princes and princesses. This is the happiest week of their lives. During this week of celebration, all invited friends spend time in the new house with them.
Before the wedding feast begins, the groom comes to pick up the bride, and the bride must wait for the groom to arrive. No one knows when the groom will come; he can decide when to come. Before he arrives, the bride has to wait at home. He might come that night, the next day, or even two weeks later. No one knows exactly when the groom will come.
The groom may arrive suddenly, sometimes at midnight, and people will shout: If you come at midnight, you must shout in the street, ‘The groom is coming! Hurry out to meet him!’ Someone must shout; otherwise, no one will know they have arrived. This can happen at any time. As the bride, you must always be ready to go out to meet the groom.
Another point is that after dark, if a person does not carry a lantern, they are not allowed to go out. After the groom takes the bride to his home, the door is shut. Latecomers are not allowed to enter. This is a local marriage custom in Israel. This is not a forced or fabricated story but a true scene of village life in Palestine. To unravel this passage of scripture, one must have a very familiar understanding of marriage customs; otherwise, it cannot be understood. Why do they marry at midnight? Why are the brides so sleepy while the groom still comes to disturb her? This is a local custom.
In this parable, who do the ‘virgins’ refer to? They refer to those in the world who wish to enter the kingdom of heaven. Their responsibility is to welcome the groom. According to Jewish customs, the groom and his friends go to the bride's house to pick her up and then return to the groom's house to host the guests. The responsibility of the virgin brides is to hold torches and enter the wedding banquet with the groom, dancing with the torches to celebrate the wedding. To accomplish this task, they must prepare enough olive oil.
At that time, there were no electric lights or flashlights; they tied a piece of cloth to wood, soaked it in olive oil, and the torch could burn for fifteen minutes before going out. After it goes out, oil must be poured back onto the torch to relight it. So, it is essential to prepare oil. The torch can only burn for fifteen minutes; it cannot burn continuously.
The groom refers to Jesus Christ, and each of us is the bride. Don’t say I am a brother; it is the same; this is a metaphor! For example, if Jesus is coming to take us back, the wedding banquet is already prepared, and He will take us to the banquet. This is something all Christians understand. We are now waiting for Jesus to take us. When Jesus came the first time, He said: I go to prepare a place for you.
After it is prepared, He will come to take you. In my house, there are many rooms; do not worry. Everything is free. If Jesus came now, are we prepared? Are we ready? Do you think Jesus can take you away? The virgins here symbolize all who wish to enter the kingdom of heaven. Why are there ‘ten’ virgins? Does a man marry ten wives? No.
Some say the ten virgins refer to bridesmaids. ‘Ten’ is a complete number in the Bible, meaning: God’s Son Jesus wants all who wish to enter the kingdom of heaven to be saved. Everyone is a complete number; as long as you are willing to enter the kingdom of heaven, Jesus has prepared a way for you. He is willing to come and take you into the wedding banquet. ‘Ten’ is a complete number, representing that God’s salvation is complete and is for everyone. Do not say that your salvation has never been given to me, that I have not been chosen, and how can I enter? No, salvation has already been given to everyone.
2 Corinthians 11:2: For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
This is what Paul tells us. We have already been promised to Jesus. You are now Jesus’ person; you must believe this! Presenting as a pure virgin to Christ is very important here. A pure virgin refers to: this woman only follows Jesus and is not like those chaotic women who love Jesus and also love other gods, loving this and that. That is not a pure virgin; it refers to our faith being unique, Jesus being the only Savior. You cannot say that Buddha is also a Savior and Jesus is also a Savior. No, there is only one; you can only be promised to one husband.
Here it mentions that ten virgins took lamps to meet the groom. This is a state of all of us. Everyone wants to enter the kingdom of heaven. Buddhism also talks about entering the Pure Land, which is also a kind of kingdom of heaven. Taoism tells you to cultivate, cultivate, cultivate, until you can enter what realm. In Christianity, we tell you to go to the kingdom of heaven, holding a ‘lamp’. What does this lamp refer to? Why must you carry a lamp? If you unravel this lamp and oil, this passage of scripture will have no difficulty. What does the lamp refer to? Faith? The word of God? If you want to unravel the Bible, you must find the answer in the Bible. Some people misinterpret the Bible, interpreting it however they want; it is not like that; the Bible cannot be interpreted casually!
Why do we say ‘the lamp is the word of God’? Let’s read this passage of scripture: Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
At night, people need to carry a lamp to illuminate the path ahead, so the word of God is the lamp for every Christian. If you do not have the word of God, how do you know how to enter the kingdom of heaven? Do you know where Jesus is? If this Bible were not left for you, where would you find God? You simply cannot find God. Many people know the word of God; now what does this word refer to? It refers to the Bible, the word of God.
Is everyone carrying a lamp? Can those carrying lamps all enter the kingdom of heaven? Believers in this dark generation need God’s lamp, need God’s word. Amen! In this world, many times we hear negative information. In the morning, we open the news to see where someone has died, which country has gone to war again, the economy has fallen again, or some school has had children killed. We hear a lot of negative information and think there is no hope.
But in Christ, God tells you: “Wherever you go, do not be afraid, for I am with you.” Isn’t that our lamp? This lamp can also refer to the testimony of Christians. We hope to live with God’s lamp, especially in darkness, hoping for God’s word. What does darkness refer to?
Darkness refers to the lowest points in our lives when we see no hope. The word of God is your hope. Christians may have weaknesses, but they will not stay down. Because the word of God will again illuminate the path ahead of them, the life of a Christian is from darkness to light, and it becomes brighter until noon.
Philippians 2:15-16, because today’s message is very special, there will be many scriptures to explain:
15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation,” and you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.
Our world is like a race. Some people go through their whole lives, but their lives are in vain. Who are the people? Are those who do not believe in the Lord also laboring and troubled? Are they also struggling in the world? After they die, will God remember what they did in the world? No, brothers and sisters, you must remember: If you do not believe in Jesus, God does not remember your suffering, your labor, and your troubles.
To be blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation,” you are God’s blameless children in God’s eyes. You are blameless and must shine in this generation. This generation is dark; people do not trust each other, and there are intrigues.
You must shine like bright lights; light is needed even more in darkness. You must make God’s way known. Amen! Thank God! When we do this to make God’s way known, we are witnessing Jesus Christ. Our lives are not in vain; nothing you do for the Lord Jesus is in vain. All the suffering and persecution you endure for the Lord Jesus will be remembered by Jesus. Amen! Or when we offer for the Lord, some people do not understand, but God will understand you and remember everything you have given for Him.
Earlier, it was mentioned that among the ten virgins, five were foolish. The meaning of foolish is: stupid, silly, lacking wisdom. What kind of person does God see as foolish? A person who does not know Him is foolish.
Romans 1:21: For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.
There are many clever people in the world, but they are self-proclaimed wise. We tell them: “Believe in Jesus; Jesus can solve all your problems.” They respond, “What can Jesus give me to eat or drink? Can money fall from the sky?” They think they are very clever, right? “Do I not have to work? Will God drop pies for me?” People will question us. Do they know God? In fact, many people know Jesus, but they choose not to believe, saying, “They do not glorify God.” They know God but do not honor Him; they give glory to themselves.
I want to ask brothers and sisters a question: Are all those who come to church saved? Are all those who have the word of God saved? No, many people come to church, hear the word, and know that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead three days later. Knowing this does not mean they are saved, does it? Not necessarily, unless they believe!
Why are these people foolish? Although they know God, these five foolish virgins are also waiting for the groom to arrive. In this world, many people are unwilling to believe in Jesus but want to enter the kingdom of heaven. No one wants to go to hell; everyone wants to enter the kingdom of heaven. They know God but do not honor Jesus as God or give thanks to Him.
Because of this reason, their thoughts become futile, meaning all are useless. Their foolish hearts become darkened; their hearts are unwilling to pursue God and unwilling to believe in Him. They claim to be wise; some people are indeed very clever, saying, “Isn’t everything today earned by my efforts? I do not believe this is given to me by your God; I do not believe in your God; He is willing to give glory to Himself.” So, he is a foolish person. The foolish person is the same as the ‘foolish man’ in Proverbs. What is a foolish man?
Proverbs 14:15-16:
15 The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps. 16 The wise fear the Lord and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.
What is a foolish person? They believe anything; if someone tells them to believe in Jesus to enter the kingdom of heaven, they say okay. If someone tells them to believe in Buddha to enter the kingdom of heaven, they also say okay. They believe both; if you tell them a third thing, they will believe that too. I once met such a person; I said, “Believe in Jesus.” He said, “I believe.” “I believe whatever you say.” I was speechless; is he really believing? He believes in everything, just like I used to. When I encountered difficulties in the past, I worshiped every god; wasn’t that clever? Absolutely clever. I worshiped this god and that god, not wanting to miss any, in case one of them could help me; that was my thinking at the time. Many people have this kind of thinking; they believe in everything, including Jesus. In reality, they believe in nothing.
A foolish person believes everything; if you tell them, “God bless you,” they say Amen. If you say, “God will curse you,” they say Amen. If you say, “God will add sickness to you,” they say Amen. Do they believe everything? No, we must become prudent and wise. A wise person fears and shuns evil. Amen! A true Christian who believes in Jesus is someone who stays away from evil; they are not hotheaded and self-assured. The five wise ones, what does it mean to be wise? Is it self-proclaimed wisdom? The Bible mentions the five wise virgins; what do they refer to?
Psalm 111:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
What is a wise person? A person who understands the fear of the Lord. These people are wise; if you do not fear God, your wisdom is self-deception. “All who follow His precepts are wise.” What are God’s commands? Jesus accurately tells us in the New Testament: Love one another, serve one another, bear with one another, and forgive one another. Those willing to follow such commands are wise. Wise people will always praise our God and will not say, “I did this or that.” That is self-deception; truly wise people will say, “My God did this or that.” Amen!
Anyone who simply believes in God’s word is a wise person. Many people do not fully believe in God’s word; they will say, “This might be correct.” Or they might say, “I think what the Bible says here is not quite right.” Are there such people? “I think what the Bible says here is not quite right; why must women obey men?” They think this is wrong.
They feel that God does not understand what our generation is like, or when the Bible says to obey those in authority, they say, “Why should I obey? Those people are corrupt and greedy; why should I obey them?” It seems as if our God is useless, as if He has no wisdom. Many people even say, “There is no need to gather; just listen to the sermon at home. The internet is so developed; why must we go to church?”
Brothers and sisters, is this not self-deception? Does God not know there will be the internet? Does God not know there will be computers, and many pastors will preach on computers? But the Bible says: “Do not give up meeting together,
Hebrews 10:25, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
When you know that day is near. What day? The day of Jesus’ return is near; you should encourage one another and support each other even more. Our God knew what would happen before the creation of the world; we just do not know. Do you know what will happen in a hundred years? But God knows. Amen!
In David’s generation, God knew we would have the internet and computers, and many sermons could be heard on computers, but God still says: You must be a wise person. Do not question God’s word; do not hold onto the thought of ‘but I think this is wrong’; this kind of thinking is wrong. We become foolish. We must become wise; God’s word is never wrong. Amen!
Verse 3 and 4 mention: The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil.
It was particularly mentioned earlier that the lamp needs to be poured with olive oil every fifteen minutes; if there is no oil, the torch cannot burn. The foolish ones are foolish because they did not prepare oil. Why did they not prepare oil? They clearly knew it would go out after fifteen minutes but did not prepare oil.
Brothers and sisters, many people know the Bible and have God’s word, or many people have heard God’s word. Does hearing God’s word mean they can be saved? Preparing oil, what does this “oil” refer to? The Holy Spirit, congratulations, you got it right! Is there a scriptural basis for this? Why is the Holy Spirit referred to as oil?
Let’s look at a verse from Leviticus 8:10-12:
10 Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated them. 11 He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its stand to consecrate them. 12 He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.
Brothers and sisters, in the Old Testament, the anointing oil was used to consecrate a person to become God’s person. In the Old Testament, priests, kings, and prophets could not become prophets or kings casually; they had to be anointed by someone. The anointing oil must be poured on their heads. There is a song that sings: The anointing oil poured on Aaron’s head flows down to his beard and then flows down to his garments, filling the house with fragrance. Is this referring to anointing oil? Yes, it is olive oil.
The scripture we just read shows that Moses used the anointing oil to consecrate all the utensils. Pouring the anointing oil on Aaron’s head consecrated him. What does holiness mean? Holiness is absolutely not about having good behavior or having no flaws… that is not it; holiness means “set apart.”
God sets you apart from the world for Him; you are holy. These utensils are normal utensils; why is a table a holy table? Because it has been set apart, used only for worshiping God. Is this piano holy? Because it has been set apart from the pianos of the world. There are many piano training classes upstairs; can that piano be holy? No, only this piano is holy because it has been set apart from other pianos.
Why are you holy? Because God has set you apart from others; that is why you are holy. Hallelujah! So holiness is being set apart.
Earlier, it was mentioned that in the Old Testament, to be consecrated, anointing oil must be poured. In the New Testament, have you been anointed with oil? No, I ask you, are you holy? How to be set apart? On the day you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit enters you, and because the Holy Spirit enters you, you are separated from the world.
You are no longer a dead person; in Jesus, you are a resurrected person, you are a new creation, Hallelujah! In the New Testament, we no longer use oil to consecrate someone; under the New Covenant, it is the Holy Spirit that separates us. If you have the Holy Spirit inside you, you are without blemish, you are a child of God, and you will be taken away in the future. If there is no Holy Spirit, even if you have good behavior, God will say, “I do not know you.” Thank the Lord!
In the Book of Acts, it tells us multiple times that when we accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes upon those people, and those people are saved. Thank God! This is why we say the Holy Spirit refers to that oil. Even if you have the Bible, if you do not believe, and you do not have the Holy Spirit inside you, God will not recognize you. You have God’s word but do not believe; you are still not saved. Therefore, the five foolish ones had God’s word but did not have oil; God does not recognize them.
There is a passage of scripture that needs to be explained, a very important passage:
Hebrews 6:4-9:
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss, they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end, it will be burned. 9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation.
The people referred to here are ‘enlightened.’ What kind of person is ‘enlightened’? Anyone who comes to church and hears the word once is illuminated by God. Whether you believe or not, at least you have been influenced by the word. Just like when we evangelize to others, regardless of whether the person believes or not, if you tell them the word of God, “Believe in Jesus and you will have eternal life,” even if they do not believe, they have still been illuminated. This is the power of God’s word; you cannot say you have not heard; they just do not believe. Hearing but not believing means they have already been illuminated.
“About those who have been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift.”
What does “the taste of the heavenly gift” mean? It means they know God’s grace. For example, some people get sick and come to church, saying, “Heal me, and I will believe.” The pastor prays for him, and this person gets healed. Afterwards, when asked to come to the gathering, he says, “I am busy now; I have no time.” Has he tasted the heavenly gift? But true faith is not based on this; it is about being willing to accept Him as your life’s Savior regardless of your physical condition, unwavering. That is true faith. Amen!
‘Lord, if you heal me, I will believe in you; if you do not heal me, I will not believe in you; if you do not bless me, if you do not let me prosper financially, I will not believe in you.’ Such a person only wants to taste the heavenly gift and is not a true believer.
“And who have shared in the Holy Spirit” means: The Holy Spirit has worked in them. Those who accept Jesus do not say they ‘share in the Holy Spirit’; rather, the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. It is not a matter of sharing. What does it mean to share in the Holy Spirit? For example, if you come to our church for the first time and hear the name of Jesus for the first time, I tell you that Jesus loves you. If you accept Him, He will give you all His blessings and give you His life freely. This person thinks, “Wow, this Jesus is wonderful!” He can reach such a conclusion, which means he has already shared in the Holy Spirit; it is the Holy Spirit knocking on his door.
Just like in Revelation: Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
This is the Holy Spirit knocking on your heart through this word. Are you willing to open? If you are willing to open, Jesus will enter you, and you will be saved! You are no longer sharing in the Holy Spirit; rather, the Holy Spirit dwells in you.
“Tasted the goodness of the word of God,” they say believing in Jesus is great. They do not know why, but after coming to church, they feel relaxed and comfortable. They have tasted the goodness of the word of God; they say, “I find this place different from the world; this place has special power, but I cannot explain it.” This means they have tasted the goodness of the word of God.
“And who have come to know the power of the age to come,” refers to them knowing that death is not the final conclusion; there is judgment after death. These people already know and have heard these words. But are such people saved? Let’s take a look; I will read these continuously to see if this person is saved.
“About those who have been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, tasted the goodness of the word of God, and come to know the power of the age to come.”
Are they saved? First, let’s look at the first type; if these are the ones who are recognized as saved, let’s see what the final outcome is. The third to last line says, “In danger of being cursed, their end will be burned.” If he is saved, how can the end be burning? If he is saved, how can the end be in hell? No, let’s look further; why is it said that he is not saved? It has already been said a lot; he seems to know God very well, knows the Holy Spirit, knows about the death and resurrection, and knows there is a coming age. “If they fall away” proves that he never believed!
“It is impossible to bring them back to repentance.” Some use this verse to scare believers, saying that even if you are saved, if you sin and do not repent, you will not be able to be brought back to repentance. Because you are crucifying the Son of God all over again, you are openly humiliating Him. Some people may have heard such teachings and are scared to death, wondering if they are saved. Just behave well. Otherwise, you think you can be saved? No way. If it is said that salvation is based on behavior, which person can be saved? Is there one? Not a single one.
So much has been said; why can’t this person be brought back to repentance? Because this person never accepted Jesus, so he is unwilling to repent. You ask him to repent again; will he? No, because he is crucifying the Son of God all over again, meaning he is humiliating Him!
Many people pray like this: “Lord, please go to the cross again to cleanse my sins.” It is as if Jesus’ crucifixion two thousand years ago did not cleanse you, and you want to pull Jesus down from heaven to incarnate and go to the cross again today, again tomorrow, and again the day after tomorrow. Come again every day! Such a person does not understand God’s principles; he does not understand the truth and has not accepted the truth. Therefore, God says, for such a person, how can you bring him back to repentance? He cannot repent, just like a piece of land that has received rain many times but produces ‘thorns and thistles.’
Brothers and sisters, if a piece of land grows thorns and thistles, it proves that there is a problem with the seed. It is impossible for you to plant an apple seed and have peaches grow out of it. Such a situation will never occur. It means that the seed itself is good, but when received, it was received incorrectly, resulting in thorns and thistles. The end of thorns and thistles will definitely be burned.
“Dear brothers, even though I say this, I am convinced of better things in your case—things that have to do with salvation.”
This phrase has stumbled countless believers. You see, “I am convinced that your actions are better than these, close to salvation.” Being close to salvation means almost saved, just a little bit away from being saved. Brothers and sisters, are we people who are almost saved?
There are only two types of people in this world: saved and unsaved. Is there anyone who is almost saved? How can such a person exist? In God’s eyes, does He say, “I see you are almost saved”? What kind of state can we distinguish? There are only two types of people: the righteous and the wicked, the believers and the unbelievers. Is there anyone who is almost believing? Such a person is definitely an unbeliever. Amen!
Just like we have talked before, is a person who is not dead fully dead or alive? How can there be such a person? A person who is almost believing, is he a believer or an unbeliever? An unbeliever. Amen!
Let me read the original text, and you will understand the last sentence: “Dear brothers, even though I say this, I am convinced that you possess goodness and salvation.”
The original text does not have “close to salvation”! The meaning expressed in the original text is: Although I tell you this, I am convinced that you possess goodness, which goodness is from God, and possess salvation. The Chinese Bible also translates this, and indeed many translations have problems. We will point out these scriptures to everyone, especially those that differ greatly from the Chinese; I will explain them so that we can easily understand the meaning expressed in the original text.
Continuing on, these five foolish virgins did not prepare oil, which actually means they did not have faith. When the midnight cry rang out: “The groom is coming! Go out to meet him!” those virgins got up to trim their lamps. Did the groom arrive late?
Verse 5 says, “The bridegroom was a long time in coming.”
Was he late? He was late. Brothers and sisters, have you ever thought about why Jesus comes so late? Why does He not come today? Many people say, “Jesus, come quickly; if you come sooner, I will be relieved. I do not want to live in this world anymore; come and take us.” But is Jesus really late? There is a verse in the Bible that indeed says He is late. Why does He delay?
Let’s look at 2 Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Do you see God’s intention? Why does He come at midnight? Why is there a delay? Because He wants more people to believe in Jesus and be saved. If you hope Jesus will come sooner, go and evangelize, tell the gospel to those around you, bring them to church, let them accept Jesus. When God’s number is complete, the Lord Jesus will come quickly; He is more anxious than we are.
When the groom was delayed, what were they all doing? They all became drowsy. Brothers and sisters, what does becoming drowsy mean? It means being lost in the spirit, confused, and asleep. We also have times of weakness and confusion, and there are times when we cannot discern clearly. When we are lost, God will not say, “I have come, and you dare to sleep; I will not pay attention to you. You are not worthy to be my bride; your behavior is too bad; you actually slept when I came to welcome you.”
God will not do that. In our weakness, God does not abandon us. When He comes, there is a call: “At midnight, there was a cry: The groom is coming! Come out to meet Him!” Brothers and sisters, when we are weak, we are different from the world. We are all waiting for the return of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:51-54:
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’
When the last trumpet sounds, it is equivalent to the midnight cry: “The groom is coming!” When the last trumpet sounds, it is when the Lord Jesus comes to take us. How is this trumpet blown? You can see it from your surroundings and the changes in the world; this trumpet is getting closer and closer. Thank the Lord! Amen!
When Jesus returns, there will definitely be some signs, and there will definitely be some last days trumpets sounding, just like today’s message: “Someone shouts: The groom is coming! Go out to meet Him.” At this time, everything changes. What changes? Those with oil go directly in, and those without oil become wise at this time. They become wise and say, “Please give us some oil; our lamps are going out.” Are they wise? Very wise!
Today, there are many such wise people. When sharing the gospel with some people, they say, “No, I do not have time now; I will believe when I am older.”
I say, “Are you sure Jesus will come when you are older?”
They say, “It does not matter; one day when you ascend to heaven, I will grab your clothes and go up with you.”
Can they go up? Are they very clever? Very clever! In reality, this cleverness is foolishness. The truly wise say to the foolish: “There may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.”
How can you buy the Holy Spirit? As mentioned earlier, oil refers to the Holy Spirit. Where can you buy oil at midnight? Is there any for sale? At midnight, there is no oil for sale. Where can they go to buy it? The wise say to them, “There may not be enough for both us and you,” meaning: “Sorry, I cannot help you because I only have enough for myself.”
Brothers and sisters, can your Holy Spirit be used by others? In other words, if you believe in the Lord, can you take your family members with you to heaven? No, you cannot. You can only guarantee your own salvation; your Holy Spirit cannot be lent to others to go up together. This is impossible. Amen! You cannot lend your Holy Spirit to others to enter the kingdom of heaven. Unless he believes, if he believes, there is still a chance. Amen!
Those virgins got up and began to trim their lamps, realizing their oil was gone. When does the difference between believers and non-believers become evident? What is the significant dividing line between believers and non-believers? The return of Jesus Christ. Non-believers also have three meals a day; they will also get sick and encounter suffering. Believers will also face these things, but many people in the face of this question say, “Lord, I believe in you; why do I still encounter unpleasant things? Why do I have to face these diseases? Why, why, why…”
When they question God about why, in fact, God is truly innocent. I want to ask these people, if you do not believe in Jesus, who will you complain to? Go to the hospital and see those terminal patients who do not believe in Jesus. Ask them, “Who will you complain to about your illness?” Will they complain to heaven? No, they will say, “This is fate!” There is no way; who can they blame? No one.
Christians are different: “Lord, why do you let me get sick? Why do you not heal me? Why, why, why…” It seems as if our God has wronged them. The disease itself does not come from God; these thoughts are fundamentally wrong. Believing in Jesus is absolutely not about being healed from illness; it is for God to let us enter the kingdom of heaven. God gives us these things; healing is God’s reward, health is God’s reward, and blessings are God’s reward, freely given to us.
If believing in Jesus is to obtain wealth, to receive rewards, to become a little richer, your faith is not true faith. The purpose of believing in Jesus is to let Jesus become the master of your life. Do you know what it means to be the master? From now on, Jesus is my Lord; His views are my views; everything of His is mine. Amen!
You cannot lend your life to others. “I will lend you my life to enter the kingdom of heaven.” No one can do this. Those who did not have oil went out to buy oil, and then the groom arrived. Those who had oil, these virgins, went in with the groom to the banquet, and then the door was shut. Who shut the door? The groom! The groom shut the door, and later the other virgins came. Perhaps these few virgins did not buy oil and arrived at the door in the dark, starting to knock: “Lord, Lord, open the door for us.”
In verse 12, the groom replied: “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.”
Are these five foolish virgins saved? Many interpretations say these five virgins are also saved; they just behaved poorly, so they were blocked outside the door. If that is the case, are you sure you are definitely wise? Are you sure your behavior is definitely good? No one dares to be sure. What I want to tell you is that these five foolish ones are not saved because they never believed; they did not prepare oil and did not accept the Holy Spirit to dwell inside them. Therefore, they never believed in Jesus, and Jesus said, “I do not know you.”
The five wise ones prepared oil, which means they let the Holy Spirit enter inside them, so they entered with the Lord. The Lord shut the door. When those five came later and shouted, “Lord, Lord,” were they also shouting, “Lord, Lord”? Does shouting “Lord, Lord” mean one is saved? Let’s look at a little scripture.
Matthew 7:21-23: “21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
Brothers and sisters, is this verse the same as the one we just read? When the five foolish ones knocked on the door, the groom said, “I do not know you.” And this is also said to those who call out “Lord, Lord.” Jesus said: “I never knew you.” Is it because they do not believe? Does Jesus not know them? It is because they never believed from the beginning!
What kind of people does Matthew 7 refer to? It is said to false prophets. What do false prophets rely on to enter the kingdom of heaven? They rely not on oil but on other things. Some believe in God’s word, but they also rely on their good behavior to enter the kingdom of heaven. They are just like these false prophets!
Why are false prophets not convinced? False prophets say to the Lord: “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name?” Do you see? How do they say it? “I did so much for you, and you actually say I cannot enter.” Is it based on behavior? “Only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven,” refers to “faith,” not “behavior”! Do these false prophets have behavior? Yes, but their behavior cannot save them! What truly saves them is believing in Jesus.
Everyone can only be responsible for their own faith; do not judge whether others are saved or whether they are heretics; that is not your place to judge. You must determine whether you are truly saved; you must determine whether you truly believe in the Lord. A true believer in Jesus is not willing to covet these evils; some people are particularly willing to scheme against others and are willing to be stained with filth.
Some say, “Look, he believes in the Lord; why is his behavior like this?” We can only say we are not sure if he truly believes. A true believer in Jesus will be overcome by transgressions, but he will not covet evil. Amen! This is completely different. We may be weak and fall, but we will not say, “How do I get up? When will I fall again?” We will not have such thoughts. We will not say, “How do I not sin? When will I sin again?” Such a person does not truly believe. Amen!
Such a person may shout “Lord, Lord,” but that does not mean they believe. A true believer in Jesus is someone who longs for God’s word, someone who longs for God’s commands. Amen! Although they may not be able to do it, they long for it in their hearts. A true believer in Jesus longs for unity with one another. We long for mutual forgiveness. Amen!
We do not want to create disputes, do not want to create lies to attack others, or even label others as heretics and say others are false. This is not what we do. This is what the Pharisees like to do. And they do not believe. We must determine whether we truly believe; do not shout “Lord, Lord,” and go to church. Such people are not necessarily saved. It is not that you go to church and are saved; it is not that you shout “Lord, Lord” and are saved. It is that you truly believe in Jesus. In your heart, say, “I am willing to believe in Jesus; correct me and let me become a person who pleases God and man.”
Here Jesus says: “I never knew you.” Earlier in that parable, the groom’s response was: “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” The master did not say, “Ah, you came late, so I do not know you!” Is there such a condition? No. It is not because you came late that He says, “I do not know you.” Will Jesus abandon His sheep? In John 10, the Lord Jesus tells us, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep.” All that belong to Jesus will not be lost. But those who do not belong to Jesus cannot enter.
Our Lord Jesus will not misidentify His sheep; those who belong to Jesus hear Jesus’ voice. Those who do not belong to Jesus, Jesus does not know them. Amen! Where is the dividing line? Between believers and non-believers. Therefore, the five foolish ones are unbelievers, and the five wise ones are believers. May each of us treat Jesus as the Lord of our lives, using Jesus Christ as the standard to demand ourselves and love those around us with Jesus’ love.
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! You do not know those foolish virgins because they want to be saved through their own efforts, unwilling to be saved through the Holy Spirit. They only want to rely on their own behavior, saying they have preached and performed miracles; why do you not let them in? But Jesus says you never believed in me; I never knew you.
Lord Jesus, we believe in You, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. I know You know me. I also know You. And I am willing to spend my life getting to know You. You also give each child a command, which is to love one another. Therefore, I do not want to be a source of conflict for others; I want to be the one who builds harmony with one another.
Because Jesus is our peace offering between God and man, He is our peace offering between people. In this world, we also want to be others’ peace offerings. You give us strength; although we will be weak, we know that through You, we can overcome all this. We do not covet these sinful things.
We are willing to know You more, to be alert and wait for Your return, to take us to Your abundant banquet. Thank You! Whenever we think of these things, our hearts are joyful. No matter the circumstances, we know we are in Christ, in the hands of Jesus. Thank You, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray! Amen!