Understanding the parable of the 10 virgins

The parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25 shows that only those who are "ready" will be taken in the pre-tribulational rapture. Let's take a closer look at that passage.

Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 25:3They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil;for our lamps are gone out. 25:9 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. 25:10 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. 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh

Right away we must look at who is being addressed in this passage. The symbolism of the virgins is a clear reference to the church. Let's look at a passage in II Corinthians that establishes this principle.

II Corinthians 11:2 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

The apostle Paul also conveys this theme in the book of Ephesians.

Ephesians . 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

We (the church) are awaiting the arrival of the bridgegroom (Jesus) to take us to the marriage supper of the Lamb. This passage cannot be a reference to Israel because the whole context of the passage is that of a "surprise" coming. When Jesus returns to the earth and "all Israel shall be saved" this will not be a surprise or a secret. There will have been 7 years of chaos, signs in the heavens, and earthquakes, etc. Also the notion that these virgins are a mixture of believers and unbelievers should be rejected. They are ALL virgins (though 5 were foolish). Nowhere in scripture will you find the LORD referring to an unregenerated man as a virgin (though we saw earlier that this is applied to the church).

Now the foolish virgins took no oil in their lamps. We know that often times oil is a symbol or symbolic of the Holy Spirit and His annointing. The temptation here is to say that since the 5 foolish had no oil, then they had never been saved to begin with. But let's look at what these foolish virgins say in Matthew 25:8

Matthew 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out

It is very important to see that these foolish virgins said their lamps had "gone out." This implies directly that they had burned at one time. We know that Jesus said that "new wine must be put in new bottles." When the oil is in a leaky vessel, the end result is an empty lamp. When we become more like the world than we are like Jesus, the lamp grows dimmer and dimmer. Remember Christ told us that our lamp should not be put under a bushel. Sin, compromise, and apathy will cause the oil to run dry (remember Samson whose strength left him unawares?) and we won't realize it until it's too late. The sad thing is that all the virgins (even the 5 wise) were asleep when He returned.

At the midnight cry (and we are quickly approaching that time), "those that were ready" went to meet the bridegroom and the door was shut (verse 10). I think it is a parallel to the story of Noah, where the door was shut by God once Noah and his group entered the ark.

I think it is also noteworthy that the foolish virgins are told to "go to them that sell and buy for yourselves." That passage has always baffled me because we all know that salvation is "the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast." So what could it possibly mean? Here are my thoughts.

I believe that right now we are living in the age (or dispensation) of grace where salvation is a free gift of God. But once Christ returns, we will go into the dispensation of the fulness of times. (Ephesians 1:10) At that point it will no longer just be a point of accepting a gospel message from a pulpit preacher. In order for those who are left behind to reach heaven, they must go by the way of martyrdom (Rev 7:14) So in essence they will have to pay a price that those who were ready didn't have to pay....literally it will cost them their lives.

We would all do well to heed the warning of the Master.

Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh

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