The Five Foolish Virgins

We've all been, here in the last couple of weeks, attending more church services than we would normally attend in several months. We have services on eight days and often a couple of times on some of those days, and so we observe ten different church services. And we are able to drink in of what I can't think we could say was a very uplifting, a very wonderful vision of what God is going to do.

What he's doing with us now to some degree, because we're a part of that process, but more so what he's going to do. What he's going to do when Jesus returns. What he'll do when he establishes the kingdom on earth, and how it is that the wonderful transition is going to take place. And I thought through the sermons that we had in Branson, it was really encouraging to me to think about the vision. To think about the vision that was portrayed. I know our first service started off, Mr. Eddington was talking about the great amount of work that's going to need to be done.

And just the process of teaching, the process of training, and I don't recall, and I don't commonly read this, but going through Ezekiel 37 and 38 and 39, and again, you may be far more familiar with those than I am, but I don't normally read that. And yet it does detail information that would appear to be describing a process that is begun in the world tomorrow, people having to learn to become subject to God.

It doesn't apparently happen all at once. And so there's going to be a process of education, a process of learning, and whether that takes a few years or a few decades or even a few centuries, that process of training, that process of teaching and preaching, of helping people understand the process of conversion. See, all of us are involved in that process right now. We're involved in a process that God began in our lives.

It was begun for us. He called us. He brought us to a recognition of our need for Him. And yet He started that process, and that's a process we're going to teach other people. It's not just going to be crammed down their throat. It's going to be presented, and they're going to be showing them what the benefits and blessings are of responding to God. And yet they're going to need to internalize that, and there are going to be mistakes, and there will be problems, and there will be corrections that need to be addressed.

And progress will be made. And so it was wonderful to be able to think about those things, understanding how we need to be prepared, even here and now, how we need to prepare between now and the end of the age. All of us have the remainder of our lives, however long that is, whether that's a short number of years or months, whether that is a lot longer. However it takes, whatever time we have before Christ returns, we've got to be prepared.

There was another sermon about the government that God's going to set up, the government that will be led by Jesus Christ. And clearly, a different government, a righteous government, a leading government, instead of the type of government dysfunction that we have today, you know, that we suffer from, in a sense, here even in the United States, and of course even what we would say is far worse, governments in many other parts of the world, there's going to be a truly righteous, truly peaceful government that is going to be installed.

We had a sermon regarding coming to see ourselves, and seeing ourselves not in comparison to everybody else, because if we evaluate ourselves against others, we might say, well, we're not too bad. Actually, I see quite a few people who are more problematic than I am. That would be easy to assume, but if we compare ourselves with God, as Job was forced to do. See, that's why Job was such an outstanding individual. Certainly in his own eyes he was, and in God's eyes he said, you're righteous and you're blameless, but he didn't say you're sinless. He didn't say, well, you're without sin and you don't need a redeemer.

Those were things that Job had to learn. Those were things that he had to come to see when he truly came to see God. So seeing ourselves in comparison with God, and then our video regarding, Let This Mind Be In You, that is a statement that we all read and surely know. Philippians 2, verse 5 makes that statement, how that Jesus Christ, the mind that he had, the humility that he had, the service-mindedness that he had, is what each one of us needs to acquire.

We need to have that mind. Of course, that was emphasized in our video. We were encouraged to use our gifts. As we recognize those gifts, we certainly do want to share those and build up one another. That's what we're desirous to do. We had another sermon regarding the massive changes that are going to take place as the world eventually turns to God.

Most of the different categories of things, whether it's agriculture or the economy, or whether it is numerous other things, the medical industry, all of these things are going to change. They're going to change in the world to come. We certainly want to appreciate our calling, and we want to be light to others. We had a whole sermon about light houses and how it is that they help others by providing a light, providing a way that can be followed.

The final day, of course, we focused on the hope that we have of the Second Resurrection. The hope that not only we, but all of mankind, and all of men who have never known and never had an awareness of the truth of God, how it is that they're going to be dealt with by God, how God is going to fare and justly, and in many ways, courageously, and to some people's belief, I'm sure, alarmingly, I'm alive again.

Oh no. What was I doing even when I died? I'm sure that's going to be the thought that some people might have.

And yet, God's training and His mercy is going to be extended to all of mankind. And our final service at the Feast involved being sure that we're here next year, being sure that we live by faith and that we endure under the end.

Those are, in my thinking, kind of a summary of much of what we covered during the Feast in Branson. And as I think about those things, it's exciting and it's encouraging, it's uplifting, and it's motivating to me to think of, and of course that's a big part of why we're there. We're there to learn or have a vision of what the world to come is going to be like, of how it is that it's going to be different. And of course what it is that God is going to do with us, how He's going to have us serve so many other people who are going to need to be trained. And not only during a thousand years, but in a period of time beyond that, a period of judgment that is yet to come. So I hope that it is also beneficial to you to kind of think back through those things, to be reminded, but also to grow in our understanding. I want us to start here in Matthew 13, because I want to focus on one of Jesus' parables today, and yet before I do, I want to mention and remind us of what we read in Matthew 13.

Because here in Matthew 13, we see, starting in verse 10, the disciples came to Jesus and said, why? Why do you talk in parables? Why do you speak in what seems somewhat to be unclear language?

Now, it was relatively simple, but they could say, well, look, you're giving a message. It doesn't look like people are understanding. They're not comprehending it. He said in verse 10, why do you speak to them in parables?

And Jesus answered that in Matthew 13, verse 11. He said, to you, it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to them, it has not been given.

Do you know, again, that is a verse you're very familiar with. And yet, what it points out is the, in a sense, responsibility that God places on us in opening our eyes and unstopping our ears.

You could say an answer to what Jesus was asked about. Why are you speaking in parables? That he said, you have been permitted to understand the kingdom or the secrets of the kingdom of God, but others simply have not.

And so, who is it that ought to really understand the parables?

Who is it that ought to be able to read a parable and then see what it says, see what it means, and react?

Well, those who understand, those who have been given understanding of the message of the kingdom of God, those who have been drawn and called to become servants in that kingdom. So, I want to go on from here over to Matthew chapter 25.

Because in Matthew 25, you have a parable, which is what I want to focus on today.

As we've enjoyed the Feast of Tabernacles, as we've been given a vision of the future, as we've been encouraged to be faithful, to live by faith, which is what we desire to do, but it's often good to be admonished or encouraged to do that.

And yet, here in Matthew 25, we have, I'm going to start in verse 1, the first 13 verses, the parable of the ten virgins.

A parable of the ten bridesmaids, as it is described here in a few translations. It actually is in the New Revised Standard that I commonly use here.

And I want us to read with understanding what this parable says and what it means for us, how it is encouraging to us, and how it should be in a sense of warning. A warning about, you know, we're supposed to understand the parables. We're supposed to understand. It's been given to us to understand, you know, the messages about the kingdom of God. And so here in verse 1, it says, the kingdom of heaven will be like this.

And of course, Matthew often used the term the kingdom of heaven as opposed to the kingdom of God. But you see those two terms interchangeably used, not only in Matthew, but in all the other gospels as well. He's talking about the coming kingdom, the kingdom that is yet to be set up on earth, and that will be whenever Christ returns.

He says, ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now, this was a common occurrence in Palestine at the time. It was a regular manner of having a wedding and then having a greeting party that would go out and greet the bridegroom as he came toward the bride's house. And it wasn't always known exactly when that was going to happen. And sometimes it could be during the day. Sometimes it would be at night.

And obviously at night, whenever someone went out, they needed a lamp. They needed a torch to be able to see where they were going. So this part of it was not uncommon. But the part that we really want to focus on is in verse 2. It says, five of these virgins or of these bridesmaids were foolish. Five were foolish, and five were wise. And of course in verse 3 it describes the foolish having taken their lamps, and yet they took no oil with them. But in verse 4 it says, the wise not only took their lamps, but they took flasks of oil with their lamps.

And so here Jesus is making to those who would hear, to those who would understand, who would want to be attuned to His guidance regarding His kingdom and what He wants us to prepare for. He says there were ten and five of them were foolish. Five of them were wise. See, I don't know that that's necessarily saying that half of us are not going to prove to be wise. I think He's just making a comparison saying that, well, out of this group, some certainly were paying attention. Some were greatly moved by the words of God. Some were excited about the job that they had to do.

And some were somewhat indifferent. They were simply warming a seat. They were not paying attention to what they were doing. That's what He's saying. And He goes on saying in verse 4, the wise took their flask of oil with their lamps. And in verse 5, as the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slapped.

Now, as I mentioned, you know, that as their custom was, it wasn't always known when the bridegroom was going to come. Sometimes they had to be waiting. They had to be partially prepared and had to be ready. And whenever the cry was going to go out, they would go out to meet Him. And certainly, we can apply this as we think about it. None of us knows when Jesus is going to be sent back. None of us know when the Father is going to say, return to the earth and salvage.

Salvage what's left, as Ken mentioned in the sermonette. All of us are in the process of being reclaimed. All of us are in the process of being rejuvenated. We're being in the process of, I guess we could say, if we were an older car, we're being restored and made even prettier than we were back in the day when it was created. And yet, all of us are being transformed.

And yet, as this mentions, we don't know. When the bridegroom was delayed, these maidens became drowsy and slept. And of course, as I read about this process there in Israel at the time, that could have been over a course of days that they were waiting. And so necessarily, that they needed to go to sleep at times. That wasn't necessarily a problem. But the importance of what it goes on to say, at midnight, in verse 6, there came a shout.

It says, look, here's the bridegroom. He's come out to meet him. And so, you know, the warning was sent out. The shout was sent out. And people who were going to meet the bridegroom and then want to be in the wedding and want to be a part of the proceedings, you know, they were to gather together and they were going to go and be with the bridegroom as he met the bride. In verse 7, then all the bridesmaids got up and they trimmed their lamps.

You know, so even the foolish ones, it appears, had a little bit of oil. They had a little bit of something with them, but they really, as we're going to see, they were not really prepared. In verse 8, the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. And the wise said, well, no, you know, there not be enough for you and us as well, but you better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves. And so, you know, we're seeing some lessons that are being pointed out here.

In verse 10, while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready, those who were ready, went with him into the wedding banquet and the door was shut.

Later, the other bridegroom mates came back, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. And he replied, truly, I tell you, I do not know you. I don't know you. I'm not familiar with you. I'm not close to you. And, of course, you know, the door had already been shut. He said, I don't know you. And so Jesus' explanation, his warning, was in verse 13, keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour, and the Son of Man is coming. See, now, clearly, some of the things that are lessons in regard to this particular parable are very easy to see. Maybe some of the other things are not quite as easy, but I mention this and go over this because we've been in a euphoric time during the Feast of Tabernacles. We focused on the future. We've been excited about what God is going to do. But in this time between now and when we know the Holy Days will begin once again next year, we've got a number of months of darkness. We've got a number of months of, you know, there's nothing technically going on that is, you know, lifting us up and none of the Holy Days occur until next Passover. So we have somewhat, you actually have numerous other holidays during this time that, you know, others focus on and probably, you know, indirectly affect us whether we know it or not. You know, I can't believe that... what did I do? I think it was the end of August and I was looking at Halloween candy in the store. Now, that seems unusual because you know that that's not until the end of October, but, you know, even in the lighter part of the hottest part of the summer, you've got, you know, things going on already that are already dealing with the holidays that we know are going to come. But apart from that, what I want, you know, to just point out is three different lessons that I hope that, you know, we will take to heart as we, you know, look into our lives and as we go forward in our growth and in our development toward being a part of the family of God. The first lesson that I will mention just regarding this parable, and again, it's pretty easy. Probably everyone who would even read this parable, no matter what kind of understanding they have, you know, they could see, you know, that, well, some people were wise and some were foolish. You know, that's pretty simple. You know, whenever you recognize that, I guess we have to ask ourselves, well, which am I? Which category would I fit into? Which category do I fit into in my anticipation of Jesus returning to this earth?

Am I fitting into a wise category? Am I fitting into a ready category? Do I fit into a category that would, you know, be accepted and be a part of a wedding ceremony? Or do I fit in a category that might be considered foolish?

See, are we wise in our preparation for the coming of the King? And do we envision the reality of what that is going to be? How that we are going to be a part of a joyous celebration when Jesus Christ returns and He transforms us into spirit beings to be a part of the bride that will marry Christ? That's also, of course, another topic entirely, but, you know, it's what we're anticipating. Do we envision that reality to the degree that it affects our thoughts? It affects our actions? And it affects our decisions? The decisions that we make, that we should make? Understanding what the Word of God says and understanding how it is that He wants us to live? You know, we can ask ourselves that. I want us to turn over to 2 Peter, chapter 3.

2 Peter, chapter 3, you know, has a statement pretty much about this. Actually, the whole chapter is about this. Because in 2 Peter, chapter 3, starting in verse 1, it says, This is now, brethren, our beloved the second letter that I'm writing to you, and in them I'm trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the Holy Prophets and the commandment of the Lord, our Savior, that are spoken through the apostles of God.

See, this is the admonition that Peter is giving, you know, to those who would hear, to those who would heed, to those who would be considered wise. He drops on in this chapter, he drops down to say, there are going to come, you read it in verse 4, there are going to come scoffers, there are going to come people who doubt that Christ is going to return and certainly want to cause others to doubt that Jesus is going to return. That needs to be so indelibly imprinted upon our mind that nothing, you know, I see that as a true answer, not as something that we think may or may not happen, it's going to happen.

It surely is going to happen. But if we drop down to verse 9, it says, the Lord is not slow about His promise, as something slowness, but He's patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. God is interested not only in us, but in others, and His plan is going to eventually extend repentance and understanding to all. But He says, the Day of the Lord, so those of you who are aware of the truth, and those of you who are wishing to be wise, you realize that the Day of the Lord is like a thief, that the heavens are going to pass away with a loud noise, the elements are going to be dissolved with fire, earth and everything that is on is going to be disclosed.

And so He says, because this is going to happen, because, now that, of course, encases a lot of information about the millennium, and about the period beyond that, and ultimately, the dissolution of the earth, and a new heavens and a new earth coming on the scene. But He says in verse 11, since all of these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of people, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the Day of God?

See, what type of lives, what sort of lives should we have? Should they be wise? Should we be prepared? Should we be ready? Or are we foolish? That's a part of the parable that Jesus spoke here in Matthew 25. Are we wise, or are we foolish in our preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ?

To go back again to the parable there of the ten virgins, the second thing that I think we can easily see when we read that, and you see that the virgins who were prepared, the virgins who had the oil, they were ready. They were anticipating going into the wedding or going into the bridegroom and being with that celebration at that time. But the thing that you learn, or at least one of the things, I'm sure there are many others that you learn is that there are certain things that cannot be obtained at the last minute.

There are certain things that you need to be working on all the time. Certain things that cannot just be acquired at the last second. See, the foolish virgins, they came up with a plan, and the plan just didn't work. It was a defective plan. Borrow from somebody else, well, that didn't work. Go and try to get something. Well, why wasn't I prepared to begin with?

Why wasn't I ready? Why didn't I have oil? Why wasn't? There are certain things that simply can't be obtained at the last minute. We need to be prepared as we watch and wait for the return of Jesus. We don't want that to come upon us, unaware. I want us to look in Luke 21 because you see Jesus describing this type of preparation in other of His parables, but I think it's highlighted in Matthew 25 whenever we're talking about wise preparation or foolish lack of preparation.

Here in Luke chapter 21 starting in verse 34 Jesus says, Be on guard. Be on guard that your hearts are not weighted down. So He's going to give a warning that each of us should heed so that we don't fall into the foolish category. He says, Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighted down with dissipation and with drunkenness and with the worries of this life and that that day will catch you unexpectedly like a trap for it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.

So He says, Don't allow the cares of this world. Don't allow anything to distract or to take away your focus on the kingdom of God and on the family of God and on responsiveness and obedience to God. Don't allow that to be diverted. Otherwise, you run the risk of being caught in the foolish category. He goes on to say, and actually declares, He says, Don't be distracted by anything that could take your mind away from the kingdom of God.

But He says in verse 36, Be alert at all times. We've had admonition about watching. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and then to stand before the Son of Man. So He actually points out a few things that we ought to be doing, that we ought to be watching. And I think in many ways many of us watch quite well as far as the world affairs and we see what's going on and we see what we can easily see as a decline even as Ken was mentioning how the United States and the British Empire have truly been greatly blessed by God and we'd have to say, well, that certainly appears the last part of the last century, that was clearly evident.

Since then, things have been changing. Changing considerably in decline and how God is going to allow that to continue, we are yet to know, but He tells us to be alert. He tells us to watch. He tells us to be alert and awake and to maintain a state of preparedness. And then He says, praying that you may have strength to escape the things that are taking place.

See, how valuable is it that we are praying, that we are studying the Word of God, that we're feeding on the Word of God so that that word is primary in our lives. It's not just something we happen to know. Because unless we're feeding on that, we can know something and even not decide to do it. That's unfortunately a foolish way to look at it. But here He says, you'll maintain a state of preparedness, pray that you will be given strength to escape all the things that are going to take place and that you'll be able to stand before the Son of Man.

That's what He wants. He wants us to be able to stand before Him with a clear conscience and, in a sense, we need to watch what's going on. We need to be praying and studying the Word of God, and we need to be watching our own attitude and our own responses to God. Because if we are, if we're watching and asking God to even show us His way instead of our way, then we can benefit from doing that. As I said, the second thing that I'd point out is just that there are certain things that cannot be obtained at the last minute.

Whether we think that or not, I think you see this parable saying that, well, the foolish virgins didn't have any way to get what they needed because they weren't prepared. They were forgetting what it was that they should have kept in mind. And the last thing, the third thing that I want to mention, and you can see this in Matthew 25. If we go back to the parable again, in verse 8 and 9.

Matthew 25, verse 8 and 9. There are certain things that cannot be borrowed. There are certain things that you cannot borrow. Here in Matthew 25, verse 8, it says, the foolish said to the wise, you know, the foolish were actually in the right bunch. They were in the right group, the group of ten. They were to be a part of the party, to see the bridegroom, and to be a part, they were in the right spot.

That was about all that they were doing correctly. But, as it says, the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the wise said no, and we can't do that. There will not be enough for you and for us. You better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves. And so, a lesson that we could learn from that is that no one can borrow, no man or woman can borrow, a close relationship with God. Your husband might be close to God. Your wife might be close to God.

You need to be close to God. And I, of course, say that to me, because I can't depend on my wife or on anyone else to be close to God for me. Just like the foolish virgin said they wanted to borrow, they wanted to get in, but they couldn't. And so we want to learn that lesson.

You can't borrow a close relationship with God. You've got to already possess it. See, that was in essence described by the wise virgins who were prepared and who had oil and who were awaiting in anticipation of the coming of the bridegroom. You know, they were ready.

They were prepared. And see, you really can't borrow a character. You can't borrow character. However, we might want to describe that. We can clearly go through and see that the character that makes up the nature of God, the divine nature of God, is character that we seek and that we always are going to be seeking. I don't think we'll ever say that, well, I've got it. I'm it.

We're always going to be pursuing more of that divine nature. But see, we really can't borrow character. You actually have to be clothed with that character and how it affects your mind and how it affects your heart and how it affects your service and love toward other people. And so it's foolish to trust in relationships with others and not in a solid and sound relationship with Jesus Christ. Every one of us have to have that close and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, and it doesn't matter whether others around us are not or are developing that.

It comes down to us having to do that, and so each of us must be prepared. And no one else can do that for you. And what we see at the end of this in verse 11, when the bride was made, some foolish ones came and said, we want to be entered in, open to us, and Jesus said, or the bridegroom said, truly I tell you, I don't know you.

So they were shut out because of their neglect. They just, they knew kind of what to do, they just didn't do it. They understood what to do. They understood what to do from the word of God, and they didn't do it as we make application to us today. We don't want to be, as the foolish maidens were, neglectful in that way. Instead of respectful of the word of God, of what God's directives are, of how he tells us and guides our lives with his love, we don't want to be neglecting that.

And so, I thought that these three things possibly could be helpful to us as we come back, we're entering into a period of constant seeing that we should have, maintaining from the benefit that we've had of envisioning the world to come. We need to be focused on how important it is that we benefit from what Jesus said, that we don't fall into a category of being foolish or neglectful, but that we put that as a high priority to be wise. To be wise and clearly to draw close to God.

So, we're admonished to be wise as opposed to foolish. We're admonished to be prepared as opposed to unprepared. And we're admonished to personally relate to God. Those are all categories that we can fall into if we are alert to what the Word of God tells us. And thankfully, we have the Word of God to guide our hearts and minds, to guide our thoughts, to give us understanding.

And yet, the devil would like to twist our thinking. He would like to cause us to be confused and not put an emphasis on what he says. And so, as we think about what we have learned, as we apply what we've learned, as we think about even this particular parable, we've been richly nourished with God's Word over these past few weeks. We want to benefit from that. We can go back and we can rehearse that. We can study that. We can think about that. We can obviously listen. If we want to, we can go back and listen to things that were presented during this feast in many different locations.

All of that is readily available right now. If you want to go back and listen to any of it, it's all readily available through the members' website. There are not maybe everything, but many of the sermons that were given around the country or around the world are available right now so that all of us could benefit from that. And I hope that in bringing up Matthew 25, that we would realize we could use the training that we've been given to our benefit so that we are not neglectful, and so that we are not disrespectful in falling into a foolish category, but truly falling into the category of people who are wise and people who are close to God and people who would, as I've already mentioned, who would fall into the category of simply being the wise people who are preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ.