The parable of the Ten Virgins

[Rose]

Matt.25:1 -13 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 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. 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. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
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In this parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus uses the imagery of Lamps and Oil to convey a specific message to His 1st century audience…that message being: those who are filled with the Holy Spirit will hear the voice of the Bridegroom at his coming. The five wise Virgins had oil in their vessels (the Holy Spirit), thus their way was lit by the fire of the Holy Spirit when the Bridegroom came for them, whereas the five foolish Virgins had no oil, consequently they were surprised and unprepared by the appearance of the Bridegroom and could not find their way to the wedding.

Jesus told His followers that He would not leave them comfortless, but would send the Holy Spirit that would guide them in all truth; this is like the flame of the lamp filled with oil which lights the path of understanding. The Holy Spirit would be as a treasure dwelling in earthen vessels (their bodies), giving knowledge of the glory of the Lord.
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2Cor.4:6-7 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Lam.4:2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
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Starting at Pentecost and continuing afterwards the Holy Spirit was given to believers as a promise, sealing them with hope unto the day of their redemption and of Christ’s coming epiphany, which was the coming of the Bridegroom and the marriage in the parable of the Ten Virgins.
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Luke 21:27-28 Andthen shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass,then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws near.

Eph. 1:12-14 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession (peripoiesis = obtain ,possession), unto the praise of his glory.

Eph. 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
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The coming of Christ in power and glory spoken of in the Olivet Discourse as being that which concludes the end the age, is also that which Paul refers to as his hope of the soon coming epiphany of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Tit.2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing (epiphaneia) of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

1 Tim. 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing (epiphaneia) of our Lord Jesus Christ:

2Tim.4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing (epiphaneia) and his kingdom;….8) Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing (epiphaneia).

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Rose

[TheForgiven]

In this parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus uses the imagery of Lamps and Oil to convey a specific message to His 1st century audience…that message being: those who are filled with the Holy Spirit will hear the voice of the Bridegroom at his coming. The five wise Virgins had oil in their vessels (the Holy Spirit), thus their way was lit by the fire of the Holy Spirit when the Bridegroom came for them, whereas the five foolish Virgins had no oil, consequently they were surprised and unprepared by the appearance of the Bridegroom and could not find their way to the wedding.

Amen! Amen! And Amen!

Those who were enlightened by the Holy Spirit would not be caught by surprise because they understood what was happening, and were quite prepared. It's not as though being prepared meant watching for signs; it means that they lived and walked in accordance with the Spirit, so that when Christ was ready to come for them, they would not be caught sleeping in the dark.

Unfortunately, today's teachers in eschatology misinterpret this simple parable and assume that keeping oil in their lamps means looking for signs, always on the watch, and never sleeping. And to them, "sleeping" means not watching for signs, or for Christ's return. That is so un-scriptural.

The "Oil" is used to illuminate the lamps. The lamps are a picture of an assembly, but could also represent a single believer. The symbol of a virgin is someone who keeps himself/herself pure.

The Holy Spirit represents that oil inside of us, enabling us to see where we are going. A foolish member (specifically in the first century) who were not enlightened by the Holy Spirit would not be prepared when Christ was to come. So, like children walking around in the dark, they would not see the dangers headed in their direction.

Excellent post sister Rose! EXCELLENT!

Joe

[CWH]

I read the parable of the 10 virgins with a slightly different interpretation. To me it is not about the 1st century but of the second coming of Christ. See my interpretation in red:

Matt.25:1 -13 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
The kingdom of heaven is like 10 worthy believers who are keen to meet Jesus.
And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Five of these good believers are wise and five are foolish.
They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
The foolish worthy believers did not bring good works (did not do the will of the Father in heaven) with them, but the wise worthy believers did bring along good works with them.
While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
When Christ came later than expected, they all waited and relaxed.
And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Then suddenly out of the blue while they waited and relaxed, a call came to announce that Christ has arrived and summon them to go out to meet Him.
Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Then all these worthy believers woke up and start to gather to show their worth.

And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
The foolish worthy believers ask the worthy wise believers to give them some of their good works (will of the Father who is in heaven) for they do not have enough.
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.
The wise worthy believers replied,"No or we will not have enough good works(will of the Father in heaven)for ourselves and for you all to show to the Father. Go rather to get some more of the good works for yourselves".
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.
While they went to get some more good works (will of the Father in heaven) for themselves, Christ came, and those who are worthy and ready with the good works (will of the Father in heaven) went together with Him into the kingdom of heaven.
Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Then the other foolish believers (who did not bring their good works) came asking the Lord to allow them to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
But the Lord said that He would not acknowleged them as His true believers.
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Therefore be always ready for you do not know when Christ will come again.

The parable of the 10 vrgins is related to Matthew 7:21-27, "21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

The Wise and Foolish Builders

24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Many Blessings.

[TheForgiven]

So brother Choew, you believe that the "oil" represents good works? Could you list a few verse from scripture as an example? Just wondering.



Joe

[CWH]

So brother Choew, you believe that the "oil" represents good works? Could you list a few verse from scripture as an example? Just wondering.



Joe

Joe, where in the Bible is the oil represent Holy Spirit? And how can they share the Holy Spirit? Can the Holy Spirit be given from the wise to the foolish?

When I said "good works", I mean those that did the will of the Father in heaven. You can do all kinds of good works but if these are not the works of the will of the father in heaven, all these works will be of no avail.

Oil as far as I know from the OT was used for anointing such as religious anointing of king etc. The oil mentioned was probably olive oil which was used for religious anointing and also for use as fuel for burning the lamps, also used for oiling food and as cosmetics. Olive as you and I know means the Jews or God's people and oil is the product of the olives or goodness of the Jews or God's people.

Some use of oil in the OT:

Genesis 35:14
Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.

Exodus 25:6
olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;

Exodus 27:20
[ Oil for the Lampstand ] "Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning.

Exodus 29:2
And from fine wheat flour, without yeast, make bread, and cakes mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil.

Exodus 29:7
Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head.

Exodus 29:21
And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated.

Exodus 30:25
Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil.

Exodus 30:31
Say to the Israelites, 'This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.

Exodus 30:32
Do not pour it on men's bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred.

Many Blessings.

[Edward Goodie]

I read the parable of the 10 virgins with a slightly different interpretation. To me it is not about the 1st century but of the second coming of Christ.

Hi Cheow,

What's the difference? Since Jesus told the multitudes who were listening that Elijah had already come (Matthew 11:7, 14) and you believe that Elijah would come to that same generation who would experience the coming (Parousia), then, by necessity, that makes the "second coming of Christ" in the first century.

[CWH]

Hi Cheow,

What's the difference? Since Jesus told the multitudes who were listening that Elijah had already come (Matthew 11:7, 14) and you believe that Elijah would come to that same generation who would experience the coming (Parousia), then, by necessity, that makes the "second coming of Christ" in the first century.

Hi Truthseeker,

I understand and respect your interpretation based on 1st century but that's not my interpretation which is based on the future.

Please refer to our past debate on Elijah and perhaps you can start your debate from there and let others join in the fun.

http://www.biblewheel.com/forum/show...ghlight=elijah

Many Blessings.

[Edward Goodie]

Hi Truthseeker,

I understand and respect your interpretation based on 1st century but that's not my interpretation which is based on the future.

Please refer to our past debate on Elijah and perhaps you can start your debate from there and let others join in the fun.

http://www.biblewheel.com/forum/show...ghlight=elijah

Many Blessings.

I'm sorry. I do not consider it "fun" in the least. Jesus plainly said that Elijah had already come referring to John the Baptist. You disagree and prefer to hold to what you believe was a denial by John the Baptist. This isn't fun; it is very serious. I believe Jesus and you believe your understanding of what you think transpired in the conversation between the Pharisees and John the Baptist. This is the issue Cheow. Try to understand me from the perspective that I once believed basically everything you do, and for many, many years...

There is no way I can ever apply simple time statements as near, nigh, soon, at hand, come quickly, shortly come to pass, last hour, etc., as meaning 2,000 years and to a generation 50 times removed from the crucifixion. No way. But I understand that you still do, and I know why. You have to ignore, or change the meaning of these simple words in order to keep your future paradigm. Because if you accepted the simple meaning of these time statements, you would have to alter your perception of the NATURE of the Parousia events - and that is something you are not going to give up. And I fully understand this, because I once was in your shoes. Traditions die very hard. I hope one day you will be willing to believe that near means near to the audience it was spoken to.

All the best with great love,

[CWH]

Hi Truthseeker,

Basically just to tell you what I believe Jesus was saying (and I do not want to go into a looooooong debate on this) "If you will receive it, this is Elijah that was for to come" means that this John the Baptist is the Elijah that was foretell to come again (note: if you will receive it).

I have already said that Moses prophesied about Jesus, 1,500 years ago before Jesus came. So what's wrong with a prophesy that is 2,000 years long since Jesus time? There are several places in the OT scripture in which near, nigh, soon, at hand are considered as far in human terms. Some good examples (from a website) are:

Isaiah 13:6 where, speaking of a coming judgment against the city of Babylon, the prophet says, "Wail, for the day of the LORD is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty." Isaiah writes these words in the 8th century B.C. but it is not until 539 B.C. that Babylon fell to the Persians.

In Matthew 24:34 where Jesus says, "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." What is conveniently ignored is the earlier context of Jesus' words in the previous chapter.

"Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, 35 that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation." (Matthew 23:34-36).

Notice that it was "this generation" that murdered Zechariah, the son of Berechiah." The problem is that this murder took place 400 years earlier as recorded in 2 Chronicles 24:20-21. This tells us that Matthew's use of the term "generation" means something different than a mere life span of the people who were living at that time.

Another common argument by preterists is the use of the second person such as when Jesus says, 'You shall see the Son of Man sitting with power' (Mark 14:62). It is maintained that such a prophecy must necessitate a fulfillment within the lifetime of those to whom it is addressed. But such a claim ignores the multitude of prophecies in the Bible that addressed people as representing a future generation. Several examples will suffice:

As he is about to die, Joseph tells his brothers, 'You shall carry my bones up from here' (Genesis 50:25), yet the fulfillment of this prophetic command would not be seen for many generations.

Jeremiah addresses the elders who were taken into the Babylonian Captivity (Jeremiah 29:1) and says to them, 'When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place' (29:10). Because he is addressing the elders, we do not need to assume that they must all have lived another 70 years to see the fulfillment of this prophecy.

In Malachi 4:5, the prophet says, 'Behold, I am going to send to you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.' This prophecy was not fulfilled for at least 400 years, yet it utilizes the same 2nd person in addressing those to whom Malachi addresses his prophecy.

It's the same as me saying using your own words, "You have to ignore, or change the meaning of these simple words such as 200 million man army, 1,000 year reign, the new heaven and the new earth, army from the east in Revelation in order to keep your AD 70 paradigm....and that is something you are not going to give up. And I fully understand this...Traditions die very hard. I hope one day you will be willing to believe that some near does not really mean near and I have given many counter proposals and alternative suggestions to that meaning of the word near, at hand, at the door, which may or may not mean what it means. I always believe in respecting each others belief, after all, one day the truth will be known and none of us will lose out as we all belief in John 3:16....which is our very hope.

Many Blessings to you.

[Edward Goodie]

Hi Truthseeker,

In Malachi 4:5, the prophet says, 'Behold, I am going to send to you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.' This prophecy was not fulfilled for at least 400 years, yet it utilizes the same 2nd person in addressing those to whom Malachi addresses his prophecy.[/COLOR]

Many Blessings to you.

Yes, many interpretations...But as long as you believe the prophecy in Malachi was fulfilled 400 years later...during the ministry of John the Baptist...as Jesus plainly said...and since you believe that Elijah was to come to that generation who would experience the Parousia...then I still don't see why you won't recognize that first century generation as being THAT generation who did experience the Parousia...