God is pleading with us now to get our spiritual houses in order and grow in grace and knowledge: “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” (Hebrews 10:38). We are warned that at the time of the end, just before the return of Jesus Christ this will become a real problem. “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:12).
The parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25) graphically demonstrates the attitude and spiritual condition of many at the time of Christ’s return. The return of Jesus Christ will be sudden and even followers of Christ will be caught by surprise. A key theme of this parable continues from the end of Matthew 24, where Jesus says, “The master of that servant will come on a day…and at an hour that he is not aware of” (verse 50). We are told all the virgins slumbered and slept.
Christ begins the parable, “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom” (Matthew 25:1). Jesus is the Bridegroom and Christ’s true followers are Jesus’ Bride—“betrothed…as a chaste virgin to Christ,” spiritually speaking (2 Corinthians 11:2). Each of these virgins carries a lamp and to keep it burning it was essential to carry enough oil, symbolizing the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 25 continues: “Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took extra oil in their vessels with their lamps” (verses 2-3). All had God’s Spirit, but the difference in preparation would yield a difference in spiritual growth.
When “the bridegroom was delayed, all the virgins “slumbered and slept” (verse 5). The delay in this case is the time between Christ’s first and second coming. Peter warned scoffers would ask, “Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:4), and even those watching for His return would grow weary and fall asleep.
Then “at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him. Then all those virgins got up and put their own lamps in order” (Matthew 25:6-7, Amplified Bible). But the lamps of the five virgins called foolish did not have enough oil and they asked the other five “wise” virgins: “‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out’” (verse 8). The “wise: virgins refuse to do this (verse 9) as salvation is a personal matter. The oil in their lamps symbolizes the power of the Holy Spirit to help us grow in character and spiritual understanding. We are told to, “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). To keep our spiritual “oil” full, we must stay close to God through prayer, Bible study, meditation, fasting, fellowship and ongoing repentance with obedience.
Jesus Christ’s return to this earth will not only stun the world, but this parable shows many will find they are not fully prepared: “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:10-13)
