The parable of the ten
virgins is taught in all Churches.
Matthew 25:1-12
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten
virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no
oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and
slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the
bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their
lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your
oil; for our lamps are gone out.
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.
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.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying,
Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I
know you not.
Jesus taught that the kingdom
of heaven is comparable to ten virgins, or bride’s attendants at a wedding.
Each took their lamp, and went to meet the groom.
As the story goes, five were
foolish, and five were wise.
The five foolish virgins did
not take extra oil for their lamps. But
the wise did bring extra oil---just in case.
The groom did not show up at
the time when they assumed he would. So,
they all, foolish and wise, took naps.
At midnight, at the last
hour, while they slept, the groom’s messenger announced his coming.
“Behold, the bridegroom comes!
Go out to meet him.”
It was a public
announcement! The groom did not sneak
into town.
All the virgins woke up and
began to trim their lamps. It was at
that point that half of the virgins realized that they had a problem. Some say that we see either problems or
opportunities, but in this case it was definitely a problem.
For many, the realization of
Christ will come at a very inconvenient time.
The foolish virgins were
ill-prepared for the late coming. They pleaded with the wise virgins, “Give us
of your oil, because our lamps are gone out.”
Think about that! Their oil
ran out. And, they were just asking for
a friendly gesture. Many Christians have
been told that we must share all we have, even if it means that we starve or
come up short.
However, the five wise
virgins replied, “Absolutely not! Go get
some more yourself.”
While they were scrambling to
get “oil,” the groom came. He went into the wedding feast and the door to the
party was closed. When the five foolish
ones returned they realized their predicament.
Christians are to share the
“extra” we have. However, if what we have is just enough to get us through,
that is another matter. Christ Jesus
recognized that in this teaching.
When they got oil, it was too
late. The foolish virgins pleaded with the keeper of the door to open it so
they could come in. The keeper
responded, “Truthfully, I say, I do not know you.” They were invited, but because they would not
prepare, they were excluded.
Matthew 25:13Watch therefore, for ye know neither the
day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Jesus again warned His disciples to be vigilant.
Then, He told another
parable.
Matthew 25:14-30
14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling
into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his
goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two,
and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and
straightway took his journey.
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and
traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also
gained other two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the
earth, and hid his lord's money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants
cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and
brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five
talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and
faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and
said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two
other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and
faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and
said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not
sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in
the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked
and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather
where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the
exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it
unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he
shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that
which he hath.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jesus told this parable about
a man who took a trip. He left his
monetary assets in the hands of his servants.
The man divided responsibility among his servants.
One servant received five
“talents” (Gr. talenta-talenta/approximately 5,000 gold coins). To another, he gave two “talents.” And to a
third he gave one “talent.” The man told
them to invest what he gave them.
The servant who was given
5,000 gold coins invested them and doubled his investment. The one to whom was given 2,000 gold coins
did the same. However, the last servant
hid his investment and gained nothing.
He did not lose, but he also did not gain.
Keep in mind that what they
were given belonged to the Master! It was never their personal possession.
After a while, the Master
returned to settle the accounts, to receive an accounting of their
responsibilities.
Each servant returned the
Master’s money and the gained income, except the last. He just returned the investment funds. There was no gained income, and no loss.
The reason he did not have
any gained income was because he did not follow the Master’s instructions. He was
told to invest what was given to him and he did not do it.
The Master congratulated the
first two and rewarded each appropriately.
The third servant lived in
fear and worked in accordance with his fear. Fear causes us to do things that
are not in our best interest, nor in the best interest of the
The master asked him, “Why
didn’t you just put the money in the bank and earn a little interest?” Fear was the only answer!
Do you use what has been given
to you, or do you hide it in fear of being embarrassed?
Again, the issue with the
last of the three servants was obedience. Are you obedient?
Now, Jesus goes to one of the
most misunderstood parables in the entire Bible.
Matthew 25:31-45
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and
all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and
he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from
the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but
the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right
hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was
thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye
visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord,
when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or
naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came
unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily
I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and
his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was
thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and
ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when
saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in
prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say
unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not
to me.
This parable concerns Christ
coming “in His glory.” All his angels
will be with Him. He will be shown
sitting on His throne.
It is at that time that all
nations (Gr. ethnee-eqnh), all ethnic groups will be gathered before Him, including
the Christian race.
Christ will separate
them. Some will be considered sheep
while others will be considered goats.
The sheep, Christians, will be placed on His right, signifying their
special place in His Kingdom. The goats,
unbelievers, will be placed on His left, signifying their disobedience.
Most look at this scene and
see the world’s nations and how they have treated
We should respect
Now, here is a fact that few
understand. There are only two “nations”
on earth! There are believers and there
are non-believers!
2 Cor 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Gal 6:15 For
in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision,
but a new creature (creation).
Phil 3:20
For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for
the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
“Christian” is a new ethnic
creation. Outward appearances do not
count. God looks on the heart! He rewards according to what is in our
hearts.
In this separation, Christ
will say, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation (Gr. katabolees-katabolhV) of the world (Gr. kosmou-kosmou).”
Then Jesus will explain, “I
was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to
drink: I was a stranger to you, and yet you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick,
and you cam to visit me, I was in prison, and you came to me.
The sheep will ask, “When did
we do all that?”
And Christ will respond,
“Since you did it to just one of my brothers, ye did it to me.”
Who are His brothers?
Matt 12:48-50
48 But he answered and said
unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49 And he stretched forth his
hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is
in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Those who do not follow or
respect Jesus are not His brothers
This parable is not a
statement of universal brotherhood, but is has been abuse as such by an
unrepentant generation.
Chapter 25 of Matthew should
not be used to establish prison ministries, unless Christians are thrown into
prison for the sake of Christ.
Social criminals are not
jailed for the sake of Christ!
Understand: Prison ministries are important,---BUT---unrepentant social
criminals are our brothers nor are they God’s children. They
are just criminals!
Those on Jesus’ left shall be
told, “Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting (Gr. aioonion-aiwnion/age-long) fire, prepared for the devil and his angels
(Gr. angelois-angeloiV/messengers). I
was hungry, and you did not feed me. I was thirsty, and you did not give me
anything to drink. I was a stranger, and you did not take me in. I was naked,
and you did not clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you visited me not.”
They shall ask, “When did we
fail to do all that?”
Christ shall tell them, “You
did not do it to one of the least of these, so you did not do it to Me.”
People who do not accept
Christ and His adopted brothers and sister shall pay a price!
Those on the left, saw people
hungering and thirsting after
righteousness and did not tell them about Christ. They saw those that were not members of the
adopted family of God and failed to bring them the Good News. The goats did not
tell others how to be clothed in righteousness.
The saw sin-sick people bound by trespasses and sin and completely
failed in the mission to the lost.
This parable has nothing to do with physical food or
drink!
A non-evangelical Church may
be many things, but a Church of the Living God is not one of those things!
Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting
punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
This verse, the words of
Christ, is misunderstood. Both words
“everlasting” (Gr. aioonion-aiwnion/age-long). and “eternal” (Gr. aioonion-aiwnion/age-long) come from the same Greek word. The same identical word is used in both
cases. That word speaks of an age. It
does NOT indicate eternity!
So what is indicated here?
This verse also does not
point to identical periods of time.
Punishment (Gr. kolasin-kolasin) indicates an age of pruning. In fact, the Greek word means to prune.
Why do we prune plants?
We prune to clear away
anything that may inhibit their health and ability to properly grow. Pruning is
not a punishment.
Speaking of pruning, do you
think that my roses look forward to being pruned? I doubt it!
All who do not acknowledge
Christ in this life will be pruned at the proper time in the next life.
“Eternal” or age-long life
also points to a time that is limited.
But, please do not look at it in the temporal sense.
The word eternal speaks of
something with no beginning and no end. Since we must be “born again” and
thereby by have a new beginning, we will never have “eternal” life. But, will have life from the beginning of our
rebirth.
In reference to humanity,
everlasting punishment is limited by its beginning and end, and our “life
eternal” is limited by its beginning.