Bible Studies

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Matthew 25: 1-13 KJV
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.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

I love the parable of the virgins. It teaches us many things about the coming of Christ.

The first thing I see is ALL of these ten virgins knew the time was near for their Bridegroom to come, yet five of them were not ready. Their lamps were not filled. Or in other words; their heart was not Spirit-filled. They were caught up in their day-to-day activities in the world. They were with the wise virgins all the time, right next to them. They could be your neighbor in the pew in front of you. They had a head knowledge of Christ, yet not a heart knowledge. They were the foolish ones.

The wise were always ready. They kept plenty of oil in their lamps. They knew that at any time He could appear, there would be no time for last minute preparations.

The second thing I see is the foolish ones trying to take oil from the wise ones. This tells me I cannot make it into heaven on my Mama and Daddy’s salvation. It is my responsibility to be ready when Jesus comes back. Verse nine tells us this; we are responsible for our souls. We must submit to Christ. Only Christ can save us. We have to come to Jesus when He whispers in our ear. No one else can do it for us. You may have been in church since you were born; know all the hymns, all the sermons, and all the commandments. But if you are not washed in the blood of Christ and filled with His Spirit, you are foolish, just like those virgins. Do not depend on somebody else or your good works to get you there. Jesus and Jesus alone saves us. Maybe you think you are saved, you said the prayer. But if you don’t hear His voice or have a deep, loving relationship with Him through every aspect of your life, you just may not be. If you are truly saved, you WILL KNOW IT in your heart.

The third thing I see is that once we close our eyes in death, it’s too late. There is no purgatory or cleansing place that is a stop-off before heaven. It’s either heaven or it’s hell. Verses 10, 11 and 12 tell us that the door was shut to the foolish virgins. The Lord told them “I know you not.” What a horrible thing to hear, knowing in that very instant you are doomed to a Godless eternity in hell.

I think the oil in this parable is fellowship with Jesus, it’s reading your bible, its loving your neighbor, it’s praying without ceasing, it‘s praising His Holy name. It’s everything we do to fill ourselves up with God. He wants us to be full; to live an abundant life that He provides for us.

My Dad used to own a gas station back in the 60‘s. A full-service gas station, believe it or not! I can remember every time a car pulled in he’d ask; “Fill er up?” We need to fill er up daily with the love of God. When we get away from God, we are emptying our lamps of His precious oil. We can’t shine without His oil. Go get your bible right now and just meditate on His Word. Spend time each day doing this and He will fill you up with His burning oil of love. May God Bless you all.

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