There
was once a King, who was a powerful King over a great and mighty
kingdom. He was a noble king, and he loved His subjects very
much. The people likewise loved the King, and desired to come
into His presence. All the people, from the least to the
greatest, looked for any opportunity to be called to the King’s palace,
and to be near unto Him.
One day, as the King’s Son came of age,
the King began to plan for the wedding of His Son. So the King
decided what He would do. The King would make public His intent
for His Son to be married, and His promises of great Blessing and
Favour toward the one who would become the new Bride.
Search for the Bride The
King then sent swift messengers throughout His vast kingdom, to
announce the search for a Bride for the King’s Son. The
messengers went from village to village, spreading the good news.
A Bride would be chosen from among all the virgins in the Land!
Everyone
in the Kingdom knew that the King was wealthy beyond imagination.
Therefore ALL the virgins wanted to marry the King’s Son, because of
His wealth and good fortune.
Everyone knew that, in
time, the King’ Son would become King, and would rule over all the
kingdom. What a great honour to be the Bride of the King!
However,
the King began to realize that ALL the virgins desired to marry the
King’s Son, but He knew there was only one virgin who would truly love
Him. How would the King find out which one it was?
The King Devises A PlanSo
the King devised a plan to find out which of the virgins would truly
love the King’s Son. The King would produce a "Book of Wisdom" to
be used throughout the Kingdom.
This Book of Wisdom would state
the King’s requirements for a Bride. However, The King would also
hide secret messages within His Book of Wisdom, that would reveal
exactly what the King would "Delight" in.
The King’s intent was,
that these hidden messages would be sought for, and would be found,
only by the Bride who truly loved the King’s Son, but would not be
noticed or understood by the rest of the virgins. Then the King
sent, and distributed the Book of Wisdom throughout His vast Kingdom.
The King's DecreeThe
King then issued a Decree: "All the King’s subjects who disobey the
King’s Book of Wisdom would be officially disqualified." Those
disqualified must then "die" to the idea of being Bride to the King.
Immediately
there arose a great outcry against the King’s Decree.
"Impossible!" cried many of the virgins. "This is worse than
death!" cried other virgins, who found it nearly impossible to go
through such exhaustive preparation, and to obey such strict
rules! The virgins all wanted to marry the King’s Son, but they
had been accustomed to their freedom; and most desired to do only what
was right in their own eyes.
The King's New DecreeNot
long afterwards, however, a New Decree went forth from the King,
canceling the Old Decree. The King would henceforth cancel the
penalty of Disqualification He had pronounced earlier, against all
those virgins who would disobey the King’s Book of Wisdom.
From this point forward, the virgins would no longer be required to keep these rules and requirements the King had written within His Book of Wisdom!
"Oh!
What a wonderful King!" sang out all the virgins. There was
rejoicing throughout the Kingdom, from one end of the Land to
another! "Oh, what joy! The King has set us free from
Bondage of the Old Decree! No longer must we meet these harsh
requirements!" they all shouted with joy.
Now all the virgins
loved the King even more. They all desired, even more than
before, to marry the King’s Son; for now all the virgins had been set
free from the Bondage of the King’s earlier edict!
Now, the King
had been planning all along, exactly what He would do. He knew
that there would be one virgin who truly loved the King’s Son, and the
plan He devised would find out which virgin this was!
Although
the King’s earlier Decree had been canceled, the King knew that the one
virgin who truly loved His Son, would seek for, and find, these hidden
messages the King had placed within His Book of Wisdom.
This
virgin would find these messages, and would begin to practice, and to
do voluntarily, everything she found that "delighted" the King.
She would learn of the King’s "delights," and she would walk in
obedience to the King’s Book of Wisdom — in spite of the King’s New
Decree that canceled the virgins’ requirement to obey.
Then
the King and His Son went away to a far country, with the promise that
they would soon return, and take a Bride for the King’s Son.
Day
by day, the Virgins read the King’s Book of Wisdom. Indeed, all
the virgins read the Book, and became more and more familiar with the
facts concerning the King and His Son, and of the Kingdom. Many
even began to look diligently, to determine the day and hour of His
return.
However, most of the virgins did not prepare themselves
in doing those things the King truly delighted in — for the King’s
Decree had set them "free" from the penalty of disobedience; and
because they were no longer required to do any of those strict practices and Bridal preparations listed in the King’s Book of Wisdom, they ceased doing them.
The
King knew, however, that one of the virgins would find, and do, what
the King "delighted" in, just as the King’s Emissaries did; He
knew that only one virgin would discover the Mystery of the King’s
"Delight."
You see, before the King had left to go to a distant
land, He had placed observers –"eyes" in every place, beholding the
evil and the good. These went into in all the land, in order
to look carefully, and to observe what each virgin was doing, day by
day.
These
observers would then report back to the King, and in this way the King
would know what was in the heart of each virgin; even as the King had
done with Hezekiah, one of His princes, that He might know all that was
in his heart, so would the King do with the virgins. In this way, the
King would know who truly loved the King’s Son, and who did not.
The Arrival of the King's MessengersFinally,
late one night, around midnight, the King’s Messengers were sent
throughout the Land, to awaken all the virgins. "Behold! The
Bridegroom Cometh!" announced the King’s Messengers. "Come ye out
to meet Him!"
All these virgins began to awaken, and to put on
their clothing, and to secure their lanterns. However, many of
the virgins had a problem — they were not yet ready to go out into the
dark of night for a journey of any length, for they had no oil for
their lanterns!
Likewise, they had not prepared themselves, in
practicing what the King "delighted" in. By the daily decrees of
the watchers, by those who observed the virgins in their everyday
lives, the King knew exactly who loved Him, and who did not.
Now,
the King had known that all the virgins wanted to marry the King’s Son,
but He knew most were "carnal," for they were not subject to the Decree
of the King. They had shown that they did not truly love Him, by
their lack of voluntary obedience.
There was one virgin,
however, who truly loved the King. From the hidden messages
placed within the King’s Book of Wisdom, she had understood exactly
what preparation that the one virgin must have, who would become the
Bride of the King. She knew that the goal of the King’s Decree is
Love from a pure heart. She also knew that the King had written,
"If you love me, keep My Decrees!"
She began to understand the
hidden messages within the King’s book of Wisdom; for she had found,
and had begun to walk in obedience, and to practice, the preparations
found in the King’s Book of Wisdom — even though she was no longer required to do so. She had thus made herself "ready."
A Bride is ChosenThen
all those virgins that had no oil for their lanterns, separated
themselves, to find the proper oil, and to do the last-minute
preparation that is befitting a Bride. While all those virgins
were gone, however, the Bride was taken: the one virgin was chosen, for
she had truly shown her love for the King’s Son.
When all the
other virgins returned, they asked that they, too, might go away to the
Palace of the King, which was beautiful for situation, on a great and
high Mountain, on the sides of the north, in the midst of the Kingdom.
"I
regret to inform you," said the messenger who stood by the King’s
carriage. "A Bride has already been chosen for the King’s Son."
"However,
applications will be taken, beginning on the morrow, for virgins to
follow the Bride, to come after her — virgins without number, as
daughters among Honourable Women, and as Companions, as Bridesmaids,
and as Guests."
"You may begin your preparation for this
immediately. Good Day!"
And
the King’s carriage, and the chosen Bride, and all the
Bride’s procession, were carried away, to the palace of the King.
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