Many
today have heard from
their Leaders that "Believers" are the 5-wise virgins, and that
"Unbelievers" are the 5-foolish. Others have been told by their Pastors
that the Foolish Virgins are those who lack the "Oil" of the Holy
Spirit.
But what do the Scriptures reveal? How can we recognize the Wise and Foolish Virgins today? Dear Reader, are
you among the Wise, or the Foolish? Let's Look
closely at the Scriptures, and let’s find out.
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. (Matthew 25:1-13) Looking
at verse 1, we notice the following:
"Then
shall
the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins..."
(Matthew
25:1a) What is the "then" referring
to? Let's look at the previous paragraph to find out when:
The
lord of that servant shall
come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in
an hour that he is
not aware of, And
shall cut him
asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites:
there shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Matthew
24:50-51) The
above passages refer to the coming of the lord of a servant, in a day
in which he is not looking, nor is he aware of the hour of his
lord’s
coming. The consequence for this servant is a
“cutting
asunder.” It is this time frame in which right
afterwards is the
coming of the Bridegroom. The Greek word for this phrase
“cutting
asunder” is 'dichotomeo,' Strong's number
<1371>, meaning
"dividing into two parts." So we are told there is going to
be a
division, or separation, right at the time when the virgins are to
“go
forth to meet the bridegroom.” Let us resume now in
Chapter 25.
All the Virgins Had LampsIn
Mat 25:1, we see that both the wise and foolish virgins "went forth" to
meet the Bridegroom. All ten had lamps.
Notice also in verse 3 that
the foolish took no Oil with them. What is the significance
here? First, let’s look at the Lamps.For
the commandment is a lamp; and the law
("Torah") is light; and reproofs
of instruction are the way of life: (Proverbs 6:23) We
see from Proverbs that one's Lamp speaks of the Commandments, and that
the Law ("Torah") is the light given off from the lamp. This
is
an important clue as to what our lamp and light should be.
Yahushua is our living example of the Torah being lived out in daily
life. Thus it is that Yahushua said, "I am the Light
of the world" (John 8:12, 9:5).
Not only this, but
Yahushua said of His disciples, "Ye are the light
of the world" (Mat 5:14). Was this a contradiction
- or did
Yahushua reveal to us the clue to a great mystery? The mystery
of
"Messiah-in-you" that the Apostle spoke of in Colossians 1:27
was more than
just an idle description. It
was a revelation given to the Bride-Candidates, showing us that
allowing "Messiah-in-you" to keep the Torah, is our only hope of
entering in to glory.
Our
only hope of entering into glory - is for us to allow "Messiah-in-you"
to become the Light, as we allow "Him-in-Us" to obey our Father's
Commandments. Unless we allow "Messiah-in-you" to live, and
keep
His own Commandments in us, we have no hope of entering in.
All
the virgins had the Lamp, the Commandments written
in their Bibles. But only the wise had the Light
that comes from walking in the Commandments.
Only the Wise Virgins Had LightSo
the five wise and the five foolish virgins were all "Bride Candidates"
by their own estimation. They all had the Lamp of the
commandments. But only the Wise Virgins allowed
"Messiah-in-them"
to provide the Light of living out the Torah in their daily
lives. Perhaps the Foolish Virgins were told, "That's
Jewish." Perhaps they were told, "That's not for us
today" or "We’re not under the Law."
Perhaps they listened
to the many voices of the Blind leaders of the
Blind telling them, "Nobody can keep the Law," and so they did
not
search out the issues in the Scriptures for themselves. They
missed out on the importance of the Light of living out the Torah in
their daily lives. So we see now that not all of the virgins
were
truly Bride Candidates in their behaviour.
The
behaviour of the Wise Virgins can be seen further in the Book of Revelation, as the
(repentant) virgin Daughter of Zion:
These
are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins.
These
are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.
These were
redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the
Lamb. (Revelation 14:4) These
virgins were not defiled with women. They had repented of the spiritual
harlotry - the idolatry - that the other "virgins" engaged
in.
Instead, they followed the Lamb wherever He took them, even into
unfamiliar spiritual territory. They allowed the Lamb to live
in
them, and to walk in them, in the same obedience that He walked in
2,000 years ago, when He was in His own body. They allowed
the
Lamb to be their Light on a daily basis.
In Mat 25:3
we see that
the Wise took oil, but the Foolish did not. Many today focus
on
the Oil, and speculate as to what it means. But we are told
that
Oil is found in the dwelling of the Wise (Prov 21:20). Since
wisdom is given by Yahuweh, and the Oil is related to Wisdom,
then we must conclude that the "Oil" is given by His Grace - the
Holy-Ghost power provided by "Messiah-in-you" to accomplish His
purposes.
So we need not search for the
"Oil" - we merely
need to seek for Wisdom, and the Oil will be there when it is
needed. As we increase in the wisdom of allowing the
Commandments
to shine forth as Light, then "Messiah-in-us" will be there to provide
the Oil for the light. As soon as we make an attempt to walk
in
His Commandments, Statutes and Judgments (walking in the Light), He will supply
the Oil - by the Grace He gives us from within, to do His will.
In
Mat 25:5,
we see that both the Wise and Foolish Virgins slumbered, and slept.
In
verse 6, the Messenger cried out at Midnight. Then in verse 7
we
see both the Wise and Foolish Virgins arose, and trimmed their
lamps. The lamps of the Foolish had gone out - they had no
oil. It is implied that the Lamps of the Wise did not go out,
and
that they had no lack of oil.
But let us
now
focus on the major differences between the Wise and Foolish
Virgins. Notice in
verse 10 that "…they that were ready (the Wise) went in with
him to the
marriage…." Then we see in verses 11-12, "Afterward
came also the
other virgins (the Foolish), saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to
us.'
But he answered and said, 'Verily I say unto you, I know you not'."
The Wise Virgins Were Ready to Enter InThey
that were "Ready" - the wise virgins - went in with him to the
marriage. The reason they went in, we are told, is that they were
'Ready.' But what does it mean to be Ready?
Let’s
examine
this first by looking at those that were NOT ready. These
were
the Foolish Virgins. The first thing we notice is that these
"other" virgins uttered the phrase, "Lord, Lord." This phrase
"Lord, Lord" is spoken five times in the New Testament, in context of
disobedience, and being refused entrance in to the
Kingdom.
So here we have another clue - that this is a very serious issue,
perhaps related to the breaking of Yahuweh's Covenant - His "Marriage
Agreement."
Notice
the phrase, "Lord, Lord" as seen in Matthew 7:21 and again in verse 22,
to further identify the foolish virgins:
Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in
heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in
thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from
me, ye
that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23) The
Lord's response, seen in Mat 7:23 above, is very similar to what was
said to the Foolish Virgins, but with one additional clue:
"And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work 'iniquity'."
The Greek word for
‘iniquity’ is anomia,
Strong’s number <458>, meaning "transgression
of the law;
contempt or violation of law; condition of being without law;
wickedness." It is this additional clue that shows us one
point
of separation between the wise, and the foolish. But let's
look
further.
The Bridegroom Answers, "I Know You Not"Looking at the Bridegroom's response in Mat
25:12, we
see that the Bridegroom answered, "I know you not." What does
this tell us? The word ‘know’ in the Greek is 'eido'
- Strong’s #
<1492>, meaning "to perceive with the eyes, pay
attention,
observe, inspect, examine, experience any state or condition, to see,
i.e.
have an interview with, visit, have regard for one, cherish, pay
attention to, see with the mind's eye; signifies a clear and purely
mental perception."
So the Wise Virgins must have
been "known" by
the Bridegroom. He had regard for them. But not so with the
other
group. They were not known by the Bridegroom. They
were said to be workers of
'anomia' - they were "without Law" - they were not "do-ers" of the
Law. And they were considered "foolish." This
result is in
agreement with what we concluded above, as we looked at the Lamp and
the Light.
What about the Oil? Most
discussions of this
parable seem to center around the Oil for the lamps. But that
is
because most today have not an inkling of the Truth that walking in
Wisdom is simply walking in obedience to Torah. Most Pastors
and
teachers today have removed the Torah (the Law) from the New Covenant
teaching, and so they grasp at anything to focus on, except the real
issues. For a Scriptural look at the "Oil," see "Oil For the Lights."
Yahuweh, on the other hand, is establishing
the New
Covenant among His people, by writing the Torah (Law) on their inward
parts, and writing it in their hearts (Jer 31:33; Heb 8:10).
Yahuweh is likewise 'sealing' His Torah among His Disciples, so that
they
may 'know' Him, and so He may know who they are by the "seal"
(Isa
8:16; So 8:6; Ex 31:13,16; Eze 20:12, 20). So again - in
these
passages - we see many links between wisdom and knowing the
Father. We are told that the ‘wise’ man
is a man of ‘knowledge’ -
that is, knowledge of the Father (Prov 24:5).
The
passages in Ex
31:13 and Ezekiel 20 reveal exactly what determines "knowing" ("I know
you not" or "I never knew you") . Likewise, the companion
passage
in Ex 31:16 reveals that this is a "New Covenant" issue, concerning the
eternal agreement between the Bridegroom and the Bride.
The refusal of the Bride-Candidates to keep this Agreement is seen in
Scripture as 'lawlessness,' the anomia seen among
those claiming the
New Covenant - ("you that work iniquity").
The Wise Virgins Identified in ScriptureThe
Psalms and Proverbs both have much to say about those who would be
wise, and those who are foolish. Notice the frequent relating
of 'wisdom' with Commandments and Law:
Psalms:
1.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding
have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for
ever. (Psalms 111:10)2.
Thou through thy
commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever
with me. (Psalms 119:98) Proverbs:
1.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise
wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)2.
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of
thy mother: (Proverbs 1:8)3.
For the LORD
giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and
understanding. (Proverbs 2:6)4.
The wise
shall inherit glory (Proverbs 3:35)5.
Wisdom is the principal
thing; therefore get wisdom (Proverbs 4:7)6.
My son, keep thy
father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy
mother: (Proverbs 6:20)7.
Hear
instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not (Proverbs 8:33)8.
The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the
holy is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)9.
The wise in heart will receive commandments (Proverbs 10:8)10.
A
wise son heareth his father's instruction (Proverbs 13:1)11.
The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of
death. (Proverbs 13:14)12.
A wise man
feareth, and departeth from evil (Proverbs 14:16)13.
There is Oil in the dwelling of the wise (Proverbs 21:20)14.
Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son (Proverbs 28:7)15.
Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father (Proverbs 29:3) All
these verses hold the promise of being wise in your "latter end" (Prov.
19:20). The "latter end" is that most-waited-for time, that
glorious time, when we shall hear the "midnight cry" saying: "Behold,
the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him" (Matt 25:6).
Gaining
wisdom is the key, the secret, to having that precious Oil that the
five Wise Virgins had. Having the Oil is merely a by-product,
a
result of being wise, and of being known by the Bridegroom.
Being
wise, and avoiding being foolish, is the real issue. This is
a
New (Eternal) Covenant issue.
Yahushua
exhorted His Bride, when
He said, "...O fools, and slow of heart to believe ALL that the
prophets have spoken" (Luke 24:25). Yahushua spoke
that as a
warning to us. He said that the 'foolish' are slow of heart,
because they are not
"do-ers" of all the Prophets have spoken. What was He
referring
to? For one thing, He was Referring to the Israelites in the
Wilderness, who are another picture of the Foolish Virgins.
The Prophets tell us exactly what prevented the Israelites of
that generation from entering in. Let’s
look at just a few
passages from the Prophets:
Moreover
also I gave them my
sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they
might know that I
am the LORD that sanctify them. But
the house of Israel rebelled against me in the
wilderness: they walked
not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if
a man do,
he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly
polluted: then
I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to
consume them. (Ezekiel 20:12-13)
I
am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my
judgments, and
do them; And hallow my sabbaths;
and
they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that
I am the
LORD your God. (Ezekiel 20:19-20)
Wherefore
the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to
observe the
sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant
("owlam
berith"). (Exodus 31:16)
For
had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of
me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe
my
words? (John 5:46-47) In
the above passage in John5:46-47, Yahushua
clearly tells us that if we are NOT a believer (a "do-er") of Moses'
words, we can NOT be a believer (a "do-er") of His words
(for Moses' words ARE His words). He is telling us today, "If ye love me,
keep MY
commandments" (John 14:15).
Likewise,
being a "do-er" of
all that the Prophets have spoken ("My Commandments"), will result in
the foolish becoming wise, and becoming a partaker in the Everlasting
Covenant.
Many today do not
realize that the 'New Covenant' is the very same ‘Everlasting
Covenant’
spoken of in the Book of Hebrews, and also in the Psalms:
Now
the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting
covenant, Make you perfect in every good
work
to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in
his sight,
through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.
Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)
"…Which
covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the
same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for
an everlasting covenant: (Psalms 105:9-10) In
the Psalms passage above, we see that transgressing the covenant made
with Abraham, is transgressing the very same covenant
confirmed unto Jacob
for a law, and is also transgressing the Everlasting
Covenant
ratified in the Blood of
Yahushua.
The Foolish Virgins Break the Marriage Agreement It
was disobedience, or "transgression of the law,"
that prevented Israel from entering in to the Promised Land.
Likewise, it will be anomia, the same "transgression of the law," that
will prevent the Foolish Virgins from entering in with the Bridegroom.
Why is this true? It is because the "Law"
is part of
the Marriage Agreement broken by
the Foolish Virgins.
What about the
Foolish
Virgins? Throughout Scripture, we see two opposing pictures
of
virgins. First, there is the (repentant) Virgin Daughter of
Zion,
picturing the Wise Virgins. Second, there is the Virgin
Daughter of Babylon, also called the Virgin Daughter of Egypt. This
reveals the Foolish Virgins.
Come
down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon,
sit on
the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans:
for thou
shalt no more be called tender and delicate.
(Isaiah 47:1)
Those
of the Company of the Virgin Daughter of Babylon were not aware that
they were part of the Babylon Religious system.
They
had been taught to
shun "The Law." Therefore they did not allow the Lamb to live
in
them fully. By refusing to observe "My Sabbaths," as Messiah
calls them, they refused Him. They prevented "Messiah-in-them"
from obeying some of His Father's Commandments, by His Grace.
By
refusing to keep the Passover, they refused the Passover Lamb
Himself. By refusing the Passover meal, they refused to eat
His
Flesh and drink His Blood of the New Covenant, thus they did not have
His Life in them (John 6.53-56; Mark 14:16-24). Instead they
practiced a pagan Passover substitute of their own choosing, calling it
the 'Lord's Supper.'
The Virgin Daughter of
Babylon also
observed Christmas and Easter, and practiced myriads of other ancient,
pagan religious rites (all wrapped in modern religious packaging,
deceiving many). Moreover, they were told by their well-meaning Pastors,
"God
doesn't see your sin - He sees the Blood of Jesus." But
notice
what Yahuweh says about that:
For
thou hast trusted in thy
wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy
wisdom and thy
knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I
am, and none else beside me. (Isaiah 47:10) These
are the foolish virgins. They stand as a warning to all who
would be wise.
The Bride Makes Herself Ready - By the Bridegroom's AbilityTherefore
let us begin to allow Messiah-in-us, to walk in the New Covenant, by
His Grace - the Holy-Spirit power and ability He gives us from
within, to keep His
Commandments:
Behold, the
days come, saith the
LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the
house of Israel, and
with the house of Judah: Not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in
the day
that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt;
which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them,
saith the LORD: But this shall be the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After
those days,
saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and
write it
in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my
people. (Jeremiah 31:31-33) And
I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my
statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do
them. (Ezekiel 36:27)
And
they
shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of
them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will
forgive
their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no
more.
(Jeremiah 31:31-34) Yahuweh
will forgive our iniquity, and remember our sin no more, when we repent
- after we cease our iniquity and sin, and begin to walk in His
Commandments, Statutes and Judgments, by His Grace. For those
that are inclined to do so, let us that are foolish repent -
so
that we may become wise.
The
Bridegroom
will be here soon. Let us make ourselves
"Ready."
Let us decide whether we would
be among the "Wise" Virgins - or among the "Foolish."
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