Parable of the 10 Virgins
Matthew 25:1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5 Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready [hetoimos: prepared, “standing by”] went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Be on the alert [grégoreó: to be awake, to watch] then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
Verse 6 tells us that “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’” Examining verse 6 in the Interlinear, we derive a richer description of this event:
Matthew 25:6 At middle [mesos: middle, in the midst, midnight] moreover [de: on top of this] of the night [nux: at night, midnight], a cry [kraugé: an outcry, crying done with pathos (great emotion), clamoring against another] there was, Behold [horaó: to see, perceive, attend to] the bridegroom! Go forth [exerchomai: come forth, depart, escape] to meet him!
A passionate outcry/clamor takes place at Midnight announcing, “Behold [see, perceive] the bridegroom!” The arrival of the Bridegroom is clearly an obvious and perceivable event as the word “behold” suggests. The 10 virgins recognize and realize that the rapture has taken place and immediately awaken from their spiritual slumber and “trim their lamps” so that they can shine brighter.
However, only the 5 prudent virgins “took oil in their flasks along with their lamps”. When pressed by the 5 foolish virgins to share their oil, they refuse and they foolish virgins go “away to make the purchase” of the oil from the “dealers”.
What does the oil represent?
The Bible tells us it is impossible to “obtain the gift of God with money” (Acts 8:20) and records Peter sharply rebuking Simon when he “offered them money”:
Acts 8:18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.
Similarly it is impossible for the foolish virgins to purchase the oil, as the oil represents our relationship with the Lord, and faith and character built up through many trials and testings, and the faith and knowledge of His Word taught to us by the Holy Spirit through patient diligence.
This cannot be accomplished or obtained within a short space of time and a short time is implied by the foolish virgins inability to obtain the oil before “the door was shut.”
Who are these dealers who sell “oil”?
Instead, we see that the foolish virgins go to “the dealers and buy some” oil.
These dealers are the very same ones who sell “oil” today. As the word “sell” implies, a transaction is taking place and money is changing hands. However as we clearly see when the foolish virgins return to the Bridegroom with the “oil” they have purchased beseeching Him to “open for” them, He answers, “Truly I say to you, I do not know you.”
Hence we can clearly see that the “oil” the foolish virgins purchased from the dealers is not “spirit and truth” but only a counterfeit, and it is not accepted by the Bridegroom.
This is a caution to us today to only receive “oil” from the Holy Spirit directly as only then can we be sure that it is genuine:
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
When is “midnight”?
Other examples of events which take place at or around midnight are provided by the Bible:
- The Lord delivered the Israelites from Egypt “at midnight”:
Exodus 11:4 Moses said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt,
Exodus 12:29 Now it came about at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle.
- A sudden great earthquake “about midnight” breaks open the doors of the prison house were opened and everyone's chains liberating Paul and Silas:
Acts 16:25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.
Be alert and watch
From the above examples, we can draw some insights about “midnight” when the Israelites and Paul and Silas were freed from their bondage: it could possibly take place during the Passover and may be preceded by a sudden great earthquake (opening of the Sixth Seal?).
As the Lord Jesus Himself counsels, “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”
Maranatha!
Cecilia