THE SONG OF SONGS AND THE TEN VIRGINS
                                                        March 24, 2015

My (and I hope your) understanding of the ten virgins of Matt 25 has been given considerable light now.  The ten virgins are the Church.  The first five churches of Revelation 2 and 3 have no living members today.   They cannot be raptured bodily.  They will be resurrected.  The only two Churches left with living members are:

Philadelphia:  this is the church of the first rapture.  It is represented by 5 virgins having oil in their lamps.  Oil here is the Holy Spirit in the heart.  

Laodicea:  this is the church left behind.  It is represented by 5 virgins having no Oil in their lamps.  The Holy Spirit is absent in the heart of this group.

The second group are told to “go to the seller of oil (the Holy Spirit) and buy of Him.   They did so because they were well aware of the rapture of their sister virgins, the Philadelphian Church at the first taking out in early Spring.  Apparently in the year 2015.   (Song of Songs 2:10).

“While the Bridegroom tarried, they all (ten of them) slumbered and slept.  Then at MIDNIGHT (the beginning time of the second watch)  there was a cry made,  Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him” (Matt 25:1)  This fulfills Song of Songs 2:10ff.  (Matt 25:5, 6).

“Then ALL those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps”.  That is both groups.  Both are aware of the coming of the Lord.  Laodiceans know He has come for the virgins.  Philadelphia knows it too.  ALL GO OUT TO MEET HIM.   But, poor Laodicea needs Oil (the Holy Spirit).  Why?  Because their lamps have gone out!!!  (Apostasy has extinguished the flame and living in the world ran them out of Oil).  These poor, blind, sick, naked, wretched and therefore miserable ones (Rev 3:17) have no Oil, thus, no Holy Fire.  And Jesus stood outside the door of this group and knocked, and knocked all the way up to the rapture of Philadelphia.    

But you say, so what?  They are a “church” just as the Philadelphian Christians are a “church” aren't they?  They are all the Lord's Church.  The wise Philadelphians, the true living ones, said to the Laodiceans “we can't give you our Oil for it is barely enough for us” (paraphrase of verse 9a) “but rather go to them that sell, and buy for yourselves” (Matt 25: 9b).  

Unfortunately for them, while they were “gone” (to get Oil) the Bridegroom came and took the Philadelphians that had Oil.  These “went in with Him to the marriage supper; and the door was shut.” (Matt 25:10b).   What a devastating tragedy...the Laodicean Church MISSED the entire marriage supper!!

The “afterward” (I speculate that after 5 months based on the 150 days of Noah's seafaring and 5 months of torment in Rev 9:5 of almost pure hell on earth for them; after they have learned and have been made acceptable with Oil in their lamps) they too will be raptured.  (Song of Songs chapter 6 verse 12).   Now, the full Church will be at home in heaven with Christ.  But these Laodiceans come to the door of the marriage supper hall saying “Lord, Lord, open to us”  But the Lord will answer by saying, “I know you not” (Matt 25:12b).  They were not invited to the great marriage feast in heaven.  What a price to pay for apostasy, and for ignoring Jesus' plain warnings to get close and stay close to Him during and in the  time of the Age of Grace.

So what happens to these formerly slothful Laodiceans?  Are they  part of the marriage or not?  Well the Song of Songs in chapters  6,7 and 8 seem to say that they are.  This second rapture bunch  are also seen as the “Shulamite”, just as the first group was so identified, and not only that but as the second army with banners in the Song of Songs chapter 6:13b.  That makes the entire Church finally the Bride of Christ but only after getting the spots and blemishes off the Bride (Eph 5:27).  The Philadelphian group is also described in Song of Songs 6:4 as “terrible as an army (one army) with banners”.  But finally, after reconciliation with Laodicea, there are, not one, but two armies.   

What a beautiful correlation to the fulfillment of the Song of Songs is found in Matthew 25.  

So, we need to pray mightily for our Laodicean brothers and sisters.  They are headed for a very rough time as they “seek the seller of Oil” while left in the world to learn obedience to Christ.  Many will pay for this Oil with their physical lives, according to the Revelation

Oh my, the judgment!!!  It is like servants given talents.  Those ready, that those who used their talents for the Lord, are in the beloved and acceptable.  It doen't matter how many talents one has, but it does matter whether the talents were used for Christ.  Those that have wasted their God-given talent(s) by burying it (in the world) are in real trouble.  These will have to go through Great Tribulation where there they will learn a hard lesson, and where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

Then, after Jesus Christ and His Bride put down the armies of the world at Armageddon, and only then, shall the nations be designated as either sheep or goat.  This is at the time of the second coming of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  This is when the nations will be judged BASED ON ONLY ONE THING.  That is how did you treat Israel my chosen?  It will be a dreadful day for the nations designated as “goats”.  

The Song of Songs knows Israel as “our little sister that hath no breasts” (Song of Songs 8:8).  The Bride so designated her while on her honeymoon in this passage of the Song of Songs.  The Bride is the Church, the wife of Jesus Christ, while Israel is the wife of God, the Father.  He has at last redeemed her out of the world.   Regathered and young and new, she is no longer the spiritual prostitute described in the book of Hosea.  The Kingdom Age is hers.

So there it is.  My take on where we are right now.  And I believe we are going home!!

Maranatha

Gerry Almond  

sgalmond@yahoo.com