An article by Jack Kelley
“At
that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps
and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were
wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The
wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a
long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At
midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then
all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the
wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’”
‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go
to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But
while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The
virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door
was shut. “Later
the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ “But
he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore
keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour (Matt. 25:1-13).
What’s
That All About?
This
parable is often incorrectly described as having to do with the church,
especially by those who cling to the post-tribulation rapture viewpoint. Let’s
apply some standard rules of interpretation to see what it really means.
As
for the timing of the event, there’s little debate since it’s clearly
disclosed. The opening phrase “At that time” refers to several earlier
references in the Olivet Discourse all pointing back to Matthew 24:29 which
says, “Immediately after the distress (tribulation) of those days…”
This
verse of course refers to the Great Tribulation. It’s a 3 1/2 year long sequence of judgments
begun by the appearance of the “abomination that causes desolation, standing in
the Holy Place,” commonly thought to be the anti-christ standing in the newly
rebuilt Jewish Temple in Israel proclaiming himself to be god. Paul prophesied this in 2 Thes. 2:4.
So
the timing of the parable is just after the end of the Great Tribulation, when
what’s left of the world awaits the appearance of Messiah, the King. But
notice, they’ve been waiting a long time, implying that the story actually
began much earlier, and is now concluding.
The
parable centers around 10 virgins, or bridesmaids depending on which
translation you prefer, awaiting the appearance of a bridegroom. The Greek word
is parthenos, which always describes someone who has never had sexual
intercourse. The use of the word bridesmaid comes from an attempt by
translators to adhere to the context of the story. But in any case, here’s
where some knowledge of 1st century Jewish wedding traditions comes in handy.
Can
I Marry Her?
In
those days when a man took a fancy to a young woman, he approached her father
to ask for her hand in marriage. A brief negotiation followed where the price
he was required to pay as compensation for the family’s loss of their daughter
was determined. It was called the bride price. If acceptable, and if the daughter
agreed to become the man’s wife, they were officially betrothed and he went
away to build a home for them next to his father’s house. This could take some
time, and the couple rarely met again until the father of the groom pronounced
the newly built home fit for habitation. Only then was the date set, and the
man given permission by his father to go collect his bride for the wedding.
During
this time the young woman was to watch and wait. She and her bridesmaids were
to maintain a constant state of preparedness, since the wedding date would not
be known to her until the bridegroom actually appeared. For his part, the groom
would usually try to show up unexpectedly to surprise her, carrying her off
suddenly “like a thief in the night” when no one would see them. When the
bridesmaids discovered the bride had been “snatched away” there would be a
great torch-lit procession, announcing to the whole town that the wedding
banquet was about to begin. This was typically a seven day celebration during
which the bride and groom were hidden away in their private rooms while the
whole town made merry. The father of the groom picked up the tab for the
festivities.
I
Can See Clearly Now
Against
the backdrop of this tradition, the meaning becomes clear when we insert the
actual characters that those in the parable represent. To do this, we’ll rely
on the principle of expositional constancy, from which we learn that symbolism
in scripture tends to be consistent. For example, whenever yeast is used
symbolically it always refers to sin, while symbolic use of the word rock
always refers to the Lord, etc.
All
through the scriptures, whenever the term bridegroom is used symbolically, it
always refers to the Lord. And no one argues that the Bride of Christ is
uniquely descriptive of the church. Obviously, the bridesmaids are not the
Bride so they can’t represent the church. In fact, the Bride is never mentioned
anywhere in the parable, and in any case could never be refused admittance to
her own wedding banquet. She was obviously
spirited away earlier while the bridesmaids slept. The bridesmaids represent
people on Earth during the Great Tribulation after the church has gone.
Got
Oil?
Now
it’s time for the wedding banquet but some bridesmaids lack sufficient oil to
light the way. Asking to borrow some from their friends they’re refused, since
there might not be enough to go around, and are sent off to buy some for
themselves. By the time they return, the banquet has already begun, the door is
closed and they’re denied admission, the bridegroom claiming that he doesn’t
even know them.
Checking
on the symbolic use of oil, we find it refers to the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit is a gift uniquely given to believers at the moment of salvation. You
can’t get it for others nor can they give any of theirs to you. Each of us has
to receive it by ourselves and for ourselves.
During
the Church Age the Holy Spirit is sealed within believers as a guarantee of our
inheritance. But no such guarantee is mentioned for Tribulation believers (Rev.
14:12). In fact Rev. 16:15 specifically
warns them to stay awake and maintain their righteousness, symbolized by
keeping their clothes with them. (Clothing is often used to represent
righteousness, as in Isaiah 61:10). Rev. 16:15 implies that Tribulation believers
are responsible for remaining steadfast in their faith to avoid losing their
salvation. Matt. 25:8 agrees, telling us that all 10 virgins had oil in their
lamps at the beginning, but the five foolish ones didn’t have enough to carry
them through. All
10 bridesmaids fell asleep and their lamps were in danger of going out. Only 5
had the ability to replenish their lamps with oil they had brought, and they
refused to lend any to the others.
The
5 bridesmaids with oil represent those who will have given their hearts to the
Lord during the tribulation period after the Church has gone and stayed
faithful, while those without it symbolize others who haven’t. Only those
who’ve remained faithful will be invited in.
What’s
That Supposed To Mean?
So
what does the parable mean? First of all, I’m convinced it’s not trying to hint
at the timing of the Rapture. I believe it’s sole purpose is to serve as one of
the clearest warnings the Lord ever gave to those He would find still on Earth
when He returns, and that’s to make sure they remain faithful and ready to
receive Him no matter how long they have to wait.
When
the Lord comes back at the End of the Age, He’ll find both believers and
unbelievers present on Earth. Having previously spirited His bride (the church)
away, He’ll now decide who among the Tribulation survivors should be allowed to
participate in the blessings of His Kingdom, using the presence of the Holy
Spirit in each one’s life as the determining factor. Those in whom the Spirit
resides when He returns are invited in but those without it will be excluded.
Because
just as importantly, the parable teaches that His return signals the deadline
after which even the request to be saved and receive the Holy Spirit will be
denied. (The foolish virgins, as the story calls them, were on their way to
replenish their oil when the bridegroom arrived.) The door will be closed, and
the Lord will deny ever knowing those who’ve come too late.
By
not remaining faithful, these tribulation believers, who are not part of the
Church, will have disqualified themselves from participation in the
kingdom. Once everyone sees the Lord
returning on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory, the opportunity
for them to restore their salvation will have ended. Salvation has always been by faith and faith
is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see (Hebr.
11:1). Selah 3-21-04
