Parable Of The Ten Virgins





* Matthew 25 *

Verse 10

*
And while they were going away
to make the purchase,
the bridegroom came,
and those who were
ready went in with him
to the wedding feast;
and the door was shut.

(Soul Winner's New American)
(Standard New Testament)
******************************
Grace be unto you, from me my beloved
Christian brothers & sisters.
Giving Him thanks for allowing
the fellowship of His word
through this group once more.
Take out some time in your daily
schedule to give
God praise & glory for all
He has done for you.
In this life we are faced
with many decisions;
buying a home, our education,
money matters, etc,
but there is one we often shun
or not take seriously
& that is our personal salvation.

For this brings me to my topic this week:
(Ready Or Not)
*****************************
My dear brothers & sisters,
there are a lot of ministers,
teachers, & others who use the gospel
as a financial &
political platform for their own gain.
Make no mistake,
there is nothing wrong in pointing
out God's plan for our
prosperity & one who is seeking office
or stature in the
community & he/she is a true Christian.
Often more than not,
the main focus of Christianity
is not being taught &
that my beloved is, our personal
relationship with Christ.
I did not say commandment, some will say,
Jesus said
"to love one another," yes He did,
but that will not save you,
only when you have accepted Him
as Lord & Savior in a personal
relationship.
*****************************
The coming of the bridegroom was at
midnight--the darkest hour.
So the coming of Christ will take place
in the darkest period
of this earth's history.
The days of Noah and Lot pictured the
condition of the world just before
the coming of the Son of man.
The Scriptures pointing forward to
this time declare that Satan
will work with all power and
"with all deception of unrighteousness."
(II Thessalonians 2:9-10)
His working is plainly revealed by
the rapidly increasing
darkness, the multitudinous errors,
heresies, and delusions of
these last days.
Not only is Satan leading the world captive,
but his deceptions are leavening the
professed churches of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
The great apostasy will develop into darkness
deep as midnight,
impenetrable as sackcloth of hair.
To God's people it will be a night of trial,
a night of weeping,
a night of persecution for the truth's sake.
But out of that night of darkness
God's light will shine.
He causes "the light to shine out of darkness."
(II Corinthians 4:6)



Jesus said,
"No one, after putting his hand to
the plow & looking back,
is fit for the kingdom of God."
(Luke 9:62)

(Lot's Wife Knows About That)
(Genesis 19:26)

**Am I Right About It **
Dear Lord

This is a lesson I want each of you
to etch into your heart, mind & soul:
WE MUST BE WILLING TO GO ALL
THE WAY & NEVER LOOK BACK

BE READY WHEN HE COMES,
FOR HE MAY COME IN THE ELEVENTH HOUR
******************************
Dear friends, in this parable,
Christ is telling His disciples
of the experience of the church
that shall live before His
second coming.
There are two classes of watchers professing
to be waiting on the Lord.
They are called "virgins," for they
profess a pure faith.
By the way lamps is represented
the word of God.

The psalmist says,
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path.
(Psalm 109:105)



The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Thus the Spirit is represented in the
prophecy of Zechariah.
(Zechariah 4:1-14)
We see the ten virgins went out to
meet the bridegroom &
all had lamps & vessels of oil.
It seems for a time there
was no difference between them,
so with the church that lives
before His second coming.
There is a knowledge of scripture,
a hearing of His near approach
& confidently waiting for
His appearing,
but O dear friends,
"There Is A Delay."
Faith is tried &
when the cry is heard,
"the bridegroom is come,"
go forth & meet Him,
many are unready,
their lamps are depleted
of oil, they are destitute
of the Holy Spirit.
Without the Holy Spirit in one's life,
he/she
will fall prey to Satan's
masterful temptations.
Without the spirit
of God, a knowledge of the word
is to no avail. The theory of truth,
unaccompanied by the Holy Spirit,
cannot quicken the soul or sanctify
the heart.
One may be familiar with the commands
and promises of the
Bible; but unless the Spirit of God
sets the truth home, the character
will not be transformed. The class represented
by the "foolish virgins"
are not hypocrites, they have a regard,
advocated, & believed the truth.
They have not yielded to the
working of the Holy Spirit.
Not fallen upon the rock, Jesus Christ,
being broken up.
This class are represented also by the
stony-ground hearers.
They receive the word with readiness,
but they fail of assimilating
its principles. Its influence is not abiding.
The Spirit works upon
a man's heart, according to his desire
and consent, implanting in him
a new nature; but the class represented
the foolish virgins have been
content with a superficial work.
They do not know God. They have not
studied His character; they have not held
communion with Him; therefore
they do not know how to trust,
how to look and live. Their service
to God degenerates into a form.
"They come unto thee as the people cometh,
and they sit before thee
as My people, and they hear thy words,
but they will not do them;
for with their mouth they show much love,
but their heart goeth
after their covetousness.
(Ezekiel 33:31)
The apostle Paul points out that
this will be the special
characteristic of those who live
just before Christ's second coming.
He says, "In the last days perilous
times shall come: for men shall
be lovers of their own selves; . . .
lovers of pleasures more than
lovers of God; having a form of godliness,
but denying the power thereof."
(II Timothy 3:1-5)
Dear friends let us be ready when He comes,
not having a
watered down faith & relationship
with Him. This is the class
that in time of peril are found crying,
Peace and safety. They
lull their hearts into security,
and dream not of danger. When
startled from their lethargy,
they discern their destitution,
and entreat others to supply their lack;
but in spiritual things
no man can make up another's deficiency.
The grace of God has
been freely offered to every soul.
The message of the gospel
has been heralded,
"Let him that is thirsty come.
And whosoever will, let him take the water
of life freely.
(Revelation 22:17)
But character is not transferable.
No man can believe for another.
No man can receive the Spirit for another.
No man can impart to
another the character which is the
fruit of the Spirit's working.
"Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it
[the land], as I live,
saith the Lord God, they shall deliver
neither son nor daughter;
they shall but deliver their own souls
by their righteousness."
(Ezekiel 14:20)
It is in a crisis that character is revealed.
When the earnest voice
proclaimed at midnight,
"Behold, the bridegroom cometh;
go ye out
to meet him," and the sleeping virgins
were roused from their slumbers,"
it was seen who had made preparation
for the event. Both parties
were taken unawares; but one was prepared
for the emergency,
and the other was found without preparation.
So now, a sudden
and unlooked-for calamity,
something that brings the soul face
to face with death, will show whether
there is any real faith
in the promises of God.
It will show whether
the soul is sustained
by grace. The great final test comes
at the close of human probation,
when it will be too late for the soul's
need to be supplied.
The ten virgins
are watching in the evening
of this earth's history.
All claim to be Christians.
All have a call, a name, a lamp,
and all profess
to be doing God's service.
All apparently wait for
Christ's appearing.
But five are unready.
Five will be found surprised, dismayed,
outside the banquet hall.
At the final day,
many will claim admission
to Christ's kingdom, saying,
"We have eaten and drunk in Thy presence,
and Thou hast taught in our streets."
"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?
" But the answer is,"
I tell you, I know you not whence ye are;
depart from Me.
(Luke 13:26-27; Matthew 7:22)

Forgive Us Lord



In this life they have not entered
into fellowship with Christ;
therefore they know not the
language of heaven, they are strangers
to its joy.
"What man knoweth the things of a man,
save the spirit of man
which is in him?
even so the things of God knoweth no man,
but
the Spirit of God.
(I Corinthians 2:11)
Saddest of all words that ever fell
on mortal ear are those
words of doom,
"I know you not."
The fellowship of the Spirit,
which you have slighted,
could alone make you one
with the joyous throng at
the marriage feast.
In that scene you cannot participate.
Its light would fall on blinded eyes,
it's melody upon deaf ears.
It's love and joy could awake no
chord of gladness in the
world-benumbed heart.
You are shut out from heaven by your
own unfitness for its companionship.
We cannot be ready to
meet the Lord by waking
when the cry is heard,
"Behold, the Bridegroom!"
and then gathering up our
empty lamps to have them replenished.
We cannot keep
Christ apart from our lives here,
and yet be fitted for
His companionship in heaven.
In the parable the wise
virgins had oil in their
vessels with their lamps.
Their light burned with undimmed
flame through the
night of watching.
It helped to swell the illumination
for the bridegroom's honor.
Shining out in the darkness,
it helped to illuminate the way
to the home of the bridegroom,
to the marriage feast.
So the followers of Christ are
to shed light into
the darkness of the world.
Through the Holy Spirit,
God's word is a light as it becomes a
transforming power in the life of the receiver.
By implanting in their hearts
the principles of His word,
the Holy Spirit develops in men
the attributes of God.
The light of His glory--
His character--is to shine forth
in His followers.
Thus they are to glorify God,
to lighten the
path to the Bridegroom's home,
to the city of God,
to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
"Arise, shine; for thy light is come,
and the glory of the Lord
is risen upon thee."
(Isaiah 60:1)

"When I sit in darkness,
the Lord shall be a light unto me"
(Micah 7:8)
My blessed children,
if you are without a relationship in Christ
when He comes,
you shall be in darkness forever.

****Am I Right About It ****

To those who go out to meet
the Bridegroom is this message given.
Christ is coming with power
and great glory. He is coming with
His own glory and with the
glory of the Father. He is coming
with all the holy angels with Him.
While all the world is
plunged in darkness,
there will be light in every dwelling
of the saints.
They will catch the first light of
His second appearing.
The unsullied light will
shine from His splendor,
and Christ the Redeemer
will be admired by all who have served Him.
While the wicked
flee from His presence,
Christ's followers will rejoice.
The patriarch Job, looking down
to the time of Christ's
second advent, said,
"Whom I shall see for myself,
and mine eyes shall behold,
and not a stranger."
(Job:19:27)
To His faithful followers
Christ has been a daily
companion and familiar friend.
They have lived in
close contact,
in constant communion with God.
Upon them the glory
of the Lord has risen.
In them the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ
has been reflected.
Now they rejoice in the undimmed rays
of the brightness
and glory of the King in His majesty.
They are prepared
for the communion of heaven;
for they have heaven in their hearts.
With uplifted heads, with the
bright beams of the
Son of Righteousness shining upon them,
with rejoicing
that their redemption draweth nigh,
they go forth to meet
the Bridegroom, saying,
"Lo, this is our God;"
we have waited for Him,
"and He will save us."
(Isaiah 25:9)
"And I heard as it were the voice
of a great multitude,
and as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of
mighty thunderings, saying,
Alleluia; for the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth.
Let us be glad and rejoice, and
give honour to Him; for the
marriage of the Lamb is come,
and His wife hath made herself ready. . . .
And he saith unto me,
Write, Blessed are they
which are called unto the
marriage supper of the Lamb.
"He is Lord of lords,
and King of kings; and they that are
with Him are called,
and chosen, and faithful."
(Revelation 19:6; 17:14)

This Is A True Word



*******************************
O my brothers & sisters,
please take heed unto the word
of God & set yourselves in His presence,
that you might
abide with Him when He comes.
Pray for one another in
the uplifting of spirit & healing.
If this lesson has
blessed you as it has me,
please send a note of that
reflection. If any of you wish to
be opted from this group,
let me know, as I wish not to
offend any of you,
but share His word.
May God always walk with you
& you with God.

Peace
Don

** Dare To Be **
**A Disciple For Christ **

All That I Have,
I Have
Because of Thee.
Author: Donald J.Roy