Statistics show there is widespread awareness among Christians, unbelievers, and even among atheists that we are living in the very last of the last days. This reminds us of the need to make sure those we know and love are ready for what is coming, but it should also should cause us to look at our own hearts to see if we are really loving and longing and yearning for our Lord Jesus Christ and His coming (see 2 Timothy 4:8) — in other words, for the Rapture of the Church.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, Paul clearly wrote that Jesus is coming for those who are “alive” at the time of His coming. That word “alive” is translated from the words hoi zoontoi, a plural form of the Greek word zao, and it pictures those who are spiritually living, robust, thriving, vibrant, and vigorous. This means Christ is coming for those who are spiritually engaged.

Each one of us who has called on Jesus’ name must ask ourselves the question, Do I fall into this category of a spiritually engaged one who is keeping my heart alive and burning as I eagerly await the Lord’s return?

This brings to mind the passage in Matthew 25 in which Jesus describes ten virgins — five of whom had oil in their lamps and were ready for the arrival of the bridegroom, and another five who were not ready for the bridegroom’s arrival. In this parable, the second set of five virgins ran out of oil in their lamps before the bridegroom arrived, and as a result, they were barred from entering the long-awaited marriage celebration.

It is difficult to form doctrine on the Parable of the Ten Virgins or on any single scripture or passage without the corroboration of other verses, but scholars generally agree that this parable speaks of Christ’s coming, and the passage also compares this allegory with the coming of the Son of Man. In this light, the content of the passage gives a clear warning of the need to be spiritually alive, alert, and prepared at the time of His coming for the Church.

The Story Jesus Told

Let’s look at this parable in Matthew 25:1-13 in its entirety:

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 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. 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.

Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The noted Bible scholar, Albert Barnes, states that these virgins represent the Church, and are intended to picture Christ’s intent to come for a Church that, like a virgin, is pure and holy.

Notice in the parable that all ten virgins — the wise and the unwise — had “lamps” with them. The word “lamps” is translated from the plural version of the Greek word lampros, which depicts an oil-based lamp with a long wick that could burn all night if it had sufficient oil. The fact that these virgins carried such lamps suggests they were ready to wait a long time if necessary. In Jewish culture, the marriage event usually started at night, and such lamps were needed to provide light for the bridegroom’s arrival at the ceremony’s venue. However, the ceremony occurred in phases, and the exact timing of the bridegroom’s arrival was not always known, so it was needful for those who were waiting to have enough oil to provide light until the bridegroom finally arrived.

The word “bridegroom” is from the Greek word numphios, and it means simply a bridegroom. In the New Testament, this word metaphorically refers to Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church. But it is interesting to note that in Jewish weddings, the bridegroom was responsible for going to prepare a place for his bride before he returned to take her to their new home, which reflects what Jesus said in John 14:2-3:

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

As the Bridegroom of the Church, Christ likewise went away to prepare a place for the Church. Since the time He ascended to Heaven nearly 2,000 years ago, He has been preparing a place, and one day soon, He will come again to receive us unto Himself!

In Matthew 25:2, we find that five of the virgins were “wise”, and five were “foolish.” These two categories are intended to represent two types of people, and this should let us know that there will be different kinds of people in the Church at the time of Christ’s return. First, the unwise virgins represent people who are spiritually dense, dull, or slow. Second, the wise virgins represent people who are spiritually intelligent, fully engaged in their faith, and therefore wise in the way they live as they await the Lord’s return.

Matthew 25:3 tells us, “They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them.” The word “no” is a translation of the Greek word ouk, which is the strongest form of no in the Greek language. Here it is meant to stress that the five foolish virgins completely failed to do what was necessary to have enough oil to last until the bridegroom finally arrived.

On the other hand, Matthew 25:4 tells us, “But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” The word “but” is a translation of the Greek word de, which leads the reader to contrast. Jesus states in this parable that in addition to taking the oil that had been poured into their lamps early on, the wise virgins were prepared and knew to bring an extra supply of oil with them in case the bridegroom’s arrival came later than anticipated.

Again, I state that it is difficult to form doctrine on the basis of the parable of the ten virgins, but it is interesting to note that the word “oil” is interpreted from the word elaion, a word that describes olive oil, which typically is used in Scripture to picture the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 25:5 then says, “While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.” The word “tarried” is from a form of the Greek chronidzo, which means to delay, to linger, or to tarry, and it speaks of one who takes a longer time to do what others anticipated he would have done much sooner. We see this in the virgins’ behavior too — the fact that they all slumbered and they all slept alerts us that the bridegroom’s arrival came much later than any one of them initially anticipated.

Metaphorically, “slumbered” is used to picture those who waited and waited for the Lord’s arrival, but because it took longer than expected, they may have grown weary and fallen into a state of slumber — like indifference or even hostility and scorn — because His coming did not occur as soon as they expected.

Finally, in Matthew 25:6, we read, “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” Once the bridegroom’s arrival is finally announced, Matthew 25:6 says all ten virgins went forth to “meet” him. The word “meet” is interpreted from a form of the Greek word hupantesis, which depicts an encounter or a meeting. This is very reminiscent of 1 Thessalonians 4:17, which uses another form of the same Greek word, as Paul declares, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air….” This Greek word pictures a grand encounter or a royal or VIP reception. It was a word that described the reception of a newly arrived official or newly arrived royalty.

In this parable, at about midnight, or in the darkest moment of the night, suddenly, all ten virgins clearly understand the announcement that the time has finally come for the bridegroom to arrive. In response to his approaching arrival, Matthew 25:7 says that “all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.” The word “trimmed” is interpreted from a form of the Greek word kosmeo, which means to put in order. To put their lamps in order, they had to look into their lamps to see how much oil remained. If the oil was depleted, it meant they needed to refill their lamps. The time to meet the bridegroom had finally arrived, so all ten virgins inspected their lamps to get things in order for his long-awaited arrival.

But here is where we see the important difference between the wise and unwise virgins. After the foolish virgins realized their lamps had run dry and they didn’t have an additional supply with which to refill them, Matthew 25:8 tells us that “the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.” The words “gone out” mean to extinguish and picture something depleted or that has run dry. The foolish virgins showed such a lack of diligence and forethought that they had completely run out of oil. Although they appeared to be ready because they carried lamps, those lamps ran dry because they had not made preparations to bring sufficient oil to refill them in the event the bridegroom’s arrival was delayed.

The unwise virgins pleaded with the wise virgins to share their oil with them, “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” (Matthew 25:9). In response, the foolish virgins left their posts and went away to see if they could quickly find more oil.

But Matthew 25:10 says, “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.” The wise virgins — those who’d made sure they had enough oil to replenish their lamps — were “ready” and went in with the bridegroom to the marriage. This word portrays a person so diligent that he has exercised forethought, which results in the condition of being ready. The use of this word means the wise virgins had exercised enough forethought to ensure they had enough oil — even if the bridegroom’s coming was later than initially expected, the complete opposite of the unwise virgins.

These wise virgins went in with the bridegroom to the wedding, and once they were admitted, verse 10 says that “the door was shut.” The word “shut” is translated from a form of the Greek word kleio, which means to lock shut. It is a fact that in the Jewish wedding celebrations of ancient times, once the door was closed and locked shut, no latecomers were granted entrance. The virgins who were unprepared knew full well that having oil in their lamps was a requirement to be admitted to the wedding, so while this penalty is severe, it was their responsibility for not doing what was required for admission.

Matthew 25:11 says that after the door was shut and it was too late to be admitted to the wedding celebration, the other unprepared virgins cried out at the door, “…Lord, Lord, open to us.” The word “open” is a word that signifies the opening of a door to allow access, so even though they had failed to be ready on time, the foolish virgins somehow wrongly assumed that the bridegroom would nevertheless have mercy on them, overlook their lack of diligence, override the already stated conditions for entry, and open the door for them.

This verse says they cried out, “Lord, lord!” This is a translation of the Greek word Kurie and is verbatim the same exact word found in Matthew 7:21-23:

“Not everyone that saith unto me [Jesus], 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.”

Now, likewise, in Matthew 25:12, the bridegroom answers the five foolish virgins, “… Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” Twice the unwise virgins called the bridegroom, “Lord, lord,” but in the parable, he answered that he had no personal connection with them and did not know them. Even though they appeared to be virgins like the others, there was something inwardly so defective about them that the bridegroom did not recognize them at all.

What It All Means

In Matthew 25:13, Jesus finalizes this parable by warning: “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

At last, Jesus explains that the entire parable is about His coming for those who are waiting for Him with “oil in their lamps” — prepared and ready. Christ’s final declaration in His parable is that it is imperative that we respond to this message by determining to stay alert and to “watch therefore” for the arrival of “the Son of Man.”

The word “watch” is from the Greek word gregoreo, and it depicts one on high alert or one whose attitude is to never let up in being attentive, watchful, and wide awake. Then Jesus states the reason we must be watchful: “…Ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Even if we sense we are in the season of the Lord’s coming, it is emphatically not possible to pinpoint the exact day or exact hour when Christ will descend into the lower atmosphere to snatch away His people to Himself.

I want you to understand from this parable that Jesus knew that His coming would come later than many in the Church ever expected. Even the Early Church thought Christ would return at any time and lived their lives fervently — engaged and spiritually alive — according to that belief and blessed hope.

According to this parable, some of those who are living on the earth at the time of His coming will be spiritually wise and diligent all the way to the very end, and they will joyously be caught away, at which time they will be admitted to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Those who have gone before them in time — all the way back to the very first Christians — will be resurrected first as “the dead in Christ” (See 1 Thessalonians 4:16) as Jesus fulfills His promise exactly and gathers His own for a grand, heavenly celebration!

But this parable makes us ask if it’s possible that there will also be those who are found errant in their faith and will be “locked out” of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Second-guessing on this question is too serious, and failing to be ready is a serious misgiving and price to pay. Thus, we must respond to the Parable of the Ten Virgins as a divine admonition to be holy even as He is holy (See 1 Peter 1:15-16) — to walk closely with Him in a constant state of readiness for any moment that the Lord may come. He will come “as a thief in the night” (See 1 Thessalonians 5:2) — at any moment. Therefore, we must determine to continually have a full supply of oil in our lamps, maintaining the fires of the Spirit in our hearts that burned so brightly when we first believed.

To ensure we are ready for the moment Christ comes to rapture the Church, we must be willing to probe deeply into our hearts to determine our spiritual status. When Paul addressed the believers in 2 Corinthians 13:5, he said, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves….” The Greek word for “examine” here does not talk about a surface investigation, but of a deep probe into one’s own heart to see if he or she is really in the faith. As a phrase, the original Greek means, “Examine and deeply probe your lives to determine if you are really in the faith….”

Because I feel responsible to the Lord in the position He has given me, I must state again that it is difficult to form doctrine just from this parable. Nevertheless, this passage without doubt sends a warning of our need to be diligent and to do all that is necessary to be ready for Christ when He returns for His Church. It is imperative that we hear Christ’s sober admonition to be waiting, watching, and ready for His return and that we take it deeply to our hearts.