Matthew 25

Matthew 25 

Revealing insights

into the

Parable of the 10 virgins / 10 bridesmaids

I will use

related Bible verses to

uncover AMAZING insights

This is an eye-opening page.

-

This parable is about 

Jesus coming back for his church

in the rapture. 

The 5 foolish virgins were not taken to heaven

in the rapture.

Find out why on this page.

Here are some of the topics:

What is the difference between the wise and foolish virgins?

What is the deeper meaning of the lamps and the oil?

What is the deeper meaning of "buying" oil?

-

Quick Overview 

of the Parable

Through

relevant scriptures

in other parts of the Bible,

I will show that:

The Bible is clear 

in the Old Testament and in the New Testament

including the book of Revelation which was written after Jesus died

that

Gaining wisdom and

Practicing

Righteousness 

(which means Obedience to God )

produces light.

( Meaning - Spiritual light that pleases God. )

-

Following God's Word

as best as you can - no one is perfect

produces

light.

In the Bible,

bright light and lamps represent  Obedience to God

and

lamps going out and / or darkness represent Disobedience to God.

-

The Foolish Virgins

thought they would be going to heaven.

In this parable, Jesus is warning those who are foolish.

Define Wise Virgins

- The Wise Virgins - 

Bible Definition of Wise =

Wisdom is knowing and doing right.
Proverbs 3:21 TLB

Righteousness can also be defined as knowing and doing right.

The Bible says that those who are

wise

and those who teach

others to practice righteousness -

will SHINE

like the stars forever!

Daniel 12:3

AND take note:

Jesus said...

“Everyone who hears my words and obeys them is like

a wise man who built his house on the rock. *

Matthew 7:24 NCV

* The Bible says that God is the Rock of our Salvation

in Psalm 89:26.

-

The Wise Virgins are Righteous and Obedient to God.

Their lamps shine brightly. 

    Proverbs 13:9 says:

       The light of the righteous

shines brightly,

       but the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.

The wise virgins are obedient and dedicated to God

and ready to meet Jesus at any time - through death or rapture.

No one is perfect.

Yet each of knows

if

we are "trying to obey God" in our daily life

or

if we are "ignoring obedience to God" in our daily life.

Define Foolish Virgins

- The Foolish virgins - 

FOOLISH

In the Bible, the term "foolish" doesn't mean

absentminded or one who does slight miscalculations.

Foolish

usually refers to

those who are not living right and not obeying God. 

Bible Definition of Foolish

In the Bible,

Foolish is a classification of people

that ranges from

those who appear like nice, average people -

( and they may be very nice people who are not living for Jesus.  )

to those

who are very wicked.

(God judges the heart not outward appearance - 1 Samuel 16:7 b)

In the case of Matthew 25, these virgins were not overly wicked.

We know this because 

they actually thought

Jesus was coming for them. 

The Foolish virgins

are people

who  - think -  God is going to

take them to heaven if they die or if the rapture comes.

The problem is...

The foolish virgins 

do not make

 obedience to God

important in their life.

Jesus said, 

"Whoever knows and obeys my commandments

is the person who loves me. 

John 14:21 a

Jesus said,

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 

And I give them eternal life, 

John 10:26-27 a NKJV

Jesus said,

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and

does not do them,

will be like a foolish man

who built his house on the sand: and the rain

descended, the floods came,

and the winds blew and beat on that house;

and it fell.

And great was its fall.”

Matthew 7:26-27 NKJV

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, 

“ If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,

and take up his cross, and follow Me. "

Matthew 16:24 JKJV

James 1:21-22 (the half brother of Jesus)

wrote

 So get rid of all that is wrong in your life, both inside and outside,

and humbly be glad for the wonderful message we have received,

for it is able to save our souls as it takes hold of our hearts.

And remember,

it is a message to obey,

not just to listen to.

So don’t fool yourselves.

[Beth says: Those who just hear but do not obey are deceived.]

 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you,

that ye should not obey the truth,

before whose eyes Jesus Christ

hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

Galatians 3:1

 Proverbs 1:7 KJV says...

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge:

but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

God tells us

that there are

some people who say

they are his

and they are not.

Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13,

"These people

honor me with their lips,

but

their hearts are far from me."

Matthew 15:8 NIV

In Jeremiah chapter 4

God is speaking to people

who say

they are his but are not...

“My people are foolish and do not know me,” says the LORD.

“They are stupid children who have no understanding.

They are clever enough at doing wrong,

but they have no idea how to do right!”

Jeremiah 4:22 NLT

God says that the Foolish do not KNOW him [God.].

And we see

Jesus saying that he does not KNOW the Foolish...

"Know" Means...

in that intimate kind of knowing in a relationship of oneness.

Remember that Adam KNEW his wife.

That word means intimacy.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day.

Psalm 25:5 NKJV

Light  vs.  Dimness or Darkness

Dozens of Scriptures associate

people who are

wise,

obedient to God,

righteous ones

with light

 -  and - 

the disobedient,

unwise,

foolish people

and wicked people

are associated with:

their light being dimmed

or

with darkness.

Proverbs 13:9

       The light of the righteous shines brightly,

       but the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.

extinguished = put out or snuffed out

The lamp (or light) of the wicked is put out.

NOTE:

The Foolish virgins' lamps

are going out.

They have not followed God's Word.

Then Jesus said to his disciples,

“If any of you wants to be

my follower,

you must give up your own way,

take up your cross, and

follow me.

Matthew 16:24 NLT

Again notice who has the LIGHT...

Proverbs 4:18-19 TLB says

But the good man

walks along in the ever-brightening

light

of God’s favor;

the dawn gives way to morning splendor,

while the

evil man gropes and stumbles in the dark.

Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.

Psalm 97:11 NIV

 

Many people today are being

fooled into thinking

that the things said in the

Old Testament

   - and even in the New Testament before Jesus died - 

do not apply to us. 

 - Jesus says that they are wrong - 

In the book of Revelation,

Jesus has already been crucified.

Jesus tells John

to tell the church people to

REPENT

or he is going to

PUT OUT their lamp!

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3,

Jesus is giving information to the people in the 7 churches.

Each time Jesus talks about

disobedience and unrepentant sin

in those churches,

Jesus says he is going to extinguish their lamp

if they don't repent

soon!

So,

those who are not obedient to our Lord

will have their lamp extinguished

at some point

just as the Foolish virgins had their light go out. 

To understand how to know if you are right with God,

read -  First John 2:3-6 

- First John is the little 5 chapter book after 2 Peter -

The whole book of First John is a must - read!

What does Practice Righteousness Mean?

In this section, I explain why the word

Practice 

is so important

First -

I remind you that 

Following God produces light.

-

The wise virgins have been following God.

They are obedient to God.

Their love for God produces obedience.

Jesus said, "If you love me you will obey me."

Jesus said,

"Whoever knows and obeys my commandments

is the person who loves me. 

John 14:21 a

Notice the words: KNOWS and OBEYS

I remind you of Proverbs 3:21 TLB...

"Wisdom is KNOWING and DOING right."

If you truly KNOW Jesus and he KNOWS you,

THEN you KNOW and Do right.

The wise virgins aren't perfect but they do sincerely try

to please God.

They PRACTICE righteousness...

Yet - they don't get it right every single time.

~

The wise bridesmaids

are ready to meet the Lord at any time

from death or from being raptured.

- Practice -

Practice doesn't indicate

perfection.

It indicates that

you are trying to do better. 

 If you know that He [Jesus] is righteous,

you know that everyone who practices righteousness

is born of Him.

1 John 2:29 NKJV

-

Little children, let no one deceive you.

He who practices righteousness

is righteous,

just as He [Jesus] is righteous.

1 John 3:7 NKJV

If you do not practice righteousness,

then you are practicing sinfulness.

Note:

There are many reasons why people do not sin in certain areas of their life.

Just because a person does NOT sin in certain areas of their life,

doesn't mean that has anything to do with God. 

These are tests to consider  -

Is a person trying to follow God by not sinning?

Does that person practice righteousness in areas

that he would rather sin but he wants to please God?

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.

If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 2:15 KJV

Important Illustration:

Note that Revelation 22:15

warns about people who practice lying.

We need to practice obeying not instead of practicing disobeying God.

What brings light into our life?

God is light.

If a person follows God then he is walking in the light.

And that person will continue to gain brightness.

We were created to produce light from following God.

Those who are shining will go with Jesus in the rapture.

God wants us to cooperate with him to dispel the darkness in us

by filling ourselves with his light.

What brings light?

This is done by -

reading the Bible with a teachable heart,

praying,

repenting when we sin,

trying to be obedience to God,

and doing good deeds.

I'll pick one set of Scriptures to give examples.

Isaiah 58:10

is one of the best examples of this.

Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble!

Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the

darkness around you shall be as bright as day. 

And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy you with

all good things, and keep you healthy too; and you will be like a

well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.

Isaiah 58:10-11 TLB

The verses before that one

also give us understanding...

Isaiah 58:6-10

says that

if you obey God,

he will reward you with light.

See those verses below...

No, the kind of fast I want is that

you stop oppressing those who work for you

and treat them fairly and give them what they earn.

 7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right

into your own homes

those who are helpless, poor, and destitute. 

Clothe those who are cold,

and don’t hide from relatives who need your help.

8   If you do these things,

God will shed his own glorious light upon you.

He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward,

goodness will be a shield before you,

and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. 

9 Then, when you call,

the Lord will answer.

“Yes, I am here,” he will quickly reply.

All you need to do is

to stop oppressing the weak

and stop making false accusations

and spreading vicious rumors!

~ ~ ~

It is God who lights our lamp,

and he uses certain criteria to increase the brightness.

Psalm 18:28 tells us this.

Psalm 18

is a Psalm of honoring and loving God.

"You, LORD,

keep

my lamp burning;

my God turns my darkness into light."

Psalm 18:28 NIV

Also

it is God who puts out our lamp

if

we are  "foolish" and practice sin.

The foolish

live for themselves instead of obeying God.

What does oil represent ?

In Matthew 25 and many other places,

oil represents

the approval and the blessing of God.

-

Abundant Oil 

is associated with the wise.

Wise vs. Foolish

In the parable...

The wise have plenty of oil.

The foolish have little oil

Proverbs 21:20 says...

There is treasure to be desired

and oil

in the dwelling of the wise;

but a foolish man spendeth it up.

Righteousness 

can be defined as...

Right standing with God or...

Being in a right relationship with God.

Oil

in Matthew 25 

is received through

righteous obedience.

In the next verse, we see that

God gives the

oil of gladness

to those who love righteousness

and live righteous as best they can.

Psalm 45:7 says:

You love righteousness and hate wickedness;

Therefore God, Your God,

has anointed You

With the oil of gladness

more than Your companions.

(The verse above is repeated in Hebrews 1:9)

Notice the words above..."Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness."

Anoint

In the Bible, God uses oil

to anoint priests.

Exodus 28:41 (command to anoint priests)
and then Exodus 29:7 (take the anointing oil and anoint them.)

Psalm 23:5

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Revelation 1:5-6 NKJV

To Him [Jesus] who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
and has made us 
kings and priests
to His God and Father, 
to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.
Amen.

Buy - - - Oil

In Matthew 25,

the word

"buy"

does not mean purchase with money.

It refers to gaining something

through methods

other than money.

You could substitute the word

"attain" or "get".

We see "buy" used this way 

in other verses...

Proverbs 23:23

Buy the truth, and sell it not;

also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Buy could be translated -

Acquire, Get, Purchase, invest in, possess

Buy = Hebrew Word from Strong's # 7069

to get, acquire, create, buy, possess - to get, acquire, obtain - of God originating, creating, redeeming His people - possessor  - of acquiring knowledge, wisdom - to buy  -  to be bought - to cause to possess

Isaiah 55:1 AMPC says,

Wait and listen, everyone who is thirsty!

Come to the waters;

and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!

Yes, come, buy

   [priceless, spiritual]

wine and milk without money and

without price

[ simply for the self-surrender that accepts the blessing ].

Revelation 3:18 NKJV says,

I counsel you to buy from Me 

gold refined in the fire,

that you may be rich;

and white garments, that you may be clothed,

 that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed;

and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

NKJV says "refined" - KJV uses the word "tried"

God

tries you, tests you, and refines you

so that you become more like him.

James 1:3 states,

Be assured and understand that

the trial and proving of your faith bring out

endurance and steadfastness and patience.

But He [ God ] knows the way that I take;

When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.

Job 23:10 NKJV

(God refines us as gold and silver so we look more like him.)

See our page: God as Refiner

So the word

"buy"

in the featured verses

refers to 

gaining knowledge about God and becoming obedient.

Wise Virgins read the Bible to learn more and more about

Knowing and Doing right.

I remind you:

Wisdom is knowing and Doing right. Proverbs 3:21 TLB

Buying

means to

gain evidence of Spiritual Growth 

which is maturing in your faith.

Maturity is something we have received from our

obedience

and we cannot GIVE it to someone else. 

And

You cannot mature in the Lord

overnight.

That is why

the Wise Bridesmaids couldn't GIVE it to the Foolish.

Maturity takes spending time with the Lord.

It takes giving your

time, effort, and

sacrificing your desires

to please God.

It takes dedication day after day.

A saving faith in Jesus Christ produces obedience. And as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, our obedience grows - so our light grows brighter. 

Love = Obedience when it concerns our relationship with Jesus.

The more you love Jesus, the more obedient you become and the more humble you become. Our love is supposed to GROW. 

The Foolish Virgins wanted

overnight maturity and overnight intimacy with Jesus.

Next section

gives

The scariest words

you could ever hear...

Jesus said, I do not KNOW you

This section is

explaining those words.

-

Jesus shocked the 5 Foolish Virgins

when he said to them

"I do not KNOW you."

-

These 5 Foolish Virgins

 said,

‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’

They

thought they were just fine with their relationship

with Jesus.

They thought they were on their way to heaven.

This story is supposed to be

a wake-up call

to those who aren't right with God.

Listen to what Jesus says in

Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of

heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied

in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 

[Beth says - WOW - they were busy doing church work. ]

23 And then I  [Jesus] will declare to them,

‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Jesus said

they

 - PRACTICE -

lawlessness.

Lawlessness is following your desires instead of obeying the Bible.

You either

practice righteousness OR you practice sinfulness.

In the very next verses, Jesus is explaining...

"For those who do not do my sayings

I do not know you..."

Jesus says....

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 

25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man  who built his house on the sand: 

27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

The video below

is speaking about these words of Jesus.

Shocking!

Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-14 that

most people will not go to heaven when they die.

Heaven is entered through the narrow gate.

But wide is the gate to hell.

 - 

How many people do you know who are lukewarm 

but think they are going to heaven?

They need your prayers -

Click for praying for loved ones who are not right with God.

Also Consider this  lukewarm page.

Final  Key  Bible  verses

First Verse...

Faith

if it has no works,

is dead.

James 2:17

  James 2:17 reminds us that 

if someone says they are a Christian

and then live their life without growing in Christ -

their faith is dead.

That faith will not save them (in death or in the rapture).

Jesus

 talks about the dead ones in the church

in

Revelation 3:1 b

"You have a name that you are alive but you are dead."

Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13 and said,

“’These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me."

Matthew 15:8 NIV

 

And now...

Let's

Check out our spiritual life

in

1 John 2:3-6 TLB

 And how can we be sure that we belong to him?

By looking within ourselves:

are we really trying to do what he wants us to?

4 Someone may say, “I am a Christian;

 I am on my way to heaven; I belong to Christ.”

But

if he doesn’t do what Christ tells him to,

he is a liar. 

5 But those who do what Christ tells them to

will learn to love God more and more.

That is the way to know whether or not

you are a Christian. 

6 Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did.

Final Verse

God calls out to all people

to get ready to meet the Lord...

The following verse is directly applicable to Matthew 25.

1 John 2:28-29

 And now, little children, abide in Him [Jesus],

that when He appears,

we may have confidence

and not be ashamed before Him

at His coming. 

If

you know that He is righteous,

you know that 

everyone who practices righteousness

is born of Him.

Here are our other end time pages:

End time thoughts

Rapture Insights

The Wedding of the Lamb

Let's follow the words of our Lord!

Heaven is going to be - GLORIOUS!

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