Are You Prepared to Meet God Right Now?
The Parable of the Ten Virgins carries a heavy message. This blog explores the critical importance of the parable from Matthew 25 about spiritual preparedness. Scripture tells us we all be held accountable, and many will profess faith, but are you prepared to meet God right now?
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1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps[a] and went to meet the bridegroom.[b] 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Context for The Parable of the Ten Virgins
To begin, I want to add some context to a wedding in Jesus’ day. In our modern age, a wedding is usually completed within 30 minutes or less. However, in biblical times, a wedding occurred over a week.
The Groom would spend considerable time preparing the future household for His bride. On the wedding day, the Groom, along with his entourage, would journey from the household to her home. Upon arrival, the best man would give a shout, and the bride would appear.
They would have lamps, just as Jesus described, and would light the lamps. Then the Groom and the entire wedding party would go to their future home together in celebration.
Another thing we need to be mindful of is in Matthew 24. Jesus described many of the signs that will accompany His second coming. So, the pairing of Matthew 24 and The Parable of the Ten Virgins is pointing to preparation for His second coming. It will be more decisive and consequential than the preparation for His first coming.
As we dive deeper into this parable, here are a few things we need to be mindful of regarding the story.
All had been invited to the wedding banquet and all had responded positively.
All ten had gone out to wait for the bridegroom.
All of them had their lamps with them.
All the virgins wanted to see the bridegroom.
All were in the right place at the right time for the right reason.
All of them wanted to go to the wedding banquet.
All had some oil in their lamps at the beginning.
All fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom.
All were awakened by the midnight cry.
All ten virgins got up to prepare their lamps.
All appeared to be equally prepared for the bridegroom’s coming.
That last statement is crucial.
What Separates the Ten Virgins?
JESUS: “Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.” Matthew 25:2-4
Of the ten virgins, five are prepared to meet Jesus (wise), and the other five are unprepared (foolish). Jesus shared this parable to emphasize the incalculable importance of being spiritually prepared to meet Jesus Christ. Some scholars even call this parable The Parable of the Coming Fate of the Unprepared.
Outwardly all the virgins look the same. They were all dressed appropriately in wedding garments, and all had the required torch to carry in the wedding procession. But they were not truly alike, they have serious distinctions, which is the point of the parable. Five have oil for their lamp, and the other five do not.
They knew about the revelation of Jesus and were living with the understanding that He would return again. But they were foolish about nurturing their walk and relationship with Jesus. Thus, one of the parable’s instructions is appearances can be deceiving. The ten bridesmaids represent professed disciples of Jesus Christ, who claim to love the prospect of His appearing and who demonstrate outward readiness for entrance into His kingdom.
In appearance, the ten were indistinguishable. Think about the contrasts:
Five of them have oil, and five of them do not.
Five of them have an outward identity without an inward reality.
Five of them have an inward experience, and five of them do not.
Five of them had an outward appearance of living faith, but the inward reality was dead.
This is a recurring theme in the Gospels, and Jesus repeatedly gives this warning. He warns that professed believers are like wheat and tares; some are genuine, and some are false. They are compared to various kinds of soils, some of which give initial evidence of productivity, but only one of which genuinely receives the seed of the gospel and allows it to take root and grow.
It was not a popular message in Jesus’ day, and it is not a popular message today. This parable suggests that a large part of the professing church does not belong to God.
The situation is obviously pervasive, or Jesus would not have spent so much time warning about it. This reality existed in Jesus’ day, and it’s obvious from this parable that this condition will continue to exist right up until the end of time.
JESUS: “And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us. But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’” Matthew 25:10-12
Do you recognize the sheer terror of those words? Not only were they unaware of their lack of oil, but they were indifferent! They weren’t even concerned enough to acquire it before the bridegroom’s arrival, even though they had ample information, revelation, and even warning that He was coming.
We’ll All Be Accountable
JESUS: “..the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’” Matthew 25:8
Jesus is illustrating that they’re so foolish they’re brazen enough to ask if they could borrow faith from someone else. That happens more frequently than we care to admit. “My grandmother has a strong faith. I wish I was like her.” “My wife is the praying type. Me? Not so much.”
Salvation is a personal affair. You can’t go to heaven by clinging onto someone else’s coattails. You must believe in Jesus on your own, for yourself, and not rely on the faith of those around you.
JESUS: “But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.” Matthew 25:9-10
What does that phrase, “the door was shut,” mean?
It means the door of opportunity will shut—it’s too late. Jesus teaches that it was/is the responsibility of each individual to be ready to meet the Bridegroom.
One of the things we know about a true Christ follower is a true Christ-follower is living with their eyes watching another King and Kingdom
JESUS: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Matthew 25:13
Like a date showing up three hours late, some people think, “He’s late, so He must not be coming.” You may say, “Because He’s late, I’m just going to relax and go back into my old way of life.” Other people think, “He’s coming, but not anytime soon.” Perhaps more fearfully, some people believe, “He’s coming, but it’ll be a long time from now. I’ve got plenty of time.”
That's the very thing that Jesus is driving at, the five foolish virgins neglected spiritual things. Hebrews 9:27 tells us, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
Judgment awaits all of us; We’re all accountable. “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with (bear) sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28).
His second coming isn’t to bear sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. Jesus isn’t saying are you ready to meet God today? No, He’s saying, are you ready to meet God right now?
How To Be Ready to Meet God Right Now
If you want to know God, get oil in your lamp. Oil is fuel for the flame and represents the very presence of God in your life. His presence and power will permeate you if you allow Him in. You can displace that power in other areas of life, but you will be a different person when you give that glory to God.
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” 2 Corinthians 13:5
In April 1988, Ivan Lester McGuire was filming a parachuting lesson at 10,500 feet in the air, as a student and an instructor from the Franklin County Sport Parachute Center took part. McGuire grabbed his camera and jumped from the plane, but he was missing one thing—a parachute. But on that day, Ivan Lester McGuire perished because he overlooked the most important thing in the moment.
You can live your entire life and overlook the most important things. You can be active in a church and overlook the most important thing.
Going to church is good; coming to Christ is better.
Being baptized is good; being born again is better.
Giving money is good; giving your heart to Jesus is better.
Being religious is good; knowing Christ as Savior and Lord is better.
That’s what Jesus is driving at in this parable. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’” (Matthew 25:11-12, emphasis added)
The word “know” is the Greek word Ginosko. It’s a word found in the New Testament that conveys intimacy and closeness. It’s the same word that Scripture says Joseph did not know Mary because Jesus was born a virgin. In other words, they had not had an intimate relationship. While Jesus isn’t discussing that kind of intimacy here, He is describing an intimacy of knowing one another.
God, in the person of Jesus Christ, went to the cross because your sin was a big enough deal that it separated you from your Creator. Although He was sinless, He bore all of our sins so that if we could turn to Him in faith and receive forgiveness, we can come into intimate contact with Him. His motive for us is love. It’s love for you. He is pursuing you and your life.
Are you prepared to meet God? Not today, but right now. Is your heart in alignment with Jesus’ words? Have you come to a place where you can say, “Lord, I surrender my heart and life to you. I desire you, and I want oil in my lamp. I don’t want to l I’ve as a person unprepared to meet you.”
Right now is your opportunity to accept Him and begin your walk of faith with Jesus.
TL;DR
Jesus shared The Parable of the Ten Virgins to emphasize the incalculable importance of being spiritually prepared for His second coming.
All ten virgins have the invitation, understanding and revelation, however this parable suggests that a large part of the professing church does not belong to God.
The situation is pervasive in our modern churches. Many are unaware of their lack of faith, and not only that, many more are indifferent.
Salvation is a personal affair. You can’t go to heaven by clinging onto someone else’s coattails.
While we don’t know when, Jesus is returning again, and judgement awaits all of us. His second coming isn’t to bear sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.
You can be active in a church and overlook the most important thing. Are you prepared to meet God right now?
