PARABLE OF THE TEN
VIRGINS
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten
virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom
[Matt. 25:1].
To
better understand the customs in Israel during the New Testament period, we
refer to the Peshitta, which is a Syriac version of the Bible. Although it
is not a text to be recommended, it does shed light on some of the customs
of the day. The Peshitta translation of the verse before us indicates that
the virgins went forth to meet the bridegroom
and the bride, which means that the bridegroom
is coming from the marriage to the marriage supper. It is my understanding
that, although the marriage of Christ and the church takes place in heaven,
the marriage supper takes place on this earth. A passage in the Gospel of
Luke substantiates this. As our Lord is giving warnings and parables, He
says, “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye
yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from
the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him
immediately” (Luke 12:35–36). You see, the wedding has taken place, and the
bride is with him. Obviously, if he is coming from the wedding, the bride is
with him; no man ever went on a honeymoon by himself—if he did, it wasn’t a
honeymoon!
So here in the parable of the ten virgins, Christ,
pictured as the bridegroom, is bringing the bride with Him, and the
believers on earth are waiting for Him to come. While the Great Tribulation
has been going on upon the earth, Christ has been yonder in heaven with His
bride, the church. Then at the conclusion of the seven years of Tribulation,
He comes back to earth with the church.
This, now, is the attitude toward His coming on the part
of those on the earth—
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 [Matt. 25:2–4].
Oil is symbolic of the Spirit of God. In that day I think
there will be phonies as there were at His first coming. Jesus called them
hypocrites. They will have lamps but no oil.
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
[Matt. 25:5–7].
Notice that both
the wise and the foolish virgins slept. The difference in them was that some
had the Holy Spirit (represented by the oil) and some did not—because they
were not genuine believers.
Our Lord concludes this parable with a warning—
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the
hour wherein the Son of man cometh [Matt. 25:13].
Notice that it is “the day nor the hour” rather than the
century or the year, as it is from our perspective. The attitude for His own
during this future period is to watch.
That is the important thing for them to do.
McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible
Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997,
c1981, S. 4:134-135