The Parable Of The Ten Virgins
Pastor Leslie Chua
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 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.”
Many Christians are acquainted with this fascinating parable, Lately, this is perhaps the most talked-about parable in the End-Time prophecy circle. It is part of the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25), which is the longest teaching on eschatology by our Lord Jesus Christ. The parable of the Ten Virgins addresses the need for believers to be vigilant, ready, and prepared for the rapture of the church.
Too many Christians take the issue of preparing for Christ’s return too lightly. Often, when this subject is broached, we hear objections. Why do I need to prepare since I am saved? Thoughts such as this run through the minds of many believers.
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The parable of the Ten Virgins addresses the need for believers to be vigilant, ready, and prepared for the rapture of the church.
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At first glance, their objections seem to be valid. After all, we are saved. But we cannot ignore the repeated warning to be vigilant, ready, and prepared because it comes from our Lord Jesus Himself. The Olivet Discourse ends with a series of warnings. The book of Revelation begins with Jesus’ seven letters warning the seven churches to get their act together.
The reason for the warnings becomes obvious when we are willing to accept the fact that not all who profess to believe in Jesus are authentic believers and not all will persevere in their Christian faith until the end. Many do not have a genuine relationship with Jesus and many will fall along the way. The apostle Paul said that the day of the Lord (the Tribulation) will not come unless “the apostasy comes first” (2 Thessalonians 2;3 – NASB). Apostasy here refers to the massive falling away of believers from the faith.
The idea of ‘once saved, always saved’ is a myth. It is not biblical. There are enough passages in the New Testament Scripture saying otherwise. The Parable of the Ten Virgins is one of these passages.
The Context of the Parable
The context of the Parable of the Ten Virgins is the rapture of the church. It is obvious when you look at Jesus’ last statement in the parable – “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).
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The context of the Parable of the Ten Virgins is the rapture of the church.
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This is a crystal clear reference to the rapture. The rapture is a mystery. While discerning believers may know the season of Christ’s return, no one knows the exact day and hour.
Fascinatingly, Jesus also does not know. He said it Himself – “But concerning the days and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36).
The Parable of the Ten Virgins is also couched in the larger context of Jesus’ teaching of the rapture (Matthew 24:36-44) and the first warning to stay awake, ready, and faithful while waiting for His return (Matthew 24:45-51).
The Parable
In the parable, there are ten virgins. They are bridesmaids. Together with the bride, they were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the bridegroom. However, he was delayed in coming. He arrived very late at midnight.
By then, the ten virgins were sound asleep. They woke up to find their lamps dimming. They needed to refill their lamps. Five virgins had extra oil while the other five did not come prepared. So, they hurried somewhere to buy.
While they were away, the bridegroom arrived. 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 25:10-13).
The Meaning of the Parable
The setting of the parable and the phrase that Jesus used to denote the unexpected timing of the rapture – ‘that day and hour no one knows’ – use the ancient Jewish wedding imagery. We might not be aware but Jesus’ listeners understood it perfectly.
The bridegroom in the parable refers to Jesus. The bridegroom’s late arrival hints at His delayed return. If you carefully read the apostles’ letters in the Bible, you would notice that they anticipated Jesus to return in their lifetime. But it has been two thousand years since His ascension, where He returned to His Father’s house to prepare a place for His bride, the church (John 14:2-3).
The ten virgins represent Christians, those who profess to believe and follow Christ. Most Christians are aware that Jesus will return someday to take His bride. It is common knowledge. Like the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom, the church is waiting for Christ’s return.
Five of the virgins were ready and well-prepared for the arrival of the bridegroom. However, the other five were ill-prepared. They did not have enough oil. The virgins with extra oil are considered to be wise while those without are considered foolish.
Many Bible teachers have proposed the meaning of the oil. For example, some have suggested that it is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the five wise virgins symbolise believers who are full of the Holy Spirit and serving mightily in His power. Others contend that you cannot buy the Holy Spirit (as in buy oil) because He is a gift from God. Therefore, oil represents something else, perhaps, the believers’ dedication and service rendered unto God.
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The object lesson is we must be prepared like the five wise virgins. Otherwise, we will find ourselves shut out of Christ’s wedding feast, which will take place in heaven after the rapture.
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I look at it differently. This is a parable, and so, we should not read too much into the details of the individual items in the parable. Usually, parables carry one central theme or object lesson.
In its context and within the larger contexts of Jesus’ teaching of the rapture and the Olivet Discourse, having enough oil simply means that one is prepared. Jesus’ intent in telling this parable is to warn His disciples to be vigilant, ready, and prepared for His return.
The five wise virgins were prepared to meet the bridegroom while the five foolish ones were not. The object lesson is we must be prepared like the five wise virgins. Otherwise, we will find ourselves shut out of Christ’s wedding feast, which will take place in heaven after the rapture. In the book of Revelation, this event is known as the marriage of the Lamb and the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9).
To make His point doubly clear regarding the meaning of ‘the door was shut’ (Matthew 25:10), Jesus went on to say – 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).
In other words, unprepared believers will be shut out of the Kingdom of God. There is no other way to understand this parable.
These believers know that the Bridegroom, Jesus, is coming back. Some of them might even be eagerly waiting for His return. However, they are foolish in the way they live their Christian life and careless in their relationship with Him. They do not walk faithfully with the Lord. They do not take the Word of God seriously. They compromise in their faith. They have lost their love for God. They are lukewarm. They might even be spiritually dead. These are the believers with a form of godliness but lacking in power. That is, they do not have a relationship with God. There is no oil in their lamps.
I Do Not Know You
One of the most frightening words uttered by Jesus is ‘I do not know you.”
Jesus said these words on a few occasions.
In the Sermon on the Mount, He remarked that not everyone who acknowledge Him as Lord would enter the Kingdom of heaven. When these people told Him that they spoke in tongues, prophesied, and cast out demons in His name, Jesus replied, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23).
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One of the most frightening words uttered by Jesus is ‘I do not know you.”
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On another occasion, when asked if those who were saved would be few, Jesus responded, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ (Luke 13:24-27)
The Parable of the Ten Virgins is the third occasion when Jesus used these frightening words – I do not know you. It was directed at the foolish virgins.
You do not want Jesus to say these words to you. It will be tragic.
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I believe that a sizable proportion of professing Christians will not make it into the Kingdom of heaven. That is a large number.
It is a scary thought.
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According to the parable, five virgins are wise and five foolish. I do not want to read too much into it, but I cannot help wondering why Jesus chose a fifty-fifty split between the wise and foolish virgins.
I believe that a sizable proportion of professing Christians will not make it into the Kingdom of heaven. That is a large number. It is a scary thought.
There are wheat and there are weeds in the Kingdom of God (Matthew 13:24-30). There are wise virgins and there are foolish virgins. There is a wide gate and there is a narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14).
Which gate will you enter? Will you be like the wise virgins or the foolish virgins?