The Rapture Series
Why Do you Believe? What Do you Believe? How Do You Believe? Who Do You Believe?
“Reason to Believe”
Prepare
(1d)
FIVE ARE WISE. FIVE ARE FOOLISH.
There is no doubt that this parable of the ten virgins makes us sit up and take notice. All of them as a group prepare to go out and meet the Bridegroom. God is using this poetic wedding imagery to help us focus on a crucial relationship. The covenant people of God have determined to consecrate themselves to YHVH/God, the Holy One of Israel. He is the One who is coming again from out of the heavenly places. He will be coming as 'The Breaker'. (Micah 2:12-13) He will be breaking into this cosmos to judge and to save.
Our God is the Holy One of Israel. His name is "Emmanuel", which means "God with us". And He is coming down into the cosmos to be with His people So the end time drama is not just divine judgment upon the wicked. It is also the climax of the divine romance between God and all His Elect people.
The parable of the ten virgins is a romance and an adventure. The arrival of the Bridegroom is expected. His Spirit has been provided ahead of time ensuring Eternal Light and joy to the bridal party. Because even at the midnight hour in an hour of deep darkness they will go out to meet the Bridegroom.
The five wise virgins are seemingly just like all the others. But at the midnight hour they suddenly become the focus of the story. The wise are clearly different from the others. It seems that they have taken the time to prepare. In the imagery they have made spiritual preparation ahead of an anticipated time of darkness and endurance testing. They have their bridal garments. They are clothed in fine linen, even the righteousness of the saints. (Rev.19:8) And they have found the oil for the lamps. The oil of gladness is over all of them at the beginning of the evening. But the wise ones have known that a long night of deep darkness awaits them. They also know that a great drama and a magnificent romance is up ahead. This is not just an intellectual or theological thing with them. Nor has their preparation in the Spirit of God come from mere emotional hype. What we are seeing here is evidence of an abiding love that burns continually within the heart of those who are wise in the things of God. The wise virgins know that the time of deep darkness is up ahead. They know for a fact that it is bound to happen. They also know who they are in God and what they are about. They have the character of a true bride. They are prepared to be faithful witnesses on behalf of the Bridegroom, even in a time of great darkness. So they have prepared themselves.
They have the oil of anointing.
And they carry it with them.
As we can see, the wise virgins in the bridal party are not passive. They are not indifferent purchased concubines who do not have a vital interest in covenant proceedings. They are the bridal company. They are enlightened by the blood covenant connection the have with the approaching Bridegroom. There is rejoicing in the group and a spirit of praise and of cheer. But the wise are different from the others. They are well aware of what is coming. They are not in a state of denial about their role in the coming drama. Nor have they played games with their mind to dodge the truth. They know that they must face the coming night. And so they are not passive in the covenant. They have made deliberate preparations for this night of passage.
This is a parable of awe. Ten virgins had intended to go out and meet the Bridegroom. Alas, only five of them will. This is the high drama which unfolds in the storyline. It is probably the most haunting parable Jesus ever taught.
As darkness falls on this night of wonders all ten of the virgins have their lamps with them. Their lights are burning brightly in the early hours of darkness. But they are in for a long night. At the stoke of midnight things will become very different, and very difficult. They will be called upon to go out beyond their present dwelling, their present place of comfort. A long passage through a dark night awaits them. It will be a journey of wonder. The passage will take them well beyond the present structures they have come to rely on.
The wise ones know all about this. They have made their spiritual preparations in anticipation of this eventuality. Their extra jar of oil is with them. It will become their Eternal Supply.
The parable showcases five wise virgins. What made them wise? We are told that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Did they fear God? Apparently so. A word of wisdom came their way. And they paid attention. (Prov.1) They heard the salvation story and they consecrated themselves. But that was just the beginning. They set their faces towards the Coming One and made Him their Eternal Supply. They dressed themselves in the garments of praise and of righteousness. They had the oil of gladness in the anointing of Christ/Messiah.
The five wise virgins had taken the time to prepare themselves. These were ready to go out into the midnight darkness on that epic night of wonder. A great journey awaits them. And a night of drama will lead them out on a great adventure to meet their magnificent destiny. They will meet the Bridegroom at His coming. And then, with glorified spiritual bodies they will be joined with Him. They will come into their spiritual consummation at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Who then is this party of ten virgins? And where is the bride? There seems to be a puzzling omission here in this parable. The bride herself is not mentioned. Or is she? The parable focuses on a bridal party, here termed virgins or bridesmaids. Bridesmaids typically are closely associated with the bride. But isn't a bridesmaid one who is preparing for her future role as a bride? Is she not readying herself for her own wedding? The parable is a picture of the divine romance is it not? If that is so, then might the issue of bridal preparation be the main theme in this parable of the 10 virgins?
All through the Old Testament we saw the covenant people of God represented as a party of people in a betrothal relationship with YHVH-God. This relationship called for blood covenant faithfulness. This is precisely the witness "unto death" we see called for in a wedding betrothal. We see this level of commitment in the lives of the saints of Old Testament and New Testament times. In modern times it was seen in the lives of the Anabaptists, millions of whom died for the faith. It was this level of total commitment that Corrie Ten Boom demonstrated in her life. She warned the church that this high level of commitment would be called for in times to come. He message to us is recorded in this letter she wrote back in 1974.
The theme of spiritual faithfulness was voiced repeatedly by the prophets. The epic and prophetic story of Hosea and Gomer is a case in point. We also see it in the Song of Songs. In the Hebrew wedding we see the cup of the covenant offered by the Bridegroom. The cup, and all that it means, is received. And the bride-to-be is betrothed. At that moment she becomes fully committed to the Bridegroom. The Book of Revelation gives us a glimpse into the divine romance in the Apocalypse. It is seen in the message given to the Church of Laodicea. (Rev.3:14-22)
Our God is a God of grace. He always called out His people at a heart level. Devotion to God never was just a matter of law or religious legalism. It always was and always will be a devotional matter. This is the essence of the divine romance in God. Our apostle Paul exhorts us in this very same devotion.
"For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy:
for I have espoused you to one Husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ". -2Cor.11:2
THE TEN VIRGINS IN THE APOCALYPSE.
It seems we have been offered a magnificent destiny.
Who then would want to dodge this high calling?
The divine romance is upon God's people.
And our God is wooing us to Himself.
Here in this parable of ten virgins we see a wedding party. They are preparing themselves for their passage into the glory. They gather together in anticipation of an arriving bridegroom. But something happens. At midnight the drama unfolds. All of the ten virgins are seen to be slumbering. Their lamps are all flickering and burning low. All of them are experiencing a degree of "burnout". Five of the 10 virgins have an external supply of oil. The others do not. The five who have the extra jar of oil are prepared. They are ready to go out to meet the Bridegroom.
Are there prophetic elements to this story? Are there some thematic overtones here of the 70th week of Daniel? (Dan.9:24-27), Is this a glimpse into the deep darkness that will come at the midway point of those final seven years of this age? A time will certainly come when of great darkness will cover this earth. The midpoint of the final seven years will bring the 'abomination of desolation' and the Antichrist will attempt to institute his 666 economic system. Jesus told four of His inquiring disciples that this will truly be the deepest crisis of faith the saints have ever known. Is this the midnight hour we see in this parable of the ten virgins? Is this the time of deep darkness that will usher in the final three and a half years of the Great Tribulation?
The midnight cry will be a cry of alarm. The bridal party have come to their moment of crisis. They must leave the house. Is the house a symbol of the covering provided by our present structured temporal and spiritual life. We are comfortable here in our present western church-state system. The western church has been a place of protection for the saints in recent times. But going back all the way to the Council of Niceae it has been a place of compromise. Has the present Household of God changed the entrenched church-state equation we see in the west? Or has the church we know given herself to narcissism, self indulgence and comforts of the flesh?
In the middle of the night this will all change. Something of great importance has happened. They hear the midnight cry. The Bridegroom is coming towards them in the night.
The night is dark as the ten virgins awaken and stir themselves. Their lamps are flickering and burning low. The ten virgins know that they must leave the house to go out to meet the Bridegroom. The wise virgins have the oil. They are trimming and recharging their lamps. And now they are ready to leave.
Right here in the parable we are actually being given a picture of something very inspiring and wonderful. It is something we do not expect to see. Right in the midst of that deep darkness we see the saints rise and shine. Their lights are burning brightly in the midnight darkness. It is a moment of great wonder and awe. What are we seeing here?
It is a scene of romance and high adventure. It is in fact another picture of the great End Time Revival. All the Old Testament prophets saw this. The prophet Isaiah told of the time when God's covenant people would hear the call, -
1 "Arise, shine; For your light has come!" - Isa.60
Again we see the glorious company of light-bearers. They were first seen by our father Abraham four millennia ago. He saw the lights of a starry host against the black vault in the heavens. A myriad company of stars was shining forth in numbers that could not be counted. (Gen.15) They were the Elect, the glorious Congregation of the redeemed. (Rev.7)
THE DEVOTIONAL APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE
And so we see the wise virgins step out into the night. The saints are on the final leg of their epic journey. Their lamps are burning brightly as they go out to meet the Bridegroom. A dark and dangerous passage awaits them. They pass on through the night as a wedding party, each one carries their own personal lamp to light the way in the darkness. All of them are actively engaged in the covenant proceedings here. They are not passive. This is their destiny, and they know it. And as they move out their safe passage is totally dependent on their lamplight and the oil supply that has been provided them. This is the high drama of the end time. This is the divine romance. And it leads us right into the Apocalypse. The five wise virgins are on a passage. As we see them they are en route into the dangers and the glories that will be seen at the consummation of the age.
It is God's Spirit which brings the Life and the Light into our lives. Without Him, (and yes the Spirit of God is a Person and not an "it"), our lives would be in darkness. Our lamps are ready be fueled with an external yet personal supply of oil. This is how the spirit of the wise is maintained. The extra jar of oil is the key. The lives of the pilgrim saints down through time give abundant testimony to this. The Light of God shines from their lamps without wavering. These are the people who arise and shine, even in valley of the shadow of death. They are prepared to go out, - even in the midnight hour, - and to go beyond.
"The spirit of man is the candle/lamp of the Lord, |
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How would we describe the lamp of our spirit?
Do we merely maintain our spirit in the strength of our own self life?
And what about this awful possibility of "burnout".
How do we deal with that?
What if we do come to a time of great darkness? What if we face impending burnout? What then? Who will bring forth the Light for our flagging spirit? And Who will supply the oil for our lamp as the end time darkness falls? And when that future history unfolds that will see a 'great falling away' from the faith what will happen to our faith then? What, or Who will be our supply? Is there a Source of oil beyond our own limited human resources? Has the vessel storing our extra supply of oil been filled?
There is a Savior-God who brings us salvation.
But have we answered Him as he calls us beyond ourselves?
Where is the One we in Christendom once referred to as Providence?
Do we know Him? Do we know Him personally?
These are critical questions. All of us have a certain natural reserve within lamps of our own human spirit. Some have more than others. God put that human energy within each of us. As human beings we have a certain supply of spiritual energy. We were made in God's likeness. (Gen.1:26) But in our present fallen state as human beings we are cut off from God by sin. We are not naturally in fellowship with God. And as our flesh and our soul life begins to fade in strength own human spirit begins to flicker as well. When we reach the point of burnout we fade away. That is the end of us...............
Unless, of course,
we are in communion with the God of Life!
Because He is the One who is our Eternal Source and Supply.
So what happens to us when the world turns black against us? What happens as the awful hour of midnight approaches? Who do we turn to when our 'dim and flaring lamps' begin to flicker. We need that oil of anointing, that oil of illumination. We need the unction, the brightness of spirit, and the cheer to go on. Will we have the oil when we need it in times to come? Do we have an outside supply even when our own spirits are laid low? Do we have that extra jar of oil to refill our failing lamps? Do we have the oil supply of oil, even the Holy Spirit to revive us, in the midst of Great Tribulation? Will our lamps return filled, even in the midnight darkness?
(blogger)
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