Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 Vs. 1

 

Matthew Chapter 25

Verses 1-13: The parable of the 10 virgins explains the place of Israel’s true converts of the Great Tribulation period in relation to the church. These virgins (Greek Parthenos, 1:23) are the attendants at the wedding, not multiple brides. The one bride of Christ is the church, John the Baptist is the best man (John 3:29), friend of the bridegroom, and the prepared virgins are the saved of the Great Tribulation.

The parable of the 10 virgins is given to underscore the importance of being ready for Christ’s return in any event, even if He delays longer than expected. For when He does return, there will be no second changes for the unprepared.

While all share as the people of God, the church is accorded a unique relationship to the Master. The lamps seem to refer to their lives which are either prepared or unprepared. The oil refers to that which prepares them to give forth light and may properly be illustrative of the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

The fact that they all slept while the bridegroom tarried implies a period of Jewish inactivity during the church age, while the bride is gathered.

The symbolism of the parable is: The groom is symbolic of Jesus. The arrival of the groom is the rapture. The 10 virgins are symbolic of the church. The wise were ready to meet him, the foolish were not. The oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. When a person is born again, they receive the Holy Spirit, thus will have oil in their lamp. This is a believer who understands that they can do nothing on his own but is totally dependent upon God for His righteousness and anointing and on God’s word for truth, comfort and strength.

Jesus told the 5 foolish virgins that He knew them not. Many claim to know Christ but are not obedient and do not live their lives for Christ. They remain in the world living in the flesh, claiming to know Christ, but in reality, their knowledge was head knowledge only and not heart knowledge. Read (Matthew 7:21-23), for what Jesus told them.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1 “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.”

Then shall the... Then—at the second coming at the end of the tribulation when Christ comes with His saints (Mat. 25:3, 25:27-31, 25:33, 25:36, 25:39-51), not at the rapture when He comes for the bride. Note the connecting adverbs of time from Mat. 25:15-28: when (Mat. 25:15), then (Mat. 25:16), then (Mat. 25:21), then (Mat. 25:23). These cover 3 1/2 years from the setting up of the abomination of desolation in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week to the second coming at the end of this week. Then in Mat. 25:29 we have a new time element, the second coming itself, immediately after the tribulation of Mat. 25:15-28. Note the events connected with this by the same kind of adverb of time: then (Mat. 25:30), then (Mat. 25:40), then (Mat. 25:1).

kingdom of heaven... Kingdom of heaven, not the church, is like ten virgins. See, Mat. 4:17; Mat. 19:24.

likened unto ten... Fourth parable of Matthew 24-25, illustrating watchfulness in view of His coming (Mat. 25:1-13).

ten virgins, which... Ten young ladies (not Christians) who were friends of a certain girl that got married over 1900 years ago (Mat. 25:1, 25:5-10).

We know that the Lord is coming back for a church that is a chaste virgin. This means they have no other Gods. So we see by this, that all these girls were part of the church, because all ten were virgins.

We know that the number ten has to do with the world. All ten of them were in the world. It appears that they had light because they took their lamps. We also see that all ten were looking for Jesus (went forth to meet the bridegroom).

Lamps (λαμπάδας)

Lit., torches. Probably a short, wooden stem held in the hand, with a dish at the top, in which was a piece of cloth dipped in oil or pitch.

The Virgins; The Talents.

The second and third pictures presented in the form of two parables of the kingdom of heaven, set before us the judgment of Christ at His coming on His professed disciples, distinguishing between real and merely nominal Christians, between the pretended and the true members of the kingdom of heaven. In the former parable this distinction is set before us in the contrast between the wise and the foolish virgins; in the latter it appears in the form of the one faithful and the two unfaithful servants. No special significance need be attached to the respective numbers, which are evidently chosen with a view to the consistency of the parables, not to set forth anything in regard to the actual proportion between hypocrites and true disciples in the visible Church.

The relation between the two parables has been already indicated. The first represents the Church as waiting, the second as working, for her Lord; the first shows the necessity of a constant supply of inward grace, the second the need of unremitting outward activity; the teaching of the first is, Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life; of the second, Do good as ye have opportunity, Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. The parable of the Virgins comes appropriately before that of the Talents, inasmuch as a Christian’s inner life should be his first care, the outer life being wholly dependent on it. Keep thy heart with all diligence, is the first command; Do thy work with all diligence, the second. The first parable calls aloud to every member of the Church, Be wise; the second follows it with another call, as urgent as the first, Be faithful.

The Parable of the Virgins (Mat. 25:1-13), with its marriage feast, recalls the parable of the marriage of the King’s Son, so recently spoken in the Temple. The difference between the two is very clearly indicated by the way in which each parable is introduced: there, the kingdom of heaven is likened; here, then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened. The gospel feast which was the subject of the parable spoken in the Temple was already spread; it was a thing of the present; its word was, All things are ready: come to the marriage: its preparation had been the object of the heavenly Bridegroom’s first coming. The wedding feast of this parable is yet to be prepared; it is the marriage supper of the Lamb to which the Lord will call His people Jewish at His second coming.

The Coming Judgment On Israel

When Christ returns in glory, further separations will occur, as indicated by the Parable of the 10 Virgins. While various interpretations have been given to this parable, it seems best to understand it as a judgment on living Jews soon after the Lord’s return in glory. The context clearly points to that event (Mat. 24:3, 24:14, 24:27, 24:30, 24:39, 24:44, 24:51). The judgment of the Gentiles (sheep and goats) will occur when the Lord returns (Mat. 25:31-46). Also at His glorious return, Israel will be judged as a nation (Eze. 20:33-44; Zec. 13:1).

Israel therefore is pictured as 10 virgins who are awaiting the return of the bridegroom. In wedding customs in Jesus’ day, the bridegroom would return from the house of the bride in a procession leading to his own home where a wedding banquet would be enjoyed. In Jesus’ parable, He as King will return from heaven with His bride, the church, in order to enter into the Millennium. The Jews in the Tribulation will be some of the invited guests privileged to share in the feast.