At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise…
Matthew 25:1-13
Jesus had been talking with His Disciples about the end times and that the day and hour of His return is unknown. Then, He tells the Disciples the parable of the ten virgins. Jesus is telling them that when the Kingdom of Heaven comes to earth, it will be like 10 virgins, 5 of whom were wise and 5 of whom were foolish. During His earthly ministry, Jesus often told people what the Kingdom of Heaven was like, using various metaphors the people would be familiar with from everyday life. In an earlier talk, Jesus described the angels of Heaven coming down and separating the “sheep from the goats.” This metaphor would have clearly taught the people of that day that sheep were the people of God who were faithful to God, following all that God had commanded, as best they could, in the Scriptures, the Old Testament and, the goats were people who were not faithful, not obeying God’s Old Covenant conditions and commands. Jesus says that of the ten virgins, 5 were “wise” and 5 were “foolish.” So, the “wise” and “foolish” are the same as the “sheep” and the “goats.” As Jesus progresses the parable, it becomes clear that the “wise” virgins are those who are saved and the “foolish” virgins are those who claim to be Christians but, their life shows no evidence of their salvation. The church today, in this earthly realm, contains people who are saved and people who claim or think they are saved because they signed a card at a crusade, went to the alter during the 45th verse of “Just As I Am,” their parents took them to church every time the church doors were open or, some other commitment style service that was mostly for show. One cannot be a Christian on Sunday and live like the devil the rest of the week! A truly saved Christian will demonstrate a changed life by producing the fruits of the Holy Spirit that in-dwells each believer. Like the 5 foolish virgins in the parable, those who claim Christianity but, are not, will experience the closing of Heavens doors to their astonishment and dismay for they will claim to have done many things in the name of Christ and to have helped many people to become Christian. But, just as the 5 foolish virgins are told, so will all those who claim to be Christian but, are not, Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you!” as Heavens’ gates are closed to their coming into Heaven. What a sad time that will be! Knowing that one is truly a Christian is possible! The in-dwelling Holy Spirit will help you to know for a certainty. Your new life in Christ will be fruitfully productive for the Kingdom of Heaven. Paul wrote to Christians in his day to “work out your faith.” Paul is not advocating works righteousness faith. He is saying that a Christian will be productive in his/her life for Christ. How are you doing in your Christianity?
Source: S C Ball May 4, 2023
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