Then 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. The foolish ones, when they took their lamps, did not take any oil with them; but the wise ones, along with their lamps, also took oil in jars. 

Since the bridegroom was delayed, they all dozed off and fell asleep. At midnight, a cry was heard: “Here comes the bridegroom! Go out to meet him!” Then all those virgins got up and prepared their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise ones, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” The wise ones replied, “No; lest there not be enough for us or for you; but rather, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.” While they were going to buy oil, the bridegroom arrived; those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall, and the door was shut. Later, the other virgins also came and said, “Lord, Lord, open to us!” But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you!” “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know the day or the hour when the Son of Man will come.”^[1]

“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like a man who, when he was about to go on a journey to another country, called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one—to each according to his ability—and then he left. Immediately, the one who had received the five talents went and put them to work, and gained five more talents. Likewise, the one who had received the two talents also gained two more. The one who had received only one talent went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money there. After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came forward, brought five more talents, and said, “Master, you entrusted me with five talents; and here are five more talents that I have earned with them.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; come and share in your master’s joy!” The one who had received the two talents also came forward and said, “Lord, you entrusted me with two talents; and here I have made a profit of two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things; come and share in your master’s joy!” The one who had received only one talent also came forward and said, “Lord, I knew you to be a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed; I was afraid, so I went and hid your talent in the ground; here is what is yours!” His master replied, “You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered; therefore, you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received back what is mine with interest! Take his talent, then, and give it to the one who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away! And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ^[2]

Chapter 24 of the Gospel of Matthew speaks of the end of this age, and in chapter 25, the Lord Jesus gives an example of these signs through the parables He told. The earth is in labor pains, because our nature longs to be delivered from all that is sinful. These signs of the end will become increasingly frequent and intense.

Jesus warns that before His coming, both wars and disasters will intensify. Another sign indicating how close the coming of Jesus is the fact that there are people who deceive many by claiming to be Jesus Christ. All of the Lord’s parables must be understood within their context. The Lord Jesus was speaking to His disciples when He told these parables, and they are addressed to us, believers.

The subject of the parables is the coming of the Lord Jesus, and their purpose is to prepare us for His coming. In the first parable, the Lord Jesus is portrayed as our Bridegroom. The love story depicted in this parable is a Jewish love story. After the relationship between two young people was formalized, the young man would go to the bride’s father to purchase her for a price. The Lord Jesus purchased us for a price from the Father (God). No bridegroom has ever paid such a high price for his bride: “For you know that it was not with perishable things—with silver or gold— were you redeemed from the empty way of life you had inherited from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, the Lamb without blemish or defect.”^[3]

     The Bridegroom, after paying the price, would turn to the bride and say that He had prepared a place for her in His Father’s house: “In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you with Me, so that where I am, you may be also.”^[4] The words that the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples are exactly the words a bridegroom would say to his bride after purchasing her from her father. The two were to be separated for a time, until that place was prepared. From that moment on, the bride had to be ready at all times, because the bridegroom could come to take her at any moment. The bride had to remain constantly watchful so that she could go out to meet her bridegroom.

The ten virgins also symbolize the Bride of the Lord Jesus. There were five foolish virgins and five wise virgins. They symbolize a pure and holy church. All of them had lamps and oil, but not all of them had oil in abundance (the fullness of the Holy Spirit). Everyone who is part of the Lord’s Church has the Holy Spirit, but not everyone has the fullness of the Holy Spirit. If someone is pure and their soul is pure, they also have an urgent need for this filling. The Lord’s standard is very high, but this must be the norm in His Church. “I always give thanks to my God for you, because of the grace of God that has been given to you in Jesus Christ. For in Him you have been enriched in every way—with all speech and all knowledge.  In this way, the testimony about Christ has been firmly established among you; so you lack no spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”^[5]

There are people who, because they do not have the fullness of the Holy Spirit, deny both the existence of this fullness and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The church of the last days must be a holy temple in which the Spirit of the Lord dwells.

The Holy Spirit will be poured out in abundance upon the true church of Jesus Christ. We need the works of the Holy Spirit in the church. Sometimes it seems to us that the Bridegroom is delaying, but that is not the case. In the blink of an eye, He will rapture His church. We must not grow drowsy while waiting for His coming: “It is time for you to wake up at last from your sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed.”^[6]

Once we wake up, we must examine our condition before Him. Let us put on the white robe of righteousness and fill our lamps with oil: “How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”^[7]

The voice of the Holy Spirit today is “The Lord is coming!” The awakened church is the one that knows the times in which it lives; it is the place where He speaks clearly, announcing His coming.  Let us make sure there is nothing wrong in our lives that would hinder this filling with the Holy Spirit.

The wise and foolish virgins were friends. Some were prudent and took care of the matter themselves. The others relied on the fact that the others had plenty of oil, but it wasn’t enough for them. Each of us must personally ask for this filling with His Spirit. No one can help us with this matter unless we assure God that we are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Lord wants to show us that there isn’t much time left to get our act together—now is the time. When the seven-year wedding feast takes place in heaven, there will be wrath on earth. For those who have missed the Rapture, there is little chance of being saved during the Great Tribulation.

The call to holiness is for the entire Church. Only a holy Church can be one with her Bridegroom. Let us watch carefully, for we do not know the hour or the day when the Lord will come. Let us long for and love His coming.

The second parable speaks of the deeds of Christians. The first parable is about the inner reality (the fullness of the Holy Spirit), while the second parable speaks of the outward deeds of Christians. This parable speaks of three servants (all of whom were Christians), but the Lord judges each one according to their deeds. Two of them pursue the Master’s interests, and one pursues his own: “We carry this treasure in earthen vessels, so that this surpassing power may be from God and not from us.”^[8] We all carry a treasure within us. Salvation is of great value. Even if we have only one talent, we possess a very precious treasure, an incomparable wealth that must be managed properly. We will only realize true riches in eternity. We are the custodians of these treasures; we bear a very great responsibility. Salvation must not be hidden, but must be put to work so that others may be saved. Whoever hides this salvation loses himself as well and misses the opportunity to serve God. If we are saved, we must also care about the fate of others. It is a sacrifice and a daily struggle, but we must fulfill our duty before God. Perhaps many will be saved if we devote all that we are and all that we have to the Lord’s service. Only in this way will we bear fruit, and His Kingdom will expand. It is essential that we be found serving when the Lord Jesus returns.

We must desire with all our hearts that all may be saved and do everything within our power, for He gives to each according to our ability. He does not ask us to do more than we are able. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master, upon his arrival, will find doing so! Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if there is a wicked servant who says to himself, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards,the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know; he will cut him in two, and his lot will be the lot of the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”^[9]

God’s servants are divided into two categories. Some serve the Lord out of love for Him; others keep for themselves the treasures entrusted to them by the Lord. There are many who live in spiritual blindness and are lost even with the Bible in their hands. The Lord will reward us if we are found awake, watching, and working wholeheartedly for our Master. Let us live in the fear of Christ, lest we be lost. We must serve God filled with the Holy Spirit. This is each person’s individual responsibility. These parables concern His coming; they are addressed to each of us and must not be taken out of context. Let us heed what God is telling us and carry out the tasks entrusted to us with all our love and with the utmost responsibility.

^[1] Matthew 25:1–13.

^[2] Matthew 25:14–30.

^[3] 1 Peter 1:18, 19.

^[4] John 14:2, 3.

^[5] 1 Corinthians 1:4–7.

^[6] Romans 13:11.

^[7] Luke 11:13.

^[8] 2 Corinthians 4:7.

^[9] Matthew 24:48–51.