PREPARATION FOR THE BRIDEGROOM (Mt. 25:1-13) At almost the close of the age John writes about a great gathering that will congregate in Glory, Rev. 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. It is the marriage supper of the Lamb. That is the occasion when Christ will bring His Bride into the banqueting house, and there will be a huge banner displayed over her that declares the incomparable love which has eternally flowed from the heart of God towards His Beloved Church. She is the one He has forever loved and for whom Christ has died and Who will one day be presented before the Father glorious not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing (Eph. 5:27). Matthew records the words of the Lord Jesus in relation to this great event, Mt. 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. In the previous chapter the Lord Jesus was with the disciples on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem. They had asked Him, Mt. 24:3 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? You know, if Jesus had not wanted them to know, He would not have told them but He did! So, He proceeded to point out to them certain indicators that would announce and precede His return. At the end of that discourse, Jesus gave the stark warning, Matt 24:44 be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing... 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
2 He continued His teaching with the word then, - that is the connecting word between chapters twenty-four and twenty-five, 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. A wedding in those ancient times was a great occasion that included the whole community. The bride and bridegroom walked through the streets and took the longest way to their new home and along the route they would receive the good wishes from as many as they met. There was no honeymoon, instead the bride and bridegroom would remain at home for a whole week during which their house was open to all. For that week they were as the prince and the princess and they were treated as such. There would be special festivities, and their home would be full of guests. Now, just prior to this week, - to add to the excitement, - the bridegroom was scheduled to come onto the scene unexpectedly the people did not know exactly when he would appear but they knew he would, sometime. Just before the event though, it was tradition to send a man along the street to shout, The bridegroom is coming but that could have been any time of the day or night. But regardless as to when it was, only those who were properly prepared, - when he arrived, - were admitted to the wedding celebrations. (I suppose, in some ways, we have a similar tradition only it is the bride who is supposed to keep everyone waiting. In ancient Jewish times, it was the bridegroom). In keeping with the setting, this parable has two applications. Firstly, in its immediate context the Jews had previously been told by the prophets to watch for the coming of the Messiah and they ought to have been prepared. However, they weren t and that was why Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Mt. 23:37; Lk. 13:34). They were totally unprepared for the coming of the Son of God, and so, Jn. 1:11 He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. The secondary application of the parable is much wider. It refers to those who have made preparation, - and also to those who think they have made preparation, - for the coming of the Bridegroom, i.e. their meeting with Christ. This is a meeting that is scheduled to take place for God s Word assures us there is coming a day when we must all stand before His judgment throne (Rom. 14:10). So, what preparations do we need to make for this most important of appointments?
3 First of all, above and beyond everything else, we need to realise Jesus Christ is coming back again. It is the next greatest event that will take place on this earth. Jesus Christ will return for His people and to be with His people, and He shall establish His Kingdom. So, - once again, - what preparations do we need to make? Firstly WATCHING When Habakkuk brought the desperate spiritual need of his nation before the Lord and when he listened to the Lord s reply, he decided, Hab. 2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see... He was watching to see what God would do not with trepidation, but with expectation! And he watched from a vantage point where nothing was obstructing his view He was watching for the Lord to intervene! How was the Lord going to intervene? Well, God had given him a sign, 1:6 lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land So, Habakkuk, watch for that is what is going to happen! Watching. And, how do you be prepared for such a momentous event? How are you to watch? Jesus told His disciples how WAITING There were ten virgins waiting, - I m sure each one of them was as beautiful as the next. They would all have been perfectly adorned and eagerly anticipating the moment when the Bridegroom would appear. They would all have had their vessels containing their lamps, polished and shining. They looked the part, and, it seemed everyone was as prepared as the other. Augustine (354 430AD) used this passage of Scripture to refer to the Church. In the Church we have all types of people, many of whom all look the same and who talk the same. They all have their lamps of testimony with them, - they are all there because they each profess to know the Bridegroom and, of course, the lamp is there to show the way ahead through the darkness. That is what a lamp is for. These ten virgins each had the privilege of owning the light. So None of them would become lost in the darkness because they had a light to guide them Right? Well, only half-right, for only half of them had lights that were working! And Augustine correctly taught this refers to the Church for in the institution of the Church there are some who are prepared to meet God and some who are not. There are some who play the part, but sadly God s work of sovereign grace has not been applied to their soul.
4 Augustine described those who looked as if they were prepared, - but were not, - as the visible Church. They looked the part, they used all the right words, and they claimed to belong to the Church and yet, under the façade and claims, they were unregenerate. However, there were others in the Church who Augustine described as the invisible Church. It is not that he meant you couldn t see them what he meant was that they were known to God for they had a personal inner knowledge of Christ that was based upon having their sins forgiven and they were on their way to Heaven through the Saviour s work on Calvary. They were not merely pretending to be Christians, - they were real and genuine. And that was the difference between these two types of young ladies who were waiting for the bridegroom. One group was worthy, while the other group was wanting. That was the group who had no oil in their lamps! If you just think about that for a moment Their lamps would have been lighter and easier to carry They wouldn t have had to worry if some of the oil in their lamps might spill onto their lovely dresses. Indeed, it was a whole lot handier to carry the lights with no oil but, what is the point in having a lamp if it doesn t give off light?! What is the point in having a torch if it doesn t have a working battery?! And yet there are many who claim to belong to the Lord Jesus Christ but they have no inner knowledge of saving grace, - there is no light inside! Their religion is as a blanket covering their eyes that prohibits them seeing Christ by faith. Their hopes for meeting Him are not based upon a foundation that will stand the test of God s examination. But like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand, these five young girls had no oil in their lamps They had nothing to withstand God s judgment! In the Old Testament the oil was used in the tabernacle and in the temple It was also used to anoint the prophets, priests and kings For example, after the seven sons of Jesse passed before Samuel, and the Lord declined them to become king, Samuel then asked Jesse, I Sam. 16:11 Are here all thy children? When Jesse replied that he had another son, Samuel instructed this son to be brought to him v.12 And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. And so, throughout Scripture the oil came to represent the Holy Spirit coming upon a person and God s work of anointing was His indelible mark upon His children, - Paul described it as the earnest of our salvation (Eph. 1:13,14)
5 The oil also came to represent how the Holy Spirit keeps the lamp burning in the believer But, here is the problem that concerns those five foolish virgins they did not have any oil, so how can you expect the lamp to burn?! You can own the lamp, - all the exterior ramifications of being a Christian, - but it is no use if the oil does not burn and send forth the light! And where there is no light, there is darkness! There are many who claim to be Christians but if the Lord Jesus Christ was to come back tonight there would be nothing in their life awaiting His return. Look at these five foolish young virgins again, - No Hurry, no Oil, no Preparation, no Entry And it all comes to the conclusion, No HOPE! If the Holy Spirit is not present, - no matter what a person may believe, there is no spiritual life at all and that means there is no hope for eternity! There is no oil in the lamp, - the soul is in complete darkness! What a tragedy! How is it such a tragedy? It is such a tragedy because those five foolish virgins thought they were prepared. And yes, they had exactly the same opportunities as those five wise virgins. They both knew the Bridegroom, and they both knew he was coming. They both knew they had to get dressed up and look their very best, and they both knew it would be dark outside so they had to bring their lamps. And there was something else they both knew They both knew where to buy the oil for as soon as their plight dawned on the five foolish virgins, they knew exactly where to go to purchase the oil. You see, there was no excuse! One had the same opportunity as the other! Yes, the oil speaks of the Holy Spirit and the oil also speaks of the Word of God, the word of life. Paul writes, Phil 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16 Holding forth the word of life. It s the light from God s Word that keeps you from becoming lost. And if there is no light in your soul, it means you are already lost. The Psalmist said, 119:105 Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. You need to get that light quick, while you can! That is how it is! You see, all these ten young girls had their lamps but only five of them showed there was the oil inside! You could see only five lights burning when there should have been ten and there was no excuse! Are you prepared? Are you waiting for the Lord s return with the oil of the Holy Spirit burning in your heart, giving off the light? Are you shining brightly?! Can the light be seen from Heaven?! Watching, Waiting
6 WAKING When the Bridegroom arrived, - as He inevitably will, - all ten of the virgins were awakened at the same time. When Christ comes again, every eye will see Him (Rev. 1:7), - there is no partial rapture. Daniel prophesied that even the dead in their graves will see Him, Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. There will be those who have made the preparations, and those who haven t but they will all be wakened! Those who have the oil of the Holy Spirit in their souls will be welcomed into His presence while those who haven t will be shut out forever. The midnight will arrive and the announcement will be made, Mt. 25:6 Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him. Will you be ready? How will you meet Him? Will you meet Him with expectation or trepidation? If you haven t the oil in your lamp, - if Christ is not living in your heart and you are not shining, - then, - by way of a warning, - take a look at those five foolish young girls who had all their opportunities and they have even been to the shop, but it has been too little too late for when they come back and they are banging on the door they cannot gain entrance! Lord, Lord, open to us (v.11), they cried in fear and panic but it was too late. The bar had been put in place, the key had been turned, and the bolts had been locked! There was no way in. From the other side of the door, a voice was saying those dreadful words, I know you not (v.12). There were no means of appeal. There were no second chances. They had squandered all their former precious opportunities! CONCLUSION Watching, Waiting, Waking Believer, are you looking after the oil in your lamp? Is it up to the right level? Is it burning brightly? Are you stoking it by studying God s Word? Are you meeting with His people for prayer and fellowship? The hymn writer asks, Will our lamps be filled and ready, When the Bridegroom comes? And our lights be clear and steady, When the Bridegroom comes? In the night, that solemn night, Will our lamps be burning bright, When the Bridegroom comes? And if you are not saved, - you are coming to church and you re making every effort you can, - but you ve got to confess that is all it is your own efforts and you are like these young girls, - you have the lamp but there is no oil in it, there is no true possession of Christ.
7 You are not going to have anything when it turns dark, and you will be caught out! While you have the opportunity, - while the work of Christ in this day of grace is still available to you, - go and buy before the Bridegroom comes (v.10)! That is what Isaiah told his people too, 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy 6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. The foolish virgins left it until it was too late and their opportunity was gone! It is only by turning away from your sin and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, that you will experience the light of God flowing into your soul. And when the Bridegroom comes you will be waiting for Him and you will reach for your lamp, and it will be burning brightly! It is a sobering thought, though, that one of the men listening to Jesus was Judas Iscariot Sadly, his lamp had gone out (v.8) and he had no light in his soul In the company of Jesus and yet in such darkness! And so it happens in meetings up and down the country, - there are many whose hope is not in Christ, but in their own righteousness, or even membership of a Baptist church. As we conclude our study, take heed as to how Jesus completed His telling of this parable, Matt 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.