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About-Him.Com Devotional 12-03-2005
Http://About-Him.Com/ My Thoughts on the Life of Christ, from His Baptism to His Ascension. 201: Parable of the Ten Virgins Mt. 25:1-13 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. 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. Continuing the theme of Matthew 24 of being alert and watching for the second return of Christ, Jesus gave us The Parable of the Ten Virgins.The story is based on the customs surrounding a Jewish wedding of that day.The wedding festivities took place in the evening. A procession of the bridegroom and his friends would arrive at the bride’s house for the purpose of escorting her to the bridegrooms father’s house for the ceremony and resulting banquet. Each member of the procession carried a lamp, which was basically a bowl of oil with a wick, mounted on a pole. The waiting virgin bridesmaids also had these lamps which they were expected to carry. Some say that they all had their lamps lit and burning, but that they burned out because of the bridegroom’s delay. Other state that they only attempted to light their lamps when they heard the announcement of the approaching bridegroom. The wise had brought oil with them, but the foolish did not, perhaps believing that they all would be given oil from a common supply. The former makes more sense to me, but at any rate the foolish virgins did not have the oil that they needed. 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. {gone out: or, going 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. The bridegroom took longer than expected to arrive and all these young ladies fell asleep. They were suddenly awaken by the cry, "The bridegroom is coming, go on out and meet him." They all hurriedly began to trim their lamps, when the foolish realized that they had no oil. They tried to borrow from the others who fearing that they wouldn’t have enough either said, "No, go get your own." 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. While they were gone to find oil, the bridegroom came, the wise virgins joined the procession to the father’s house and the door was shut. The foolish virgins arrived late, and pounded on the door. The answer was swift and brutal, “ I don’t know you.” 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. It has been said that when we come to the word "therefore" we need to back up and see what "therefore" is there for. In other words, Jesus is saying, back up and read Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 again and then be watching for His coming which will come unexpectedly. Conclusion and Application: It is immediately apparent that all of these young women were pure, they were virgins. They all went to sleep. I believe that is similar to much of the church world today. Some staked their faith on an endtime scenario that didn’t pan out, such as 88 Reasons Why Jesus Must Return in 1988. Much of this reasoning was based on the belief that Jesus had to return in 40 years after Israel became a nation in 1948. Some based their belief on the interpretation of 10 kingdoms making up the restored Roman empire, who would fight against the Russian bear. When the Berlin wall and the Soviet Union dissolved, it was apparent that this wouldn’t be happening in the near future. I might add that after that time prophesy books began selling at a very reduced rate. I believe that as a result of these failures, much of the church simply went to sleep, and lost their sense of urgency concerning the Lord’s return. I believe that the cry is has been going out, "He’s coming, go out to meet Him." I read in the local newspaper that because of current events i.e. the tsunami, the numerous hurricanes and flooding and the massive earthquake in India and Pakistan; unbelievers were asking, "Could this be the beginning of the apocalypse?" If unbelievers are asking this question, I trust that we believers are at least thinking that it might be possible. If Jesus were to come next Sunday, I wonder what some churches would be preaching or what would be showing on religious TV? I trust it is not the usual hype that basically just tickles the ears (Isaiah 30:10; I Timothy 4;1-3; II Timothy 4:3). Instead of preaching repentance in His name and the infilling of the Spirit, many services seem to be nothing more than a giant motivational seminar. Oil has always been used as a type of the Holy Ghost, and I can’t get the oil that I need for my lamp from this type of commercial preaching. We all have our endtime scenarios, but some of us are obviously wrong, so we need not put our feet in concrete. The fact remains that Jesus is coming at the hour that we don’t expect Him. We are to be watching and waiting with our lamps burning brightly, or we run the risk of hearing Him say, "Sorry I don’t know you." O how sad. An old chorus comes to mind: Behold the bridegroom cometh I can hear the midnight cry We’ll go up with a shout, if we all hold out To meet Him in the sky Watch and pray my brother lest someone take your crown For the lukewarm and backslider Can’t wear the marriage gown In About-Him
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A woman in her forties got married but was a bit nervous about her honeymoon.
Pastor Carl wanted to encourage her by sending a telegram with a verse of Scripture... 1 John 4:18 - There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. But the Pastor's oral instructions to the church typist omitted, by mistake, the 1 before John and the telegram just read... John 4:18 - For you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly. Thanks to Walking With Jesus Ministries Somebody Has Said
"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult
and left untried." - G.K. Chesterton
Thanks to Christian Quotes.Org Keep Looking Up! Don and Marie Spooner About Him! Ministries Your thoughts and Inquiries Contact@about-him.com Subscribe to this devotional? Subscribe@about-him.com
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