Bible Study on Matthew 25, verses 1 to 13, the foolish took no oil for their lamps

 

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. 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.

 

Just a few scattered, disorganized thoughts on this passage to keep from acting like there is only one meaning of it. This parable of the ten virgins and the oil for the lamps is literally said here to be about being prepared for Christ’s return. The ten virgins can represent the Gentiles or the Jews who were given the truth but waited too late to receive it.  The Son of man is a reference to the Messiah, Christ.

 

The phrase Son of man links Christ to Daniel 7:13.

 

Daniel 7:13  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

 

Jesus, in the previous chapter, went over the events of the end time and gave several indications of how you would know that it was time. He now warns His disciples to be prepared and not to be caught unawares. We should always be looking for the Church’s translation and for His return. It is something that should occupy the Christian’s mind.

 

Titus 2:11 ¶  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

 

This does not mean that you will lose your salvation if you are surprised by His coming any more than it is true when a preacher in the 1930s said if the Rapture happened and you were in a movie theater you weren’t going.

 

This is simply a very clear statement that there is no time like the present to be saved, to trust Christ, and keep looking up.

 

The five foolish virgins can represent those religious Jews who did not receive their Messiah and lost out on His redemption. They were warned and should have been prepared. Oil for the lamps can represent the Holy Spirit. They should have received their Messiah and been filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit.

 

Psalm 45:7  Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

 

Now, all that being said there are many great sermons you can find on special meanings for the virgins, the wise and the unwise, the oil, the lamps, the door etc. and I would hope that you would listen to them or read them. But my purpose here is to be concise and get at the most direct meaning of the passage. Christ gave a lot of information on the end times and then told His disciples to always be prepared for it, not to be caught sleeping, so to speak.

 

Romans 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

 

Note how verse 6 appears to be a hint of the Rapture as in the cry made to go out and meet the bridegroom.

 

1Thessalonians 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

 

And I would say that the five foolish virgins have a form of religion but lack the indwelling of the Holy Ghost while the five wise virgins were truly saved. It makes a good point that you can carry a caricature of faith in God while rejecting Christ.  I would consider all religions that expect eternal life without faith in Christ as the five foolish virgins with no oil.