The Ten Virgins: The Urgency of Preparation 🕯️
A Presentation on Readiness for the Lord’s Return from Matthew 25:1-13
The Parable of the Ten Virgins is one of Jesus’s most pointed teachings about the timing and nature of His return. The story is not about being good or bad, but about being ready—specifically, about possessing the inner resource necessary to endure the unexpected delay.
The Return Question: What is the Oil?
The core difference between the five wise and five foolish virgins was the oil in their lamps. The parable emphasizes that the presence of the lamp alone (the profession of faith) was not enough; the supply of oil (the possession of true spiritual life) was vital.
“Five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” (Matthew 25:2-4, KJV)
Theologically, the oil is universally understood to represent the Holy Spirit.
| The Symbol | The Reality | The Implication |
| The Lamp | The outward profession of faith; the container. | Represents those who look ready. |
| The Oil | The Holy Spirit; the power source of life and light. | Represents those who are regenerated and possess true spiritual life. |
| The Marriage | The Second Coming of Christ and the union with His people. | The final, irreversible moment of judgment. |
The foolish virgins were only concerned with the immediate light, neglecting the necessary reserve that would sustain them through the delay. This represents a superficial profession of faith that lacks the indwelling and sustaining work of the Holy Spirit.
The Prophetic Hotspot: The Delay and the Cry
The crisis in the parable arises from two factors that directly relate to the expectations of the Lord’s Return: The Delay and The Final Call.
1. The Delay
“While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.” (Matthew 25:5, KJV)
- Prophetic Significance: Jesus explicitly warns that there will be a delay (tarried) in the time of His return, leading to a state of complacency even among those who expect Him (they all slumbered and slept). The delay tests the quality of one’s preparation.
2. The Final Call
“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” (Matthew 25:6, KJV)
- The Irreversible Moment: This “cry” marks the precise moment of Christ’s arrival. Crucially, the wise virgins could not share their oil. The internal reality of the Spirit is not transferable; it is a personal endowment that must be secured before the final moment.
- The Judgment: The foolish virgins arrived too late, and the door was permanently shut. Jesus’s response to them is the chilling warning of final separation: “Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” (Matthew 25:12, KJV). The knowledge of the King is not a casual acquaintance but a recognition of true, obedient relationship.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins serves as a powerful call to believers to ensure their inner spiritual life is genuinely established and sustained by the Holy Spirit, prepared to meet the King regardless of when the hour of His return comes.