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As part of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus illustrates events of the end times with a series of parables. One is the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1–13). The plot of Jesus’ parable runs this way:
• ten virgin bridesmaids await the coming of the bridegroom and the start of the wedding festivities
• five of the bridesmaids foolishly fail to bring extra oil for their lamps
• five of the bridesmaids wisely bring extra oil for their lamps
• all ten of the bridesmaids fall asleep as they wait
• they are roused at midnight when a cry goes out, “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” (Matthew 25:6)
• the foolish virgins ask their companions for oil, since their lamps are going out
• the wise virgins, who have no oil to spare, advise the unprepared to go buy oil somewhere
• while the five foolish virgins are away, the bridegroom comes
• the wise virgins enter the wedding banquet, and the door is shut
• the foolish virgins return but find the door shut against them
• they knock but are refused admittance
In introducing the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven will be like” this (Matthew 25:1). He states His point of the parable in Matthew 25:13: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”• five of the bridesmaids foolishly fail to bring extra oil for their lamps
• five of the bridesmaids wisely bring extra oil for their lamps
• all ten of the bridesmaids fall asleep as they wait
• they are roused at midnight when a cry goes out, “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” (Matthew 25:6)
• the foolish virgins ask their companions for oil, since their lamps are going out
• the wise virgins, who have no oil to spare, advise the unprepared to go buy oil somewhere
• while the five foolish virgins are away, the bridegroom comes
• the wise virgins enter the wedding banquet, and the door is shut
• the foolish virgins return but find the door shut against them
• they knock but are refused admittance
The cultural setting of the parable is a first-century Jewish wedding. D. A. Carson explains the custom: “Normally the bridegroom with some close friends left his home to go to the bride’s home, where there were various ceremonies, followed by a procession through the streets—after nightfall—to his home. The ten virgins may be bridesmaids who have been assisting the bride; and they expect to meet the groom as he comes from the bride’s house. . . . Everyone in the procession was expected to carry his or her own torch. Those without a torch would be assumed to be party crashers or even brigands. The festivities, which might last several days, would formally get under way at the groom’s house” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 8, Zondervan Publishing House, 1984, p. 513). The “torch” or “lamp” was either a stick with a rag soaked in oil on the end of it or a lamp with a small oil reservoir and wick. Either way, maintaining the flame would require the occasional addition of oil.
Some interpret this parable as a picture of the rapture of the church. We believe a better interpretation is that the parable of the ten virgins pictures Christ’s second coming at the end of the tribulation. Our view is that all the parables in this series relate to Israel, not the church. Israel during the end times is the focus of Matthew 24, and Matthew 25 continues that theme. So, in our view, the bridegroom in the parable is Jesus Christ, and the waiting bridesmaids are Israel. Will Israel be ready to receive the Lord as her Messiah? Jesus’ answer in the parable is that some will be ready to enter the kingdom, and some will not.
The underlying message of the parable is that Christ will return at an unknown hour and that His people must be ready. This theme is emphasized in Jesus’ words that close the parable: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13). Earlier in His discourse, Jesus made the same point:
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36)
Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matthew 24:42)
The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. (Matthew 24:50)
Similar calls to vigilance are found elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., 2 Peter 3:10).Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matthew 24:42)
The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. (Matthew 24:50)
To be ready for Christ’s return, a person must have faith in Christ. Whether that person is in the church age or the time of the tribulation, faith in Christ is what saves. We must be born again. To use a metaphor from Jesus’ parable, we must have the oil. The Holy Spirit must indwell us, producing the light of life. Without the Holy Spirit, we are unprepared. It won’t matter how vigorously we knock or how loudly we proclaim, “Lord, Lord!” Only those who, through the Spirit, are prepared for the coming of the Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven.
