Matthew 25 Explained – The Five Wise and Five Foolish Virgins
On the DTW Facebook group Exposing False Teaching in South Africa, we were asked some very excellent questions by Trevor in trying to understand the Parable of the 10 virgins: 5 wise and 5 foolish.
He said:
I am hoping that somebody might be able to clarify the parable of the ten virgins of Matthew 25 for me. I sense that it is very relevant to the hour that we live in, but I remain somewhat confused – even on what I have heard explained.
Matthew 25:1-13 (KJV) 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.
My questions are these:
a) Who do the ten virgins represent? They cannot, I reason, be the bride of Christ who is a single entity.
b) As all ten virgins had lamps that were burning as they went out to meet the bridegroom, at that stage all ten would seem to have had some oil. Is this a fair assumption?
c) If the oil is the Spirit of God as many teach why were the five with additional oil reluctant to share? This attitude seems contradictory to Christian behaviour and values.
d) How is it possible to “run out of” the Holy Spirit? Or is it something else that “runs out”?
e) Who are the sellers that they were encouraged to go to buy more oil?
f) How can one “buy more oil”?
(Video) The Parable of The Ten Virgins | English | Parables Of Jesus
Oil and the Holy Spirit
Many Christians are bemused when they see the word “oil” in holy writ thinking that it always refers to the Holy Spirit. They fall into this error because they do not differentiate between the Church and Israel, and especially God’s dispensational dealings with these two groups of people. Trevor is correct in saying that the oil cannot refer to the Holy Spirit in Matthew 25, simply because you cannot have some of Him at one time and then lose Him fully at another, even to such an extent that you must seek out those who are appointed to sell oil so that you may replenish the oil you have lost.
Considering the following Scripture, the meaning of “oil” and “light” in the context of Israel as a nation becomes clearer.
I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; (Isaiah 42:6).
Israel and God’s promise to them
The light in this instance is, of course, God the Son, the Messiah, whom God the Father gave to Israel for a covenant of the people (i.e. Israel), for a light to the Gentiles. “For a covenant” means that God’s Servant, the Messiah, is the only Person who can bring to fruition all God’s promises to Israel because He is God. In fact, the fulfillment of all His promises to Israel proves in every iota and tittle that He alone is the only true God and that there is none other besides Him (2 Corinthians 1:20). Note carefully that the covenantal people, Israel, to whom God promised to give the land of Canaan as their eternal Promised Land, (forever and not just temporary), were called to be the light-bearers of God’s truth, that He and He alone is the only true God and that there is none other like Him (Isaiah 49:6).
When King Louis XIV asked Voltaire to prove to him that God exists, he said, “Sire, the Jews.” If God could make a donkey speak to bring a wayward prophet (Balaam) to his senses, then surely God was able to use the tongue of a skeptic, a traditionalist, and an enemy of Christianity to prove his existence. Voltaire had more savvy between his ears than today’s professors, doctors, pastors, priests, and laypeople in theology, including Stephan Joubert, Jan van der Watt, Johan Geyser, and Gielie Jordaan, who claim that God is finished with Israel as a nation and has transferred all his promises He made to them to the church. Indeed, they are playing with fire.
Whoever throws God’s covenantal promises he made to Israel to the dogs is throwing God Himself to the dogs because it belies, belittles, and pooh-poohs God’s immaculate and magnanimous promise in Jeremiah 31:35-37, not to speak of their despicable and disrespectful proposition that God’s promises to Israel are NOT all yeah and amen in their Messiah, Christ Jesus.
One of the ways God used to remind his chosen people, Israel, of their calling to bear witness to God’s light, was the following command in Exodus 27: 20-21.
And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel. (Exodus 27:20-21).
Olive oil in the lamp in the tabernacle
Pure beaten olive oil was used to cause the lamp in the tabernacle and later in the temple to burn, ALWAYS. God provided the oil but they themselves were responsible to keep the lamp burning and never allow it to go out. The Tabernacle with all its holy (set apart) utensils pointed to Jesus Christ, including the light of the lamp. Sadly, Israel’s relentless idolatries caused their light-bearing witness to the Gentiles to dwindle and eventually die out, even to the point when God announced a Lo-Ammi (“not my people”) over them (Hosea 1:9-10). Yet, God in his unfathomable mercy, for His Name’s sake and his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the number of the children of Israel increased throughout the centuries, and as verse 10 assures us, God’s lo-Ammi will be upended and changed to “the sons of the living God.” Ultimately, this is going to take place when the cry, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him” is made at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
A little bit of history
One of the most significant events in their ancient history was their Messiah’s prophecy, “And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2) when their holy city, Jerusalem, was ransacked, their temple destroyed by the armies of the Roman General Titus in 70AD and the Jewish survivors were dispersed throughout the entire ancient world. This was the beginning of their diaspora which lasted until May 14th, 1948, when David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel.
Some may ask, “why the lesson in history” to answer a simple question on the meaning of the oil in Matthew 25’s ten virgins, five wise, and five foolish? The significance of Israel’s ancient history is to show how God has remained faithful to Himself and his promises to his chosen people, Israel, despite her spiritual adultery and whoredom. Consider for a moment the prophecy in Ezekiel 37 where God commanded the prophet to prophesy over a valley filled with very dry bones. King David thoroughly knew about parched bones having been waxed old through unforgiven sins (Psalm 32: 3-4).
Israel as a nation is in the very same position owing to her unrepentant and hardened heart, the reason being that God Himself has blinded their eyes so that they cannot see and acknowledge their sins. Nonetheless, the very dry bones have come together when a large number of Jews were back in their own land in 1948. The next part of the Ezekiel 37 prophecy, when breath will be blown into the flesh and sinews of the restored dry bones, will only be fulfilled when Christ Jesus returns with his bride (who will have been raptured before the seven-year tribulation) to judge the nations.And this, finally, brings us to the five wise and five foolish virgins in Matthew 25 which will play out before the institution of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom and reign of peace on earth.
Kingdom of Heaven
Having mentioned the Millennial Kingdom on earth, it is necessary to explain that the “Kingdom of heaven” in verse 1 is not heaven itself where God dwells in his majesty and glory. The Kingdom of heaven spoken of here will be the final accomplishment of our Lord’s prayer, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Henceforth it won’t be necessary to pray this any longer. Why pray for something that is already fulfilled? And so too God the Father’s promise to his Son that He would sit on the throne of his father, David, and rule the nations with an iron rod (Psalm 2) in Jerusalem, will be fulfilled (Luke 1: 32).
Virgin’s buying and selling of oil
To understand the concepts of “having enough oil” and “selling and buying oil” we need to research other passages in Scripture that deal with the Kingdom of heaven (Christ Jesus’ Millennial age of peace on earth). First, we need to clear up the meaning of verse 6, “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” Many, if not most Christians, believe that the ten virgins are the church (bride of Christ) waiting for her Bridegroom to return from heaven. In short, none of them, neither wise nor foolish, are Christians in the sense of being the bride of Christ. In fact, the five foolish virgins are stalwart unbelievers. Jesus Christ will never say to his bride, or even a part of his bride, “I know you not” (Verse 12).
Israel: the friend and God’s wife
Both groups, wise and foolish, are Jews who will have survived the ordeals perpetrated by the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation (last 3 ½ years of the seven-year tribulation). One of the surest and most trusted proofs that the Jews who are going to experience the ordeals of the tribulation (Jacob’s trouble; Jeremiah 30:7) are John the Baptist’s words:
“He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.” (John 3:29) [Emphasis added]
John the Baptist acknowledges that he is not part of the bride of the Bridegroom but a dear friend of the Bridegroom. Was he speaking on behalf of the entire Jewish nation who will endure the seven-year tribulation or was he merely articulating his own relationship with Jesus at that time? The answer is that he spoke on behalf of the entire Jewish remnant of believers in the tribulation. How do we know? Perhaps a rhetorical question will help us to answer this question. Is it possible that God the Father’s wife is simultaneously the Son’s bride and vice versa? If this had been so, Satan and his host, and God’s enemies would have had ample reason to accuse both of spiritual adultery, fornication, and unfaithfulness to their spouses.
The covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai after He had miraculously rescued them from their slavery in Egypt for more than 400 years, was really a marriage vow. The following Scriptures attest to the fact that Israel is God’s wife.
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: (Jeremiah 3:14)
For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. (Isaiah 54:5)
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. (Jeremiah 3:8)
Israel: no longer God’s chosen people?
Many Christians see Jeremiah 3:8 as God’s final and irrevocable dismissal of Israel as his chosen people and the transference of their promised blessings to the church. Stephan Joubert, one of South Africa’s most prolific and stylish false prophets publicly and unashamedly says that the twelve tribes of Israel no longer exist, despite James’ (a brother of Jesus) explicit greeting to the twelve scattered tribes (James 1: 1).
Joubert’s denial of Israel’s existence is on par with Islam’s denial of the State of Israel in their omission of Israel on all their maps. The Jewish Virtual Library Project of AICE states, “Maps distributed by thePalestinian Authorityare an important and tangible method of instilling fundamentally negative messages related to the Arab-Israeli conflict. These messages include ignoringIsrael’s existence, denying the Jewish biblical bond to the Holy Land, fulfilling the obligation of the “right of return,” continuing armed struggle for the liberation ofPalestine,and perpetuating hatred of the State of Israel. (Source).
Antisemitism
As you can see, Stephan Joubert and many others like him, are willfully and intentionally raising feelings of hatred against Israel. What did God say about these vagrants? “
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3).
Those who curse Israel by denying her existence are accursed. God is not finished with Israel, not by a long shot, for He promised,
Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 31: 35-37).
God’s promise to Israel still stands for His Name’s sake
And with this magnanimous promise, we finally come to God’s ultimate dealing with his chosen people, Israel, during the seven-year tribulation, also known as Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7). Throughout their history, Israel never really learned to understand the true meaning of righteousness. They based their righteousness on their divine election and them being the children of Abraham (Matthew 3:9). Paul reiterates in Romans,
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (Romans 1:18). They knew the truth but held it in unrighteousness. It simply means that they heard and understood the Gospel but failed to mix it with faith (Hebrews 4:2).
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. (Hebrews 4:1-3).
144,000 sealed Jews
It describes to a “t” the five wise and five foolish virgins. Despite the horrendous times of persecution at the hand of the Antichrist and God’s own judgments on the entire world during the seven-year tribulation, an unprecedented evangelical outreach will take place through the preaching of the 144,000 sealed Jews, 12,000 from each tribe of Israel (Revelation 7). When Jesus Christ first announced the coming Kingdom of heaven and the need to repent to gain entrance into his kingdom of heaven, he used twelve disciples to herald his truth. In the tribulation, He is going to increase the number of 12 to 12 times 12,000 from each tribe of Israel.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God
These are the barters who will sell the pure oil (unadulterated Gospel) to fuel the faith enabling them to endure to the end of the tribulation (Remember Exodus 27: 20-21). Hebrews 4 makes it abundantly clear that some will not enter into Christ’s rest (Millennian age of peace) the reason being that, although they’ve heard and understood the Gospel, it did not benefit them because they did not respond to it in faith.
The most important ingredient of salvation was missing in their understanding of the Gospel, namely a childlike faith, and this alone prevents them from entering Christ’s Kingdom of heaven on earth. Furthermore, faith is not transferable or exchangeable. Hence the five wise virgins’ refusal to give the five foolish virgins some of their faith (oil) to keep their lamps burning at their meeting with the Bridegroom at his Second Advent with his bride (all the believers who are raptured before the seven-year tribulation).
A problem that seems to be somewhat of a sticky point is the words “sell” and “buy” in Matthew 25. Selling and buying imply the exchange of money and goods, and what, may we ask have they to do with faith, oil, and salvation? Salvation is not bought or sold. It is a free gift through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on an old, rugged cross, is it not? Of course, it is. However, the word for “sell” in this section is pōleō which means to trade or barter something for something else. The dictionary defines “barter” as follows:
“In trade, barter is a system of exchange in which participants in a transaction directly exchange goods or services for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money.”
To explain this more fully in the spiritual sense of the word, we need to go to Matthew 11 where Jesus said the following.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)
Bartering of yokes
Some may want to argue to the contrary, but this is a perfect example of spiritual bartering, the exchange of goods and services between two or more parties without the use of money.The “goods” or “things” in the above passage are exact opposites – the one is heavy and burdensome and the other light and easy. The exchange of these two yokes can only occur when the one burdened with his yoke of sins and unrighteousness comes to God and calls on the name of the Lord (Acts 2: 21).
It is interesting to observe that the Holy Spirit inspired the writer not to pen down the words “on the Lord” but “on the Name of the Lord.” The one calling on Him must know who He is. His name “Jesus” tells us who He is. His Name means “the Saviour” of the lost (Luke 19: 10; Luke 1:32). Only those who, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, know and acknowledge that they are lost (on a one-way path to hell) will come to Christ for their salvation (Luke 5: 31).
5 Foolish virgins
Nowadays thousands upon thousands are being dunked underwater when baptized, fall backward (slain in the spirit) when they receive a gentle shaktipat (Hindu touch)and have an encounter; speak in tongues, have dreams and visions, etc., upholding the notion that these experiences are the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Little do they know that they are being made children of hell far worse than the persons who orchestrate these phenomena. The five foolish virgins were under the same delusion. Like the present-day foolish ones who think they must do something (baptism and speaking in tongues) to please God and ratify their salvation, the Matthew 25 Jewish foolish virgins believed that their observance of the Law was their ticket to heaven. The oil they had in their lamps to keep their lamps burning to the end fell short of the required “mixed with a biblical childlike faith.” The faith (a biblical grounded faith) is the only thing that pleases God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God (for salvation) must believe that he is (the only Saviour and the only dispenser of salvific grace), and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (call upon the Name of the Lord). (Hebrews 11:6)
Is the olive tree Jesus Christ?
In conclusion, we need to focus on the olive tree in Romans 11: 14 which is a reference to the pure olive oil in Exodus 27: 20-21, and God’s command that the pure olive oil is needed to keep the light of the lamp burning ALWAYS. Some assert that the olive tree is Jesus Christ. If it had been Him, it would mean that the loss of salvation is imminent for all those who had been broken off from the olive tree so that others, the Gentiles, may be grafted in.
Salvation is not incurred on anyone by means of the breaking off or severance of others. Indeed, as Paul so very assuredly proclaims in Romans 11: 11-24, ALL Gentiles, every single one, have been grafted into the olive tree (the sphere of God’s abundant blessings, grace, mercy, Loving-kindness, and longsuffering which is God’s salvation, 2 Peter 3:15), after God had given Israel the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, unto this day (Romans 11: 8).
However, God’s olive tree of abundant blessings has a single aim and purpose in view, and that is to give lost Gentile sinners the same opportunity Israel had in the Old Testament to repent and believe the Gospel. Hence, the stern warning in Romans 11:
“And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear.” (Romans 11:17-20).
Grace (Faith) vs. the Law
The oil of the good olive tree is the saturated fatness of the multitude of blessings that God showered on his chosen people without measure. Paul highlights these blessings in Romans 9 when he says,
“Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.” (Romans 9:4-5).
They were granted all these wonderful blessings and yet it did not benefit them because it was not mixed with faith. Paul articulates their unbelief in Romans as follows,
What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 9:30-33).
Beware of the Hebrew Roots clan. They are the modern-day Pharisees who want you to keep the Law for your salvation. Listen carefully: The Door will be shut to you in the end and you will not be granted entrance into Christ’s Kingdom of heaven on earth.
Repent and believe the Gospel
Regardless of their unbelief, idolatry, and sins, God is going to grant the Jews in Jacob’s Trouble (seven-year tribulation) one last chance to repent and believe the Gospel, and not merely cling to the oil (blessings) they already had and believed would grant them access to Jesus Christ’s Kingdom of heaven on earth. The prophet Isaiah said it well when he wrote, “for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isaiah 26: 9). Indeed, many Jews and Gentiles will be saved during the seven-year tribulation when God is going to pour out his righteous judgments on all the nations. Nonetheless, many Jews and Gentiles will not be granted access to Christ’s Kingdom of heaven on earth because of their persistent unbelief. The unbelieving Jews are the foolish virgins, as we have already seen.
We learn from 2 Peter 3:15 that God is longsuffering because He has no pleasure in the death (second death) of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:32). He wants everyone to be saved. However, He cannot continue to be longsuffering for an eternity. At some time, He must close the Door as He had done in the time of Noah when only eight souls were saved and the rest who pounded on the Door to be let in when the rains (God’s judgment) came, were refused entry. This will happen again when Jesus Christ returns at his Second Coming to the earth (not the Pretribulation Rapture) when He is going to set up his glorious thousand years kingdom on earth. It will be a glorious honeymoon of a thousand years.
Amillenialism and Dominionism (Kingdom-Now theology)
Please don’t believe the vagrants who tell you that the 1000-year kingdom of Christ on earth is merely a symbolic number of Christ’s reign on earth through his church since his death, burial, and resurrection in Jerusalem, right up to the moment when he returns to earth at his Second Coming. These are the so-called Kingdom-Now proponents who believe that Satan is already bound.They should seriously take to heart this warning in Revelation 22: 18-19.
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19).
Please see the article: Amillennialism vs Dominionism
Addendum
Jesus Christ warned that righteousness not exceeding that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, cannot open the Kingdom of heaven’s gates (Matthew 5:20). Why would Jesus use the Scribes and the Pharisees on whom He so lavishly showered so many woes (Matthew 23: 13-16; 23, 25; 27, 29) as a yardstick to teach us how to enter his Kingdom of heaven? He never once faulted the Scribes and Pharisees on their meticulous diligence to keep the Law, which to them was their righteousness (oil of gladness instead of what Isaiah 61: 3 requires), in the very same way He did not question a certain ruler who claimed that he kept the whole of the Law (Luke 18: 18-25)? His main objective was to undergird the kind of righteousness needed to enter his Kingdom of heaven.
The word for “exceed” in Matthew 5: 20 is “perisseuō” and means to superabound in quantity or quality. It also means to have enough and to spare. An English dictionary defines “to spare” as –
- additional to what is required for ordinary use.
- an item kept in case another item of the same type is lost, broken, or worn out.
What exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees? The righteousness that far exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees is a Person. His Name is Jesus Christ. God has imputed his perfect righteousness to everyone who believes in Him, the only One who could fulfill the Law to perfection, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Romans 10:4). Anything in addition to a childlike faith is not the Gospel. As soon as one says to you, “You must do this or that” to please God, for example, “You must be immersed (baptized) in water,” and you must speak in tongues as the evidence that you have received the Holy Ghost,” “You must keep the Sabbath,” “You must keep the dietary laws,” etc., etc., etc. they are drawing you away from grace into full-blown legalism, a legalism akin to the “righteousness” of the Scribes and the Pharisees and away from Christ. And this is the result.
And all who depend on the Law [who are seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law of rituals] are under a curseanddoomed to disappointmentanddestruction, for it is written in the Scriptures, Cursed (accursed, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment) be everyone who does not continue to abide (live and remain) by all the preceptsandcommands written in the Book of the Law and to practice them. (Galatians 3:10; AMPC).
It is my opinion that the five foolish virgins are representative of the Jewish religious hierarchy during the tribulation, an end-time reflection of the Scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ time. They too will rely on their own righteousness (obedience to the Law) devoid of faith in Jesus Christ and his fulfillment of the Law. They too, like the five wise virgins, shall be awaiting the Kingdom of heaven to be established on earth, but fall short of entering into their promised kingdom on earth because of their unbelief. Hence the terrible but very true statement in Matthew 8.
And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom [many Jews] shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 8:11-12).
Paul wrote:
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)He did not say, Jesus and Him crucified PLUS baptism in water PLUS speaking in tongues PLUS miracles, PLUS Sabbath-keeping PLUS dietary laws PLUS feasts, etc.
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