Signs of Christ's Return

The Fate of the Unprepared
by
John MacArthur
All Rights Reserved

(A copy of this message on cassette tape may be obtained by calling 1-800-55-GRACE)
Matthew 25:1-13    Tape GC 2375

Introduction

Let's begin by reading Matthew 25:1-13, the Scripture passage we'll be examining in this lesson: "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And 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. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you; but go rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 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. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch, therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of man cometh."

This parable is intended to teach us about the suddenness and unexpectedness of the Lord's coming. It calls for us to be prepared for that unknown moment.

A. The Subject of the Parable

Verse 1 begins with the word "then." Christ was referring to a specific time: His second coming, which He was talking about in the closing verses of Matthew 24. He was speaking of when He comes to reward the faithful servant and punish the unfaithful servant. The parable of the ten virgins tells us what will happen when the kingdom comes. It is a simple parable; it tells us that Christ will come at an unexpected moment to judge sinners and reward the righteous. Afterward there will be no second chance. People may knock on the door of the kingdom all they want, but the door will remain shut.

B. The Simplicity of the Parable

The parable of the ten virgins, although simple, can become very confusing to read what commentaries have to say about it. Some turn the parable into an allegory and give everything a mystical meaning with secret spiritual applications. Others try to make every element of the parable applicable to the Christian life. Still others try to analyze the data in the parable and say it's confusing because there's a bridegroom, and ten bridesmaids, but no bride. They ask, "Were the bridesmaids waiting at the bride's house or the groom's house? Did they sleep outside on the street or in the house? How could young maidens carry the heavy lamps?" But those things need to be set aside. We need to stick to the text; in fact, there are only four things we need to understand: the wedding, the bridesmaids, the bridegroom, and the warning.

Lesson

I. THE WEDDING (v. 1)

The scene Jesus depicts in His parable is a wedding. In Bible times, weddings were the big village event. They were the greatest social celebration. Everyone got involved: friends, families, and neighbors. They were a time of happiness and festivity.

A. The Arrangement of a Marriage

There were three elements in a Jewish marriage of that time.

1. The engagement

The people to be married would become engaged long before the actual wedding. The fathers who were giving their children in marriage made an official contract with each other. Thus engagements weren't made by the couple; they were made by the fathers.

2. The betrothal

This was an official ceremony. The couple would come together before friends and family to make binding vows. They were then considered officially married. If the betrothal were broken, the couple was considered divorced (cf. Matt. 1:18-19). And if the husband died during the betrothal, the wife was considered a widow--even though the marriage had not been physically consummated. The betrothal period gave the young man up to a year to get ready for the responsibility of having a wife. He had to provide a place for her. He would either add on to his father's house or build his own house. He had to purchase land and cultivate a field to show he could provide for her.

3. The wedding

At the end of the betrothal period, the bridegroom would take his bride to live with him. This was accompanied by a big celebration and later the marriage was consummated. It's this element of the marriage that the parable focuses on.

The Jewish people had a good system for setting up marriages. Parents often had more wisdom and long-range perception than their children about prospective spouses and married life. Having the couple express their commitment to one another at the betrothal involved commitment. A man didn't have to worry about getting everything prepared for his bride only to have her say, "I don't know how to tell you this, but I've found someone else." Likewise the woman was assured of not being forsaken. Betrothals were binding. Any preparation the couple put into the marriage was certain to lead to fulfillment.

B. The Anticipation Before a Marriage

You can imagine the anticipation of the bride and bridegroom as they wait for the whole marriage process to begin. That's what we see in the parable of the ten virgins. The wedding celebration started when the bridegroom came to the bride's house. The bride and all the bridesmaids would be there waiting for him. Then they would all go through the village at night with torches in a celebration of singing, talking, and joy unequalled to any other social event. In the parable, everything was ready for the wedding to start. The bridegroom had prepared a home. He was now coming to come take his bride to their new home. He would come at night so the procession through the village could be enjoyed by everyone. Then the wedding party would go to the couple's house, where the celebration would continue for as long as seven days. At the end of the celebration, a friend of the bridegroom would take the hand of the bride, place it in the hand of the bridegroom, and everyone would leave. Then the couple would physically consummate their marriage.

II. THE BRIDESMAIDS (vv. 1-5)

A. Their Supplies

Matthew 25:1 introduces us to ten virgins with lamps. The Greek word translated "lamps" actually means "torches." Christ wasn't talking about the kind of lamp that is mentioned in Matthew 5:15, which can be hidden under a bushel. He was talking about a torch-- like the ones that were used in John 18:3 by the Roman soldiers who arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. These torches were long wooden poles that had some kind of wire mesh attached to the end, filled with cloth. That cloth would be soaked in oil and then lit. When people used those torches, they carried a little flask of oil with them so they could keep the torch lit as long as necessary. So the ten bridesmaids are at the house of the bride with their torches, waiting for the bridegroom to come.

B. Their Status

1. Socially

a) The selection of virgin bridesmaids

In the parable, the bridesmaids are called "virgins" (Gk., parthenos), which refers to an unmarried girl who is a virgin. People married young in Bible times, and often the bridesmaids were young girls who were sisters, cousins, or intimate friends of the bride. It was a special joy and privilege for them to attend the bride and wait in anticipation of the glorious evening when the bridegroom would come.

b) The significance of virgin bridesmaids

There's nothing significant about the bridesmaids being virgins. Jesus wasn't saying that all ten girls were moral people. Their virginity was not symbolic of their spiritual state. Jesus called them virgins simply because bridesmaids were usually virgins.

c) The sum of virgin bridesmaids

Notice also that there were ten virgins. Apparently the Jewish people favored the number ten. Josephus said their had to be at least ten men assembled to partake of a paschal lamb (Wars VI.ix.3). Ten men had to be present at a wedding to give the proper blessing. It took ten men to constitute a synagogue. Apparently ten bridesmaids was a customary number to have.

All ten bridesmaids had a torch. Just as bridesmaids today carry flowers to show they are part of a wedding party, they carried torches in those days. They waited in anticipation of meeting the bridegroom. The Greek word translated "meet" in Matthew 25:1 refers to greeting an official dignitary. It's an official term appropriate for the event.

2. Spiritually

a) The outward appearance

Who was Christ referring to when He spoke of the ten virgins? It's obvious from the context He was talking about people who profess to be Christians--to be part of the church. They say they know Christ, and they anticipate His coming. They even say they are prepared for Him; they have on their wedding garment and have their torch. Their presence symbolizes their interest in Christ and their torch symbolizes their profession of faith in Christ. They all show outward marks of watching for the coming of the bridegroom: Christ. They are gathered as bridesmaids, waiting to be received into the glorious marriage celebration.

b) The inward reality

On the surface the ten bridesmaids are indistinguishable. Yet they are not alike. Verse 2 says "five of them were wise [Gk., phronimos, `thoughtful, sensible, prudent'], and five were foolish [Gk., moros, `moron, stupid']." It may not be clear which is which, but He who searches men's hearts knows (1 Sam. 16:7). Bible commentator William Arnot said this: "There is not a more grand or a more beautiful spectacle on earth than a great assembly reverently worshipping God together. No line visible to human eye divides into two parts the goodly company; yet the goodly company is divided into two parts. The Lord reads our character and marks our place. The Lord knows them that are his, and them that are not his, in every assembly of worshippers" (The Parables of Our Lord [London: T. Nelson, 1869], p. 290). The Lord can look at all those who go to church and profess to be Christians, and know who is truly His and who isn't--who is wise and who isn't. Wisdom and foolishness manifests itself in how prepared you are for Christ's return.

Matthew 25:3-4 says, "They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them; but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps." The foolish had no oil, so they were not prepared for Christ's return. Their attachment to Christ was merely external. They hadn't secured the most important thing of all: the oil necessary to light the torch.

The oil represents saving grace. In a crowd of people who outwardly appear to honor Christ will be some whose hearts are unprepared. They have not received salvation by grace. The oil in this parable is reminiscent of the wedding garment in Matthew 22:11. A king found a guest at his son's wedding without a wedding garment, and kicked him out. The man was unprepared to enter God's kingdom; he had not prepared his heart.

Paul told Timothy there are some people who have a form of godliness, but without power (2 Tim. 3:5). The foolish virgins were like that. They were committed to Christ intellectually, socially, and religiously. However, they had no light or life. They had no ability to be conformed to the law of God. Their faith was dead (cf. James 2:17); it showed no fruit. Christ warns us in Matthew 25 not to be like the unprepared virgins.

An Unpopular Message

Throughout His ministry, Christ repeatedly warned that will be people attaching themselves to the church who are not saved. For example, He said that in His kingdom on earth would grow both wheat and tares. He warned they would look so much alike that we are not to pull out the tares lest we pull out the wheat (Matt. 13:28-29). The separation of the two will take place when the Lord returns (v. 30). In another parable in Matthew 13 He said that seeds would be planted in what appears to be good soil, but that later on they would will be strangled by weeds or have their roots stunted by rocks. Such plants won't bear fruit, and will die. But initially you can't tell that what appears to be a healthy plant will later die off. The Lord is saying that churches everywhere will be filled with people who are not saved and not prepared for His return.

Some people wonder if their is any significance about there being five wise virgins and five foolish ones. I don't think the Lord was saying that half of those who profess to be Christians aren't really saved. He was simply pointing out that there are many unredeemed people in the church. There are many people who are unprepared to meet the Lord upon death or at the time of the second coming. Some of them will deceive themselves by thinking that everything is OK because they are involved in church. People don't like being confronted with the possibility that they aren't saved. I wrote an article about that subject for a magazine, and the publishers didn't publish it because they said it would upset people. But the Lord warned people to be prepared because He didn't want people to be self-deceived and go to hell.

C. Their Slumber

1. Christ's remark about a long wait

Jesus says in Matthew 25:5, "While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept." Apparently the bridegroom didn't come when the bridesmaids expected him. Perhaps the Lord was subtly telling the disciples that the kingdom wouldn't come immediately as they thought it would. There would be a long wait. Matthew 25:5 also indicates that even when the signs that precede Christ's coming have been fulfilled, there will be a lapse of time before He returns. People will be waiting for Him, and when they see nothing happening, they will say, "Nothing's going to happen. We may as well get back into our normal routines again." In a sense, they will fall asleep. They may have been excited at first, just as people are on the day before a wedding. However, the bridesmaids waited so long, they fell asleep.

Notice that both the wise and the foolish virgins were asleep. So there wasn't anything wrong with being asleep. It's just that the wise virgins were already prepared before they fell asleep. They were ready for whatever might come when they woke up. But the foolish were caught unprepared. They should have gotten oil for their lamps while they had the opportunity. Their false security let them sleep through the day of opportunity.

2. Christian responsibility during the long wait

As we wait for the Lord to return, we can't be standing on our tiptoes every moment looking for Him. Life has to go on. Yet just because we continue to carry on with life doesn't mean we've stopped waiting. We are to wait as we carry out our daily responsibilities. Remember what we read in Matthew 24:40-41: "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left." People will be carrying on business as usual when Christ returns. As Matthew 24:38 says, it will be like it was in the days of Noah, when people kept on eating, drinking, and marrying.

III. THE BRIDEGROOM (vv. 6-12)

A. The Arrival

Matthew 25:6 begins, "At midnight there was a cry made." Apparently the bridegroom tarried a long time. Midnight is a late time to start a wedding. The point our Lord wanted to make is that He will return at an unexpected time. We now understand why the bridesmaids fell asleep: most people are asleep by midnight. No one would expect a wedding to start that late. Interestingly, we learn from Exodus 12:29-33 that the deliverance of Israel from Egypt took place at midnight. Many rabbis used to say that when the Messiah came, it would be at midnight.

Midnight is a late hour. As 1 Thessalonians 5:2 says, Christ will come as a thief in the night. The world will somehow be lulled into complacency, and the Lord will come at an unexpected moment-- even after all the signs preceding His return have been fulfilled. The bridesmaids knew the wedding was near; they could read the signs. They knew it was time to gather at the bride's house, but five of them wasted their opportunity to be prepared. Then came the cry at midnight--the cry that announced His approach.

Matthew 25:6 tells us of the cry that was made: "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." That glorious moment began the wedding and the celebration would go on for several days. In Jewish wedding tradition, the bridegroom would come to the bride's house with his groomsmen. The bride and the ten bridesmaids would join them, and the procession would begin. The bridesmaids would light their torches to light the way back to the groom's house. This moment in the wedding is analogous to the moment of Christ's second coming.

B. The Awakening

In verse 7 Jesus says, "Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps." They probably had to get the cloth at the end of the torch ready to receive the oil. Those who had oil with them poured it on the cloth and lit their torches. Those who didn't have oil now realized they were unprepared. But they didn't anticipate the bridegroom would come when it was too late to buy any oil. They were unprepared. The apostle Paul wrote, "Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith" (2 Cor. 13:5). He challenged us to make sure we are saved. When the bridegroom arrived, the truth was revealed: they were unprepared. They had no oil (internal holiness) and therefore couldn't light their torches.

C. The Appeal

What did the foolish virgins do when they realized they had no oil? Matthew 25:8 says, "The foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out." According to the Greek text, the phrase translated "our lamps are gone out" could be read, "Our lamps are going out." Apparently the foolish virgins tried to light their torches using only the cloth. But without oil, the cloth could only smolder a little while before the flame went out. So they asked the wise virgins for some oil.

It's Up to You

If you're called to the judgment seat of God-- whether at death or the second coming--no one can help you. All the saints in heaven and the believers on earth could weep on your behalf but that wouldn't save you. Salvation is non-transferable. As we will see in a moment, the wise virgins didn't give any oil to the foolish ones. That's not because they were selfish; it's just that an unbeliever can't ask a believer for salvation. Every person is accountable to make his own life right before God.

D. The Answer

The answer from the wise virgins appears in verse 9: "Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you; but go rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." That the foolish virgins are told to buy oil doesn't mean salvation can be bought. It's a free gift (Rom. 6:23). But there is a price: you have to give up your very self. That's illustrated in Matthew 13:45-46, where a merchant sold everything he had to buy a great pearl. Isaiah 55:1 confirms that salvation must be procured on your own: "Every one that thirsteth, come to the waters, and he that hath no money; come, buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price."

No one can give you salvation. You have to go to God on your own. The foolish virgins could have gotten oil, but not at midnight. They had the opportunity, but they slept it away. They weren't allowed to be a part of the wedding ceremony without a lit torch. They didn't have what was necessary.

Salvation: Going, Going, Gone!

One of the most fearful teachings in the Bible is there is coming a day when it will be too late for unbelievers to become saved. Jesus taught repeatedly that there are myriads of people attaching themselves to the church who are unprepared to face God. They are self-deceived about their status with God. When they finally realize they are unprepared, it will be too late to do anything about it. In Luke 6:46-49 Jesus says, "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: He is like a man who built an house, and dug deep, and laid the foundation on a rock; and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it; for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that, without a foundation, built an house upon the earth, against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great."

There are people who have built their religious house but have no foundation. The resident holiness of God isn't there. There's no transformed character. Just because such a person says he's a Christian and goes to church doesn't mean he is saved. We need to be prepared internally.

D. The Abandoning

1. The reception into the kingdom

In verse 10 we read that while the foolish virgins went to get oil "the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut." There was no place for the foolish virgins to buy oil at midnight. While they were gone, the door to the wedding was shut. And now the bridegroom comes and begins the wedding celebration. The door into the kingdom is shut. Imagine the sheer terror of those who will face God someday and realize they have been caught unprepared. They will feel the same way the evil people of Noah's day did when the floodwaters began to rise and they couldn't get into the ark.

2. The rejection from the kingdom

The door into the kingdom is open now. But someday it will be shut. Some people will be caught unprepared. They will have been given a chance beforehand. They will see the signs during the tribulation. They will see the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. But then they'll go to sleep when they should be getting prepared. The same applies to all unbelievers who die before the second coming. They will stand before God unprepared. They will know the same shock as those who appear before the Lord in Matthew 7:22-23: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out demons? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

The church is filled with people who are not ready. Jesus gives a warning to such people in Luke 13: "Strive to enter in at the narrow gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut the door, and ye begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not from where ye are; then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and have drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not from where ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (vv. 24-28).

In Matthew 25:11-12 we read, "Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not." There's no second chance. The only way you can make sure you are ready for the Lord's return is to be ready every day. You never know when you might die. There is no getting around the inevitable hour of judgment. If you are caught unprepared, the door of the kingdom will be forever closed to you.

IV. THE WARNING (v. 13)

The parable concludes, "Watch, therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of man cometh" (v. 13). No one knows the exact moment of the second coming. We know the era: it will be right after the tribulation. It will be after the signs in Matthew 24 and after the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. But how much time will pass after that before the Lord comes? No one knows. So be ready now. Even if you're a little to late, you will be too late forever.

Luke 21:34-36 repeats the same warning: "Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For like a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."

Conclusion

Don't be caught unprepared. That's the message in the parable of the ten virgins. Nineteenth century English poet Alfred Tennyson in his Idylls of the King adapted that parable to write this for Queen Guinevere, who learned too late the cost of sin:

Late, late, so late! and dark the night and chill!
Late, late so late! but we can enter still.

Too late, too late! ye cannot enter now.

No light had we: for that we do repent;
And learning this, the bridegroom will relent.

Too late, too late! ye cannot enter now.

No light: so late! and dark and chill the night!
O let us in, that we may find the light!

Too late, too late: ye cannot enter now.

Have we not heard the bridegroom is so sweet?
O let us in, tho' late, to kiss his feet!

No, no, too late! ye cannot enter now.

Focusing on the Facts

1. What is the subject of the parable of the ten virgins (see p. 1)?

2.What were the three elements of a Jewish marriage in Christ's time? Which element is focused on in the parable (see p. 2)?

3.Is it significant that the bridesmaids were virgins? Explain (see pp. 3-4).

4.Whom do the bridesmaids symbolize (see p. 4)?

5.In what way were the bridesmaids similar? How were they different (see pp. 4-5)?

6.In the parable, what does the oil represent (see p. 5)?

7.What did Christ teach about the church in Matthew 13 (see p. 5)?

8.What happened to the virgins as they waited for the bridegroom? Was there anything wrong with that? What was it that the foolish virgins had done that was wrong (see p. 6)?

9.What is the Christian's responsibility as he awaits the Lord's return (see p. 6)?

10.What appeal did the foolish virgins make to the wise virgins in Matthew 25:8? What answer did the wise virgins give? What was Jesus illustrating in that dialogue (see p. 8)?

11.What will happen to those who are caught unprepared when the Lord sets up His kingdom (see pp. 9-10)?

12.What is the only way we can make sure we are ready for the Lord's return (see p. 10)?

Pondering the Principles

1.In the parable of the ten virgins, Christ confirms that salvation is a matter between you and God. It is non-transferable. Read Nehemiah 9:1-3, Psalm 139:23-24, and Romans 6:12-13. Who is responsible for our sin? What is the source of forgiveness, according to Isaiah 43:15, 25 and Jeremiah 31:34? Unless you have confessed your sins to God and repented of them, and asked Christ to become Lord of your life, you are not prepared for Christ's return. And if you are already a Christian, it's important to "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). There's great joy in being prepared for Christ's return, as there is much to anticipate in the coming kingdom!

2.In Romans 13:12-14, the apostle Paul encourages us to watch and be ready for the Lord's return. Meditate on these verses, and think determine how God would want you to apply them: "The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us, therefore, cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honesty, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in immorality and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."

Added to the John MacArthur "Study Guide" Collection by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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Online since 1986