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: 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. 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.
This passage of scripture is a clear depiction of what will become of those who have only settled for a nominal relationship with The Lord Jesus, for whatever might be our profession of Christianity, our relation with God must go beyond mere surface, or intellectual knowledge. He must be to us more than a "Good Person" or Creator, for He desires to know each one of His children by name and by close association. In the above verses, we observe that the five foolish virgins had a theoretical knowledge of Christ, for they are seen to have lamps, which represent the Bible. They also have a portion of The Holy Spirit, for they had oil also in their lamps, and both of these indispensable assets are indeed necessary in order for us to have a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's read:
Psalm 119:104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Zechariah 4:1 And the angel that talked with me came again".... 2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: 3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
However, these two necessary ingredients, the word of God and The Holy Spirit, are not a sure guarantee that all is well with our souls, for if there is no cooperation with God in overcoming inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil, and if there is no practical application of the truths in the the Bible, then both will be of no avail to us, even though they are right within our reach. Thus, the problem with the five foolish virgins was not that they slept, nor that they were caught off-guard, but that they did not have extra of The Holy Spirit, to cater for the sudden appearance of The Son of man, during the midnight hours of this earth's history. And so we must ask ourselves a very basic question as Christians, do we have "Extra", or have we settled for the initial installment of The Holy Ghost, given at our baptism?
In our day, we have the overwhelming majority of people in America claiming to be Christians, and many of us talk of faith and charity, and many others have studied in universities and theological seminaries, and can quote many verses of scripture from memory. All of this is very good, and not to be condemned, but the fundamental question again arises, "Do we have extra" of The Holy Ghost. To live in violation of one or more known duties or commands from God, and to trample upon His law, whilst claiming to love and serve Him, will not do us any good, if we continue in that course of action, because genuine love to God is manifested in obedience to His revealed will, coupled together with loving service that comes about as a result of the effectual working of the Holy Spirit within our hearts.
Let us therefore not settle for a superficial profession of Christianity, which does not touch the heart or the life, as the five foolish virgins in the parable did, but let us instead seek for an ever deepening relationship with Christ, so that when He appears at midnight, He may recognize each of us as His very own. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us not only to watch, but also to live in readiness, for the time is at hand. Let's read:
2nd Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God".....
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!