Signs Of The Second Coming Of Jesus
9-21-2011 Vol. 5 Part 9
Psalms 44:1-7 NKJV To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation Of the Sons of Korah. We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days of old: You drove out the nations with Your hand, But them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out. For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them. You are my King, O God; Command victories for Jacob. Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, Nor shall my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies, And have put to shame those who hated us. Father we praise your name, we give you all the glory. Jesus we ask that you bless us and keep us all healthy, protect us when we are traveling in our vehicles, and protect us at our places of employment. In Jesus name we pray! Amen!
Matthew 25:1 – 13
Matthew 25:1-13 NKJV "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 "And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' 12 But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
When you start reading this chapter it all seems to be out of place at first, but then you come to verse 13 and it all makes sense. If you don’t know the customs of a Jewish wedding in Jesus day there are parts that don’t seem to be relevant. So let me explain the custom of a wedding over 2,000 years ago.
In a Jewish wedding, there were three stages to the wedding. Stage one included the parents agreeing on the marriage of their children and a dowry being established. Stage two occurred when the bridegroom, accompanied by friends, or could be referred to as groomsmen in modern day, would go to the home of the bride to claim her as his own. That procession, which was part of the ceremony, usually took place in the middle of the night. The bride, prepared for his coming, would join the procession, which would then return to the bridegroom’s parent’s home. Stage three would be a huge party, similar to a modern reception, but then it usually lasted at least a week. The couple would participate in the feast, then return to their own home and set up housekeeping. Jesus, knowing the story would resonate in the minds of His listeners, uses a wedding to illustrate an important truth.
Ten virgins (modern day bridesmaids, unmarried friends of the bride or groom) were awaiting the appearance of the groom, bride, and the groomsmen from the home of the bride so that they could join the festivities. According to custom, they brought with them olive oil lamps or torches fitted with poles so they could hold them up high and illuminate the way of the procession. It was, in a sense, their ticket to the procession and admission to the celebration. Five of these virgins were wise, and five were foolish. The wise had brought enough oil to light their lamps at the right time for the procession. The five foolish virgins took no oil with them. All ten looked alike on the outside, and they all came to the home where the procession was going to begin, but in reality five were unprepared for the occasion.
When there is a shout that the groom is on his way, the virgins go to light their torches. Five of them realize they have no oil and ask the others to share their oil with them. The wise virgins don't have any extra oil to share, so the foolish virgins have to go off in search of oil in the middle of the night. While they are gone, the bridegroom comes out with his bride and they proceed to the home of his parents to start the wedding feast. When they arrived they enter the home and the door is shut and locked to keep out intruders. When those five foolish unprepared bridesmaids arrived, they can't get in. The host didn’t know who they were since they were not with the wedding party. There is a celebration for those that are prepared at all times and for all circumstances. Jesus told this story to His disciples to illustrate some important principles for the end times.
Jesus warns His followers to watch for Him because they won't know when He is coming. Jesus is coming soon, but we don’t know exactly when. We must be like the 5 wise virgins and be prepared at all times. We know by studying Bible prophecy that the time is drawing near, just like birth pangs, as they come closer together and with greater intensity (wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes), we know the time is close at hand.
This story is about those who really know Jesus and those who merely profess to. Oil has an important element in the story because oil in the Bible is a symbol for the Holy Spirit. The five wise virgins with oil represent the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Born Again Christians). The five foolish ones without oil represent people that claim they know Jesus. There is no such thing as a Christian who does not have the Spirit of God. If you are truly a Christian, God's Spirit resides in you. John 14:20 NLT When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.
In our modern world where "religion" often replaces what Jesus did at the Cross, and where church membership conforms to their denominational doctrine, often the genuine work of the Spirit is hampered. It is possible to look like a Christian, talk like a Christian, act like a Christian, but not really be a Christian? The Bible says to "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV 5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. The Bible says the Spirit witnesses with your spirit that you are indeed a child of God. So I think it's fair to ask yourself, "Am I genuinely in the faith? Or am I like one of those young virgins, not ready for the hour?" In Matthew, Jesus says, Matthew 7:22-23 NKJV Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' It's not possible for a Born Again Christian to sin just like everybody else in the world and have no conscience about it. I have known people who claim to be Christians, but their faith doesn't make any difference in their life. They're as comfortable with the things of this world as any unbeliever. If the Holy Spirit lives in you, it will be difficult to be comfortable with the things of this world. Before I got saved, I could sin and it didn't bother me. But after I got saved, my "sin alarm system" started going off! That's because something was changed inside me, God had changed my heart. I'm still a flawed human being, but the Spirit of God lives inside me and witnesses to my spirit that I am a child of God. When I sin, it grieves me and it grieves God; and I have to take care of it right away by going to Jesus and asking forgiveness.
When the foolish virgins asked for oil, the wise ones didn't have any to share. So it is with the Lord Jesus. The saved cannot transfer their spiritual lives to others. I can't take the Holy Spirit from my life and plant Him in yours. You've got to get the Spirit from the same source I did, just as the 5 wise virgins bought oil from a source the unwise have to use the same source for their oil. So it is with salvation, it is through Jesus in repentance for sin and the invitation of Christ into your life.
The point of Jesus' story is that when the call to the judgment seat comes, there will only be one way you'll be able to stand before Him. You must have made yourself right with the Lord. You don't become a Christian just because you were born into a Christian family, or because your parents were Christians, or because you belong to a certain religious denomination, but because you made peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ and what he did on the Cross for us. Each person must have his or her own personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
When the foolish maidens returned from their search for oil and requested entrance, the bridegroom answered, "I do not know you," their hearts sank. When one dies, and as they ascend to Heaven and see those pearly gates, but the gates are not open, it's going to be a moment of sheer terror when the so called Christian faces a holy God and realizes with absolute certainty that they are eternally lost. They'll be like the people standing in neck high water outside the doors of Noah's ark. The moment for salvation will be past and all hope will be gone forever.
In a way, that's exactly what Jesus is saying to us. We are to be constantly ready for His second coming, and not just for His second coming, but also when our human heart stops beating. Do you stay ready for Him, or are you like a foolish maiden thinking you will have time to make a change?
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God!
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth,
Unless you are Born Again, you cannot enter into Heaven, the Kingdom of God."
Bill
Last Week’s Trivia: What lesson can we learn from the Queen of Sheba’s visit to Solomon?
Answer: We need to believe and not doubt. Just because the Bible was written many years ago doesn’t mean that it doesn’t pertain to today. We need to believe and put our trust in what Jesus tells us and not what we perceive the truth is. 2 Chronicles 9:6 NKJV However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard. You can read more about her visit in 2 Chronicles 9:1-8 or 1 Kings 10:1-9.
This week’s Trivia: What does this verse mean? Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.
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