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.
The foolish take only their lamps, which have a reservoir of oil but doesnt hold an overly large amount. The wise take extra containers of oil, vessels, so they have a larger supply.
Many believe that the oil is truth, or The Holy Spirit. It doesn't really matter for the purpose of the parable which it represents since all the virgins are intending to meet the bridegroom as verse 1 says, and all have lamps and oil, though some have more oil. However, I believe it represents truth and will allude to that in this work.
So who would have "some" truth and who want to meet Christ but fall short? I would say they are most Christians of today. They have the milk of the word, and they certainly want to go to Christ, but they dont have the whole truth and they believe doctrines like the pre-tribulation rapture.
The wise ones have more of the truth, they carry it on purpose, its more labor but they know it's important. These will have enough truth to know about the tribulation and the false Christ and they will stay true to Christ until He returns.
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.
The darkness at midnight will be the tribulation. The cry being made is by those who are the watchers, who are telling that the true Christ is coming even though the whole world sleeps because of the darkness. The 5 wise virgins are the elect and the ones "calling" that the true Christ is coming are the watchers and the two prophets. When this call is made by them the elect will "wake up" and trim their lamps and use that oil they have. They get all this extra oil before the tribulation, which is now, through the teachings of those God has anointed with truth, that oil. So, even the wise 5 virgins slumber right until Christ was announced!
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.
The lamps of the foolish are out because they were on all night and they ran out of oil, and they didnt have enough oil to light them up again. At some point in the night the foolish ones were in complete darkness, their "nightlights" went out. The wise had light/truth all night (think of the night as the tribulation). The lamps of the wise did not go out during the early part of the night.
The wise had a lamp that had oil plus they brought an oil container like above. The foolish only had a lamp with some oil and it was lighted but they didn't have the oil container which is why their lamps went out while the slept. This means they were in darkness without even knowing it. Those that take the mark of the beast and those who commit Apostasy will also be in spiritual darkness in the Great Tribulation and they won't even know it until it is too late to do anything about it.
Also, this trimming of lamps has something to do with adjusting the wick. In the days before electricity most people had either candles or oil lamps going through the night. The trimming probably refers to extending the wick so the flame would grow larger and emit more light. Only a modest flame would have been needed while they slept.
G2885
??sµe´?
kosmeo¯
Thayer Definition:
1) to put in order, arrange, make ready, prepare
2) to ornament, adore
3) metaphorically to embellish with honour, gain honour
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G2889
Citing in TDNT: 3:867, 459
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.
Certainly this is another reference to the tribulation:
Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luke 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
"they bought, they sold". If this example was compared to the end times before the destruction came would be like the tribulation period, this buying and selling etc....and the destruction would be Christ's return and the wrath of God 7th trump. Lot would be the elect who are gathered by angels.
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.
I think the foolish "bought" or bartered their "virginity" for the oil they got. There were no 24 hour stores in this time as there is today. No honest person would be selling after midnight so where they went, who they bought from and what they had to give is seriously questionable. Regardless, the wise ones are TAKEN to the marriage by the bridegroom and the foolish will be LEFT behind exactly as the One taken and one left also taught by Christ. It's the same story with the same players and in the same exact order.
In my opinion, when it says the 5 foolish go out to buy, they do buy "false oil", false teachings....they take the mark and are therefore allowed to "buy and sell".
The elect in the tribulation won't take the mark and won't be allowed to buy and sell, but if the parable of the ten virgins helps at all then we know that there won't be any need for any wise virgins to buy anything because they prepared ahead of time with extra oil.
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.
One interesting thought is what would have happened had the 5 foolish virgins remained, with unlit lamps, and were there while Christ had returned? It seems a critical element is that they were gone when he arrived. They were late because they hadn't been properly prepared for his return. They were lacking something and realized it too late.
This whole parable applies to His return and symbolically how the world will be divided up, those who are foolish and those who are wise, those with enough oil and those that had some of the oil but ran out of it at the wrong time.
they all were virgins
they all had lamps
they all had some oil for part of the night
they all had lamps that were lit for part of the night
they all waited for the bridegroom
they all slept
they all awoke when the watchman called out
they all trimmed their lamps
the part that is different is that the wise had plenty of oil and the
foolish didn't.
then the differences start:
the wise get ready for the bridegroom
the foolish leave in search for oil
the wise meet the bridegroom
the foolish arent there to meet him
the wise are taken to the wedding
the foolish are not allowed to enter the wedding
the wise are accepted
the foolish are not
Luk 12:35 Let your loins be girded about,
and your lights burning;
Luk 12:36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding;
that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
Luk 12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
Luk 12:38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
We are to let our lights burning to be ready when he cometh and knocketh! If you don't have enough oil your light will not burn, will not shine!
This is also the same type of people as the foolish virgins:
Mat 13:5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
