Loving Christ’s Appearing (Matthew 25:1-13).
length: 80:49 - taught on Jan, 4 2026
Class Outline:
Sunday January 4, 2026
Intro:
Our focus today is on the parable of the Ten Virgins. The ready ones long for the wedding feast. The foolish ones do not care very much for the wedding procession. The question for us becomes obvious - do we long for our Lord? It’s that simple, but what a difference it makes in a person’s life.
MAT 25:1-3 Parable of the Ten Virgins
Background: In the Jewish wedding system, when the marriage was to be consummated, the bridegroom would go to the home of the bride to fetch her and bring her to his home. As he approached his own home, he would be met by a procession of virgins who would conduct the bride and groom with torches or lamps to the marriage ceremony, which would be followed by the marriage feast.
"Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 "Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3 "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5 "Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6 "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' 7 "Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 "The foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 "But the prudent answered, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' 10 "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11 "Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' 12 "But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
Exegesis:
Future tense:
Unique here is the future tense, “will be like.” This refers to after the Son enters His kingdom with His own and the doors are shut. The doors close on the age of the Gentiles.
they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Emphasis:
The emphasis of this parable is on both watchfulness (watch therefore) and readiness (they that were ready).
The foolish are unbelievers. We know this because they are shut out, and salvation is through faith in Christ.
The “prudent” (same word as used for the “sensible” slave) are prepared for the groom and bride’s delay. They have a small flask of oil at the ready.
Delay:
The groom is delayed (same word used by the wicked slave), of which there could be several legitimate reasons.
All ten fell asleep. No one can stay alert for His return every moment.
Yet the wise (prudent) virgins are prepared. They have oil for their lamps. They are prepared because they long for His appearing.
in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
The five foolish girls are betrayed by their uncertainty; their lack of faith.
For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, "Peace and safety!"
Like an ostrich with his head in the sand, the people who think that things will always go on as they have ignored the warnings of the gospel and imagine that all will be well.
The unknown time of return makes faith in Him the only readiness and not self-preservation.
What the whole village has been waiting for:
"But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.'
The foolish did not bother to prepare for a later arrival. Can we imagine a believer living in the Tribulation who does not care about the Lord’s return?
Care for the groom and bride:
"Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 "The foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 "But the prudent answered, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' 10 "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.
If the wise girls shared then there would not have been any lamps for the procession. It is not cruelty but care for the wedding party.
And this may also be depicting that you can’t give readiness or faith to another.
The shutting of the door is the final closing of the age of the Gentiles.
“Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' 12 But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The Lord hears when I call to Him.
But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.
“I don’t know you” is a very eerie and sobering ending.
“Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'” [PSA 6:8, amazingly, written by David of the enemies who were always surrounding him]
Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,
For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my supplication,
The Lord receives my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed;
They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.
“I don’t know you” - they are unbelievers.
“Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' 12 But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”
Whatever else is represented in the parable, this “I don’t know you” is what the 5 girls are missing (whatever the oil represents).
But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God,
Application:
The believer, though unable to live moment to moment pondering his or her coming Lord, learns to love the Lord and due to that love, is confronted time and again with meeting Him for the first time. Due to that love, the life of the Lord is desired.
Your life has similarities to the more intense situation that Tribulational saints will face.
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom [we are looking for His appearing]: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction [meanwhile, like Timothy, we are to be laboring for the Lord]. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths [unbelievers (maybe some believers) who are distracted from the Lord to foolish desires]. 5 But you, be sober [nepho - abstain from wine so as to be alert, can be translated “watch”] in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry [stewardship?].
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering [Paul as an example], and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. 13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."
What an advantage we have over the world to know our certain future.
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