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ARE YOU A PAPERWEIGHT CHRISTIAN, OR ARE YOU ON FIRE FOR THE LORD?

10-16-11

(Mat 25:1,2)  Then shall the [visible] kingdom of heaven [on earth] be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps [small hand-held vessels containing oil], and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  And five of them were wise [Gk: thoughtful /// understanding] [“sensible, intelligent and prudent” Amplified Bible], and five were foolish [“thoughtless, without forethought” Amplif.].

1.      virgin = Gk: a maiden; by impl. an unmarried daughter.

2.      virgin = Dict: 1. a woman, esp. a young woman who has had no sexual intercourse. 2. a youth or man who has not had sexual intercourse.

3.      (2 Cor 5:17)  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [Gk: an original formation: creation] [a virgin]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

4.      (Gal 6:15)  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature [a virgin: Rev 14:4].

5.      (Psa 119:105 NUN.) Thy word [the Bible] is a lamp [Heb: candle] unto my feet, and a light [Heb: illumination] unto my path [to Heaven].

6.      (Psa 18:28)  For thou wilt light [Heb: kindle, set on fire, shine] my candle [i.e., my body]: the LORD my God will enlighten [Heb: illuminate] my darkness.

a.      Commentary: Quite like a born-again man who is a new creature in Christ Jesus, a properly functioning candle is composed of three parts representing body, soul, and spirit. The candlestick (body) surrounds and encompasses the wick (soul) that is ignited by the flame (spirit), and functions to give forth light. Our body and soul are the fleshly candle, and the Holy Spirit is the ethereal flame. A non-functional candle, a not a-flame candle, has no value to God nor man, except perhaps as a paperweight.

b.      darkness = Heb: choshek; the dark; hence (lit.) darkness; fig. misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness:--dark (-ness), night, obscurity.

7.      (Gen 1:1-5)  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [Heb: choshek] was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

a.      night = Heb: a twist (away of the light), i.e. night; fig. adversity.

(Mat 25:3-6)  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps [“took flasks of oil along with them (also) with their lamps” Amplif.]. While the bridegroom tarried [Gk: lingered: delayed], they all slumbered and slept [a type of Gethsemane: Mat 26:36-45]. And at midnight [Gk: middle: between, mid (-day, -night), midst] there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

1.      Commentary: “They that were foolish took their lamps” = in the case of this parable, rather than candles, these particular “lamps” are small hand-held “vessels” (syn: containers, pots, bowls) containing a supply of oil. “Their vessels” is also a metaphor for their own bodies. You are a walking talking Bible; but the question is, do you contain the oil of the Holy Spirit?

2.      Commentary: “midnight” = Please note that through the aforementioned Hebrew definitions of “darkness” and “night” we learn that the night is a biblical symbol of evil, e.g., “The Dark Ages,” the concept of a historical period of spiritual and intellectual darkness that occurred from the 5^th to the 15^th centuries A.D. Each Hebrew new day (our 24 hours) began at 6pm and first affected a perceptible but gradual change from the light of day into the darkness of night, and then, from the peak of darkness at midnight, back into the light of day. The moment of the night in the midst, middle, or between 6pm and 6am that is the deepest, profoundly darkest, symbolically most evil moment of the night occurs at midnight. Midnight is the most distant point away from light, having 6 hours of increasing darkness on one side and then 6 hours of decreasing darkness on the other side (prophesy).

3.      Commentary: We know that the parable indicator “at midnight” is not referencing a specific hour because Scripture tells us that “the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not” (Luke 12:40; Mat 25:13), therefore the reference must be to an event. The parable tells us that the bridegroom will return for his bride (us) at midnight; that He will return at the peak of evil, the darkest deepest worst most dire and calamitous moment ever to be experienced by the world. That event would undoubtedly be worldwide nuclear war (Zech 14:12). This prophecy corresponds with the return of Jesus Christ “immediately after the tribulation of those days” (Mat 24:29). Immediately as the tribulation ceases (all the bombs are spent), the presence of Jesus Christ shall initiate a (relatively) sudden perceptible (“shortened” Mat 21:22) change from the existing darkness (Heb: misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness) of metaphorical night into the glorious light of day, into the Millennium, and the Feast of Tabernacles. 

a.      (Mat 24:21,22)  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Mat 24:29,30)  Immediately after [the cessation of] the [great] tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken [for the unsaved: Joel 2:2; Heb 12:26-29]: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

b.      (John 9:4,5)  I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

                                                              i.     Commentary: “when no man can work” = is verbal evidence supporting the present lack of miracles, but that “lack of miracles” will become “an abundance of miracles” throughout the thousand year Millennium beginning when Christ returns.

c.      (1 Th 5:5)  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

d.      (Rev 22:4,5)  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light [consuming fire thoroughly from the inside out]: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

(Mat 25:7-13)  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed [Gk: put into proper order] [versus chaos] their lamps [their Bibles, their doctrine]. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil [in effect saying: read the Bible and give us of your revelations]; for our lamps are gone out [“stony ground” hearers: Mark 4:5,16]. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell [God’s salesmen, the “Hand” ministry: Eph 4:11,12], and buy [Gk: purchase] for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready [Gk: prepared] [matured, ripe] went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut [typified by Noah’s ark]. 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 [Mat 7:21-23]. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

1.      Commentary: “Give us of your oil” = this is a foolish request issued forth by slothful professing Christians void of understanding. These seek to gain advantage of others’ sacrificial labors in the Word, without any sacrificial labor of their own. The only commodity of value you possess that may be acceptably traded for revelations from God is your time.

a.      (Prov 24:30-32)  I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.

2.      (Eph 6:15)  And [having] your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

3.      (James 1:22)  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

4.      (1 Pet 5:8)  Be sober [would you like to be drunk or high when the Lord returns?], be vigilant [Gk: keep awake, be watchful] [Gideon’s 300]; because your adversary [of this night] the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Amen