PREPARE NOW

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps" (Matthew 25:1-4).

Have you ever thought a wedding could be a big surprise? There's usually quite a bit of planning when you or your child is getting married. But in the days of Christ, they didn't have set times for weddings. A special day was chosen by the bride and groom's family but not the precise time. When the wedding day arrived, the groom would leave his father's house and, in a torch-lit procession, head off to get his bride. But she never knew exactly when he'd be knocking at her door. That must have been such an exciting day! To know you were getting married, but not knowing exactly when. 

Jesus used the events surrounding a Jewish wedding to help us prepare for His soon return. "Therefore you also be ready," He said, "for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Matthew 24:44 Like the Jewish bride, we don't know the exact time for our Lord's arrival. It's going to be a surprise, for Jesus said, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Matthew 24:36 

And yet, Jesus says He's coming soon. At least 5 times in the book of Revelation, Jesus announced His coming. He says it's closer than we think. In fact, the very last words of Christ in the Bible say, "Surely, I am coming quickly." Revelation 22:20  Don't you long for the day when quickly will become now? When you will see Jesus with your own eyes coming in the clouds of heaven? How I long for that day! And like the bride in Christ's parable, I want to be ready, so no matter when my Savior comes, I'll be able to say, "Behold, this is my God. I have waited for Him, and He will save me." Isaiah 25:9, personalized 

I want to be one of the wise virgins in this kingdom parable. They were waiting for Jesus with lamps trimmed and burning. And along with their lamps, they carried a vessel of oil. They were eager for this great day but they were also ready. A wise virgin makes advance preparation for the coming of the Bridegroom. For she doesn't want anything to stop her from joining the wedding.

What kind of preparations do wise virgins make? First of all, they're eagerly waiting for the Bridegroom to come. They have heard the good news and they want to be part of the wedding. His coming is their Blessed Hope, the focus of their entire life. 

The next thing they do is carry a lamp. Wedding processions from the bride's to the groom's home normally happened at night. That's why wise virgins brought a lamp along. It was a Bible lamp, for the Psalmist says, "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105  

A wise virgin understands the Bible. She knows that God provides signs to alert the world that His coming is almost at the door. Matthew 24:36 Perhaps she's aware of the promise in Matthew 24:14 that "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." She's looking for the signs of His coming, such as an increase in wars and rumors of wars or the rise of false Christ's or false prophets. Knowing her Bible fans the flame of her faith, so she continues to shine with undimmed light in this dark and sinful world.

The 3rd thing a wise virgin does is keep a fresh supply of oil on hand. The lamps used in Bible weddings were not the small clay lamps often used at home. They were really torches, probably sticks with oiled rags. The oil kept the torch burning and needed to be replenished from time to time. The oil in a virgin's lamp is the presence of the Holy Spirit. He is the fire that burns in her heart and shines out through her life. As Jeremiah once said, "His word was in my heart, like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not." Jeremiah 20:9  

The Holy Spirit is often associated with oil in the Scriptures. Anointing oil is connected with the outpouring of the Spirit upon a king, a priest, or even Christ Himself. When Jesus announced His ministry as the Messiah, He declared, "The Spirit of the Lord  is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor." Luke 4:18  Acts 10:38 also reveals another use of this symbolism--"how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power." In Zechariah 4:6, the angel Gabriel explains to the priest the working of God's Spirit. Zechariah saw the golden lampstand from the sanctuary in a heavenly vision. The lampstand had a golden bowl on top of it; the stand also had 7 lamps with 7 pipes that led to each lamp. Beside the lampstand were 2 olive trees.

"From the two olive trees the golden oil was emptied through the golden pipes into the bowl of the candlestick, and then into the golden lamps that gave light to the sanctuary. So from the holy ones that stand in God's presence His Spirit is imparted to the human instrumentalities who are consecrated to His service. The mission of the two anointed ones [the olive trees] is to communicate to God's people that heavenly grace which alone can make His word a lamp to the feet and a light to the path" (Christ's Object Lessons, pg. 407). It is "not by might, nor by power" that we shine for Jesus. It's by the Spirit of the Lord as He speaks to us through the Scriptures.

And yet, a wise virgin has more than just an understanding of the Bible (wonderful though that may be). God's Word permeates her entire life just as the oil permeates the torch she holds in her hand. Her lamp is more than just knowing facts about God. It represents what the Spirit is doing in her life.  The Pharisees in Christ's day had an astounding knowledge of God's Word. And yet, they refused to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah and eventually plotted his death.

But the wise virgins have an experience in the word of God. It has become the light of their life because they've chosen to live what they know and believe. They have made room for the Holy Spirit and welcomed His presence by receiving and applying His word to their life.  "Through the Holy Spirit, God's word is a light as it becomes a transforming power in the life of the receiver. By implanting in their hearts the principles of His word, the Holy Spirit develops in men the attributes of God" (God's Amazing Grace, pg. 214).

This is an astounding truth and the heart of the gospel message. For the gospel of Christ "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also for the Greek." Romans 1:16  God's Word is a creative and re-creative power when we surrender our lives to Christ. The same power that Jesus used in creating this planet is in His Word. Every verse, every page has the life of God within in. And if we'll open our hearts to receive it--just as it reads--Christ will transform our sinful heart and make it the temple of His Spirit. We may walk in newness of life, filled with all the fullness of God, and shining with the glory of our Father's love and holiness. 

A wise virgin can shine in the night as she waits for the Bridegroom because she's allowed Jesus to have full control. She's saturated her mind with His living word and it's changed her from the inside out. His character has become her own.  The same love and righteousness seen in Jesus is glowing in the light of the wise virgin. His oil is streaming through her life.

Now if the oil only stood for a knowledge of the Scriptures, the wise virgins could easily have shared their oil with the foolish virgins who brought no oil with them. You see, during the night, all the virgins fell asleep as they waited for the bridegroom. But at midnight, a cry was heard, "Behold, the Bridegroom is coming! Go out to meet Him!" Matthew 25:6  Quickly, the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps to join the procession. But the foolish ones, who brought no oil with them, have no light to shine. They pled with the wise virgins, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." Matthew 25:8  

But the wise virgins couldn't share what they had because it wasn't knowledge that the foolish ones were lacking. They were missing an experience with God! They had an outward form of godliness, but sadly, no real power. God's grace was missing, and we can't lend that to someone else. We can't pass on the formation of a righteous character to someone who hasn't known the Lord. The Bible says, "Even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it [living in the same place where we live], they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness." Ezekiel 14:20, RSV
"In spiritual things no man can make up for another man's deficiency...character is not transferable. No man can believe for another. No man can impart to another the character which is the fruit of the Spirit's working" (Christ's Object Lessons, pg. 411).

If I want to be a wise virgin when Jesus comes in the clouds of glory, then I must prepare now. I can't expect to be ready if my lamp is empty when I see Him coming. I must have more than a superficial work going on in my life. I must hold communion with Jesus all through the day, learning how to trust Him with every facet of my being. I must put myself daily into the hands of His Spirit, allowing Him to break up my old nature and be formed into a new creation that lives for Christ and Christ alone.

Jesus is waiting to pour the riches of His presence into our lives. We can be a living torch for Christ as we soak in His Word each day and give our wills to Him, moment by moment. Lord, keep our hearts soft and our ears open so we may hear the slightest whisper of Your Spirit and do exactly what You tell us. May the glory of Your love be seen in all we do. Let our light shine with who You are and what we are in You!