34.l. “Prepared waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God”

 

Matthew 25:1  “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

 Matthew 3:2    “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 2 Timothy 4:8     Henceforth 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.

 2 Peter 3:12-13   waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!  But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

 The Gospel church state; See Gill on Matthew 13:24 either as it would be a little before the coming of the son of man to take vengeance on the Jews; or as it will be a little before his second coming to judgment: for the parable is manifestly connected with, and refers to the preceding chapter, which chiefly treats of Jerusalem’s destruction: but though the Jews were in great security before their utter ruin, yet it does not appear that the Christian church was then in such a lukewarm, drowsy, and sleepy condition, as this parable represents; and since, in the latter part of the preceding chapter, there are some hints of Christ’s second and last coming; when the servant found doing his Lord’s will, will be greatly honoured, and the wicked, cruel, and licentious servant will be severely punished; and since, at the close of this and the following parable, there is a very lively description given of the last judgment; as also, because it appears elsewhere, that such will be the formal, lukewarm, cold, indifferent, secure, and sleepy state of the church, before the second coming of Christ: it seems right and best to understand this parable, and the following, as having respect to that: and that the design of it is to show, what will be the case of professors at that time; the difference between nominal and real Christians; how far persons may go in a profession of religion, and yet, at last, be shut out of heaven: as also the suddenness of Christ’s coming; the necessity of being ready for it; and how watchful the saints should be, that they be not surprised with it. Now some time before this, the Gospel church state, or the body of professing Christians, will be likened unto ten virgins; to “virgins” for quality; being betrothed ones to Christ, at least in profession. All his elect will be prepared for him, beautified and adorned as a bride for her husband; when he will come and take them home to himself, and will avow them to be his before his Father, and his holy angels: and which will be a time of great glory, and great joy. (Gill)

Our (lamp) hearts and souls can be either filled with the oil of grace, mercy, and love (the Gospel of Jesus Christ) or they can be empty even though our outward appearance can seem as though we are prepared for the Bridegroom (Jesus Christ). Having an outward appearance of being ready for His return and being ready for His return is the theme of this parable. One is ready and looking, continually expectant, with their lamp ready. The other is dressed and appears ready but their lamp is empty. 

Beware, there is a huge difference between having a visible outward appearance and profession of religion and exercising faith on/in Jesus and in His coming, with earnest and expectancy of the heart and soul. I fear many will be found with empty lamps as their faith is more in line with an outward appearance than conversion of their heart and soul. 

If your lamp is filled with grace and mercy (the gospel of Jesus Christ) Prais God – keep looking for His soon return with eager urgent expectancy. If you are unsure what your lamp is filled with, ask God to open the eyes of your heart and soul to what it means to truly repent, believe, trust, rely on, follow, and obey Jesus Christ.

13.x. ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

Matthew 7:14  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Proverbs 4:26-27    Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.  Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Isaiah 35:8    And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

Matthew 25:1-12    “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,  but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.  As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.  But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’  Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’  But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’  And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’  But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

Luke 13:23-30     And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them,  “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’  Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’  But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’  In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.  And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.  And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

1 Peter 3:20-21     because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

Romans 9:27-29    And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved,  for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.”

What happens to those who fail to follow Jesus? What about those who try to find another path to God? Will they make it to heaven? Let’s look at what Jesus had to say about eternity.

First, Jesus taught that two eternal destinations exist. Universalists claim that all roads lead to the same place, that everyone’s going to heaven regardless of what he or she believes or doesn’t believe. But Jesus drove a stake through that claim when He said in Matthew 25:46, “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Jesus taught there are two destinations: eternal punishment and eternal life.

Second, Jesus taught that hell is a reality. Of all the verses in the New Testament that record the words of Jesus, do you realize that 13 percent of those verses deal with the reality of hell? For example, Jesus believed that hell is an actual location, not a state of mind (Matthew 25:46). Jesus taught in Matthew 22:13 that hell is a place of physical suffering. And most devastatingly, Jesus said that hell is an irrevocable destination. Once there, no one leaves. In Luke 16, Jesus told the story about Abraham, the rich man, and Lazarus. The rich man found himself in hell and begged Abraham to provide relief and a way out. Abraham answered and said, “Between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us” (v. 26).

Third, Jesus taught that the majority of humanity will occupy hell. The single greatest objection to the idea that faith in Christ is the only way to heaven is it means relatively few people will be in heaven. There are seven billion people in the world today. Only 25 percent of the world’s population can be classified as Christian, and most of those only because of their birth or nationality; when you talk about those who’ve actually trusted in Christ, it’s minuscule compared to the world’s population. People say, “It just can’t be true that billions of people will be in hell while only a few will be in heaven.” That seems illogical until you realize that’s exactly what Jesus taught. He said the population of heaven will be relatively small compared to the population of hell. In Matthew 7:13-14, He said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” I realize you may find this teaching offensive, but please consider this: the majority of everything we know about hell comes from the lips of Jesus Christ Himself. To dismiss the idea of hell means you have to dismiss Jesus Christ and what He taught about eternity

7.r. These have been redeemed from mankind

Revelation 14:1  Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.

The Book of Revelation can get heavy on our hearts at times.  The amount of death, judgment, and tribulation is extensive and can be overwhelming.  Our hearts should break with the knowledge of what we are reading is going to impact real people someday. The violence recorded in Revelation is both a warning and before it happens and foretelling of what will happen.  This great tribulation is God’s wrath and anger and judgment, and where Satan has been given leeway on earth to carry out God’s plan of persecutions, destruction, death, famine, disease, war, and false prophecy.  Here in Chapter 14, we see a message of hope, a break from these judgments, not that there is a break in what is happening on earth but more for the reader to keep their eyes on the Lamb of God and the importance of this over pending judgment. With all that we have read so far during the tribulation period and the death of those who have been martyred for their faith, these 144,000 having been sealed by the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, have been kept whole.  What a glimpse of God’s grace.  He keeps His messengers safe and from harm to proclaim salvation in and throughout the tribulation time.  It may not seem like it with all that we have read so far.  However, during this time of the wrath, anger, and judgment of God we still see His grace.  Those who will listen and open their heart, mind, and soul to the message of Christ will be eternally saved but will suffer the consequences of their delayed obedience.  It is their delayed obedience in trusting Jesus Christ, repenting, seeking forgiveness, redemption, and salvation, which has resulted in them missing the time of God’s grace on earth with the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Who is Invited

These are the true words of God

Many times we are given examples of being followers of Christ through marriage.  In Matthew we see the need to be ready for the bridegroom for He is coming.  In Revelation the marriage is explained as the church is the bride of Christ and that the bride should be ready or will not be invited to the marriage feast.  In Isaiah God is the compassionate redeemer Husband.  The compassion of God is found in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”  Through grace and mercy God has called out to His bride.  What do you think is in store for those who take this invitation lightly?

Matthew 25:1
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him. ’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. ’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves. ’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us. ’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you. ’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour

Revelation 19:7
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God

Isaiah 54:5
For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
For the Lord has called you
like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
says your God.
For a brief moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you