[pryz]

The virgins, revisited,

Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish, , And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’

(Matthew 25:2,8)

By what I can tell, there is little doubt, a bit of contention rages over the use of “oil”. Some say, it’s the culture, customs or even our very readiness. Some contend it is solely put as the indwelling strength of His Spirit. Could a trace of confirmation be found within God’s word that links Oil with total dependence on the Holy Spirit? It should be fully understood, the weight of we, ourselves, incapable to undertake anything without Him, for by the oil of the Spirit, we find strength,

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

for apart from me you can do nothing

Philippians 4:13, John 15:5

But oh-yes, how I love that ancient standard that continued into the new testament,

Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength

God, , anointing you with the oil of joy

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Nehemiah 8:10, Hebrews 1:9, Acts 13:52

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[Mark51]

The ten virgins symbolize all Christians who are in line for or who profess to be in line for the heavenly Kingdom. (Matthew 25:1) It was at Pentecost 33 C.E. that the Christian congregation was promised in marriage to the resurrected, glorified Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. But the marriage was to take place in heaven at some unspecified time in the future.

In the illustration, the ten virgins go out with the purpose of welcoming the bridegroom and of joining the wedding procession. When he arrives, they will light the processional route with their lamps, thus honoring him as he brings his bride to the house prepared for her.

The extended delay of the bridegroom indicates that Christ’s presence as ruling King is to be in the distant future. Just prior to coming to his throne, all the virgins were asleep. But they are not condemned for this. The condemnation of the foolish virgins is for their not having oil for their receptacles.

The oil symbolizes that which keeps true Christians shining as illuminators. This is the inspired Word of God, on which Christians keep a tight grip, together with the holy spirit, which helps them to understand that Word. The spiritual oil enables the discreet virgins to shed forth light in welcoming the bridegroom during the procession to the marriage feast. But the foolish virgin class do not have in themselves, in their receptacles, the needed spiritual oil.

After Christ arrives in his heavenly Kingdom, the discreet virgin class of true anointed Christians awake to their privilege of shedding light in this darkened world in praise of the returned Bridegroom. But those pictured by the foolish virgins are unprepared to provide this welcoming praise. So when the time comes, Christ does not open the door to the marriage feast in heaven to them. He leaves them outside in the blackness of the world’s deepest night, to perish with all other workers of lawlessness.