Part 1 of 7"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish" (Matt 25:1-2).
In my meager opinion, the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matt 25:1-13) is perhaps one of the most informative, monumental, yet misunderstood truths in all of Scripture! What we fail to realize is that here, in this parable, we have a detailed view into the emerging eternal states of the believer. What many have prematurely limited to a salvific parable, is actually one pertaining to believers ("virgins") in "the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 25:1), and the level of glorification that will one day be attained to: "There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead" (1 Cor 15:41-42). The bride of Christ, typified by these "wise" virgins, will be the brightest-shining (Rev 19:7; 2 Cor 11:2). We shouldn't be so quick to limit truth concerning the bride of Christ, a topic that the apostle Paul calls a great mystery (Eph 5:32)!
Not surprisingly, this truth isn't limited to this parable, for the apostle Paul spoke of it too: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:13-14). The prize he sought was not salvation.. Rather, he sought the higher calling! There is a calling, and then there is a high calling. Paul sought the high calling; he sought to become the bride of Christ! This was his perpetual desire: "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain" (1 Cor 9:24).
Jesus also referenced this great fact when He said, "In my Father's house are many mansions" (Jn 14:2). The word "mansions" in the original Greek means, "an abode; a residence", from a root that means "a dwelling". Surely, there will be many abodes, many dwellings, many mansions - all with differing brightness and proximity to the throne of God: "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever" (Dan 12:3). These respective degrees of splendor will be directly related to our individual course of this life, as the parable of the wise and foolish virgins clearly displays. And how interesting that these certain truths could not be shared in the presence of the betraying disciple! It was not until Judas was gone out that our Lord Jesus could expound upon such mysteries: "He [Judas] then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night... In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you..." (Jn 13:30; 14:2). These truths are not for the dull or wicked in heart. They are mysteries that must be properly mined from God's Word!
So what do the details of this great parable mean to us?
To be continued..
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