Signs of the Times (36)

We have finished our discussion of the signs of Christ’s coming that he gives us and that are recorded in Matthew 24. To conclude this series of articles, I want to deal with the three parables our Lord taught, and that are recorded for us in Matthew 25: the ten Virgins, the talents, and the final judgment. In this article, I intend to make a few remarks about the parable of the ten virgins. I discuss these parables in detail in my book, Mysteries of the Kingdom. I know you are busy, but I really wish you would take an hour out of your time and read, for now, the parable of the ten virgins. It is a parable that Jesus taught to enforce His command to His disciples to live in constant, conscious expectation of the Lord’s coming. Let me make a few observations about some of the elements in the parable.

 

First of all, the ten virgins represent the church visible. That is, the church as it appears in the world at any given time. These virgins do not represent a congregation such as CERC in Singapore, or a denomination such as the PRC in America; they represent all that calls itself Christian and claims to believe in the second coming of Christ. (There are churches that call themselves “Christian,” but deny Christ’s second coming. Christ has nothing to say to them; they are of no interest to him – or to us.)

 

Waiting for Christ is depicted in the parable by the virgins waiting for the bridegroom, who would come to get them. All those churches who profess to be waiting for Christ to come are pictured by these virgins. But only half of them are prepared; half are not. Not membership in a church, nor an outward profession to believe in Christ’s second coming make any difference. Preparation makes all the difference.

 

The ones prepared are those with oil in their lamps; the ones not prepared are those without oil in their lamps. These latter probably reasoned that they could get oil the last minute. Why waste time in the present to buy oil? There will be enough time to do that.

 

Whether the lamps and the oil signify anything or not is, I think, an open question, and commentaries disagree on the question. For my part, I think that the lamps are the Word of God, for Psalm 119:105 calls God’s word “a lamp unto our feet.” And the oil is, in Scripture, a picture of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, for oil was poured on the head of those who were so anointed. The one, then, who lives close to and out of God’s Word, and who, by the Spirit, believes it and acts according to it, is the one prepared for Christ’s coming.

 

It is a striking element in the parable that the bridegroom does not come at the time expected. In fact, from the viewpoint of the virgins, he does not come for a very long time after he is expected. This is Jesus’ way of reminding the disciples (and us) that no one knows the time of His coming, and that when the church expects Him to come, He does not come. This has happened many times in the history of the church. Already in the apostles’ times, some of the church, especially when persecuted, thought Christ would come at any time. In the years preceding the end of the first millennium, many thought Christ would return in 1000 AD. The same was true of the end of the second millennium; they though Christ would return in 2000 AD. He did not come when He was expected.

 

The trouble is that all ten of the virgins fell asleep; even the prepared ones. This idea of falling asleep is purposely included in the parable to warn us that in a sense, the whole church gives up that Christ will come again. He doesn’t come and He doesn’t come. Even God’s people are tempted to say that perhaps the world is right: He will never come (II Peter 3:1-4). And so, even the people of God are surely tempted to quit waiting for Him. If they would do that, it would be disastrous! It would mean that the church would give up completely in waiting for the Lord. And, indeed, many do give up. “What’s the use?” they will say; “He doesn’t come and is not going to come.”

 

But the Lord does come – as He said he would. Suddenly the whole church wants to enter the heavenly marriage feast (Rev. 19:9). But it is too late for those who have not prepared themselves for Christ’s coming. They beg to be let into the banquet hall, but the door is slammed in their faces. The bridegroom himself tells them that they never did really prepare themselves for His coming, and preparing one’s self cannot be done the last minute – even after the bridegroom has come. But to us the Lord says, “Watch therefore. For ye know not the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matt 25:13).

 

And so you and I (and all the church) stand before the question; “Are we prepared? Do we watch?” It is a terrible thing to have the door of heaven shut when the Lord comes again. The only other place to go is hell.

 

I want to say something about what it means for you and me to watch and thus be prepared for Christ’s coming. But that is really taught in the parable of the talents. So we will wait till next time for this. 

Prof. Herman Hanko