The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Matthew #2562

It all depends on how wise you are!

Jesus Christ is about to close His teaching on the Mount of Olives with a parable and a lesson of discernment. He has now addressed the questions His disciples asked Him concerning the events of the final generation and has included among the seven seals detailed explanations of both tribulations and the chronological order in which they occur. They are:
(1) the tribulation of SATAN, the false messiah who is that abomination of desolation who comes first and stands in the holy place claiming to be God at the sound of the 6th Trump, and
(2) the tribulation of Almighty God when our Lord comes at the sound of the 7th Trump, the last trump, and His cup of wrath is poured out upon the ungodly and His justice is executed in all the earth.

It is written concerning the great falling away, the great apostasy, that most of our Christian brothers and sisters are going to be "taken" by the first messiah who comes to this earth, for they shall be deceived by his great wonders and the miracles he performs in the sight of men (Rev. 13:14). It is precisely because they will believe he is who he claims to be, i.e. Jesus Christ, that they shall attend the wrong wedding and be wed to that imposter, the false bridegroom. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 24:19 "And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!" He was speaking spiritually concerning those Christians who did not remain faithful but rather lost their virginity to the false bridegroom, the "other Jesus", the first supernatural entity who comes and stands in the holy place. You "see", that profane and abominable one who comes to the earth (Rev. 12:7-9) is the Instead-of-Christ, a fake, an imposter, but as the Word of God declared unto us in the 24th chapter of Matthew, he is the first one to do the "taking" in the field and gather a crowd unto himself. To that end, Christ warned us to get away and stay away from that place so as not to become one of those he gathers and weds unto himself.

Actually, most Christians are surprised to hear that there is another Jesus, i.e. that there are two who will claim to be Jesus Christ. For sure the one is holy and the other is profane and yet sadly, most people are so Biblically illiterate that they will not be able to tell the difference. After all, common sense tells us one cannot determine the difference between two things when he or she believes there is only one, never even suspecting that there are two. That in itself is the basis of the great deception. Christians have been falsely taught by traditions that the spurious messiah (the devil) is going to be a wicked evil man who kills and slaughters people. That is only true spiritually speaking (except for the two witnesses of Rev. 11) because the warfare in these last days is a spiritual warfare, which is why we are to don the whole gospel armor in Eph. 6! However, few Christians have been taught how beautiful and intelligent and charismatic this one (Satan) really is. (Ezk. 28) He shall bring peace and safety to the world while appearing as an angel of light to heal the deadly wound (Rev. 13)!

In fact, mother Eve just loved this same charming super preacher who was so brilliant and knowledgeable and such a good teacher that she listened to him explain the Word of God to her. That's right! Satan explained to Eve what God meant by His words "Thou shalt surely die" in Gen. 2:17. However, by the time he was done "spinning" the truth by misquoting, twisting, adding to, and taking away from God's Word, he was able to convince her that what God meant was "Ye shall not surely die!" Incredibly, Satan actually speaks on behalf of God, as one knowing God, telling Eve what God had on His mind when He told her "Ye shall surely die!" Check it out!

Genesis 3:4-5
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: [5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Many are also so steeped in traditions and fairy tales about upright snakes and apples that they are shocked to learn that Eve lost her virginity to this smooth talking preacher in the garden (i.e. Satan, that old serpent the devil), and the apostle Paul uses her example of being "beguiled", which is to be "wholly seduced", to give us strong warning concerning the "other Jesus"!

Let us review the warning of Paul in 2 Cor. 11:2-4 as a preface to today's study concerning the ten virgins.

2 Cor. 11:2-4
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

[3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

[4] For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

That is what today's study is all about as Jesus Christ, the Word of God, gives us a parable to teach us the difference between a wise virgin (Christian) and a foolish virgin.

Matthew 25:1
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

Of course to understand a parable one must first be given the keys or legend to know what the symbols stand for, else the analogy makes little or no sense or at least the in-depth lesson intended to be taught is missed altogether. We will discuss the "lamps" when we get to verse three, so for now let's understand who it is these ten virgins are symbolic of? For openers, a virgin is simply one who is unadulterated and has not been "taken", as in one who is chaste and waiting to be wed to a husband. We have already seen from Paul's writing that symbolically a virgin is a Christian, either male or female, one who is espoused to one husband, Jesus Christ, and is therefore waiting for the bridegroom to come and marry her. We also see that this parable concerns "ten" virgins because Christ is speaking here to "True Israel", to the 10 tribes who basically comprise the Christians nations of the world, who is to be His bride when He returns.

Will He find them to be virgins when He comes or will He find most of them have already been taken (seduced) by the other Jesus, the false messiah? How about you? Will you "endure unto the end and be saved (Mat. 24:13)" or will you be "raptured away" and taken in the field by the first Jesus who comes? Again, that depends on how wise you are!

[2] And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

wise, phronimos, fron'-ee-mos, Greek 5429; from Greek 5424 (phren); thoughtful, i.e. sagacious or discreet (implying a cautious character; while Greek 4680 (sophos) denotes practical skill or acumen; and Greek 4908 (sunetos) indicates rather intelligence or mental acquirement); in a bad sense conceited (also in the comparative) :- wise (-r).

Main Entry: sa·ga·cious
Pronunciation: s&-'gA-sh&s, si-
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin sagac-, sagax, from sagire to perceive keenly; akin to Latin sagus prophetic -- more at SEEK
Date: 1607
1 obsolete : keen in sense perception
2 a : of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment: DISCERNING <sagacious judge of character> b: caused by or indicating acute discernment <sagacious purchase of stock>

1 John 4:1-3
Beloved, believe not every spirit (wind of doctrine), but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

John now gives the most basic of examples to show us how it works:

[2] Hereby know ye the Spirit of God : Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

Therefore, if someone claims that Jesus Christ was not the Messiah and has not yet come, that teaching is stubble, rubbish, for is NOT Biblical, is it? Therefore, that teaching is NOT of God... for it does not align with His Word! See how simple it is?

[3] And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

foolish, moros, mo-ros', Greek 3474; probably from the base of Greek 3466 (musterion); dull or stupid(as if shut up), i.e. heedless, (moral) blockhead, (apparently) absurd :- fool (-ish, × -ishness).

musterion, moos-tay'-ree-on, Greek 3466; from a derivative of muo (to shut the mouth); a secret or "mystery" (through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites) :- mystery.

You see, though there is still some daylight, it is getting dark out fast and the "hour" is soon upon us when spiritual darkness shall cover the whole earth at the sound of the 6th Trump when Satan and his angels are cast out of heaven to this earth as per Rev. 12:7-9. If one cannot determine the difference between the two Jesus' because he or she has no foundation in the Word of God then that one shall not make it through the night until the coming of the Lord. He or she will attend Satan's gathering in the holy place believing that he is the bridegroom who has come to sweep them off their feet and take them up to cloud nine! In Rev. 9:4, having that strong foundation in the Word of God is called having the "seal of God in your forehead" which means to have His truth etched in your mind! Those who have that seal of God in their foreheads shall not be harmed nor deceived by Satan and his locust army.

Now Christ is going to tell us what it is the "moros" fail to do that causes them to stumble and fall in the night and miss the wedding of the true bridegroom.

[3] They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

Exodus 27:20-21
And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

[21] In the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Zech. 4:1-2
And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,

[2] And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:

[3] And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

Now let's go to the Book of Revelation and "see" what these seven lamps are!

Rev. 4:5
And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fireburning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Rev. 5:11
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

[12] Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive (1) power, and (2) riches, and (3) wisdom, and (4) strength, and (5) honour, and (6) glory, and (7) blessing.

Let us also look at the Greek word translated "oil" in Matthew 25:3 and the next verse. It is the neuter of the word "elaia" which is pronounced "el'-ah'yah"! Amazing, isn't it? That is if you are a student of God's Word and know His names. "El" is the Creator and "Yah" is His covenant name, i.e. Yahveh, YHVH.

Oil, elaia, el-ah'-yah, Greek 1636; feminine of a presumed derivative from an obsolete primary; an olive (the tree or the fruit) :- olive (berry, tree).

[4] But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

[5] While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

The point to understand right now is that it is very late in the day and those who wish to attend the wedding of the true bridegroom need to wake up and stay awake and continue to pump that golden oil of truth, i.e. prayerfully study His Word and rightly divide it, because when the true bridegroom comes... it will be too late to prepare for the wedding!

[6] And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him.

Note: Anyone who has used a kerosene lamp with a wick knows what it means to adjust or trim the wick up or down to keep it from giving off soot or burning poorly.

[7] Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

[8] And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

[9] But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

Rev. 13:16
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

[17] And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Matthew 25:10
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

[11] Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

If you are a Christian, then you are to be a laborer in the vineyard for the householder... remember? And to be a laborer you must be approved as one, i.e. as a workman. Do you know how to do that? Paul tells us in 2 Tim. 2:15: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. If you let men and their traditions divide the Word for you, you shall end doing the will of antichrist, not your Father's, by following traditions and teaching commandments of men which make void the Word of God... because they are NOT OF GOD! Then, because you have been a "moros" Christian, because you never got to know Jesus Christ, the Word of God, you will end up on the outside looking in for an entire Millennium!

Matthew 7:21-24
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

[22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Again, here is what Jesus Christ will say to those foolish virgins whose lights have gone out and yet who try to cash in all their good works.

Matthew 25:12
But He answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

[13 ]Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

All wisdom comes from our Father's Word. Be a wise virgin and prepare yourself while it is still day!

Addendum to today's lesson: A Type!

On September 11, 2001, now known as "911", there was what many still term a "great wakeup call" that went out to this nation and to all nations. Immediately following that "wakeup call" the flags waved and the churches in our land filled to capacity like never before as people shouted "God Bless America" and reconsidered their life's priorities and what is really important to them. However, now, not very long after that great shakeup and wakeup call went out to both the wise and foolish virgins, a reputable poll has shown that church attendance has fallen below even that which was before 911! What happened? Did everyone go back to sleep? As they say, "A word to the wise is sufficient"!