The
ten virgins
Christ
told the disciples an intriguing parable: “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. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with
their lamps.
“While the bridegroom
tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made,
Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins
arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of
your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 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. 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.
“Afterward came also the
other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open
to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for
ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matt
25:1-10).
We
already know that a “virgin” represents a pure, spotless religion and its
followers. So, the “virgins” are righteous churches and their faithful members
waiting for the “bridegroom”. Who is the “bridegroom”? John the Baptist alluded
to Christ as the "bridegroom" in John 3:28-29; Christ referred to
Himself as the "bridegroom" in Matthew 9:15. The “bridegroom” therefore
is the Messiah.
What about the “lamps” and
the “oil”? What do they stand for? Once more, let us decipher their meanings through
the principle that the Bible interprets itself.
“Lamp”.
We
read in Psalm 119:105 – “Thy word is
a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”; while in Proverbs 6:23 – “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light.”
Thus,
G-d’s word – the Scriptures, as well as His commandments contained therein –
stands for the “lamps” mentioned in the parable.
“Oil”.
“Oil”
signifies several things in the Bible, but the most relevant verse is in The Song
of Solomon (1:3, ASV) – “Thine oils have a goodly fragrance; Thy name is (as) oil poured
forth; Therefore do the virgins
love thee.”
As an allegory, the Song pictures
the lover and his beloved personifying G-d and Israel, respectively. His name is
figuratively likened to aromatic oil which leads “virgins” (faithful believers)
to adore Him.
The
“lamp” (the Bible) without “oil” (the true name of G-d) cannot produce light
(enlightenment). Thus, whenever we read the Scriptures and see the title “the
LORD”, we must remember that it is merely a substitute and read the verses as
if the true name of G-d is written therein.
The
“foolish” left behind.
As “virgins”, the foolish
young “women” are also spiritually saved believers belonging to righteous churches,
yet they neglect to use and call on the Father’s name. As a result, they will
not be part of the elect Christ will take at His Second Coming.
“I
tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be
taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the
one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one
shall be taken, and the other left” (Luke 17:34-36; cf. Matt
24:40-41).
The “foolish” will be left
behind in first resurrection of the dead and “rapture” of the living at the
Second Coming of the Messiah.
A
deadline for calling on the true Name of G-d
In a related enigma, the Scriptures seem to say that
there is a deadline for calling on the true Name of G-d. Let us return to the
opening lines of Revelation 7.
“And after these things I saw four angels standing
on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the
wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw
another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and
he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the
earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees,
till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads” (Rev 7:1-3).
There
are at least four metaphors in the prophecy: “wind”, “earth”, “sea”, “trees”. Let us again allow the Bible to interpret the Biblical
symbolism for us.
“Wind.”
We read in
Jeremiah 18:17 – “I will scatter them as
with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the
face, in the day of their calamity” (Jer 18:17; see also Prov 1:27; Jer
49:36-37; Dan 11:40; Amos 1:14). Nelson's
Illustrated Bible Dictionary explains: “In a figurative sense, war is
compared to the east wind…”. In this regard, many of us have probably heard the
phrase “the winds of war”.
The four angels are “on the four corners of the earth” –
denoting the four points of the compass: north, east, west, and south; and
suggesting that the scope of their responsibility is worldwide. If “wind” prophetically means war, then the “four winds of the earth” that they are
holding back point to a global conflict – the Third World War?
“Sea.”
In Revelation 13:1, John saw a monster with
seven heads and ten horns emerge from the “sea.”
Then, in Revelation 17:1, an identical creature can be seen in “many waters”. Hence, the terms “sea” and “many waters” must be synonymous.
An angel reveals the meaning of “many waters” (or “sea”) to John. “And he saith
unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations,
and tongues” (Rev 17:15). The “sea,”
therefore, signifies a place where many different nationalities live, speaking
various languages.
One region best fits the description – the
“Old World”, comprising countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa around the
Mediterranean Sea, primarily Western Europe. In these last days, many of the countries
there have bonded together to form the European Union (EU). Thus, “sea” could prophetically mean the EU.
“Earth.”
At
the Creation, after G-d separated the waters from the dry land, the surface of
the planet consisted of two kinds: the “Seas”
and the “Earth” (Gen 1:9-10). The New Unger's Bible Dictionary defines
“earth” as the “land as opposed to sea.” Obviously, “earth” and “sea” are
opposites.
Along
that line, if “sea” means a place with
many peoples and languages, then “earth”
likely means a region with few people
in it. In that case, “earth” must be the sparsely populated lands that European
explorers found when they came to the Americas -- the New World.
Today,
the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the New World is the United States of
America (USA). And, when we hear the word “America”, what country immediately
comes to mind? Yes, the United States. It appears that the prophetic metaphor “earth” refers to the USA.
“Trees.”
G-d
told Ezekiel: “Behold, the Assyrian was a
cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an
high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs… To whom art thou thus like
in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought
down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie
in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is
Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD” (Ezek 31:3,18). G-d
likened the Assyrian king and the Egyptian pharaoh to trees.
In Babylon, Daniel interpreted King
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream: “The tree that
you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and
which could be seen by all the earth, whose leaves were lovely and its fruit
abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt,
and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home -- it is you, O
king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and
reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth” (Dan
4:20-23, NKJV).
The kings of Assyria, Egypt, and
Babylon, are compared to great trees. What do they have in common? For one
thing, they all oppressed and subjugated the Israelites. “Trees” therefore
stand for the enemies and oppressors of Israel. (Egypt, whose ancient Hamitic
population is gone, is the most populous Arab nation today. Assyria is now the
northern part of the Arab state of Iraq, while Babylon used to occupy the
southern sector of the country.)
The “deadline”.
The
four angels are preventing a global conflict (“four winds of the earth”) from breaking out prematurely. The
metaphors identify the main protagonists and battle zones in the coming conflagration:
“earth” (United States); “sea” (European Union); “trees” (enemies of Israel, such as Iraq,
Egypt, and other anti-Jewish Islamic countries).
After the angel from the east shall
have finished sealing the “servants of
our God in their foreheads”, the global conflict (world war) will be
allowed to break out. Thus, the number of the 144,000 who will be sealed will
be completed just before the outbreak of the war.
Those
who want to have an opportunity of becoming part of the elect must know and
call upon G-d’s true Name before the worldwide warfare begins. The start of
widespread hostilities will be the sign that the angel from the east shall have
finished his work. No further sealing will be done. In short, the “deadline” is
the eve of the Third World War.
No
one will know for sure who will have been sealed until after the elect shall
have been taken up in the first resurrection of the dead and the “rapture” of
the living at Christ’s Second Coming.
Nevertheless,
it will console those who will be left behind to know that the Name of G-d can
still save them, physically, on the Day of Wrath that will soon follow. “And it shall come to pass, that in all the
land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third
shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and
will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they
shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and
they shall say, The LORD is my God” (Zech 13:8-9).
