A lot has been going on lately in the world, earthquakes, tsunamis, wild fires, hurricanes, violence, economic depression, and so on. All this has prompted me to read up on Revelations and other scriptures in the Bible that reference the end times. In my studying, I read the parable of the Ten Virgins. I've read this before but never have my eyes been opened to it's true meaning until now. God revealed to me a very important aspect of our spiritual walk that relates to the end times and some of us will get it and some will not. I'm sending this message to all of my sisters and brothers in Christ so that when that day comes we will be ready.
I've always wondered why some christians might be left behind after Jesus comes back. Why would God allow some of his believers to be left to suffer and to witness such vast trouble and turmoil throughout the earth? There's a scripture that says some will be left behind that have driven out demons in the name of Christ. They will ask why and Jesus tells them I don't know you. (Matthew 7:22) This is precisely what goes on in the parable of the ten virgins.
Let’s take a closer look at the Parable of the 10 Virgins: Matthew 25: 1-13
New International Version (NIV)
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
God revealed to me that many christians (as much as half) will not be ready when Jesus comes because they will run out of oil and so He will not know them. The 5 foolish virgins knew that the groom was coming and even waited for him at the banquet door. But when that time came around, they had run out of oil and therefore were not there to hear the cry announcing the groom was ready and see the door opening for the banquet.
As followers of Christ, we must continue to shine our light in a dark world and we keep our light burning through the oil which is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The oil is the anointing of the Holy Spirit that burns our light. Without the Holy Spirit, we don't hear the voice of God, without the guidance of the Holy Spirit we don't see with spiritual eyes. Those 5 foolish virgins did not have the anointing as there will be some professing christians with no anointing or such little anointing that they will be far away from the voice of God. These are the christians that get weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life (Luke 21:34). Because of their lack of anointing they found themselves so far from God's voice they couldn't hear the announcement. They were so far away from God that they didn't see when the door opened.
So why/how do we run out of oil? By not praying/fasting/spending time with God. A lot of us are running off of fumes from our prayer time from last week or last month or last year, which was more than likely the last time we were in deep trouble. That time when we earnestly prayed and really encountered the spirit of God. You know what I'm talking about. We like to wait until things get really rough before we go down in prayer and wait on God to show up. When we need that job, or to pay that unexpected bill. When things run smoothly, we go and go and go and we forget to pray and spend time with the Most High. We slip up. Until it happens again. We lose our job, or we're having marital problems, or the child is acting up, or we get sick. Then we go down in prayer again. It's this constant cycle of ebb and flow, ebb and flow. God wants us to be in constant prayer. Not that wam/bam/thank you mam 2 minute type stuff, but fervent prayer. The kind that involves meditation, fasting, reading the Bible and waiting on revelation. He wants us to be in the spirit at all times. We need to be operating in the spirit daily, hourly. So that way our anointing is always flowing and we never run out of oil. We have to keep that momentum going. If we stop praying, our supply could run low. And when you need it, it won't be there (Luke 21:36). And you will miss God.
This parable teaches us to be ready and make preparations. Look at your schedule and carve out at least 30 mins to an hour every day for earnest prayer. Make time for just you and God with no interruptions. Make sure your spirit is in a place where you can hear God's voice and see in the spirit and act according to the prompting of His spirit and you will be ready to partake in the feast. If you are already doing this, great. See to it that your disciples, or your friends, or family members are doing this. The end times are near. Never let your oil run out.
I pray that you will continue to watch and pray without ceasing that you will escape all that is about to happen and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. Amen.
