The Door Will be Shut

Matthew 25:9-10 - "But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut."

There is a lot of scripture on wisdom and foolishness in the Bible. God lets us know in uncertain terms the difference between the two and the results of our choices. In this instance we are shown ten virgins, five wise and five foolish. Five were ready for the return of the Bridegroom. They had their lamps filled with oil and the wicks trimmed. Five knew He would be coming but were lax in their preparation.

Of course this is an example of being prepared for the return of Jesus. They await His glorious coming. As I read this scripture above, what stood out this time was sending the unprepared virgins out for their own supply of oil. I thought, There are some who might say the wise should have shared the oil they had. These wise virgins were completely prepared. The not so wise who knew hoped to come, at the last minute, with the help of someone else who had been faithfully waiting. While we are to help the poor, there comes a time when they must try on their own...in this case, receive Christ on their own.

Some know, have heard, Christ is returning and they await, prepared for His glorious coming. Others have heard, they know, but they continue believing they do not need to be prepared...after all Christ's return has been talked about for so many years and it has not happened. But, He will come as a thief in the night. We must be prepared. It is an individual thing, a decision only the individual can make. 

So here we are, as in the days of Noah...people will be eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but not so ready for His return. As also in those days, Noah was prepared (he built the ark, gathered the animals, stocked it) and he strongly urged the others, offered them safety on the Ark. But they did not heed the warning. They scoffed.

There comes a time when it's just too late for someone to help another. One has to go directly to the Lord. Like the door of the Ark was closed and those who did not heed perished, as will be the door to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9). Once that door is closed, it's closed. No more invitations. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

We are all invited, but only some will attend. Only some will be ready. Whether one is wise or foolish, our God's words are true and He never changes. One must be wise to enter into the Kingdom. One must be ready. One must seek the Lord personally. One must be born again in the Spirit and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If one is not, God shuts the door.  

--Remember, Jesus is also known as the Door--we enter through Him alone--

Matthew 25:11-12 - “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’"

Spotless and Without Wrinkle

Psalm 139:23-24 - Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Many brothers and sisters in Christ I know are experiencing a quickening in their spirit, God showing them areas of their lives that He needs to deal with. Thinking on this this morning took me all over in scripture.

The above scripture and the next one have been part of my prayers these days. I have been nudged by God and I so long to be obedient. I trust He will guide me. Psalm 51:10-11 - Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

If we are believers and of the opinion that Jesus will return soon, we also know that He wants not only a pure and spotless bride, but a Church without spot or wrinkle. While I'm certain no church is absolutely perfect, some are better than others! And God is cleaning up His Church too. Hallelujah!

We do not know the day or hour Christ will return and there are still many events that need to take place, oh how fast we are seeing things the Bible has said would happen occur if we watch the news. There are still many who don't recognize this...

I went also to the Book of Revelation where there are letters to seven types of church we can see today. Six of them had a list of sins: what will happen if they do not repent and also the encouraging word if they do. Only one church was a good example, the Church of Philadephia, which kept His word and did not deny His name. In other words, they did not compromise God or His Word. They spoke the hard words of sin, and judgment and the good words and promises. All the truth. To the others, nothing good would come of not repenting but there would be, in each church, a remnant who would be forgiven. God is cleaning up His Church.

Jesus also demands that His bride be perfected. That comes with our spirits knowing God's Spirit is at work...first with a nudge, then with our acknowledgment to the area He wants to perfect in us. I have quite a few areas so He'd better work fast! We all do.

As we have discussed a couple times in Sunday school, we must trust that God will do the work. We cannot do it on our own...we need the Spirit of God to reveal it, then be obedient. It will require a lot of listening, repenting and this obedience to what the Spirit wants us to do. There's a fine line, however, that seems indistinguishable between His work in us and our own attempt to "do better," unless He very directly shows us. It requires a lot of seeking and asking. And if we ask the right things, He is quick to respond.

There is also a parable about ten virgins that seemed to me to apply. We will not know when the Lord will return. We must always be ready. We must present ourselves also as pure and spotless. All in preparation for our Bridegroom. Purification of the bride might include being watchful for His return. It's part of what we are called to do. They all had oil lamps (that one might see). They all had to be sure they always had an ample supply of oil and needed to tend to the trimming of the wicks that these lamps would always burn. The reason being that they be alert to the coming of their bridegroom. The Bridegroom, of course, is Jesus...at His second coming...who is coming for that pure and spotless, sanctified bride. The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit which guides into all truth, who convicts of sin, who helps in the process of our sanctification...becoming without spot or wrinkle. We cannot be slumbering or the door will shut for those unprepared at His return. (Matthew 25:1-13)

So, my prayer is that He search me, try me for any wickedness, then create in me a clean heart and a spirit to hold me fast to Him.

Revelation 19:7-8 - Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

I Will Go - Now

Genesis 24:58b - ...and she said, "I will go."

There is an account in Genesis where Abraham seeks a wife for his chosen son, Isaac. He sends a servant to his people in another land because he does not want Isaac to have a wife from those in Canaan.

Abraham gave specific instructions and as the servant reached his destination he prayed as Abraham suggested: Genesis 24:12-14 - ... "O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink'--let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master." 

A beautiful woman appeared and she did exactly what he had prayed. Her name was Rebekah and she happened to be the daughter of Laban, of the people Abraham had come from. 

Rebekah took him to her brother and the servant again described all that Abraham had desired. Laban accepted the offer, realizing God had blessed Abraham and Isaac and perhaps understanding that his sister would be part of that blessing...and perhaps he would too. An engagement of sorts transpired. The servant was to immediately take her to her bridegroom. For some reason family wanted her to stay a few more days. They saw no need for her to rush off.

Genesis 24:55-58 - But her brother and her mother said, "Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go." And he said to them, "Do not hinder me, since the LORD has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master." So they said, "We will call the young woman and ask her personally." Then they called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will go." 

I see a similarity here to another story. Jesus asks us to "Follow Me." He asked this of everyone He called. It's an invitation now, not later. It costs us something and that generally is a separation from the world now. You've made the choice. Matthew 8:21-22 showed us the reaction of one of His called out disciples: "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead." 

Let the dead bury the dead. Let the world bury their own. If you do not follow Christ you are dead in sin. If you are in Christ you are no longer in the world. Your duty is now to Follow Me. Then you will become dead to sin and alive in Christ. You either leave the world immediately for Him or you hang on to the world. A person is considered dead until the life of Christ becomes a reality to them. That should be a sobering thought. There are no "buts" when it comes to Christ. It's all or nothing...or at least it should be. And here again I can't emphasize any more that it's not about what church or denomination or the fact that you call yourself a Christian...it's the relationship...like a husband and wife. 

Jesus calls us. He chooses us. If we have chosen to follow Christ, we have been called to become His bride and to share in the future marriage supper of the Lamb. "Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!" (Revelation 19:9). We are called by Christ. But there's a condition to this. We must follow now. When He says, Follow me, He's not saying when it is convenient, when we have taken care of our things first or lived our lives the way we want to first. It must be now. We cannot wait. Even like the five virgins who were not ready, we must be ready now. 

We don't know the day or hour the Lord will return. This is why NOW is the time. People generally make provision for their death by having insurance before they die. Jesus is our insurance/assurance of life everlasting. He is something we need now, not after the fact.

I see something else in this story above. Abraham is a type of God, the Father. Isaac is a type of Jesus. The servant is a type of Holy Spirit. Rebekah represents the bride of Christ...willing to follow the Holy Spirit's lead to find her Bridegroom. Abraham did not want Isaac to marry a woman from Canaan where he now resided. These people were wicked and idolaters, which represents the world. God doesn't want us to "marry" into the world but to separate ourselves. That is why He has sent His Holy Spirit to ask us to betroth ourselves to His Son. 

Abraham gave all he had to Isaac, his chosen son...inheritance, blessings, even a bride to carry on descendants into the line of Christ. God has given all He has to His chosen Son, Jesus...and Jesus has given all for us whom He has chosen. It is up to us to receive. He came to take us out of this world through relationship with Him. It is God-designed. It offers more than we could receive here on earth. It offers eternal life in Christ.

Later as the account goes on, Rebekah has twin sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau is the first born but chooses to relinquish his birthright to Jacob over a bowl of stew because he was hungry and needed to fill an immediate desire. When he does this he becomes one that represents the world. Although Jacob is considered a deceiver and inherits the rights to the first born through underhanded means, he is blessed...and becomes a descendant in the line of Christ.

There is always this world view and God's view going on. One takes the way of the world and satisfies his own needs the way he thinks it should be done...and loses out on the blessings...while the other goes by way of the Lord and obtains the blessings God has. 


It's our decision to make to follow God now or wait until later. Our future is in His hands now matter which decision we make. We follow Him into blessings or we choose to hopefully find our own blessings. Choosing our own will cause a feeling of never truly being fulfilled. Do you want water or Living Water that removes your thirst? It's your decision. Consider one of God's promises, however:


Hosea 2:19-20 - "I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the LORD."

Change Course

Ephesians 2:1-2 - And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.

Beck is changing his course on his show. He's using history as a reminder where we've been, what we've done and what mistakes we've made. He is doing this for himself and his family. He is not doing it for us. This road is a solitary one.

I mentioned yesterday that sacrificing our lives to Christ is a one-on-One thing. It's something between you and God. You can't come to Christ based on how you were raised, the denomination of your church, through your parents or on the coat tails of someone in your house, like a spouse, parent or even children. It's a solitary road. And a narrow one.

Funny thing but I have been figuring it is time for me to make another change in my own course. Not that I haven't been at least thinking about this for some time. Maybe it's the urgency I sense in the world. The signs we see that not all is okay. The signs that could very well be ushering in the return of Christ...and the urgency of preparedness, spiritually.

Oh, we should never have to get to this point. It should always have been there from the day we received Christ. But we, in our human nature, pull an Israel, and turn our minds to other things. I'm not making excuses. I'm being honest with myself. What do we need to see that will really take our minds off the things of the world and stay permanently focused on Christ? I'm not at the same stage as some yet I'm farther than others.

This thought brought me to the parable of the ten virgins with their oil and trimmed wicks and their waiting for their bridgeroom and wonder at this stage which I am? The story goes that there are ten virgins. It starts with a wedding feast.

The whole Hebrew concept of a wedding was different than today. A boy and girl of very young age were matched by their parents. This was their engagement, which lasted a year or so. While the bride continued to live at her parents' house, the groom prepared a house for her, usually an addition to his father's house. When they became of proper age for marriage, a ceremony and feast was held. They exchanged their vows...a covenant was made.

Wedding feasts usually lasted a week if the woman was a first-time bride. The bride, however, remained by herself for this time and at the end of the week would join the crowd and reveal herself when she took off her veil.

Imagine these circumstances. The waiting and patience involved, trusting that when the time of the wedding arrived, the groom would be there, or the bride. Would all things be ready?

The bride is like the ten virgins. She has maintained her purity and waited in anticipation of his arrival, the word that would make this marriage a reality.

This is what we are to do as we who are in Christ wait (im)patiently for His final return. We are to keep our eyes open for the signs. We are to keep our spiritual wicks trimmed and continue to keep our lamps lit. A day is going to come when our Groom will arrive and take us to house He has built in heaven.  John 14:3 - And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

As we continue our vigilance, we look at the past and pay attention to the signs today. As with Beck, we need to see the parallel between what this world and our country are doing compared to what happened in the Bible, how people turned from God, how He lifted His hand from them to cause them to look once again at His provision for their lives. A life without God is useless, self-serving, disastrous.

We must maintain our own faith in a God who loves us. We can worry about those around us who do not trust that it is God's hand we need to hold onto, but it is their own responsibility to accept His hand in their life. It's that solitary a road.

There were ten virgins. As they waited for their Bridegroom, some lost interest, five of them. In today's world I would venture to say the percentage would be more. They thought they had plenty of time before He would come for them and they became lax. They compromised their faith. Maybe they even thought He might not come. They let their lamps burn down, maybe even out altogether. Which will you be?

First, to become a bride, you must have a relationship with Christ. That goes for men and women. Men also are considered the bride when they receive Christ. A harder concept to imagine as a man, I'm sure. I'm glad I'm a woman !

To keep those wicks trimmed and lamps burning we should maintain that relationship with Christ, our Bridegroom. We should spend time in the Word listening for His voice, heeding His commands, doing as an engaged woman might do for that marriage, preparing herself and certainly staying focused on the idea of marriage to this Man, her Man, her Groom. What does He require? What does He like? What does He command? Oh, the thoughts...obedience, submission, heart on Him alone. Those things that might seem negative, yet in God's eyes so practical and true.

We've all made mistakes. But there is a Hope to correct them. It's time to look at those mistakes and turn them around through a relationship with Christ, that solitary Way.

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. (Proverbs 14:12, John 14:6, Isaiah 30:21)