THE TEN VIRGINS (PART 2)

THE TEN VIRGINS (PART 2)

Dear John and all beloved Doves,

First of all, I want to thank Marilyn Agee and Frank M. for their letters to me with comments about my first post on the Ten Virgins. Although neither of you agreed with my position on the issue, I appreciate your comments and respect your position on the subject.

Upon further study, of my new revelation, I have found that I am definitely not alone in my view, (I will include a study by Thomas Ice at the end of this letter) and that has spurred me on to present even more evidence as to the true identity of the Ten Virgins.

Looking at Matthew 24, I am seeing it with new eyes, so to speak. Jesus is talking about the end times and seems to be giving a play by play outline of the events that will take place. I believe they will take place in the order that He is laying them out, with the exception of verses 32-42, when he is speaking to the mysterious as yet unformed Church. With this in mind, as I look at the parable in Matt. 25, I see that it takes place after the Rapture and before the Second Coming, and is actually speaking of Israel, and the ingathering of the Ten Tribes. I do not believe that Jesus is speaking of the Church in this parable, as they are already gone and the marriage of the Lamb has already taken place. The parable of the 10 virgins takes place after the marriage of the Bride and before the Wedding Supper, seven years later. This is a parable about the Jewish Wedding ceremony, and I think Jesus uses this comparison while speaking to the Jewish people. It is not about the Gentile Bride.

But, back to Matthew 24 for a moment. If rapture takes place before the parable of the Ten Virgins, where in the chapter does Jesus speak about it? In the first 31 verses Jesus is talking about the future, from the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD up until His Second Coming, and He is speaking to the Jewish nation and what will happen to them. He brings that all to and end, and then tells how they will know that these end time tribulations are about to begin. In verses 32-42, He is speaking to the future Church, and telling them about the Rapture, which will take place before the Tribulation.

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

(This has nothing to do with Israel per say, it is actually telling us that when we see the signs of the end times, then the end times are near.)

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

( This tells us that the Tribulation is about to begin, it is even at the doors, meaning there will be an open door for the rapture, and then the Tribulation will begin.)

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

(I believe here He is telling us of the generation that established the state of Israel back in 1948.)

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

( Heaven and earth will pass away but His Word and His promises are eternal.)

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

(We must always be ready, for the Rapture for the Church, and also the Second Coming for Israel, who were not ready for His first Coming which was prophesied to them 100s of years beforehand.)

37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

(This is definitely speaking of the Rapture because at the Second Coming there will be much suffering and no merriment.)

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

(The Bride will be rescued and protected during the 7 year Tribulation)

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

( All others who were not watching will be taken by surprise and be thrown into the Tribulation.)

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

(Both these verses are about the Rapture itself, as it happens so suddenly and only the born again will be taken to be with Jesus as His bride.)

42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

(So the Bride must always be watching and ready to go to the Wedding.) Please note here that Jesus says "your Lord" in this verse, not Son on Man....I think this is definitely speaking to the Church and not to Israel.)

When Christ says, " As it was in the days of Noah and Lot," it is absolutely certain that He is not describing conditions that will prevail at the time of the Second Coming. Therefore, these must be the conditions which will prevail just prior to the Rapture at a different time- and, obviously, before the devastation of the tribulation period.These ten verses describe the Rapture and shows that it comes before the Tribulation. Jesus then goes back to speaking to and about the Nation of Israel and what will take place during the tribulation and at His Second Coming. The next chapter Matt.25 is a continuation of this discourse to the Jewish people.

Matthew 25 and the parable of the ten virgins is not speaking about the Church as they are already gone. The parable is not about the Wedding it is about the Wedding Supper which takes place 7 days after the wedding, for us means 7 years in the Bridal Chamber with Christ, and then the Wedding Supper. With that in mind, look at the description of the Wedding Supper in Rev.19:7:

7 "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready".

...and His WIFE has made herself ready.....wife is the key word here, it does not say Bride!!! The marriage has already taken place, and His wife is ready for the Wedding Feast!! Another reason that the parable of the Ten Virgins is NOT speaking about the Bride, but of the friends of the Bridegroom that hear his voice and are born again during the Tribulation. The wise are the Tribulation Saints and the foolish are those that did not give their lives to Christ and did not have a personal relationship with Him.

To me this is very obvious the more I look into it, that the Ten Virgins are the 10 lost tribes of Israel, that will be invited to the Wedding Supper as they become born again Christians during the Tribulation.

So, now I would like to offer more support for that being the case.

The parable of the ten virgins is about the ushering in of the Kingdom of God on earth, and the Ten Virgins represent the tribes of Israel, here are some Bible passages that refer to this fact.

Isaiah was inspired of God to speak to Israel as being the Lord's bride in chapter 62:5:

"For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee."

In Isaiah 54:5 Isaiah wrote,

"For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called."

Jeremiah used the same symbol in chapter 3:14:

"Turn 0 backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion."

Hosea wrote the following in chapter 2:19,20:

''And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord."

In Revelation 21:9,10,12 we read,

"And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wile. And he carted me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God ... and at the gates ... names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel."

In the light of these scriptures there should be no question as to what peoples are symbolized as the ten virgins.

The fact that they are spoken of as virgins demands that they be the people of Christendom who recognize Christ and are in a blood covenant relationship with God. Throughout all the Old Testament we find Israel under a protective blood covenant with God. In the New they are under the blood of Christ as a race. Redemption in both the Old and New Scriptures was, and is for Israel.

In His parable of the ten virgins, as in all His kingdom parables, Christ was not setting forth the mysteries of the Church but the mysteries of the Kingdom of God on earth.

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(Thomas Ice has written a large amount of studies on Scripture, and you can find a great majority of them at RAPTURE READY. I did not find this article until I finished writing mine, but really was heartened to see that maybe I am on the right path in my understanding.)

An Interpretation of Matthew 24—25

Part XXXV

by Thomas Ice

"Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will."

- Matthew 24:42- 44

Three major themes are emphasized in the parables that conclude the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew. Watchfulness was the emphasis concerning the parable of the fig tree (24:32- 34). The comparison of Christ' s return to the days of Noah focuses on preparedness (24:36- 41). The section I am now entering (24:42- 51) provides two parables that teach lessons of faithfulness in service to our Lord. The first parable in this section is found in verses 42- 44. Mark' s account of the Olivet Discourse does not have this identical parable, but Luke does in a different context (12:39- 40).

This parable tells us about an owner of a house that has received a warning that a thief was coming to break into his house. Since he knows the time in which the thief was to arrive, the responsible owner prepares for this impending event by setting a watch to guard the house and protect it from a possible break-in. The point of the lesson is that if one knows the time and place of when something will occur, then the responsible thing to do would be to take conscientious action in light of the impending event.

Be on the Alert

Following on the heels of the " one taken and the other left" passages, Jesus concludes that one needs to be alert concerning His coming. This verse (42) provides a hinge between the preceding context advocating preparedness and the following context that emphasizes alertness concerning that day. " This exhortation is the chief exhortation of a parenthetical section of parables," notes James Gray. " It is the result of the preceding parable (indicated by the word ' therefore' ), and an incentive or bridge for the parables that illustrate the need for such watchfulness."

The Greek verb gregoreo is translated " alert" in this passage and is used 22 times in the Greek New Testament. It has the idea of " to stay awake, be watchful" in some passages. This word is used of Christ' s appeal to his sleepy disciples as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane shortly before His crucifixion (Matt. 26:38, 40, 41; Mark 14:34, 37, 38). It is also used in this way in the next verse of this passage (Matt. 24:43). However, the majority of its uses have the nuance of " to be in constant readiness" and to " be on the alert," [3] which is how it is used here in Matthew 24:42. " The phrase be on the alert translates a present imperative, indicating a call for continual expectancy," observes John MacArthur.

Rapture or Second Coming?

Some argue that since one is told to be on the alert, this passage and surrounding context do not speak concerning the second coming, but the rapture instead. Dave Hunt says the following:

Of course, I certainly believe in the pre-trib rapture, but do not believe that is what Christ had in mind in this passage.

I contend that even though one passes through the momentous events of the tribulation, Scripture teaches that unbelievers will not be alert to the coming of Christ because of their deadness to the things of God. Consider two other important passages that use the Greek word for alert: First, look at Paul' s teaching in 1 Thessalonians 5 about how believers and unbelievers relate to the coming tribulation period. Paul tells us that unbelievers will be seeking peace and safety at this time, but " then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape" (5:3). In contrast to this believers " are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief" (5:4). The explanation given by Paul as to why believers will not be surprised is because " you are all sons of light and sons of day" (5:5). Following the rational that Paul has provided thus far, he says, " so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober" (5:6). Here is the word " alert" that is used by our Lord in Matthew 24, which is employed in a similar way by Paul to denote constant readiness or alert in relation to " the day of the Lord," since we are children of the day. The point is that unbelievers (children of darkness) are not alert and are asleep to the things of God. They are caught off guard by virtue of the fact that they are unbelievers. Because of their unbelief they are not prepared.

A second significant use of the word " alert" is found in Revelation 16:15, which says, " (' Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, lest he walk about naked and men see his shame.' )" This is translated as a parenthetical statement at the end of the sixth bowl judgment. Using the logic of those who say that " coming like a thief" would not catch unbelievers off guard does not account for this passage. Here we have seen 18 of the 19 major judgments of the tribulation and the earth is just about destroyed along with over half of the world' s population and there is issued a warning about being alert. Yes, because unbelievers are never alert to what God is doing. That is the point! Not whether the world is experiencing a time of disruption, but whether one is listening to God' s Word and is prepared. Believers, at this time will be alert, while unbelievers, as always, will not be.

The Jewish Remnant

The meaning of this parable is clear and understandable. Believers will be watching because they know that a thief is coming during this time. Thus, they are prepared and alert. Christ presents the punch line of the parable in verse 44 when He says, " For this reason (as stated in the two previous verses), you be ready too." To whom does the " you" reference? I believe it refers to the Jewish remnant. Jesus has been using the " you" throughout the Olivet Discourse as a reference to the Jewish people. Since He clearly has in mind believers in verse 44, since only believers will be alert, then this passage refers specifically to the Jewish remnant during the tribulation. " This warning will be understood and heeded by the Jewish remnant, to which it is addressed," declares Arno Gaebelein. " They are to watch for the Son of Man; the church is to wait for her Lord."

Israel was not prepared and ready when Christ came the first time, but the remnant will be prepared and ready when He arrives the second time. That the Jewish remnant is in view here is further supported by the observation that all of the parables that Christ speaks relate to Israel and their response to Messiah. MacArthur notes: " In this context, being ready seems to refer primarily to being saved, of being spiritually prepared to meet Christ as Lord and King rather than Judge." Thus, our Lord is letting Israel know that they need to be prepared for His return, whenever that it. Preparation is made when one trusts Jesus as their Messiah. Stanley Toussaint concludes: " The lesson is evident. When the householder knows the general time in which the thief should come, he prepares himself accordingly. ' For this reason" the believers of the age of the tribulation should be prepared. The signs of the end will equip them to know generally or ' in which watch' the Son of Man should come".

The parables in this section, prepares the way for the parables lessons in Matthew 25. Randolph Yeager has summarized this section as follows:

The entire passage in context from verse 36 teaches that (1) in Jesus' day, no one knew the date of the advent except the Father, (2) that Noah' s days were analogous to the last days; (3) that the unsaved in Noah' s day did not know when the flood would come; (4) but that the saved (Noah and his family) did know at least seven days in advance; (5) further, that since, when the Lord comes, He will divide between the saints and sinners, (6) we ought to be watching the signs of the times for hints that will tell us when He will come, inasmuch as (7) we do not now have such information.

Maranatha!

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END NOTE:

As to the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel there is much speculation as to who these people are. These tribes were scattered all over the world and would certainly include most all peoples at this point. I feel that it could be stated as simply as this:

The wise virgins are all born again believers that come to Christ during the Tribulation whether they are Jew or Gentile. Likewise, the foolish virgins are all those who do not accept Christ as their Messiah even though they will have the testimony of the Two Witnesses and the 144,000. When they finally realize that He is, it will be too late to be born again. That is my take on it, and I see how much more we are understanding what the Scriptures are telling us the closer we come to the Rapture and the Tribulation.

CHRIST IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

May He richly bless you all!

Patti C.