Mat 25:1
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took
their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
The story of the ten virgins has
always puzzled me. I always wondered where the bride was in this story. Yeshua
often would take real stories from life and would apply it to the spiritual principals.
One day I was meditating on this word of God and asked Yeshua about this story.
And this is what I received through the Holy Spirit.
“There are ten virgins
waiting for My coming, but only five will enter into the wedding. And from those
five who entered, only one is My bride.”
Wait a minute, there is no mention
of the bride in the story. But then it clicked to me. During the time of the
earthly life of Yeshua, the bride would be surrounded by many bridesmaids. They
all would wait for the groom to come. But there is only one bride in the picture
of the wedding ceremony, but many guests. Then I started to wonder if such picture
can be found somewhere else in the Scripture. And the Holy Spirit started to
bring to my mind certain verses.
Est 2:8 So it came to pass, when the king's
commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered
together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther
was brought also unto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the
women.
Est 2:17 And
the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in
his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown
upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Then I asked what was the difference between the other
virgins and Esther. And then it came to my mind.
Est 2:15 Now when
the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had
taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required
nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women,
appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that
looked upon her.
Esther chose to appear before the king with the apparel of
the king’s favorite and not her own through the guidance of Hegai. So Yeshua’s
Bride will appear before King of kings in the holiness obtained through the
Holy Spirit.
Then another verse came to my mind.
Song of Solomon 6:8-9
There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins
without number. My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of
her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters
saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they
praised her.
And then the word of John the Baptist came to me:
Joh 3:27 John
answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from
heaven.
Joh 3:28 Ye
yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am
sent before him.
Joh 3:29 He that
hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which
standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice:
this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
And Yeshua said:
Mat 11:11 Verily I
say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a
greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom
of heaven is greater than he.
In other words, all of God’s people
who died before Yeshua’s crucifixion, and did not enter into His covenant, even
the greatest of them John the Baptist, they are not part of the Bride.
This line of thought kept me
wondering and I asked Yeshua who is His bride.
The answer came through the
Scripture.
Mat 3:11 I indeed
baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier
than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost, and with fire:
Act 1:4 And, being
assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith
he, ye have heard of me.
Act 1:5 For
John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost
not many days hence.
Act 2:1 And
when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place.
Act 2:2 And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3 And there
appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of
them.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Rev 19:7 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.
Rev 19:8 And to her
was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the
fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Est 2:12 Now when
every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she
had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the
days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh,
and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of
the women;)
…and His wife hath made herself
ready… Rev.9:7
Does this mean that there is more
to it then just a simple prayer for the forgiveness of sin? Does this mean that
His bride is required to make herself ready? But how?
We see that the first step in a
relationship with the Groom is repentance.
Then according to His word, His
bride is commanded to be baptized by the Holy Spirit, and then go through the
purification of the baptism of the Holy Fire.
But there is more to this.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I
stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I
will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
What does it mean to us?
The Groom wants to have a personal
relationship with His bride. You cannot have a distant relationship with Him
and expect to be part of His Bride.
Some believers repent of their sins,
are baptized by water, dutifully go to church every Sunday, pray two times a
day, give money to the poor, and do good works but they do not open their hearts
to the Groom for a personal relationship with Him, and are not eager to be
before His presence. They are not looking with all their hearts in the holy
passion, and the need for the Son of God. How can these people expect to be His
bride? There is no love, but they are only paying duty to be saved.
When God created Adam and Eve He
had a relationship with them in the Garden of Eden. Sin put a distance between Him
and all humanity. Then Yeshua came to die for us to restore this relationship.
And now He is preparing for Himself a Bride from among the saved people. The
Son of God is looking for loving hearts throughout His people that are full of
holy passion for Him. He will not marry those who are indifferent to His word, nor
those who ignore the guidance of the Holy Spirit. His Bride is mature in the
spirit, and she purified herself in His Holy Fire. She loves Him with all Her
heart, with all Her soul, with all Her might.
Son 8:6 Set me as a
seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as
death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are
coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
Son 8:7 Many waters
cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give
all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.
The question is, am I His Bride? Do I strive for a closer
relationship with Him or settle down for a distant relationship? Do I want to
know about Him, about what He wants, or am I looking only for my needs and
wants? Do I really want to pray to Him, speak with Him, listen to Him?
Am I a foolish virgin, who even won’t make into the
wedding? Am I one of the bridesmaids that entered into His Kingdom but did not
look enough for Him? Or am I a Bride who prepared herself for Him, and in the
close relationship with Him?
He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says.