Matthew's chapter 24 and 25 tells us about the end of time, we are not so far away. In Mathieu 25 Verses 1 to 13 Jesus speaks to us about the parable of the ten virgins.
This parable is at the same time a Glorious hope for the wise virgins who will go to meet the bridegroom, and a stern warning for the foolish virgins who will come to go to the wedding, but who will find the wedding door closed.

These weddings are mentioned in the book of Revelation chapter 19 verse 7:

“Let us rejoice and exult, and give him glory; for the marriage of the lamb has come, and his wife has prepared. "
If his bride has made herself ready, it is, of course, that she is already ready.
We will see:

What do the ten virgins represent?
What is the difference between wise virgins and foolish virgins? Do we find other words of Jesus who confirm this message? Can we be sure to be among the wise virgins.

The ten virgins.

In Matthew 25 verses 1 to 2

Then the Kingdom of heavens will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
For several reasons the ten virgins represent the people, Jews or pagans called through Jésus- Christ and who, one day, come to Him.

Reason 1: The people of the world don’t believe to the existence of the marriage of the lamb And won’t even think about showing up there, only those who called by Jesus-Christ know the existence of these weddings and will want to go as written in Mat. 25 verse 1.

Reason 2: this is the virginity, the virginity has always been a symbol of purity and of holiness and it’s the miracle that God did for all the people who come to Him. This is the reason why in the new testament all the disciples have called: “the Saints”
In Acts 9: 32 for example:

“As Peter visited all the saints, he went down also to those who lived in Lydde”

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians that he betrothed them to one husband for present them to Christ as a pure virgin (2 Cor 11:2)

And reason 3: In the new testament there are several texts where Jesus compares believers to the lamps that shine for enlighten men, for example; Mat 5: 14 to 16

And there are many other passages which confirm this, which we will see below.

Matthew 25 verses 3 to 5:

The foolish virgins, taking their lamps, took no oil with them; But the wise virgins took oil with vases with their lamps. And as the husband was late, all of them dozed off and feel asleep.

The oil

Oil is a symbol of sanctification. In the old Testament the oil is used to sanctify hotel, utensils, priests, kings etc.
You can see this in the book of Leviticus Chapter 8 verse 10. And in Samuel 16 verse 3: David was anointed with oil, in order to be sanctified.

Let’s continue reading Matthew 25 verses 6 and 7

“But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.”

At midnight, so while the virgins slept, the foolish virgins, too although the wise virgins will hear the cry. Understand that the foolish virgins also although the wise virgins will hear the cry.

In Matthew 25 verses 8 and 9:
“And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.”

It is indeed not possible for wise virgins to give oil to foolish virgins. Sanctification is personal. That we cannot share it. They will go buy some from merchants.

And Matthew 25 verse 10:

“And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.”

Verses 11 to 13:

“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

So the foolish virgins, for lack of reserve oil, found the door closed and could not enter.
There are other parables or speeches by Jesus himself, who enlightens us a little more on the same theme, and I’ll name three.

We can continue chapter 25 from verse 14 to verse 31.
Jesus told the parable of the ten virgins and at the end he says: “for it will be like...” Which is an expression for support what he just said. It strengthens the parable of the ten virgins by the parable of the talents, and he says in verse 14:
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. “

So the man gives each of his three servants a different number of talents. Talent being a measure of gold or silver. They are all servants of the same man (That’s an image of believers who are all servants of God). They all receive talents (God ‘servants all received the faith, holiness, purity etc.) Those who grow their talents are considered as good and faithful, like wise virgins, and the servant who did not to grow his talent, is a useless servant, he is like the foolish virgins, and Jesus will say: “And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there

will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mat 25: 30)

And we continue with another word of Jesus in Matthew 7 verses 22 and 23 Jesus who speaks of believers and who says:

“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Then to demonstrate what he just said, Jesus shares a parable and says in the next verse 24:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

So this prudent man has reserve, he sees, the rain fell, the floods came, the wind blew ans his house does not move. The same goes for wise virgins despite falling asleep they have always their oil reserve.
And in verse 26 he will say:

“And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.”
This foolish man is like the foolish virgins without reserve of oil, he sees, the rain fell, floods came, wind blew, and his house collapses.

To those who will their house on the sand, Jesus will say: “I never knew you...”
To the useless servant he will say: “Cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
And to the foolish virgins he will say: “But he answered, Truly I say to you, I do not know you. (Mat 25:12)
I’m going to talk to you again about a speech of Jesus where the same theme is addressed.
It is John 15 where Jesus is the vine, his father the winemaker and the believers the branches. Jesus said: “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” (John 15:3) Which, of course, makes us think of the ten virgins, virginity is a symbol of purity. Jesus who therefore addresses his disciples, pure disciples, like virgins, says in verse 5:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

It is by abiding in him that one can have faith that gives assurance, the reserve, and that one can bear fruit. And in verse 6 of John 15, we find foolish virgins, without reserve of oil, to whom Jesus will say:
“If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”

If there are several speeches or parables of Jesus which deal with the same theme.
It’s that this message is really important.
There are wise virgins and foolish virgins who will appear at the wedding of the lamb, they will all hear the cry in the middle of the night, the wise virgins will be received at the wedding, but the foolish virgins will be rejected.

Faith in sanctification.

For the wise virgins, the oil reserve is the assurance of sanctification, which is not limited as in cars, but which is eternal. This assurance can only be given to us by faith.
Hebrews 11/1
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

How to get faith in our sanctification, if not by the word of Christ Romans 10: 17 tell us:

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

In summary, the wise virgins have persevered in the word of Christ, the main point of which is the message of the preaching of the cross and God gave them faith, and the firm assurance, of their sanctification.
As for the foolish virgins, God had given them purity, but they did not persevere in the word of Christ and did not receive the faith, or the assurance of their sanctification, the oil reserve. That's why they are foolish.

When you are given a huge gift and you refuse it, you are said to be foolish. And the foolish virgins are really foolish.

The verses from Colossians 1/21 to 23, which I will detail, could help us understand the parable of the ten virgins.
“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

Notice that he is talking about the old days, the old days we were sinners, like all men (see Romans 3/23).
We have been reconciled now by the death of Jesus.
When Jesus, identified with sin, died on the cross, our sin or old nature died.

“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (Romans 6: 6)

And when Jesus is risen, we are risen in him and with him. By faith (Romans 6: 4)

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

See also Col 2: 12

“having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

This is why verse 22 of Colossians says:

“he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,”

Where even further in Colossians 1/28:

“Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus”
Do not be deceived or afraid of the expression: "perfect man" When we are born on this earth we are born: "imperfect man", because inheriting the sinful nature of the first Adam.

At our new birth we become: "a perfect man", of the nature of the last Adam Jesus Christ. We are a race elected a royal priesthood. Tell us the apostle Peter (1Peter 2/9)

A man is a complete individual, spirit soul and body. To say like some preachers that we live these things in spirit is a lie. We live it fully and by faith. It’s once become, perfect man, that God will make us grow, more, each day in his image (2Cor : 3: 18).
So end of this passage of Colossiens 1: 21 à 23 which is:

“ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”

So it is today, at the very moment that Paul is writing, that he wants to present by his exhortations and his instruction: "every man, become perfect in Christ".
All things considered, It is also what I would like, that by my exhortations, God can open the eyes of your hearts so that you have the certainty of being a pure virgin, a man become perfect in and through Christ, that you can receive this message of the preaching of the cross which is the very essence of the believer's life and sanctification, it is the very simplicity of the Gospel, in which we must enter and abide. This is the condition for making us wise virgins.

It is too easy to believe that we, our old man or sin, are dead once and for all, and to accept that we are fully risen into a new man, entirely new and perfect. It's too simple, only small children can believe this. (Mat 18/3)
“and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Naaman, the head of the Army of the king of Syria also failed, like the foolish virgins, to remain a leper (image of sin) because of his pride, but thanks to his servants whom he listened to, he plunged himself seven times into the Jordan and his flesh became pure again like the flesh of a young child. (2 King 5/13 to 15)

Conclusion

Do not believe that the foolish virgins are people far removed from the gospel, the majority of Evangelical Christendom, have no faith or has lost faith in the simplicity of the preaching power of the cross and end up as foolish virgin.

Jesus said in John 8/44 that The devil is a liar and the father of lies, the devil can imitate everything in Christendom, except one thing, the cross, which is why the message of the cross is the capital point of the 'Gospel.
By faith all my old man died once and for all with Jesus Christ on the cross and I am risen as a new man in Him and with Him. It is Jesus Christ himself who came in my flesh by his Holy Spirit.

1 John 4/2

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.”
Galatians 2: 20
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

In the New Testament believers were called saints, today the majority of believers are called Christians, are in churches that have names (1 Cor 3/4) and consider themselves as sinners.

When we read 2 Cor 11 :2 we see that Paul wrote to the Corinthians that he betrothed them to Christ as a pure virgin, but that they did not persevere:
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Cor 11: 3)

Likewise, the Galatians began with faith, but continue under the law.
Galatians 3 :2 and 3
“This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”
Some preachers say that the foolish virgins are carnal Christians and the wise are spiritual Christians, while encouraging carnal Christians to become more spiritual by attending their meetings more, praying more, being delivered from demons here and there, or by practicing the helping relationship etc.
Praying and asking God to light up the eyes of our hearts as it is written in Ephesians 1/18), can make God open the eyes of our hearts.
But it is not the legalistic practice of meetings or prayers, or any other work that will change anything in our lives. To implement any law or work to draw closer to God is always against the word of God and will always prevent us from living the simplicity of the gospel of the cross. Become perfect men in Christ.
“But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”
(Galatians 3:11)
We cannot become more spiritual or more carnal, we are either one or the other. Either we are a wise virgin or we are a foolish virgin, we cannot be in between. Jesus never says that.

Many Christians, todayn believe they are on the right path, while walking the path they have created for themselves.
Like the Corinthians, or the Galatians always thought they were walking in the Spirit, or by faith. They had both been turned away from simplicity to Christ, as are the foolish virgins. They either had lost the assurance of their sanctification, or they did not have the assurance of their sanctification.

If Jesus himself warned us with so many parables or speeches he knew these things were going to happen.

But until the cry in the middle of the night has sounded. Everyone, believers or unbelievers still has the chance to repent and come to the cross.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Mat 7:7 and 8)

And Hebrews 12:14

Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord:

So the reserve of wise virgins is the assurance of our sanctification.

Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord:

God bless you Amen