Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
This is one of the most misunderstood and misapplied parables in the Bible because it is rarely considered in its proper dispensational context. The Lord Jesus Christ gave a great prophetic discourse (Matt. 24 & 25) to His disciples from the mount of Olives (cf. Zech. 14:4) two days before His crucifixion (Matt. 26:1-2). The whole passage concerns the seventieth week of Daniel, the second coming of Christ, and the kingdom of heaven. This present age in which God is building the church which is the Body of Christ was a great mystery that was kept secret until Christ revealed it through the apostle Paul (Eph. 3:1-13). Therefore, we know this passage was not written to us or about us. To believe that it was will only lead to confusion and false doctrine. The rapture of the Body of Christ was also a mystery revealed to Paul (1 Cor. 15:51; 1 Thess. 4:15) and is only found in his epistles. It was NOT revealed in the Olivet Discourse as many Bible teachers wrongly claim.
After teaching His disciples about the sign of His coming and of the end of the world (Matt. 24:3-35), the Lord spoke of the importance of being READY for His coming and the promise of REWARDS in His kingdom for those who are. He applied both issues to Jews and Gentiles who will be living in those days.
| Application | Readiness | Rewards |
| Jews | Matt. 24:36-51 | Matt. 25:14-30 |
| Gentiles | Matt. 25:1-13 | Matt. 25:31-46 |
The Popular Interpretation
We will not take the time to consider all the different interpretations of this parable (any interpretation that makes it about this present age is wrong), just the most common one among fundamentalists as presented in the notes of the Scofield Reference Bible.
- The ten virgins represent the professing Church (kingdom of heaven = “sphere of profession”).
- The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit.
- The five foolish virgins represent those who make a false profession (some say carnal believers).
- The five wise virgins represent the true church who is the bride of Christ.
- The midnight cry symbolizes the rapture. Some use this parable to teach a split rapture.
Problems with the Popular Interpretation
The traditional interpretation may sound good on the surface, but it falls apart under scriptural scrutiny.
- The ten virgins represent the prophesied kingdom of heaven, NOT the professing Church in this present age.
- If the oil represents the Holy Spirit, then: all ten virgins had the Spirit (they had oil in their lamps, but did not take extra, v.3), the foolish virgins ran out of the Spirit (v.8), the wise virgins had extra Spirit (v.4), the wise virgins would not share the Spirit but told the foolish virgins to go buy the Spirit (v.9, cf. Acts 8:18-23), and the foolish virgins showed up to the marriage with the Spirit but were turned away (vv.11-12).
- The foolish virgins represent those who are not ready when Christ returns.
- The MYSTERY of the Body of Christ is not the bride of PROPHECY. Besides, the wise virgins are not the bride, but friends of the bridegroom who were invited to the marriage supper after the wedding (Lk. 12:35-36).
- The midnight cry symbolizes the second coming of Christ (Matt. 24:29-31; 25:13). This parable cannot be about the rapture since it was a mystery first revealed to Paul.
The Proper Interpretation
It is not difficult to understand this parable if we keep it in context, compare scripture with scripture (1 Cor. 2:13), and rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). The parables of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 13:10-11) are stories Christ gave to reveal (to His disciples) and conceal (from those rejecting Him) truth about the kingdom of heaven, which is a literal visible kingdom that the God of heaven will set up on this EARTH (Dan. 2:44). They do NOT reveal this present age which was a mystery first made known to Paul. In this chapter Christ reveals some things that will take place upon His second coming to the earth to establish His kingdom.
“THEN (after prophesied events in the previous chapter, at the end of great tribulation, upon the second coming) shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins… ”
The number 10 is associated with the Gentiles (e.g., Gen. 10:10, 32; Dan. 2:44, 10 kings; Acts 10). The ten virgins are friends of the bridegroom (Christ, Matt. 9:15) who are waiting to for the call to the marriage supper that would come at some point during the night (Lk. 12:35-40). The millennial reign will be the marriage supper of the Lamb, which is why several kingdom parables are about weddings (Isa. 62:1-5; Rev. 19:7-9; 21:9-10). The bride is of Israel, not the Gentiles (Jn. 1:31; 3:25-29). The ten virgins do not represent the 144,000 who are said to be virgins because all of them (not half) will be caught up to heaven in the middle of the seventieth week (Rev. 12:5-6; 14:1-5).
Since parables usually teach one main theme it is not necessary to make every detail teach a doctrinal point. The main point of this parable is preparation for the second coming of Christ. Those that are watching will keep themselves ready. The foolish virgins ran out of oil because they were not prepared. Not knowing the hour that the bridegroom would come, they should have taken extra oil. There will be many who profess to know the Lord who will not enter the kingdom (Matt. 7:21-23). Christ will sort out the true and false professors when He returns (Matt. 13:36-43; 47-50; 22:1-14).
Is there a secondary spiritual application in this parable for us? Yes, the apostle Paul exhorted the Body of Christ to be ready and watching for the coming of Christ, but he was talking about the rapture, not the second coming (1 Thess. 5:5-11). All members of the Body of Christ will be in the rapture, whether they are watching for it or not. Compare that to the strong warning Christ gave concerning those who fail to watch for His return (Matt. 24:48-51).
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The Parable of the 10 Virgins
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