Parable of the 10 Virgins: Wise & Unwise

[hannah14]

(First of all, I hope I am posting this in the correct place. I believe so; it is a question regarding the rapture and who participates.)

I have a question, that came over me the other day, and would love other opinions.

My Bible Study recently studied the parable of the virgins. In the past, it has always been brought out how believers will be taken in the rapture to be with the bridegroom, and non-believers will not. But this time, I read it differently.

There were the virgins who believed the bridegroom was coming, was watching for his coming, and were ready and prepared. The other virgins knew about the bridegroom and his coming, but they were not prepared. They were out getting more oil.

Could this mean that only true believing AND prepared Christians (his true Bride) will be going in the rapture, but there will be believers who although are SAVED, will not be going in the rapture because they were not prepared ?? Again, NOT an issue of salvation, but who the true Bride really is.

Many will come to know the Lord after the rapture. There are many non-believers now who don't even know what the rapture is. Could those "left behind" (unready believers) be the ones who will help spread the news of Christ's rapture?

Just a thought. I know I may be way off here, because salvation is salvation. But.... that is how I have been reading this parable. Would love your opinion.

And boy oh boy, do I ever want to be a READY AND PREPARED "VIRGIN"!! I want to be part of the raptured Bride!! :rapture

[Tres Wright]

Everyone that is saved before the Rapture will be taken. There is nothing one can do to be more "prepared", OSAS (once saved always saved). The Parable of the virgins is in reference to Tribulation saints, not to those taken in the Rapture. There are two schools of thought on this parable as follows:

1st version: The virgins with oil represent the truly saved while those without oil represent the pretenders (those who say they are saved but really aren't).

2nd version: Salvation by "faith alone through grace alone" ceases after the Rapture and during the Trib people must endure to the end (of their life or the Trib) to be saved. See thread below for more info:

http://www.rr-bb.com/showthread.php?t=74947

Jack Kelley supports the 2nd view while Dr. Fruchtenbaum supports the 1st view (I'll look up the links and post them tomorrow if I get a chance). But regardless to which of the above views one subscribes, your main question was about salvation before the Rapture and all prophecy teachers and students agree that ALL who are saved by the time of the Rapture will be taken :)

[Mitsy]

Let me say up front I don't have a personal interpretation but I have a few observations that most people miss.

First of all look carefully at the begining of the parable. Jesus says the following:-


MT 25:1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

OK the TEN Virgins both the Foolish and the Wise ones make up the Kingdom of Heaven. So we are not talking about the Body of Christ which are totally Saved Believers who will all be at the wedding Feast of the Lamb. The Foolish half of the kingdom in this parable can't be saved believers because they are locked out.


3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.


MT 25:6 "At midnight the cry rang out: `Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

MT 25:7 "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'



I have a problem with what the oil represents here. It doesn't seem to me to have anything to do with the Holy Spirit we get with salvation. Note the Foolish ask the Wise for some of theirs. How can another Christian give the Holy Spirit to someone else. The Holy Spirit is only given to us by the Lord. The Holy Spirit I'm sure doesn't run out. So I'm wondering what the lamps and oil truly represent here.

WHEN will this occur??


MT 25:11 "Later the others also came. `Sir! Sir!' they said. `Open the door for us!'

MT 25:12 "But he replied, `I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'

MT 25:13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.



My last quandary is about timing. The verse in Red suggest Rapture. The verse in bold "at judgement"? I mean like the following parable, which I beleive would occur on "the day of judgement", certainly not Rapture.


MT 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'


OK these are my problems with this parable. I'm actually quiet confused by it all.

[JesusIsLord]

My interpretation is that the virgins do not represent the church at all. In the Jewish wedding tradition, when the call goes out to the "bridesmaids" (virgins), the bride has already been "in the wedding chamber" for 7 days (in heaven for the duration of the 7 year tribulation). So when the call goes out for the virgins, the bride is coming BACK WITH the bridegroom. Some of these virgins had prepared for His return with His bride and were ready for the wedding banquet (They repented and put their faith in Christ). The others who hadn't prepared (put their faith in Christ) were not allowed to participate in the wedding banquet (millennial kingdom).

So I believe that the parable of the virgins is not about the church, but about the tribulation saints.

Here's what Jack Kelley says about the Parable of the 10 virgins.

[Mitsy]

My interpretation is that the virgins do not represent the church at all. In the Jewish wedding tradition, when the call goes out to the "bridesmaids", the bride has already been "in the wedding chamber" for 7 days (in heaven for the duration of the 7 year tribulation). So when the call goes out for the virgins, the bride is coming BACK WITH the groom. Some of these virgins had prepared for His return with His bride and were ready for the wedding banquet. The others who hadn't were not allowed to participate (millennial kingdom).

So I believe that the parable of the virgins is not about the church, but about the tribulation saints.

Well that would make much more sense then the parable being applied to the Body of Christ. :hat

[Tres Wright]

OK the TEN Virgins both the Foolish and the Wise ones make up the Kingdom of Heaven. So we are not talking about the Body of Christ which are totally Saved Believers who will all be at the wedding Feast of the Lamb. The Foolish half of the kingdom in this parable can't be saved believers because they are locked out.

I don't know of anyone that suggests the foolish half were saved believers, and I've never read an interpretation that the foolish virgins are part of the kingdom. Those who subscribe to the first view I posted believe the foolish virgins are those in the Tribulation that claim to be saved but in fact are not (an example might be people who do mighty works but never invite Christ into their lives). Those who believe the 2nd view see the foolish virgins as people who at some point profess salvation, but don't hold true to the end (IE, they backslide).

It helps to understand that the Rapture and the parable of the virgins are described from a frame of reference of the ancient Jewish wedding tradition. In that tradition, the groom would go off to prepare a home for himself and his bride while his bride waited in her parent's home. When the home was completed, the groom would sneak in the night along with the groomsmen to snatch the bride away. The bride did not know the exact hour of his arrival, but she knew he was coming and she would keep watch for him. As the groom approached, the groomsmen would shout out to the bride to let her know the time was at hand. I'm sure you'll recognize this as the Rapture, Christ is the groom and we are all His bride. The virgins are those that hope to be invited to the wedding party afterwards- they are the Tribulation saints. They missed the main event but will still be invited to the party if they keep their lamps filled with oil (stay true to Christ to the end of the Trib).

EDIT- I type too slow :) JesusIsLord beat me to it!

[Mitsy]

I don't know of anyone that suggests the foolish half were saved believers, and I've never read an interpretation that the foolish virgins are part of the kingdom. Those who subscribe to the first view I posted believe the foolish virgins are those in the Tribulation that claim to be saved but in fact are not (an example might be people who do mighty works but never invite Christ into their lives). Those who believe the 2nd view see the foolish virgins as people who at some point profess salvation, but don't hold true to the end (IE, they backslide).

It helps to understand that the Rapture and the parable of the virgins are described from a frame of reference of the ancient Jewish wedding tradition. In that tradition, the groom would go off to prepare a home for himself and his bride while his bride waited in her parent's home. When the home was completed, the groom would sneak in the night along with the groomsmen to snatch the bride away. The bride did not know the exact hour of his arrival, but she knew he was coming and she would keep watch for him. As the groom approached, the groomsmen would shout out to the bride to let her know the time was at hand. I'm sure you'll recognize this as the Rapture, Christ is the groom and we are all His bride. The virgins are those that hope to be invited to the wedding party afterwards- they are the Tribulation saints. They missed the main event but will still be invited to the party if they keep their lamps filled with oil (stay true to Christ to the end).

EDIT- I type too slow :) JesusIsLord beat me to it!

Many (think outside the End Times teachers, there are heaps of Chrsitian Teachers out there) apply this parable to the Church today. So then you get Believers assuming half of the Body of Christ will be locked out of Wedding Feast or won't go up in the Rapture. So often you get the question of am I really saved or do I have enough of the Holy Spirit to get Raptured or get into the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. :sad

Well that's not what I've been taught in my Protestant Churches here in Sydney Australia. Sticking to the Church being only the BRIDE of Christ makes more sense. Then you wouldn't get this parable so wrong as I obvioulsy have up until now due to what I've heard over the years. Of course one of those Churhces I used to attend also believes we are in the Millennial Rule of Christ already. :sad

No wonder I had problems with the interpretations I have heard in the past. At least I was able to question what I was taught. :D

[JesusIsLord]

Many (think outsie the End Times teachers there are heaps of Chrsitian Teachers out there) apply this parable to the Church today. So then you get Believers assuming half of the Body of Christ will be locked out of Wedding Feast or won't go up in the Rapture. So often you get the question of am I really saved or do I have enough of the Holy Spirit to get Raptured or get into the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. :sad

It is sad that this is being taught. I think the key here is that ALL 10 VIRGINS fell asleep. This to me says that they ALL missed the rapture. But thereafter, 5 prepared and 5 did not. So therefore I cannot see how the virgins can be any part of the church because we (*should*) never "fall asleep", or stop watching for the coming of Christ for us, His bride. Note that "watching" does not mean that we can never fall asleep because we have to be watching (lol), but rather it means keeping ourselves in a constant state of readiness for the return of our Lord; keeping ourselves as pure as possible, being about His business, loving His appearing, etc. Conversely, "falling asleep" does not literally mean sleeping, but rather being apathetic, continuing willfully in sin, being about the world's business, etc.

:thumb

[Mitsy]

It is sad that this is being taught. I think the key here is that ALL 10 VIRGINS fell asleep. This to me says that they ALL missed the rapture. But thereafter, 5 prepared and 5 did not. So therefore I cannot see how the virgins can be any part of the church because we (*should*) never "fall asleep", or stop watching for the coming of Christ for us, His bride. Note that "watching" does not mean that we can never fall asleep because we have to be watching (lol), but rather it means keeping ourselves in a constant state of readiness for the return of our Lord; keeping ourselves as pure as possible, being about His business, loving His appearing, etc. Conversely, "falling asleep" does not literally mean sleeping, but rather being apathetic, continuing willfully in sin, being about the world's business, etc.

:thumb

I think it also is due to the type of theology a Church or Pastor adheres to as well. You know when they think the Rapture will happen (if at all) and about the timing of the Trib & Millenial kingdom. Not to mention those who dismiss the Jews (replacment theologists). :candle

If I hadn't come across End Time Prophecy teaching I would be so confused and fairly frightened by now. :fear

However knowing about what the Lord is actually doing and that He is faithful and coming for us soon makes all the difference in my Faith and ability to cope with what is going on in our world today. :yeah

Thanks for the explaination of this parable (you too Tess W). I can share this with a few Christian friends that don't use the Internet but have through books and magazine articles been following the End Times. They'll be very interested to hear this and I'm sure will take some time to research it for themsleves. :D

[WILLIAMBEASON1842]

Everyone that has JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR will be raptured, no one will miss the rapture. As for those that are saved during the ribulation and ask JESUS TO BE THEIR LORD AND SAVIOR, IMHO will still be saved just as we were. I believe that OSAS will still be true, but that most of them will be put to death because they came to JESUS. The reason that I believe this, is that I just can' see JESUS letting anyone that came to him as LORD AND SAVIOR, allowing them to fall away and then be lost. If that were possible, I believe that he would call them home to be with HIM before that could happen. NONE THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO HIM WILL BE LOST. HE WILL KEEP ALL THAT BELONG TO HIM SAFE, AND THAT INCLUDES THE TRIBULATION SAINTS. That doesn't mean that they won't be allowed to be killed by the AC. I believe that most of them will be killed, but a few will make it through the entire seven year tribulation. No one that has asked JESUS TO BE THEIR SAVIOR will take the mark and loose their salvation. NONE THAT ARE HIS WILL BE LOST.
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