Jesus Will Not Marry The Bride Based On A Prenuptial Agreement
(I haven’t decided if the following will be in the book or not. To read the book Amazing Promise – How Sweet The Sound online for free, click here: Authonomy.com.)
In Matthew chapter 25 is recorded Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins. Let’s take a look at the point He was trying to get across.
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”
Matthew 25:1-13 (NKJV)
In Jesus’ Jewish culture, everyone was familiar with how weddings were done. So there would have been virtually no inclination for His listeners to interpret this parable figuratively. I don’t think we should either. I also feel that this and all of the parables should be interpreted in a way consistent with the rest of the Bible. The single point Jesus was trying to get across is that everyone must be ready for His return because no one knows when that will be. It’s a parable about entering the Kingdom of Heaven and not missing out on it. It’s about not missing out on Salvation because you’re not prepared. Jesus was sharing the Gospel.
Yes, the Church is the Bride of Christ, but this parable is not about Christ’s marriage to the Church. The bride is not mentioned. It’s about each person’s responsibility, individually, to be ready for Christ’s return. This explains the wise virgins’ refusal, even inability, to take on the foolish virgins’ responsibility to make themselves ready. So those who were ready couldn’t save those who were not. The foolish virgins were congregating with those who were ready. From outside appearances, they were doing all the right things that those who were ready were doing. But the foolish virgins’ appearance of righteousness and their association with the wise virgins wasn’t enough to save them. They were even fooling themselves. They thought they were ready all along, but they were not. The foolish virgins desired to meet the bridegroom and celebrate with the wedding party. But their desire was not enough to save them.
Entering the Kingdom of Heaven to be with the Bridegroom requires preparation. And none of us are guaranteed our next breath. We must be ready. What struck me was that the wise directed the foolish to go and buy some more oil for themselves. So, why didn’t the foolish buy extra oil earlier while it was still daylight? The conclusion I came to is that the foolish virgins were seeking to meet the bridegroom on their terms instead of on his terms. And that will never work with Jesus. That’s not the Gospel. There’s nothing and no one else who can save us. We can’t do anything to save ourselves; Jesus has already done it all. We can’t be good enough, we can’t do enough good deeds, and we can’t earn salvation in any way. Jesus has already paid it all – paid for all of our sins with His own blood! HalleluYAH! Amen!
It appears that the foolish virgins were unwilling or reluctant to take the time or spend the money to buy the oil ahead of time, to do whatever it takes, to be with the bridegroom. They were holding back. They were holding out on the bridegroom. They were unwilling to surrender all to be with him. That’s not the Gospel. Being with Jesus, having Jesus, having salvation, requires total, unconditional surrender of everything we are and everything we have to Him. In the scripture below, I don’t think Jesus’ focus was on being a martyr, but on surrendering totally to Him and to the Gospel, the Good News of His eternal love for us.
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Mark 8:35 (NKJV)
“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. 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?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
Matthew 7:21-23
The words: “Lord, Lord” and “I do not know you” in the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25, sounds a lot like the “Lord, Lord” and “I never knew you” in Matthew 7. Jesus is saying many are fooling themselves into thinking they are ready to meet Him when in reality they are not. To accept the Gospel as anything less than total surrender of one’s whole heart to Jesus is to risk Jesus telling you that He never knew you – that you never allowed Him to know you fully, intimately. It’s senseless to take that risk.
The surrounding parables are about the Kingdom of Heaven as well. Nobody knows when a thief will come, so be ready. A wicked, hypocritical servant cannot live one way and present himself as something different to the Master because the Master will come as a surprise and find him out. The servant who isn’t compelled by Love to further the Master’s Kingdom of Love is not ready for the Master’s return. The servant who isn’t loving others with the love of the LORD doesn’t have God’s Spirit of Love, His seal of redemption, inside his heart and isn’t ready for the Master’s return. All of these parables are about being truly ready for Jesus’ return. So, let me ask you, are you truly ready for His return?
“So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.”
Matthew 25:13 (NLT)
Amazing Promise-How Sweet The Sound 
Great title…awesome post! Thanks for the blessing.
YVW! I hope you will check out The Amazing Promise post too!
I enjoyed reading this! Very truthful and straightforward.
I don’t know if you’ve heard of Paul Washer or not, but I think you may enjoy listening to his stuff, he is also very to the point.
I’d encourage you to listen to this one if you get the time, he talks about Matthew 7:13-27:
Again, thanks for sharing!
God bless.
Off to read it now…thanks and keep up the great work.
Thank you for your message Carl, like you I’m an anointed Evangelist and also experience much Joy in sharing about God’s Truth and the Eternal Hope we have in knowing Him, Jesus is The Way The Truth and The Life as you shared.
As we know God shows us very clearly in Scripture why those who said Lord, Lord were sent away, He did not know them, they had no Love, they were not Born again, even though they believed they were right with God but their lives showed different, we see why in the rest of Matthew 25.
Yes as you shared Carl, many will be taken by surprise when Jesus returns, this is why we look for the signs, and give thanks that we won’t be, what a wonderful assurance, we have with the Rapture or as Revelation calls it, the first Sickle, this is what we are to pray for….
Luke 21:35-36 For as a SNARE shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
1 Thessalonians 5 :2 -6 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Christian Love from both of us – Anne.