The scripture reading this morning is from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verses 1-13. And in God’s providence, he has brought you here today to hear his word read. He wants you to hear this word particularly, so please give your attention to it.

“Then the kingdom of heaven 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 when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them. But the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 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. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ The wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 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. 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.’ This is God’s word. You may be seated.

Dear congregation, as we continue through the Gospel of Matthew, coming to the last chapter in regards to the section where Jesus is often called the Olivet Discourse, it is connected to chapters 23, 24, and 25. This is after Jesus has given predictions of what will be the close of all things, but also in regards to the time period we know was 70 AD or the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus is speaking after this, and he is referring and going to tell us more that we need to know not just in regards to the end of all things, the last day, but in regards to watchfulness in light of what he has said.

Now chapter 25 is broken into three sections: verses 1-13, 14-30, and 31-46. In these verses before us, where Jesus tells us a parable of the ten virgins, it is in regards to telling us what the kingdom when the kingdom of heaven comes and he returns will be like. Particularly, what will it be like for those who have prepared and have not prepared? That was one of the emphases he was trying to give in verses 29-51 that the Son of Man would return and you need to be prepared. You need to understand it will happen. He is going to show us what it will be like in regards to those who were prepared.

He refers to these ten virgins in this text, five of which were foolish and five were wise. Meaning that you will either be foolish or you will be wise at the last day in regards to his return and your preparation. He will tell us today to renew us to be watchful in light of what he has said. Whereas next time, it’s more about how we might prepare, but today we’re going to look at it in terms of its watchfulness.

So I have three points: an overview of the parable, secondly, what can we learn about the end days in this parable, and then some application.

First, this is to compare and help us to understand that last day by telling us the story of those ten virgins or what you might think of as bridesmaids. This is about a wedding. In this time period, some background needs to be understood so you can comprehend this parable. Bridesmaids would wait at the groom’s home or wait for the groom, and they would lead a procession from where the groom was to the place where the wedding feast would be held.

To do this, they did not simply meet and walk in, as we might think about a wedding. The services started before then, and these bridesmaids would lead a procession with lamps or torches. So it’s not that they had a small lamp; it would be more akin to a wooden torch. Now, this wooden torch required a couple of things. It could be lit on the end and would have fire coming forth, but it would not last. What they did was wrap towels around it, put oil that would burn around the top of the torch, light it, and carry it.

This torch would go out at times, and because it would go out, they would need to take extra oil so that along the way of the procession, they would have enough oil to keep the torches lit. Understanding this shows why it says that the wise ones took oil with them and the foolish ones did not. You would have to determine how long you would be out. In other words, were you going to be walking half a mile, a mile, or however long? You would say, “Okay, if a torch will burn this long, I will need this much oil,” etc. You had to plan. You would be wise. Otherwise, you’d be in the procession holding just a stick. That is essentially what happens.

He is comparing or contrasting here foolishness and wisdom in regards to those that were in the procession. The wise were the ones who prepared and brought a sufficient amount for themselves, while the foolish took their torch with no oil.

What happens next? The ten bridesmaids are gathered, and it says the bridegroom was delayed. This does not mean he was stopped or was unaccompanied. It is wise to read parables at face value and not to go deeper. It is not shocking to think that the groom would be late; he’d go out with his friends and family; you can imagine he would say, “I’m going fishing or hunting,” and he says, “He’ll take a few hours.” And every woman thinks, “He ain’t taking just a few hours; it’s going to be a lot longer than that.” That’s essentially what happened in this situation.

But don’t read more into it to say that this is Jesus being delayed or taking longer than he said he would; it’s simply saying he was delayed. The reason to understand this is that though they were told to be prepared, he was delayed. They didn’t know when he was going to come, and so because of this they became drowsy. They would wait outside, and as it got late, they became sleepy and fell asleep.

But then at midnight, in the middle of the night, there was a cry. People said, “The bridegroom is here! Get up! We’re going right now! Come out to meet him!” They all woke up, got ready, and trimmed their lamps. Those that did not bring oil realized their light went out pretty quickly. They said, and they didn’t just ask; the word “give” is an imperative. They said, “Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.” The wise said, “We only brought enough for ourselves.” In other words, if you were to say to me, “Give me some of your oil,” I would say, “I brought enough for me only. I did not bring enough to share.”

But here’s what you can do. This is actually a little funny and also sad. Remember, it’s the middle of the night—between midnight and 3:00 in the morning. Now, they could say, “I didn’t bring enough.” But what you could do is go find the oil salesman and ask him if he would like to sell you some. The point of that is that he is not going to get up in the middle of the night to start selling oil. You don’t know where he is. He’s not going to be around. The humor is in the futility of thinking, at the last hour of his coming, that you can go and be prepared.

So they went out, tried this, and while they were going to buy, the bridegroom arrived. He said, “Let’s go. We’re ready. We’re going to the marriage feast.” Off he goes with the five wise bridesmaids, and they go into the marriage feast. The door was shut. This is eerily similar to when Noah built the ark and said, “The door was shut,” and it was ended. It was shut that day.

The foolish arrived later, and they came saying, “Lord, Lord, open to us.” They were pleading, “Don’t shut us out.” The wedding feast had begun. The doors were shut, and they were not allowed in. They said, “You know us! Let us in!” The bridegroom replies, “I never knew you.” He keeps them out and does not open the door.

This “I do not know you” language signifies intimacy, deep affection, and fellowship. He would be saying, “There is no bond between you and me. You are not coming in. You are not welcome.” Then Jesus says, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” You don’t know the day; you don’t even know the hour when the Son of Man will return. Therefore, you must watch.

In other words, He is painting a bigger picture: this is what it will be like at the return of the Son of Man. Some will have wisely prepared, and others will be foolish and will not prepare. They will scramble, in essence.

Now, what can we learn from this? There’s more to say. First, we know that the bridegroom is Jesus Christ. What we see in his telling of the parable is one of kindness. He is giving a warning. It is always good to remember that we know and say that judgment is coming—that the Lord Jesus Christ, in fact, has the right to judge each and all.

It is his prerogative as the Son of God and as the risen Lord and Savior, who is vindicated in his death by his resurrection and who has ascended over all. He has the right to judge each person, and that is ultimately what this is pointing out. There has been judgment yes for the nation of Israel and their covenant unfaithfulness, but this is getting down to the individual, just looking at us in groups, yes, but also going very specifically, and Jesus has the right to judge.

But he has given a warning in this parable, has he not? There is judgment coming, and he is saying you should prepare, you should watch, and be ready. He is making us aware. He reminds us that he comes at his own determination. That is one of the points of the bridegroom being delayed: he will arrive when he has said he will arrive. He will come.

The Lord Jesus will come, and he is coming at a determined hour, and it is not going to change because of other things and circumstances. In other words, he is arriving when he has determined. The fact that they’re out of oil makes no difference; that is happening whether they have oil or not.

So what we learn is that he comes to his determination, and it also tells us this: he never breaks his word. He has said this will happen, and he has not told us when. He says you do not know the hour; you don’t know the day. So you have to be prepared. Do not be prepared to see if I will keep my word, but I will keep my word. I am coming back. He never breaks his word.

When he returns, there is something you can know about it: you should watch and be prepared. But, in fact, what is he bringing? He says he’s coming to the wedding feast. The wedding feast, of course, is always a time of joy, happiness, and celebration. It is never perceived in the scripture, when the last day is talked about as a wedding feast, as anything but a time of joy.

This is telling us that when the Lord Jesus returns and brings into his eternal kingdom his people—those that were prepared and had believed in him, which we will speak more on—that is a day of joy where he is returning and bringing us to himself in fullness. That will be a day of joy for us.

Notice also it comes after the tribulation. After there is tribulation, I should say, because he tells us this is what it will be like at the last day. You will see these things happen. In verse 29 of chapter 24, it says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days, he will return.”

What is it like? Well, it is a time of tribulation, and now he’s coming back, which means the last day for those that are wise—that is, those who believed in him—is a day of joy and a great reward after living in a time of tribulation, difficulty, and hardship.

What joy comes! You think of that in your own life, that promise that Jesus has made to you in your most difficult times, and how comforting it is to know that not only will you have eternal life, but it is promised to you and guaranteed to you because of the promise and the power of Jesus Christ and his life, death, resurrection, and ascension.

This promise is that he will return. That is a promise. He will not break his word to you. Let that comfort you in every difficulty.

Now, what can we learn about the two groups? First, we can learn about the foolish. What do we take away from them? As we know, obviously it is those that did not make it into the eternal kingdom that God brings in full. What do we learn about them?

From this parable, we see that those who are left out in this sense are informed. They knew and were told very clearly that the bridegroom would return. They did not say, “Who’s the bridegroom, and what is he doing?” They knew. They were informed.

They were not prepared, and they were not prepared intentionally. Meaning, they made the decision; it was up to them. It was on them to not prepare. They could not say, “We didn’t know.”

What made them not prepare? Why were they not prepared, we might ask? They could say they were spiritually lazy. They took no care, no concern; they were lazy, sleepy, drowsy. The night had dragged on, and they had become fatigued.

We might think of that for many who live and say that this is who they are as foolish. They are spiritually lazy, not taking their souls and hearts into account, not wanting to understand and look toward the spiritual nature of who they are—made in the image of God, which is body and soul. They are not prepared; they’re lazy in that sense.

They’re distracted; they have other priorities. It could be as simple as sleep that takes a priority over their souls. They’re distracted by things they think about or consider; they take some things seriously, but they do not take the return of Christ seriously.

They do not take their own souls seriously. They do not hear the words of Christ and take it seriously when he says, “I am coming back.” They didn’t take him seriously.

It could also be as awful to say, but maybe just as honest and true—they don’t care. The bridegroom said he’d return, and they didn’t care. You need to be prepared; there are things you would do in preparation for the bridegroom’s coming.

Ultimately, everything else comes back to the point that it just wasn’t important enough. But there’s another side. That’s one reason why they were informed and not prepared. The other angle, the truest thing is that they were disobedient.

The instructions were clear. You have the oil, you prepare it; you have a torch, you get it ready, and you wait until he comes. They didn’t do that. They were disobedient. That came from having no love, no honor; they desired to give no honor to the bridegroom. They have no union with him, no sense to honor him, and thus they would not be prepared for his return.

This oftentimes sums up those who are foolish in regards to Christ’s words of his return. They are unprepared, disobedient, and have no honor and no sense of reverence for who he is.

But there is something else about them: they were surprised. They reacted unprepared and surprised. What did they do? They went to ask others to give them what they could not give. How would you understand that, saying that’s what happened in the parable?

This is to say that when the last day comes, there will be a moment, and there will be time where people will act in futility and frantically. They will think, “What can we do? You have to do something for me.”

This comes down to “No, this is about you and the bridegroom. He told you to be prepared; he told everyone to be prepared, but he told you as well.”

What you’re seeing ultimately is this acting surprised and reacting unprepared is coming from being dead in sin. This is what it is; it’s a reaction that can only come from a heart that’s dead in sin.

And what’s sad is there is some truth in that moment, that though there is perhaps an anxious feeling of, “He has come; what do I do?” it is also the sad reality of realizing it’s too late.

For those that would live, or for those that would die in their sins unprepared, and would face Christ, it is a realization that it’s too late. The door is shut. Again, when the door was shut, when the ark was built, it was not to be opened.

This is why it was said that the Lord shut the door. When it says this word “shut,” remember back in Matthew 23 where Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you shut the kingdom of heaven, shut others out of the kingdom of heaven. You bar them; you prevent them.”

It’s telling us that no, this is shut, and it is closed, and you’re not getting another chance. It’s done. Or when it says in Revelation that the pit was shut and it was closed and locked. Or that the gates of heaven in the eternal state in Revelation 21 cannot be shut but remain open.

The emphasis is that someone is making this happen. It’s not simply that the door is shut as if our own doors, where you can just casually go in and out. The active opening and shutting suggests some authority is making this decision.

On that day, you will realize it’s too late. That’s what he says to the foolish. He is saying this is foolish, and it will only end in misery for you. They also missed the blessing. They missed the feast—the wedding feast.

We could say they would understand it. But consider if you were someone who came, and you say, “Well, I missed the feast. I don’t know what I’m missing out on.” The scriptures tell us that when you come into the presence of God in worship, you are, in a sense, entering into the heavenly places through the Holy Spirit where God meets with his people.

He comes, and he speaks to them; he nourishes them. He welcomes them to a meal, which is a feast. Each time we feast by the power of the Spirit upon the body and blood of Jesus Christ, we are assured of God’s blessing. If you have sat through a worship service, you get a taste of what the eternal state is like because of that.

You might say, “Well, how would I know what I’m missing?” But when you see the blessing, you will miss it. If you are a covenant child raised in the church, you would hear this and participate to some extent by being present, and yet you would walk away. You would be leaving everything you have known—every good blessing—showing that what you have to come in the fullness of eternal life is so much greater and more wonderful.

And yet you miss that blessing. What is sad about that is that in that moment, you will learn that everything the Bible said was true. Every time you heard the word of God read and every time you heard the word of God preached, you would know it was all real. It wasn’t fantasy or something preachers made up to get people to come to church or to give money.

No, it was bringing the word of God which is true. And what happens when you’re foolish? You are left out and in utter darkness.

But what about the wise? What do we learn of them? You learn that they were informed. They knew. They were told. They didn’t just put it together and say, “You know what would be a good idea? We’re out in the dark; maybe we should have some light.” No, they were told what to do. They were aware of what to do. They were informed, and they were obedient.

He said to be prepared. He didn’t say when he would come, but he told them this is what they were to do and what they needed. They prepared; in other words, they believed him. They believed that he would return.

Thus, they prepared, and that’s why they are wise. What else do you see? They honored him. They had affection for him, and they wanted to show him honor when he returned. Their preparation was out of respect for the bridegroom and their union with him.

And this is what we see: he says, “I know you.” He could say to the wise, “I know you.” And that, dear Christian, is how we can understand ourselves. This is what it’s like for the Christian at the last day. You’ve been informed, and you’ve obeyed.

You’ve obeyed the call of the gospel, which is to repent of your sins and to believe by faith alone in Jesus Christ and to trust him in him alone. You’ve prepared; you’ve come to him. You’ve followed what he has called you to do. You’ve prepared, in that your participation has followed through by being connected to him and his body, his church.

You sit under the word; you hear the word preached. You participate in the sacraments, you have the blessing of the Lord’s day, and you’re part of the church. But also in your life, you read the word. You spend time in prayer. You seek to grow in godliness.

You live in ongoing repentance and faith, and you long for him and to be near him. You pray to him, honor him, and love him. You know the blessings that are true now. You’ve seen what it is to be in the presence of God.

Because you come together, you say, “The Lord meets with us.” He calls us; he has assembled us. He is speaking to us; he forgives our sins. He is with us; he feeds us.

It is joyful. Jesus says this is what it will be like the last day. There will be wise, and there will be foolish. So watch and prepare.

So what’s the application? We are going to talk more about preparation in the next couple of weeks, but I just simply want to ask you a question to consider honestly. Do you ever think about the return of Jesus Christ? Is this something you really think about?

Because I’m asking you that, because if you’re like me, the truth is you would say, “Not a lot or never. I think about dying; I think about being forgiven.” But how often do you think about the physical return of Jesus Christ? This is going to happen.

If that’s going to happen, the next question is, do you live with that in mind? Because it’s told to us, we learn from the scriptures—Peter’s epistles which are telling us about this issue. They directly tell us about this, particularly 2 Thessalonians and 1 Thessalonians.

Just read the Bible, right? But they tell us that this is going to happen, and there are ways in which you live and prepare your godliness. Peter would tell you that even your sexual purity is to be done in light of the fact that Jesus is going to return—not that Jesus you will stand before him at your death, but if you are alive, he will return.

If he will return and he will raise the dead and reunite body and soul, that will be either to eternal judgment or eternal life. Do you ever think about it?

And if not, I encourage you: you should think about this and seek to live with it in mind, because he is coming. Now, what you must know about that is it will be sudden, but it won’t be surprising.

It will be sudden; it will not be an email sent out tomorrow. Everyone who told you that it’s coming up on a certain day is wrong, and they will always be wrong. Jesus will never do things based on what they say. Never.

But he will return, and it won’t be surprising—meaning he said he would. It will be sudden, but it will not be surprising.

What I tell you is that on that day, you will deal with him, and you will deal with him alone. Covenant children, teenagers, your parents love you, and they give their hearts and souls for you. Their bodies are spent caring for you, and their emotions are about you so much.

They love you; they would die and wouldn’t think twice about dying in your place. That is why they teach you. They pray for you, pray with you, and want you to know the word. They want you to grow to be godly, and they give their lives for that.

You have immense protection and blessing in that. But you need to know, and you must always remember, that your parents cannot stand in your place at the judgment seat of Christ. They cannot.

The reality is that your parents would if they could, but they cannot. That is why they teach you and pray for you. This is why your Sunday school teachers, pastors, and elders pray for you.

This is why we want you to hear. It is why I am talking to you specifically because I want you to hear this. You have to be prepared. You need to think about this, order your life, and you will deal with him alone.

You do not want to be caught in the middle of the night saying, “Well, maybe the oil salesman will get up and have enough.” Or, “Maybe I can find the preacher, and he can pray for me as we hear the trumpets.” No. You prepare now, and you do it the way he says, which is to be repentant and come to him for forgiveness and cleansing.

One of the reasons many don’t prepare themselves is because they think they cannot be prepared because of their sins. And that is a lie. You prepare, and I tell you that is good news!

That’s a lie because it tells you that you can go to Jesus and ask him to cleanse your sins with his blood. 1 John says he will cleanse you of all your unrighteousness. He will reconcile you!

You will stand before God on your own but under and in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. In other words, God’s forgiveness for you is based upon Christ’s life, death, and resurrection credited and counted to you and for you in full.

Yes, you must consider, and the preparation is to come to him, to give your life to him, to repent, lay your sins before him and be forgiven, reconciled, and adopted to God through Christ. No one else can prepare you. And that is the preparation. That’s the start of it in a sense: being prepared and living in that reality every day.

Again, as time goes, we’ll have more about this. Let me close with this: This is a day of judgment. That day is a day of judgment, but it’s also a day of rescue. Do you consider that when you think about the last day? It is a day of judgment, but it’s also a day of rescue.

It is a day where a husband comes to rescue his bride from tribulation. That’s what Jesus is coming to do. He comes and takes his bride to himself, to the home that he has prepared for them. He rescues his people.

Dear Christian, I would say to you in this: Don’t shrink in fear when you consider the last day. Yes, be reverent, be honest, be humbled before it, and give honor to God, yes. But you don’t have to shrink in fear as those who are outside of Christ, because Christ has secured your place.

So, prepare your heart. Be prayerful, yes, but look forward to that day—to the day where you would be with the Lord.

Finally, I would say to all of us, to the church, is there not something we can learn as a congregation? I think there is. Would we pray for those that we know—those within the covenant, those outside?

Would you pray that they would awake from their slumber if they’re sleeping? Is that something you could pray for this week? That those who are outside, those who are foolish, or those who are understanding and not living in preparation, would you pray that they would awake from their slumber?

Think of who they are this week and pray for them. If you want to pray for them specifically, that God would awake them from their slumber, pray confidently, because they can be, and only God can do it. So let’s ask him to do so.

Dear Father, we love you and thank you for giving us the scriptures. I thank you for what they teach us and that we learn from them that this is a true day. That this is reality—that you will return, and it gives us pause.

But Father, I pray that you would prepare us to live wisely, that we would acknowledge our sins, seeking forgiveness in Jesus alone. Furthermore, Father, would you fill us with the Spirit so that we would live prepared?

Would you prepare us in our reconciliation to you? And would you help us to take upon the things that you have called us to do in consideration of that, too?

We do pray for those covenant children and teenagers we have talked about specifically, that you would prepare them. We pray for the weary, that you would wake them from their slumber. We pray for those who are elderly and would know of this reality more that they would prepare their own hearts.

Finally, we pray for those whom we love and those around us in our city and town that are outside of the faith, that are not believers, living in slumber. We pray, Father, that your word would come to them, and that the power of the Spirit would convict them and awaken them, bringing them to yourself.

We pray this through Jesus’ name. Amen.