MATTHEW 25:1-13
3) God’s love must be fully demonstrated, apparently to a certain number of people. A certain number of
people apparently have to be saved before Christ returns.
4) The gospel must first be preached “in all the world for a witness to all nations” (Mt.24:14).
5) The harvest must be ripened and then fully gathered.
6) The sufferings of Christ must be completely filled up (see note—Col.1:24).
7) God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish (2 Pt.3:9).

Thought 2. A pointed question needs to be answered. Remember the fervent zeal we had when we were first saved?
Why does it die out as time passses by?
g159 We have not lost all love for Christ, but we have left our first love (Rev.2:4).
g159 We have not stopped all worship of God, but we have lost our first duty to worship.
g159 We have not ceased all witness for Christ, but we have cooled our first passion.
g159 We have not turned from all righteousness, but we have been diverted from our first attention.

Thought 3. Note that the virgins allowed themselves to slumber, then the slumber led to sleep. We must guard
against slumbering, against cooling off. A little slumber and a little cooling of ferver for just a little while may not
seem too serious; but the first step, as small as it may seem, leads to heavy eyelids.


DEEPER STUDY # 3
(25:5) Slumbered (enustazan): to nod; to nap.


DEEPER STUDY # 4
(25:5) Slept - Sleep (katheudo): to go to sleep. This is a natural sleep of a person at night.


4
(25:

6-9) Jesus Christ, Return: there is to be a great summons. Christ said several things.
1. The summons will be a great surprise, totally unexpected. It will come at a surprising hour: at midnight, the most
surprising hour, the hour when sleep is most desired and unlikely to be disturbed. It is an hour when all are asleep. Christ is
coming as a thief in the night.
2. The summons will be a cry, a shout: “Go ye out to meet Him: (cp. Mt.24:31; 1 Th.4:16). The word “cometh” is not
in the oldest and best Greek manuscripts. The cry is simply, “Behold, the bridegroom!” which makes the shout much more
forceful. Note two things.
a. What the shout is: “Go out to meet Him.”
b. What the shout does: it awakens; it shocks; it disturbs. It is totally unexpected. The shout awakens the
sleeping and demands, “Go out to meet Him.”
3. All arise and prepare their lamps. All the virgins (professing believers) arise, for the shout pierces the air and shocks
the virgins, demanding immediate arousal. Not one remains asleep. Each leaps up. The voice demands obedience, for the
bridegroom comes. And all begin immediately to prepare their lamps (see DEEPER STUDY # 5—Mt. 25:7).
4. All the foolish discover a shocking fact: their lamps are burned out. The bridegroom had not come while their lamps
were burning, and now their lamps had used up all the oil they had. They became frantic, for they saw that they were not
prepared. They did not have the oil (righteousness) necessary to burn their lamps (lives) for the bridegroom’s coming.

“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and
drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it
come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Lk.21:34-35).
“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righ-
teousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Ro.10:3).
“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignor-
ance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Eph.4:18).
“But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall
gather them as the sheaves into the floor” (Mic.4:12).

5. All the wise scarcely have enough for themselves. Note two things.
g159 They had prepared. They had the oil (righteousness) necessary to burn the lamps (lives) for the
bridegroom’s coming
g159 They had only enough, and barely enough, for their own lamps. They were not able to give any of their own
oil to those who had none.

“Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto
men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh
and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately” (Lk.12:35-36).
“Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak
this to your shame” (1 Cor.15:34).
“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ
shall give thee light” (Eph.5:14).
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