MATTHEW 25:1-13
“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”
(1 Th.5:5-6).
“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he
walk naked, and they see his shame” (Rev.16:15).
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is
come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Rev.19:7).

Thought 1. Death is usually a surprise, yet it comes to every one of us. The same fact is true with the Lord’s return.
His return is as certain as death, and it will be as surprising as most deaths are.

Thought 2. When the summons comes, all will arise. Not a person—whether in the grave, in the sea, or scattered all
over the world—shall remain. Shockingly, surprisingly, all will arise when the shout comes. Both the dead and the
living will arise to meet the Lord in the air (1 Th.4:14f).

Thought 3. When Christ first came to earth, no announcement to the world was made. Only a few knew when He
came as a babe in Bethlehem. But when He returns, the world—all men—will know. A universal shout, the voice of
the archangel, will summon all to arise and to prepare for the coming of the Bridegroom.

Thought 4. The righteousness of Christ is the only oil that lights the lamp of life. The righteousness of Christ is the
only oil that is acceptable to God. A person who depends only upon the oil in his lamp or life, who does not secure
additional oil, is foolish—as foolish as the foolish virgins—for the bridegroom shall come. It will be at midnight,
yes, but midnight is coming. In fact, our watches tell us it is almost midnight now.

Thought 5. Wise is the correct word to call the man who secures additional oil (righteousness), for he does prepare
for the inevitable.

Thought 6. Some things cannot be borrowed. Righteousness is one of those things (2 Cor.5:21; Eph.4:24).


DEEPER STUDY # 5
(25:7) Lamps: trimming a lamp simply means that the burned top of the wick, the charred top, had to be trimmed or cleaned.
Of course, the lamp had to be refilled with oil from the additional supply.


5
(25:

10) Jesus Christ, Return: the Lord will return and gather the wise. Christ shared two major points.
1. “The bridegroom came”: three simple but powerful words. So Christ shall come. The day will come when it will be
said, “The bridegroom, Christ Himself, came.”

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit
upon the throne of his glory” (Mt.25:31).
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Th.4:16).

2. Only they who were ready went in with the bridegroom to the marriage. This was their purpose, the reason they
were ready. They had looked for His coming; therefore, they were ready. When the summons came, they were able to join in
the processional of the Bridegroom and to enter the great marriage feast. The joy of the marriage was theirs (Jn.17:24. See
DEEPER STUDY # 2 Great Marriage Feast—Mt.25:1-13.)

“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Mt.24:31).

Thought 1. “The fulness of time” is to come again: the time for the great marriage feast of the Lamb and His
church.

Thought 2. The “ready” shall enter the marriage feast. Only those who are ready will be allowed to enter. It is God
who makes us ready (2 Cor.5:5).

6
(25:

10-12) Jesus Christ, Return: the door is to be shut to the foolish.
1. The door was shut. This was a custom in the East. When all the guests had arrived, the doors were closed. They
were closed in order to secure the marriage party and to exclude intruders. Only the guests belonged; others were to be kept
out. When Christ comes, the door to heaven will be closed. Only the ready, the genuine guests will be secured in the joys of
the great marriage feast. The unprepared will find the door shut in order to exclude them.
2. The foolish cry for entrance. Very simply, the foolish were too late. They were too late to join in the procession and
too late to enter the door. Note the Lord’s emphasis upon their desperation: they cry out, “Lord, Lord.” They now know
something they had not paid much attention to before: preparation was essential. The door has now been closed, and they
are excluded. They are shut out from the Bridegroom’s great wedding feast. It is too late for them.
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