In the parable of the ten virgins in Matter 25, the Bridegroom is delayed in coming and therefore the oil the virgins started with was not enough to last the duration of the night. Jesus uses this parable to teach on the importance of our individual preparation for the Bridegroom’s coming, and in particular that we should have extra oil so that our lamps do not run out before He returns. Now because there is only one Bride, which is the collective body of believers who are ready when Jesus returns, and Jesus is addressing our individual responsibility to be ready, the characters used is that of ten virgins and not of one bride, so that the difference between wisdom and foolishness can be illustrated on a personal level. So individually, none of the virgins were the Bride, but the five wise virgins corporately together were. Because the Bride doesn’t feature specifically in this parable, some argue that the virgins are therefore not the Bride, but remember that Paul uses the term virgin explicitly referring to the Bride in 2 Cor 11:2 where he writes “For I am jealous [for] you with a godly jealousy, because I promised you [in marriage] to one husband, to present [you] [as] a pure virgin to Christ.”
![Menu](https://call2come.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Menu-Icon-75px.png)
Other Recent Quickbites
-
QB89 Understanding the Middle East (Part 4)
25 Jul 2024
"(15) And for this reason He (Christ) is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." - Hebrews 9:15 NKJV On the night Jesus was…
-
QB88 Understanding the Middle East (Part 3)
24 Jul 2024
In this series so far, "Understanding the Middle East" (QB84 and QB85), I have highlighted the nature of the spiritual battle presiding over the events unfolding in the Middle East. A complex tapestry of prophetic and geopolitical threads is being woven together in both the seen and unseen realms. The…
-
QB87 The Rapture from the Apostle Paul’s Perspective
8 Apr 2024
The rapture and resurrection The debate surrounding the timing of the rapture has been both divisive and longstanding. Over the years, it seems that the church has remained polarized on this issue, with proponents of a pre-tribulation rapture, in my experience, often holding a particularly aggressive stance. It's understandable, really.…
-
QB86 God is Love
6 Nov 2023
"(16) And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. (17) Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because…
-
QB85 Why the Day of the Lord is Key to Understanding the Middle East (Part 2)
4 Nov 2023
"(9) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, (10) Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I…
-
QB84 Why the Day of the Lord is Key to Understanding the Middle East (Part 1)
1 Nov 2023
"(9) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, (10) Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I…