Many people put the scriptural teaching on hell in opposition to the love of God, but Jesus combines them. Here is an important truth: no one loves you more than Jesus Christ; and yet no one spoke of or taught on hell and judgment more than Jesus Christ.
There is warning after warning, parable after parable, that warn and even shout judgment and the reality of hell. Although some say that a God of love wouldn’t allow eternal punishment, God’s justice demands it.
Numerous people buy into a false version of Jesus and of salvation because it suits their lifestyle and their false notion of discipleship. If nothing changed in your life after you confessed faith in Christ, it’s possible you aren’t saved, not because the power of Christ is lacking but that you don’t truly believe.
True belief is proved true by action. Jesus spoke many parables on the topic of false converts. In fact, this topic is mentioned by Christ repeatedly. In the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus makes it clear that many who believe they will inherit life will not. I don’t know about you, but this is a frightening thought.
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.’ But 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 (Matthew 25:1-13, ESV).
There is no parable that shakes me to my core as much as this one does. Matthew 25 contains three parables: “The Parable of the Ten Virgins”, “The Parable of the Talents”, and “The Parable of the Sheep and Goats”. The reason this parable is so scary is that, like in Matthew 7:15-20, it gives the sober warning that not everyone who claims to be in Christ is. Not everyone who thinks they are going heaven actually will.
In the ancient world, unmarried women did not have status or an equal place in society. The fact that these virgins or unmarried women were invited to a wedding ceremony would have been a great honor and to not show up would have been a great dishonor.
Five of these women were considered foolish, and five were considered wise. What separated them? The answer is the wise were prepared with oil, and the foolish ones were not. The idea of being prepared is the central point to many of Jesus’s parables. In the chapter preceding this parable, Jesus gives a sober warning about this very thing.
But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:36-51).
It is in light of this stark warning that Jesus delivered the parable of the ten virgins. The lack of preparation on the part of the foolish virgins shows their lack of care about the wedding banquet to which they have been invited. I am concerned that this is the state of many people sitting in churches all across America every Sunday morning. They have plenty of time to cultivate oil but never seem to get around to it.
These people are false converts and will be surprised on the day that the bridegroom comes because they think that somehow they will be able to attend the wedding anyway. This is why they say, “Lord, Lord, open the door for us,” to which he responds, “Truly I tell you I don’t know you.”
What a frightening thought, thinking you were all right with the Savior and yet discovering on that day that your flawed knowledge of God wasn’t enough to save you. On the other hand, we would probably all easily agree that it’s foolish to think you have a valid relationship with someone you don’t really know and who doesn’t know you in an intimate way.
The words of Jesus make it clear that being prepared is important. If it were not, Jesus wouldn't have said it so many times. Here’s the key: Don’t confuse having a relationship with Jesus with having fellowship with him.
Matthew 25:1-13 and Matthew 7:21-23 make it clear that many people who attend church, who serve in the church, and who feel that they are all right with God will not inherit eternal life. It’s not enough to call him Lord. Surrender of everything is what God wants; it’s what he demands. We must come to the place where Christ becomes so real to us that nothing else matters. When we see Christ and the gospel for what it truly is. Nothing standing next to it can measure up.
The Apostle Paul understood this. He left behind social status, prestige, financial security, and comfort; but to him it was worth it. So much so that he literally viewed all of those things as garbage next to the beauty of Jesus.
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:7-9).
Remember this, though: giving stuff up or denying yourself in and of itself isn’t discipleship. Fellowship with Christ is the point here. I didn’t fall in love with my wife because she told me I had to give up dating other women and told me that she wanted me to live by a list of rules and boundaries. That makes no sense.
When I first met my wife, I was still free to do as I pleased. I could see who I wanted to see and live life as I chose. However, after getting to know her and after I fell in love with her and saw such an immense value in her, I wanted to marry her and enter into an intimate relationship. I chose to forsake all others and live as married man with all the rules and boundaries associated with a healthy and Godly marriage. It was and is my great pleasure to do my best to live up the title of husband because she has my heart. I’m not a perfect husband, but it's the desire of my heart to be; and my love for my wife is not only expressed in word but in also in my actions.
As disciples, do we feel the same way about Jesus? If we don’t, perhaps we fit the category of a foolish virgin.
Righteousness, or right standing with God, which is salvation from sin and final judgement and the ability to fellowship with God, is preceded by a knowledge or belief in Christ to the degree that Paul says it surpasses all things. Things that were once important to him and once considered valuable, when put next to knowing Jesus, now seemed like garbage in comparison.
Only God truly knows who are his, but he has made it clear to us what is required to be saved. The scriptures say that if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord that you will be saved. However, the concept of belief can be manipulated to include many who don’t truly love God and many who don’t truly know God.
The parable of the ten virgins makes it clear that there are many self-deceived among the numbers of believers. Not only should we want to be with Christ, but our lives should show this relationship in the way we live.
Are we prepared and eagerly awaiting the return of our beloved bridegroom? Or is it an afterthought to us as we preoccupy ourselves with the spiritual infidelity of this world?
In Christ,
Pastor Joshua
Joshua West is a pastor, evangelist, and author. he is also director of the World Challenge Pastors Network.
