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Several times, the gospels portray people arriving at the gates of heaven and crying out for God only to be told that he doesn’t know them. No fate could be more shocking and grim for someone who calls themselves a Christian. In this episode, Gary Wilkerson and Joshua West discuss these sobering passages of the Bible and how they should inform believers’ lives. If we earnestly desire to be in God’s presence, we will be prepared like the wise virgins of this parable for Christ’s return.
Key Points from the Podcast
· This is one of the most alarming and sobering parables in scripture because it solemnly warns people of thinking they have a relationship with God when they don’t truly know him.
· Marriage ceremonies in ancient Israel would’ve been massive events that involved most of a community, so everyone would be rightfully expected to be prepared when the wedding day finally arrived. The one set of virgins not bringing enough oil would have been understood by listeners at the time to be almost absurdly careless and disrespectful.
· The only thing that separated from the regenerate from the unregenerate was the fire that they held in their lamps; in the same way, the Holy Spirit is all that separates believers from unbelievers.
· Not every single detail in all the parables has special significance, but oil has symbolic value concerning God’s presence and blessing throughout the scriptures. In this case, the oil that the wise virgins had valued and stored away seems particularly meaningful when understanding the bridegroom’s judgment of the foolish virgins.
· The 10 virgins seem to represent the church as a whole, waiting for Christ’s return. When he comes to take his people to the divine wedding, he will separate believers who have the Spirit in them from those individuals who have simply observed rituals without genuine relationship with God.
· The double address of “Lord, Lord” would imply close, personal relationship in the ancient world. To then have the person being addressed deny knowing someone who calls them with this degree of familiarity would be shocking to listeners.
· If we call ourselves believers, we should carefully examine our hearts and ask ourselves, “Do I truly know God? Do I hear from the Holy Spirit?”
Bible Verses Referenced in the Podcast
Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 25:1-12
Additional Episodes in this Podcast Series
Resources Mentioned in the Podcast
About Joshua West
Joshua West serves as the Church Leadership Network Director at World Challenge helping equip and empower pastors all over the world. Joshua’s desire is to raise up ministers who will correctly and boldly preach the word with passion and integrity. The point of all his work and writings is to preach the gospel, glorify God and to teach sound doctrine.