10 virgin parable

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The unfortunate virgins were told to go and buy some oil...........at Midnight?
Point is the oil is not the HS......He can not be bought as Simon learned to his sorrow.
Act 8:18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,
Act 8:20 But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
That sort of clears that up for me.
 
calvin said:
The unfortunate virgins were told to go and buy some oil...........at Midnight?
Point is the oil is not the HS......He can not be bought as Simon learned to his sorrow.
Act 8:18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,
Act 8:20 But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
That sort of clears that up for me.
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You can't buy faith either, it's a gift, just like grace. But it is something you have work at accepting. Like laboring to enter the rest.
 
I always thought it was about prepardeness and the oil represents the holy spirit. We cannot give our holy spirit away we need to ask God directly? The wise virgins kept topped up, the foolish virgins ran out. They tried to ask the wise ones but the wise ones says go get your own.

I think I see this when ppl go after false teachers to 'give anointing' or try and BUY the holy spirit. You can see some 'supernatural schools' trying to charge money for the experience.

Some say the oil represents faith, others say it represents love for Christ. Like you would hold a torch for someone. IDK. This love can only be kindled by God.
 
I definitely think this is about the church (the Bride of Christ). The oil is the Holy Spirit and some are full (the Spirit lives in them) and others though having tasted of the gift, they never gave up being their own lord in yielding and striving to repent (never trimmed their wicks). For me these represent make-believers among the body (like tares they are sown in) for Jesus tells them they are workers of iniquity, and He NEVER knew them (they were never of Him - Romans 8:9)
 
instead of starting with the oil - start with the description/comparison of "wise" vs "foolish"

Note: foolish does not mean lacking knowledge or uneducated.

Foolish is ignoring and refusing instruction... Its being told over and over what to do and you intentionally do otherwise...

From this perspective - there was a known specification/requirement for the virgins pertaining to their acceptance. All specifications had to be met - from greatest to least.... Their readiness for the bridegroom's arrival with the correct preparations for their journey was a specific, known requirement.

The only reason the "Foolish" virgins were not "Taken" is that they intentionally ignored ALL the requirements - including a seemingly inconsequential one - of having enough oil with you for the night....

Think...
They were virgins
Already betrothed to the bridegroom
In the chamber, waiting....
Groom is coming...

Now.... If there were 10 virgins for one bridegroom - then this was a big deal, probably royalty... Arranged, political marriages... Big deal stuff - and having a bride rejected for a very minor technicality that had nothing to do with her person, virginity, or family would be a really big deal...

Think of the woman today saying "If he really loved me...." or the other very important families - "If this arrangement was really important to his family..."

But no. You ignored the requirement. You are out. Doesn't matter how fond he is of you, how rich,powerful, or influential your family, or how much he loves you.... On that day - 99% won't cut it.
 
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The parable is just that...a parable. there is danger in over spiritualizing parables. IMHO.
The ten virgins are just that....a group of people awaiting the coming of the groom.
The oil is just good old fashioned lamp oil nothing more.
The groom is the star of the show.....the Lord in this case.
If someone wants to teach a principle, then some sort of imagery is neded. What we need to do is look for the principle being taught and not get caught up in the furniture.
The Lord is returning, but we don't know when.
We need keep in readiness....we need to be obeying Jesus, we need to be loving one another.
 
We can look at it as just a parable talking about being prepared. Probably that was the intention of the payable. But we can draw good application from it. Not to build a theology. But just application to state of Church or rejection of Jesus by Jews. One thread where I almost liked every reply :d
 
Ravindran said:
We can look at it as just a parable talking about being prepared. Probably that was the intention of the payable. But we can draw good application from it. Not to build a theology. But just application to state of Church or rejection of Jesus by Jews. One thread where I almost liked every reply :d
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Yes be ready at every moment...
 
Where is the Messiah said:
What could a Christian have that is needed for the coming of Christ, can be given away, but also is a limited amount?

I believe the common belief is that the oil is the Holy Spirit. Could the oil be something else, but if the oil is the Holy Spirit, then is it something that can be given away?

In the parable half of the brides ask for oil, but the other half said no. The reason was because they were worried they might not have enough.

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived.
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In the parable, all the ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom. All had lamps and vessels for oil. For a time there was seen no difference between them. So with the church that lives just before Christ's second coming. All have a knowledge of the Scriptures. All have heard the message of Christ's near approach, and confidently expect His appearing. But as in the parable, so it is now. A time of waiting intervenes, faith is tried; and when the cry is heard, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him," many are unready. They have no oil in their vessels with their lamps. They are destitute of the Holy Spirit.

Without the Spirit of God a knowledge of His word is of no avail. The theory of truth, unaccompanied by the Holy Spirit, cannot quicken the soul or sanctify the heart. One may be familiar with the commands and promises of the Bible; but unless the Spirit of God sets the truth home, the character will not be transformed. Without the enlightenment of the Spirit, men will not be able to distinguish truth from error, and they will fall under the masterful temptations of Satan. -- Christ Object Lessons
 
Has anybody noticed that Jesus never explained this or even most of His parables as being about the Holy Spirit?...probably none.
There are so many, so wise.
Even with this teaching:
Mat 7:21. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 7:22. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'
Mat 7:23. And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
I 'm not reading that these people were assessed on their portion of the Holy Spirit...No they were assessed on their obedience to the Father.

Now just to clarify things, I'm not speaking against the Holy Spirit, I'm just a little tired and saddened that some people want to add to the Parables even after the grand Master of Parables has delivered and taught from them with perfect clarity.
Consider:
Act 19:1. And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.
Act 19:2. And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
fast forward>>
Act 19:8. And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
The probability is that the twelve baptized were Jews. And Jews knew nothing of the Holy Spirit! Why would Jesus teach lessons depending on a knowledge of the Holy Spirit for understanding, to a people who knew nothing about the Holy Spirit?
 
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calvin said:
Has anybody noticed that Jesus never explained this or even most of His parables as being about the Holy Spirit?...probably none.
There are so many, so wise.
Even with this teaching:
Mat 7:21. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 7:22. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'
Mat 7:23. And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
I 'm not reading that these people were assessed on their portion of the Holy Spirit...No they were assessed on their obedience to the Father.

Now just to clarify things, I'm not speaking against the Holy Spirit, I'm just a little tired and saddened that some people want to add to the Parables even after the grand Master of Parables has delivered and taught from them with perfect clarity.
Consider:
Act 19:1. And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.
Act 19:2. And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
fast forward>>
Act 19:8. And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
The probability is that the twelve baptized were Jews. And Jews knew nothing of the Holy Spirit! Why would Jesus teach lessons depending on a knowledge of the Holy Spirit for understanding, to a people who knew nothing about the Holy Spirit?
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You must run to and fro when studying scripture, not just stay in one place. Isa 28:9-11:

9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

The two classes of watchers represent the two classes who profess to be waiting for their Lord. They are called virgins because they profess a pure faith. By the lamps is represented the word of God. The psalmist says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto may path."
Ps. 119:105.

The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Thus the Spirit is represented in the prophecy of Zechariah. "The angel that talked with me came again," he says, "and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, and said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof; and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? . . . Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. . . . And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? . . . Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." Zech. 4:1-14. From the two olive trees the golden oil was emptied through the golden pipes into the bowl of the candlestick, and thence into the golden lamps that gave light to the sanctuary. So from the holy ones that stand in God's presence His Spirit is imparted to the human instrumentalities who are consecrated to His service. The mission of the two anointed ones is to communicate to God's people that heavenly grace which alone can make His word a lamp to the feet and a light to the path. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." Zech. 4:6.
 
OKAY.
If that is what you want to believe in spite of evidence to the contrary who am I to argue with such a learned fellow.
 
Man-ofGod said:
The two classes of watchers represent the two classes who profess to be waiting for their Lord. They are called virgins because they profess a pure faith.
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They were called virgins because that is what they were expected to be....not divorcees, not widows, not prostitutes just what Jewish custom would expect the Bride groom to be coming to gather to himself.....virgins.
 
calvin said:
They were called virgins because that is what they were expected to be....not divorcees, not widows, not prostitutes just what Jewish custom would expect the Bride groom to be coming to gather to himself.....virgins.
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Which of us are clean before the cleansing of the blood of Christ? None are righteous ... not one Rom 3:10

Lord we are Your church

The bride prepared for You

Nothings borrowed

Nothings blue

Nothings old

All is new

Clothed in linen

Pure and white

Pleasing fragrance

Beautiful sight

Shes the bride prepared

For the Lords delight

She longs to be taken home​
 
calvin said:
None of us, but that is not the point is it? a Parable is a teaching story not an affidavit.
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The parable is to give understanding to those that have ears to hear. I think when the focus becomes something other than the message itself which is to be ready/ prepared we toss the message to the way side and allow our flesh to take over on its quest to be right about something that is not relevant to the message. Not to say the oil was not needed in preparation
 
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