The oil in the lamps then represents the correct interpretation of end-time prophetic truth! 2Peter 1v19 states:
“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
In Matt 24v3 the disciples had asked the Lord Jesus the following question:
“…Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
So in response the Lord Jesus had given them the end-time signs to look out for, ie end-time prophetic truth. He refers them to Daniel’s 70[SUP]th[/SUP] prophetic week in Daniel 9v27 (with Dan 11v31, 12v11) and the Great Tribulation which immediately precedes His return. The 70[SUP]th[/SUP] week of Daniel, the time of the 7 year treaty between Antichrist, Israel and many other countries, will be the darkest time in the world’s history, midnight representing the start of the Great Tribulation when Antichrist breaks the covenant with Israel and sets up his image in the Temple. 2Thess 2v1-12, Rev 13 (all) Hence the cry goes up, “The Bridegroom cometh.” Notice, it doesn’t say “The Bridegroom’s here,” BUT that He cometh, ie He is on His way. He comes AFTER midnight, after the Great Tribulation. Matt 24v29-31. In the parable He comes after midnight when the foolish have gone to try and buy oil (the point being that once midnight comes there won’t be time to prepare!)
Why does the lamp of the foolish go out at midnight? Because they did not believe they would see darkness – as far as the Church is concerned the last three and a half years and the reign of Antichrist, they thought the Bridegroom would have come before then. Hence the foolish only take notice of prophey up to the commencement of the middle of Daniel’s 70[SUP]th[/SUP] week. Once the last three and a half years of this age starts (the Great Tribulation), they have no more prophetic light and their lamps go out. The fact that half of them were foolish shows that half of the Church will find itself in this position! Why did the wise fall asleep? Well, there are many who have learned, or are learning, about the reign of Antichrist and the Great Tribulation, they believe they have to face the darkness before meeting the Lord. They have learn’t the Scriptures and stored the oil of prophetic truth. At first they were very intense and keen about the subject looking for the time of the treaty (and so forth), but as time has passed their interest and zeal has cooled and they have fallen asleep, “the Lord tarries”, nevertheless, when the time comes they will awake and the will have the ALL IMPORTANT oil”
Matt 25v1-13 is simply carrying on from Matt 24, especially from the parable of the faithful and wise servant and the evil servant in Matt 24v45-51:
“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
So, these servants represents Pastors and Teachers who are to teach the Body of Christ Truth (including end-time prophetic truth), however, the evil servant not only believes the lie of a secret pre-tribulation advent and rapture, BUT has also taught it to those Christians in his church as well, ie the foolish virgins, with the result that BOTH the evil servant and the foolish virgins backslide and go into apostasy. Matt 24v51, 25v12
Psalm 119v105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”
These 2 parables in Matt 24v45-25v13 are teaching the Body of Christ just how important the correct interpretation of last day prophetic truth is, it does NOT teach that that is all you need to get through the dark days of the Great Tribulation! In the parable of the 10 virgins the Lord was illustrating how vital it is to have light for the darkness – THE LIGHT HE (the Lord Jesus) HAS PROVIDED! You can have everything else like the foolish virgins, purity, grace, looking for the coming of the Lord and so forth and yet backslide and go into apostasy in the time of darkness, during the Great Tribulation.
Part 3