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Charity: Have you ever asked this question before this thread? If so, what response did you get? Peace. revvel

The Parable of the 10 Virgins: “Sleeping” Metaphor, Isaiah, Christ & The Mystery, Israel So we are all on the same page: The Parable of the 10 Virgins is just that… a parable, a fictitious story, an illustration with symbols. Returning to the opening question: What do “sleeping” virgins symbolize? “While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept” (Matt. 25:5). 100% of the virgins—wise and foolish—slept. Per Isaiah, Christ & Paul: “Sleeping” means “Eyes Closed,” Symbolically/Spiritually. Isaiah 29 “Be delayed and wait, blind yourselves and be blind. They are drunk, but not with wine. They stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep and has closed your eyes.” (Isa. 29:9, 10) Isaiah 6 He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn and be healed.” (Isa. 6:9, 10) Matthew 13: Christ Quoted Isaiah 6 “Therefore I speak to them in parables: ‘Because they look, but do not see. And they listen, but they do not hear, neither do they understand.’ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: ‘By hearing, you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing, you will see and shall not perceive; for this people’s heart has grown dull. Their ears have become hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I should heal them.’” (Matt. 13:13-15) Romans 11: Paul, The Mystery for Israel & the House of Jacob Christ returned to the “eyes” metaphor, when He revealed to Paul the mystery for Israel & the house of Jacob. For I, brethren, would not have you be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits: that blindness in part has happened to [has come over*] Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written: “There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is My covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins.” (Rom. 11:25-27) *“Happened” in Hebrew means “to come over”; in Greek: “to come into existence.” Next: The Parable of the 10 Virgins: The Witness of the Lord God & Christ Peace. revvel

Amazing mental horsepower. Stay tuned. Peace. revvel

Charity: You continue to demonstrate the depth of your intellect. Yet another excellent question. Patience, Charity, Patience... we'll get there. Peace. revvel

Your position on the matter is so noted. Waysider: As a student of the Bible (assuming you are) do you believe you have the right to know the lens by which your teachers/pastors/priests/professors/theologians view the Bible? Here is the Lens given by Christ that I use. 1. Lens: Divine Revelation Paul: “But I reveal to you, brothers, that the gospel* which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, neither was I taught it, except by a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Gal. 1:11, 12) Paul: 2 Timothy 3:16, 17: “All Scripture is inspired by God [Greek: Theopneustos = God-breathed] and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Peter: 2 Peter 1:21: “For no prophecy at any time was produced by the will of man, but holy men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” John: Rev. 22:16: “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to you with this testimony for the churches.” 2. Lens: The Mystery Within this lens—of Christ’s divine revelation—there is another lens given to us by Christ on how to view Genesis to Revelation: The Mystery. [W]e speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age knew it. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Cor. 2:7, 8) From Genesis to the Gospel of John, God had hidden a mystery—in Scriptures given prior to the Crucifixion. Could Christ have revealed the mystery prior to the Crucifixion? No… of course not. After the Resurrection/Ascension, Christ could reveal the mystery—and He did. That is the lens by which to view the Book of Acts to the Book of Revelation—while looking back at the rest of the Bible, including the Parable of the 10 Virgins. Christ handed us the key to unlock prophecies from The Torah to the Book of Revelation: The Mystery. Romans 16 *Now to Him who has power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret for long ages past, but now is revealed by the prophetic Scriptures according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all the Gentiles for the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen. (Rom. 16:25-27) The revelation of the mystery in Romans: The Church & Israel. Next: The revelation of the mystery: Israel. Peace. revvel

Charity, I like the way you think... forward thinking. When we get to the witness of Christ & the Fig Tree parable/prophecy, you can draw your own conclusions. You seem smart enough to do so. Peace. revvel

Order another one, waysider ... You can draw your own conclusion--after we hear from the witnesses: The Torah to the Book of Revelation. Peace. revvel

Charity, Excellent question. You were spared from what Peter warned against: But know this first of all, that no prophecy of the Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation. For no prophecy at any time was produced by the will of man, but holy men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:20, 21) Regarding the Parable of the 10 Virgins, we need the complete witness of the Old and New Testaments—not a personal interpretation devoid of these witnesses. Practically speaking, you were spared from the human imagination: the interpretation of the wise & foolish virgins representing “Church goers”—when in reality they represent Israel. Israel will be judged by a completely different lens, versus those cleansed by the blood of Christ. Church: 1 Cor. 3:11-15; Rom. 14:10-12; Rom. 5:9; Eph. 1:13, 14; 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9 Israel: Daniel 12:1-3; Matt. 19:28; Matt. 25:31-46 In essence, if you are told to believe the 10 Virgins represent Church goers, then you end up with the incorrect belief that you will be judged as Israel will be judged. That is what you were spared from. As far as why you were spared, I have no idea. Peace. revvel

Always good to be back in the greasespotcafe................................... Bartender... over here. You too Rocky. Stick around. We'll see about that delusional thing... Peace. revvel

Stick around Twinky... your question marks will turn into exclamation marks... courtesy of the Lord God, Christ, the Apostles & Prophets. Peace. revvel

Yes, oldiesman! Even though the context of the parable is Israel, we can learn a lesson from the wise & foolish virgins... and it relates to what you are saying. You will see parallels. Peace. revvel

Charity... you were spared... and you are correct: the "elect" of Matthew 24 refers to the sons of Israel, the literal context of the 10 Virgins. Peace. revvel

Yes! Waysider. Thank you. That is exactly what Christ is presenting to us: the symbolic significance of a parable, and how it relates to the literal context of Matthew 24, and the future. It is quite relevant as the parable points to the kingdom of Heaven on Earth. The 10 Virgins: Christ & OT Prophets, Matthew 24:27-31 I think we all can agree, the context of Matthew 25 is Matthew 24. When Christ’s prophecy (24:27-31) is fulfilled, several Old Testament prophecies will be fulfilled as well. Thus, we have several witnesses speaking with one voice on the subject of the “elect.” Who are the “elect” (the context of the (figurative) 10 Virgins)? Now, let Christ and the prophets speak... Christ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light…. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matt. 24:29, 31) Ezekiel Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain [the dead] so that they live.” … He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.” (Ezek. 37:9, 11) Joel The sun and moon darken, and the stars withdraw their radiance. The Lord roars from Zion, and sounds His voice from Jerusalem, and heaven and earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge for His people, and a stronghold for the children of Israel. (Joel 3:15, 16) Isaiah [Y]ou shall be gathered one by one, O sons of Israel. And in that day the great trumpet shall be blown, and those who were ready to perish in the land of Assyria and the outcasts in the land of Egypt shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem. (Isa. 27:12, 13) “Israel mine elect” (Isa. 45:4). “Israel shall be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation” (Isa. 45:17). Daniel Seventy weeks have been determined for your people [Daniel’s people: Israel] and upon your holy city… and to make atonement for iniquity…” (Dan. 9:24) The “Parable of the 10 Virgins” is in the context of the following: the elect, dark moon, great trumpet, Christ’s second coming to Israel to gather the sons of Israel, and the Fig Tree. I’ll come back to this divine truth. Next: 10 Virgins: “Sleeping” Metaphor, Isaiah, Christ & The Mystery Peace. revvel

The Parable of the 10 Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) How many of you were told to believe the 10 virgins represent “Church goers” and the oil represents the “Holy Spirit”? If you were told to believe this… and you are still convinced of it… can you share with us what Christ is telling you: “While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.” (Matt. 25:5) The key word is “all”: 100% of the virgins (Church goers) “slumbered and slept” … while the bridegroom tarried. What did Christ mean by that? What is the divine truth that this parable/illustration reveals to you… about you slumbering into sleep? Can you cite Scriptures to support your answer? Curious. Also, do you see a correlation between the “Fig Tree” (Matt. 24:32-34) & the “10 Virgins”? I’m interested in your perspective… seeking to jump start a healthy exchange… as interpretations of the 10 Virgins scatter the prophetic map. Additionally, in this thread, we will hear from the Lord God, Christ, the Prophets & Apostles, all of whom speak with one voice on the subject. Peace. revvel

The entire book can be read online on my website: www.thetimeline.org The following text is taken from the Prologue: “Our eternal God inspired Scripture. As God is the author, the mystery once hidden in the Old Testament must be in complete agreement with the mystery revealed in the New Testament. In the New Testament, John gave us seven seals in Revelation. In the Old Testament, Moses gave us seven holy days in the Law. Thus, God gave us a numbered chronology in the Law and in Revelation. Importantly, the mystery of God reveals the harmony between the Law and Revelation: The mystery, once hidden in the Law of Moses, is fully revealed in the Book of Revelation. God revealed this harmony between the Law and Revelation in the following way: Regarding the end times, God numbered “The End” (end-time prophecies) in the beginning of the Bible (the Law, through Moses), and God numbered “The End” (end-time prophecies) at the end of the Bible (the Book of Revelation, through John). And these two witnesses agree. The numbered chronology given by Moses in the Law (with the fall holy days), and the numbered chronology given by John (with the end-time seals), reveal God’s mystery for the end times. And this mystery contained the order of end-time events: the Rapture (to save and glorify Christ’s kingdom), the Apocalypse (to redeem Israel), and finally, the timing of the Millennial Kingdom (Christ’s reign from Jerusalem as King after His second coming to Israel). The numbered chronologies of Moses and John align perfectly, forming one unified template. Thus, all end-time prophecies—given by the prophets and disciples—drop right into this divine order. Christ will fulfill the mystery in the fall holy days and end-time prophecies with His second revelation (appearing) exactly as given. And God has given us a precedent: Christ already fulfilled the mystery in the four spring holy days with His first coming in the first century A.D. The Law of Moses, the Book of Revelation, and the revelation of the mystery form a matrix of truth that cannot be broken. The common thread of the mystery extends from the Law to Revelation—and pulls together the entire Bible.”