The 10 Bridesmaids - Part 1

The Parable of the 10 Bridesmaids was one of the first things in the Gospel to come into focus once God woke me up. This is probably one three of the most important parables for the Body of Christ in this hour. For years I would read it and wonder exactly what it meant. I had a very inaccurate understanding of what God intended to do in the generation Jesus was returning to.

About 3 years ago, God started to awaken me. This parable was one of the first things to snap into focus, like hearing the birds singing on that first warm spring morning when you've slept just a bit longer than usual. As you become aware of that beautiful song that is quietly bringing you into consciousness, pretty soon you realize "hey, the day has already started without me!"

Matthew 25:1-13 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose 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, ‘ No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

This is a stunning prophetic truth about the days WE live in. Make no mistake, Jesus was picturing you and I when He spoke these words. Like the first buds on the tree announcing spring, the season of Jesus' return is here. This is nearly universally recognized, albeit in very vague terms, by most of Jesus' Body at this point. It would be rarer across denominations to NOT recognize the current time as the "last days" than it would be to say that the time is not here yet. But, most people are so vague about it...very few want to "commit" to this emphatically. We mostly say it under our breath or as an add-on to some other admonition. According to the Bible, if it is the last days, then this should be pretty much the only thing we are talking about! Jesus' return is the MOST important admonition to action from His perspective.

At first brush, it is tempting to think that Jesus is drawing a distinction between believers and unbelievers. When many read the Parable of the 10 Bridesmaids, they are first tempted to see themselves as the awake sincerely prepared bridesmaid, and "unbelievers" as the foolish unprepared ones. This is inaccurate. This parable is ONLY about Jesus followers. It is about five wise and awake followers of Jesus and 5 casual and prone to sleep followers of Jesus. They are all "watching" for the groom. Five are all-in, totally prepared, and realistic about what is coming and how intense it will be. Five are foolishly mostly interested in something else, even “churchy” stuff, although they are waiting right alongside the wise ones who are completely prepared or preparing for the long dark night coming.

Because of the company they keep, these foolish bridesmaids mistakenly believe they are ready. They talk about the groom coming, they are even "putting in their time" outside the door of the wedding. They are listening in on the conversations of the wise ones standing right next to them, but they have not themselves embraced the reality of what is really about to happen, or what they are called to do. They mistakenly think that the groom's return is based on THEIR level of preparation, rather than getting ready based on the truth of what the groom's return IS PROMISED TO BE LIKE: a long dark night! They are setting themselves up for utter failure, right next to those who have set themselves up for brilliant victory!

The foolish bridesmaids know there is something to this whole "Revelation" thing. There is a certain response they observe the wise ones offering God. They hear parts of the message and their heart is stirred for a moment, but they cannot break out of what they have always cared most about and mostly done. They say things like "I know I need to take the time to figure this out." But they never actually get around to it. They even busy themselves with church-like stuff...but they lack the self-control to actually start sorting out what seem like the complexities of the news of our day, and the HUGE amount of Bible information....very detailed Bible passages concerning events we are watching play out daily in the news. It simply takes too many words to digest in 10 minutes, and so these sincere followers of Jesus foolishly put off the most important thing in all of creation that is literally playing out right before them...they put off getting ready, not realizing that the conditions that are coalescing are actually making it exponentially harder to get ready with each passing day!

This is what I mean: the Parable of the 10 Bridesmaids is about "being ready" for a long dark night. Jesus told His followers, every time He talked about returning, to do one or all of these three things: watch, pray, and "be ready." There is actually a ton to do, according to the Bible, to get ready. Each day that passes is like another minute passing in the evening, it is getting harder to see clearly to get ready with each day that passes. Putting off getting ready for night is very foolish because getting ready in the dark is 10 times harder!

Picture getting to a camping spot at midday and then getting distracted with all the stuff to explore and do and not putting up your tent. You say to yourself "I won't need the tent for a while"...pretty soon it is dark and then putting up the tent is very hard...add to that a storm, and you have a life or death situation on your hands. This is EXACTLY what the Bible describes: a dark night and a storm, both breaking at the same time. If your tent isn't up before both hit, you are in serious trouble.

Mostly, the getting ready is about preparing yourself and your geographic location to endure 7 years of the greatest trouble to ever hit planet earth. The trouble hits the Church first, according to the Bible. This is the "long dark night" the parable is all about. The trouble hitting the Church is going to result in many quitting being completely loyal to Jesus. Pressure is coming to the Church to go to a new level of "religious tolerance," where we compromise basic Bible truths about sin, salvation, and sanctification. This is already happening all around us in churches.

The pressure will ramp up EXPONENTIALLY...and quickly, like a flood...on the day a man confirms a seven year peace covenant in Israel.

Daniel 9:26-27 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city (Jerusalem in 70 AD) and the sanctuary (the Temple in 70 AD)...

(There is an “unreckoned” period of time here, between the 69th week of Daniel and the 70th week of Daniel. This same “break” in the prophetic timetable is present in nearly every place that refers to the 70th week. Daniel 11:35-36 is similar in its break. The time picks back up when Israel is back in Jerusalem. This happened in 1967, after the birth of the nation in a day in 1948 a fulfillment of prophecy found in Isaiah). Here is how the “last week”…the last 7 years comes:

…The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week (it appears, Based on Revelation 11:2, that the covenant is a two-state solution that results in a shared temple mount and the rebuilding of the temple) he (antichrist) shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."

Christians loyal to Jesus will be obligated to tell the truth about the man and his numerous plans to make the world “right” that many, including many Christians, think are the greatest things to ever happen to the planet. This will create great divisions in the Church based on offense. This man who brokers the peace in Israel will soon after make it illegal to be a loyal-to Jesus Christian. He will call fundamental Jesus-loyal Christians terrorists for threatening the delicate “peace” with their “lies” about who he is and what he is doing. Those identifying the antichrist will quickly become enemies of the state and it will be legal to arrest and/or kill them. Making it legal to kill loyal Jesus followers has happened many times in the past, and is promised to happen again.

Many compromising church leaders, attempting to save their own skin and protect their own positions, will make those loyal to Jesus, enemies of their churches, as well. A global economic near-catastrophe...picture the 2008 1 trillion dollar infusion of cash we didn’t have as "saving" the US economy....will result in a new global economic solution promised by the Bible to be some sort of globally enforced currency. Those who want to work or eat will have to participate in the new currency, which will involve a mark of some sort near the head or hand. Many Christians who are not ready to live by faith will take this new currency out of fear for their families, but more so, because of pressure from their families. Many mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers will call those resisting the new currency irresponsible for NOT taking the mark. It will be their fear for YOUR kids that will drive them to pressure you to give in. The Bible lays out all of these dynamics plainly. Is my heart ready? You get ready by cutting ties to earthly strength, reputation, and comfort now, before it is pulled away from you. This is what the Sermon on the Mount, the basic recipe for Christian living, is entirely about…living for another age and in the process, building your life on a firm foundation to endure a storm in the dark of night.

Luke 12:49-56 "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! (50) But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! (51) Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. (52) For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. (53) Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." (54) Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. (55) And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. (56) Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

The first coming of Jesus was mostly missed by those looking for Him. The second coming will be very similar. This is PROMISED by the Bible. There will be much pressure and MANY opinions within the Church, some right and some born straight out of deception, and the confusion of these days will increase to a level unseen in human history. This will create great offense, betrayal, and the falling away...people quitting by compromising loyalty to Jesus...the Bible promises MUST happen. Paul said the rapture WILL NOT HAPPEN until after the antichrist has been revealed and the falling away occurs:

II Thessalonians 2:1-3 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord

Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

“Falling away” is a very specific term. It means quitting being a Christian. No one can snatch a person from His hand, but because of free will you are always free to walk away on your own (emphasis mine):

Luke 8:13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation FALL AWAY.

Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, (5) and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, (6) if they FALL AWAY, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

Jesus described the exact order of events that lead to offense, betrayal, and people quitting: first the initial global birth pangs...wars, natural disasters, political shifting...then the first contractions:

Matthew 24:7-13 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake and then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many and because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

This is the dynamic the Bible promises for this time: the wise will endure and actually flourish, and the foolish will be left in utter shame:

Daniel 12:1-4 "At that time (the start of the last Great Tribulation, the last 3.5 years of the 7 year tribulation) Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever. (4) "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."

This is about my life view extending beyond the immediate time without Jesus face to face. It is about making real choices like I want greatness forever over comfort now. If I am trying to live my best life now and casually watching without actually getting ready, I WILL be ashamed when the Author of Life appears. There will be some level of regret for not living all in for the age to come. Jesus gave it all for me to have life WITH HIM forever. Settling for a less-than life before Jesus gets back, rather than pressing in with everything actually is choosing to care about something other than what He is intense about. Going all in, ESPECIALLY in the generation that is actually witnessing it go down, is the heart attitude that will prepare the last generation to not just endure the long dark night, but to be victorious bright shining lamps THROUGH the night!

Mark 13:37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"