Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

They go forward to meet the Lord-who is the Bridegroom. A virgin is an unmarried daughter. Someone chaste. They took their lamps-doesn't the Word of God tell us the Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path? But what about the oil? It represents the anointing, it represents the Holy Ghost, does it not? The Bridegroom is Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, and even now He tarries, waiting for the last soul, the last bit of the harvest to be brought in. In His mercy, He's not willing that any should perish. He knows when He comes to rapture His Bride, that shuts the door on the Gentiles and then it turns back to the Jews. No one knows how close it is, but those who belong to Him feel Him inside them urging them to be ready, be watching, it's not going to be much longer. Wake up, don't be caught sleeping, the Spirit whispers. Mat_25:1 says while He tarried they all slumbered and slept. In the original Greek, this translates as "to be overcome or oppressed with sleep, to be negligent or careless of a thing, to linger or delay..."

Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

What causes the lamp to be empty? Letting the oil run out, or not having any in it. They had the Word but not the Spirit? Could these 5 foolish virgins be the type of the careless Christian who occasionally reads their Bibles, but don't eat the Book, who sometimes pray, but not often? Whose thoughts casually wander to the Lord every now and then but are not stayed on Him, not actively seeking HIM? What about the virgins who had the oil? They had the Word of God, and it was in their hands, and in their vessel-we are the earthen vessels which the Spirit of God inhabits when we are born again. But if we neglect to go to the Source to get a fresh infilling regularly-if we do not show up for prayer and and communion with the Lord, breaking the Bread of Life, eating His flesh and drinking His blood-being washed by the water of the Word (Eph_5:26) how can we possibly have oil in our vessels? The oil is what causes the lamp to burn brightly. It is the Source that causes the fire to burn. Consider the antique oil lamps you've probably seen in your grandparents' home. Those with very little oil in them, with untrimmed wicks, will barely burn, with only a dim light and it will smoke some and sputter out. But the more oil in the lamp, the brighter the light. Where do we get the oil?

IN HIS PRESENCE. Prayer. Reading His Word. Seeking to be filled. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, they shall be filled. The term "eat my flesh and drink my blood" sounds confusing, and complicated. What does that really mean? You dig in to His Word, digest, savor it, pray for understanding, devour it, contemplate it, rejoice in It, let it govern you. You embrace the sacrifice He made at Calvary, for your redemption, for our forgiveness. That precious blood He shed so we could be forgiven and reconciled to the Father. It wipes our sins clean when we sincerely repent. 1Jo_1:7-9 I know there is more to these Scriptures that I haven't yet understood, but I thank Him for the understanding He's given me thus far...and I want more.

What does midnight mean? In the middle of the night, in the middle of the darkness of the night. Scripture says gross darkness will cover the people..

Isa 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

In these last days, the darkness that clouds people's hearts and minds is getting stronger, and greater. Restraint is being cast off as fast as possible. What people would consider unthinkable 20 years ago when I was a child is common practice now, and considered the norm. You never saw teachers talking about homosexuality in the school as an "alternative lifestyle". Children weren't allowed to be adopted by same-sex couples. Teachers could be fired for improper behavior. Teachers didn't have sex with students who were just kids. Things have degenerated so much in just the last 20 years that were it not for the presence of God in my life I would greatly fear for my two children...

But as He was able to keep the hearts and lives of Moses in the Egyptian court of Pharaoh, as he was schooled by Pharaoh's wise men in their religion and idolatry, and He was able to keep Daniel and the three Hebrew boys in Nebuchadnezzar's pagan court, as they were taught and schooled by his wisest men, so will He keep my children. Praise the Lord for He is faithful. His promises he doesn't break.

When you trim the wick of a lamp, you cut off the excess wick that has burnt dry and gotten hard. A wick soaked in oil at the bottom will burn the brightest. I have thought about this, and a Christian who doesn't pray, or go to the Word of God much, would be like a tire which has a slow leak-and eventually goes flat. It doesn't take long.

Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

Why couldn't the wise give some of their oil to the foolish? Because this is something you have to get from the Lord yourself. Your pastor can't read your Bible or do your praying for you. He can remember you in his prayers, but he can't do your praying and Bible reading for you no more than he can eat your meals for you. If someone else does eats your food, they will be healthy and you will starve. Likewise, with the Holy Bible and prayer. There are things we must do ourselves.

Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

If you find it hard to read the Word of God, if it doesn't excite you, and if you don't hunger for it like you should, ask yourself some hard questions. Do you believe it's His love letter to you, personally? Do you understand every promise in the Book is YOURS? Your Children's? Do you understand it is LIFE eternal and must be Spiritually discerned? Carnal reasoning will misunderstand this Precious Book every time.

What is the solution? Admit the problem, and go to the Lord for help. There have been times when I felt like it was a chore, a duty I had to do to read a few chapters, or verses, and got very little out of what I read. But you don't give up and quit. Do like David did and pray.

Psa 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

He will do this for the hungry heart. He already said He would.

Jer 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

The mightiest things on this earth is the blood of Jesus that covers us, the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

Psa 25:4 Show me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.

He wants to show us His ways. He wants us to know Him and understand who He is. One of my worst fears is one day, standing before Him, at last seeing His awesome, unimaginable power, and all the resources He has placed at our disposal, and realizing how many I didn't even consider. How much I could have had of Him but never sought. I won't have any excuse because He's made it available freely to us now.

Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Consider these two very important Scriptures-if we don't have His Spirit in us we aren't HIS. And He's plainly stated he's made everything, the life of His Son, and all things that pertaineth to Godliness, and life, available, freely to us.

2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Don't let anything stop you from having HIM. Nothing you could ever hope to gain in this world is worth losing HIM. We all only get this one life to live and what matters is who we live it for-ourself or HIM. If we give it to HIM and let Him live it through us, in control, we will save it. If we live it for ourselves and be our own boss, we will lose it and won't be able to get it back if we have all the money in the world to offer in exchange. Think about it. He loves you. He died for you. Don't let anything separate you from HIM and His love.

Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Shall pleasures and cares of this world separate you from HIM? Shall the love of money or leisure time? Shall too much TV time and not enough Bible reading do it? Will you let fear of what others think do it? Or will you let the enemy of your soul lie to you and cheat you out of what He has for you?

Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And all I can say to that is AMEN and thank you Jesus...nothing can separate us from HIM if determine to hold to His unchanging, unfailing hand...

2Co 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.