Transcript
It’s time to begin service this morning. It’s so glad to have you all here with us. We greet you all in Jesus’ name, and we send our greetings especially to the many listeners we have from Faith Assembly and the other churches where he fellowshipped for so many years. God bless you all. I especially greet the saints in Moncton, Fairhope, and Verdal who have reached out over the past week with your kind words. And we also send our love and greetings to our friends in South Africa, Ghana, and Nigeria, and the ones who have reached out from there. May God richly bless you all. We are glad to be able to offer you something. I am hearing that things are rapidly getting worse in the places we come from, and we should pray for all our friends who have not been able to find a way out, as things are beginning to get increasingly dangerous in some of the groups. And, I am thankful for the opportunity to point to a better way.
Today we are continuing with our William Branham series, where we are examining topics that are of interest to people who are leaving William Branham’s cult following, known as the message. And in case you should wonder why that would be of interest to us, that would be because I and the majority of our listeners here are formerly part of William Branham’s cult following. Having exited, there are a number of things that are of particular interest to us, having discovered William Branham was misleading us. It’s very natural for us to want to understand a better way to look at these things. That’s why today we are looking at the subject, which I have titled, “What the Parable of the Ten Virgins is not.
Our scripture reading is from Matthew 25, and I invite you to turn there with me as we read. Let us read the parable of Jesus together, starting at verse 1.
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 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. 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. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Matthew 25:1-13 (King James Version)
Let us pray. Lord, as we approach these scriptures this morning, Lord, you know that many things have been told us about this parable. And Lord, I know you spoke it for a purpose. And Lord, today, we want to compare the things we have been told about this parable to the scripture, to see if what we have been told is correct. Please guide our understanding. Help us to see clearly, by your spirit. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Well, brothers and sisters, as I have said, the title of this message is “What the Parable of the Ten Virgins is not.” My emphasis today is on those last two words – What it is not. And chiefly, that is what we will be looking at today; we will be comparing what we have been told about this parable to see if it fits with the plain reading of scripture.
And as we do that, this message will be in four parts. The first part, I will explain what William Branham and message leaders preach about this parable. And then second, we will point out the internal contradictions within the message interpretation itself. And then, we will compare William Branham’s interpretation with the plain reading of scripture, to see if it stands up to scripture. And then last of all, we will take a little time to explore a better way to frame this parable.
Message Interpretation
So, let’s get started. And let’s begin by summarizing William Branham’s explanation of this parable. And as we do that, let me say that depending on which message preacher you listen to, you will come away with different nuanced explanations of this passage. Please understand I am sharing the explanation that was taught by Raymond Jackson and was most common among the churches I fellowshipped with.
And the message explanation goes like this:
This parable is speaking about a time before the second coming of Jesus Christ. And the ten virgins represent the Christian church at large. And they are all saved, both wise and foolish. They say the symbol of their salvation is the fact that they are all virgins.
At this point in time, they are all lumped into one single group as they slumbered and slept.
But then at midnight, a cry was made, which would have been a voice shouting. And that midnight cry was the message of William Branham, which we believed was the same thing as the shout in 1st Thessalonians 4 and the same thing as the voice in Revelation 10:7. We have examined both of those scriptures in the past five lessons; you are welcome to listen to those if you would like more information. But in essence, this midnight cry was the message of William Branham, and it signaled the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Now if you recall, the message believes in three different second comings of Jesus. There was the second coming in 1963, the second coming at the rapture, and then the second coming at the end of the tribulation. They apply this parable to all three second comings.
The midnight cry is the 1963 second coming. The going to the marriage is the rapture second coming. And the end of the parable when the Lord gives rewards, that is the post-tribulation second coming. So, all three second comings are part of the message explanation of this parable.
So the first second coming in 1963 is when the midnight cry happened, and William Branham taught that his message was the midnight cry. This marks the point in time when the wise and the foolish virgins went their separate ways, and that is used by message leaders to justify how they cut themselves off from the rest of Christianity and began to isolate themselves.
Now the oil in this parable, they almost entirely agree, is the Holy Ghost. And so the difference between the wise virgins and the foolish virgins is the Holy Ghost. People in the message generally believe in either two or three works of grace, and they generally believe you can be saved without having the Holy Ghost.
And some preachers will teach that the foolish virgins are maybe justified or sanctified but not filled with the spirit. Others will say the foolish virgins had the Holy Spirit, but they backslid and lost it.
But either way, they agree, the oil is the Holy Spirit, and at the critical moment of the midnight cry, they are without oil, without the Holy Spirit.
And in the message, the evidence of the Holy Ghost is believing the message of William Branham.
So the foolish virgins have no oil, no Holy Ghost, and they are sent to go find some after they hear the midnight cry.
And while the foolish virgins are out looking for oil, the wise virgins go to the marriage.
And the marriage is in heaven, so the wise virgins are raptured to heaven for the marriage, which would connect to Revelation chapter 19.
And then, while the wise virgins are in heaven at the wedding, the foolish virgins come knocking, and they realize they have missed the rapture. But it’s too late; they missed the rapture, so they have to suffer the tribulation.
And in verse 12, when the Lord says, “I know you not,” that would be talking about the biblical way that a husband knows his wife. That is to say, the foolish virgins did not have a consummated marriage; the Lord did not know them. This would be compared to wise virgins, whom he did know or whom he did consummate a marriage with.
So the wise virgins become the bride of Christ, and the foolish virgins, although they were not the bride of Christ, were still saved. But they would have to burn up and be torturously killed or martyred in the tribulation. In the resurrection, they would receive eternal life so they could become servants to the bride of Christ.
I want to also point out that there is some variance about how the rapture fits into this parable, depending on which preacher you listen to. Some say the wise virgins go in, and the door is closed this side of the rapture. Others say the door is still open, and the door does not close until the rapture actually happens.
I point that out because I want you to recognize that there are different explanations about whether or not that door is closed yet. But I think I have conveyed the basic premise of how this parable is taught in the message.
And at the end of the day, this parable is one of the most important sets of scriptures to the foundation of the message. Saying the message is the midnight cry gives it so much of its power in the minds of people. If the message is the midnight cry, then you have to obey it to go in the rapture, and this is the most important verse from which they derive that belief.
This parable is also one of the main vehicles they use to create the idea that there is a lower order of Christians, people who are still saved but not as good as the bride of Christ. They will have to burn up in the tribulation or be torturously killed by the antichrist. Their blood has to be shed to make up for their rejection of the message. The foolish virgins have to die as a penalty from God.
If you believe I am misrepresenting anything, you are welcome to go listen to check the sources yourself.
William Branham preached a sermon titled “The 144,000 and 10 Virgins,” and you can find what he taught there. You can also listen to Raymond Jackson’s many sermons on the Wise and Foolish Virgins. Those are easily found online.
I will remind you that I was the editor and publisher of the literature and recorded sermons where I come from, and I am very familiar with their teachings. I am not seeking to misrepresent anything, just give it to you in a condensed version. Any details I have left out, I am sorry; it’s not because I don’t know about them, but it is because I am not going to spend 26 messages preaching this, like some message preachers would.
Internal Contradictions
Alright, now that takes us to the second part of this lesson. We are going to point out the internal contradictions in the message explanation for these verses.
And the first thing I want to point out is that William Branham himself said this parable was a polygamous wedding, and that the bridegroom is marrying all of these virgins at once. It is important that this parable be about a polygamous wedding because the verse where it says, “I never knew you,” has to be about consummating a marriage for the message interpretation to work right. I will explain that a little more in a second.
But first, let me ask you a question. Would Jesus characterize his second coming as a polygamous wedding? I have to say that just does not sound right to me. It’s always presented as “bride,” in the singular. Yes, the bride represents the entire church, but it is also symbolized elsewhere as a monogamous marriage. Here, according to the message, it would have to be a polygamous marriage. And polygamy is clearly something that is outside of the perfect plan of God, so it is very strange that Jesus would utilize a polygamous wedding here as his illustration.
Most Christians, outside of the message, would look at this parable and say these virgins are not brides but bridesmaids. So, I just want to point out that contradiction. How can verse 12 be about consummating a marriage unless this parable is about a polygamous wedding? Can we really think that Jesus used a polygamous wedding to symbolize his union with the church?
What I would suggest to you, after reading this parable carefully, is that the bride of Christ is not actually in this parable. There is no bride mentioned in this parable at all. There is a bridegroom, there are virgins who are like bridesmaids, but the bride is not actually directly mentioned in this parable at all, unless you believe this is a polygamous wedding. We will come back to this point.
Now, the message has more than one reason to make verse 12 about marital relations. One is because that is the only way to infer that the wise virgins were brides. The second reason is because of Matthew chapter 7. Let me show that to you. Let me read exactly what Jesus told these foolish virgins first, in verse 11:
Matthew 25:11-12: “Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ But he answered and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, I know you not.'”
Notice those words: they said “Lord, Lord,” and then he said “I know you not.” Keep those words in your memory. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 7, verse 22. Jesus said:
Matthew 7:22-23: “Many will say to me in that day (Jesus is talking about the day of judgment), ‘Lord, Lord,’ (isn’t that the same thing the foolish virgins said?) Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord,’ have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you (isn’t that the same thing Jesus told the foolish virgins?): I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity.'”
Do you notice how Matthew 7 and Matthew 25 are so similar? It’s the exact same phrases and words. Here in Matthew 7, if you read the chapter, Jesus is perfectly clear that the ones who say “Lord, Lord” are lost; they are not saved at all. The message has to separate Matthew 25 from Matthew 7, and they do that by turning the “know you not” in chapter 25 into marital relations.
That is the second internal contradiction I want you to catch. In Matthew 25, “know you not” is supposedly marital relations, but the exact same thing in Matthew 7 is not. In Matthew 25, “know you not” means they are still saved, but in Matthew 7, “know you not” means they are lost. So just catch that; that is a second major internal contradiction.
Moving on to the third contradiction, and this is the strangest one of all: the midnight cry could not save the foolish virgins. Just think about this for a second. The evidence of the Holy Spirit is believing the message, right? So why would these people be sent to the denominations to go get oil? The symbol of salvation is being a virgin, according to the message, and the symbol of oil represents the Holy Spirit, the proof being that they believe the message. So, those symbols all really mean that.
How in the world does it make sense that the foolish virgins are sent to denominations so they can get oil? Let me also point out, the midnight cry is supposed to be the message, right? Well, clearly, the foolish virgins believe this midnight cry; that is why they are scrambling to get oil. So, if they believe the midnight cry and they believe the bridegroom is coming, then don’t they believe the message? Because the message is the midnight cry.
This is just very odd. The foolish virgins hear the midnight cry, and they believe it. They respond by asking for oil. But the evidence of the Holy Spirit is believing the midnight cry. So, it’s a very strange contradiction. The midnight cry is the message, and believing the midnight cry is evidence of the Holy Ghost. Yet these foolish virgins have no Holy Ghost.
That honestly, I have to say, makes no sense. I truly believe these internal contradictions are enough to let us know the message interpretation cannot possibly be right. There is no way Jesus would have made this parable a big contradictory mess.
I will say that there are more internal contradictions than this, but I will stop with these three.
Does it stand up to scripture?
And now, going into the third part of our lesson today: Moving beyond these internal contradictions, let’s see if the basic premise of the message interpretation stands up to the plain reading of scripture.
And as we begin that, let me point out to you how everything the message teaches about this parable relies totally on their interpretation of the symbolism.
This parable does not plainly say any of what the message teaches. This parable does not plainly say, a group of foolish Christians will hear the last day message, and will go back to the denominations, and miss the rapture, and have to burn up in the tribulation. The bible does not say that. And it’s important that you recognize that. That belief is just based on the interpretation of symbols.
And we accept that interpretation, not because the bible plainly says it, but because we believed William Branham’s divine gift to interpret these symbols as a prophet of God.
And when you subtract William Branham from the picture, then you also have to subtract his authority to interpret these symbols.
And I want to draw your attention to that, because that is the case with many many things we believed. And as I have stated before, the message is based very heavily on the interpretation of symbolism. Many of the deeply held beliefs of the message are not from a plain reading of the bible. And when they say the message is in the bible, they mean the symbols are in the bible. And it is true, the symbols are in the bible. But their interpretation of what those symbols mean is definitely not in the bible. Their interpretation of those symbols comes largely from the mouth of William Branham, not the bible.
And it has got to the place that people in the message have elevated William Branham’s interpretation of symbols over the plain reading of scripture. And in doing so, they actually no longer believe the plain reading of scripture.
But let’s do some plain reading of scripture, and see how this parable stands up.
Romans 5:9
“Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
Alright, what is this verse telling us? It is telling us that everyone who has been justified by the blood of Jesus will be saved from wrath.
And brothers and sisters, this is why I have spent the past year teaching the basics of the gospel. Because it only takes the basics of the gospel to tear the message down.
Everyone who is justified by the blood of Jesus shall be saved from all wrath to come.
And, whatever sect of the message you are in, you would say those foolish virgins are at least justified by the blood of Jesus. Because, minimally, that is the first work of grace, no matter what part of the message you are in.
And Paul is telling us, minimally, someone who is justified will be saved from wrath.
Even the message teaches that the foolish virgins are justified. And if they are justified, they will be saved from wrath.
They are not going to have to burn up in the tribulation or be torturously killed to atone for anything.
The bible teaches us that everyone who is saved will be delivered from all wrath. It is one of the basic promises of salvation for every last person who is saved.
And to invent a class of Christians who don’t get saved from the wrath to come, that violates the basics of the gospel.
And that puts men who teach that into the class of men who are preaching another gospel. May they be accursed.
If you are justified, you will never experience the wrath of God being poured out on you. Not in any shape or any form. So says the plain reading of scripture.
And we find that repeated across the new testament. Let’s have one more example.
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
“For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
So just notice there, he delivered us, past tense, from the wrath to come, future tense. This is one of the key promises of salvation. We will not face God’s wrath. In any shape or form. Because Jesus is our savior. This promise is to everyone who has come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Jump ahead to chapter 5, I will read a few more verses.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”
And again, just notice here, Wrath is situated as being the opposite of salvation. It is wrath, or it is salvation. It’s not both. You either get wrath poured out on you, or you get salvation. They are mutually exclusive.
And when wrath comes from God, whatever it is, however it is, and whenever it is, the true Christian will be protected from it. Because Jesus Christ saved us from all wrath.
That is a basic promise of salvation. It is a promise to every single person who is saved. Wrath is one of the very things we have been saved from.
So to say that foolish virgins are saved, but they are going to have the wrath of God poured out on them for rejecting the message, or for not measuring up in some way, that does not fit the scripture.
And we know, when the bible talks about wrath, it means punishment for sins. And that is what the wrath of God is. It is punishment for sins. And his wrath comes in various forms. And of course, first and foremost it is punishment in hell. But that is not the only wrath God dishes out.
God is going to dish out wrath to the people on earth at the second coming of Jesus Christ.
And turn to Revelation 16 with me. And let’s read what is going to happen to these foolish virgins, according to the message. Let’s see what they get to experience, according to message preachers. I will read verse 1.
Revelation 16:16
“And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.”
Brothers and sisters, you can read all of chapter 16 here, I won’t. You can go back and read about the trumpets too, and they are all about the wrath of God.
And in the message, we believe this wrath of God is poured out for the entire period of the great tribulation. And we believed this, along with the antichrist, would kill all the foolish virgins.
And God subjected all the foolish virgins to this, because they didn’t accept the message.
But, that idea just does not stand up to the plain reading of the scripture.
No believer who has been justified by the blood of Jesus will ever face the wrath of God being poured out on them.
Whenever, and whatever, and however, this wrath of God is poured out on the earth, it is not something that will ever affect any of the true children of God.
Everyone who has been justified by the blood of Jesus will be delivered from all wrath.
We can just set aside the when and how, and we can say whatever it is – it will not be poured out on the children of God. Because the most basic promise of salvation is you will be delivered from all wrath.
Amen.
And if you read the bible, Matthew 24, the book of Revelation, or the old testament prophecies, we are told that when you get to the other side of this wrath of God, the children of God will still be standing.
And whatever and however that transpires – is not particularly important for our lesson today.
What matters is that we recognize what the message has taught us does not match the plain reading of scripture.
God is not going to burn up, kill, or subject to wrath people who are saved.
That is simply not going to happen.
Now this is not to say evil forces won’t be seeking to destroy.
But it will be in no way because God is punishing them with that fate.
And to turn this into something where God is punishing people for rejecting the message, that is totally wrong.
God has no wrath, none whatsoever, for people who are justified by the blood of Jesus.
Ok.
Let’s look at another thing the message teaches about the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, which does not stand up to the plain reading of scripture.
Let’s go back to Matthew 25. I will read you the first verse of that parable, it says:
Matthew 25
King James Version
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins…
That first word in this parable is “THEN”. And that means this parable is applicable to a certain point in time. This is not applicable forever, and for all, but to a particular time. And of course, the message preachers will tell you that time started in 1963, or something along that line.
But Jesus lets us know when “then” is. And if we were going to apply this parable to any actual events that transpire, it would only apply to events within a certain window of time.
So, we want to ask the question: When is that window of time? And, remember Matthew 25 comes after Matthew 24. It’s a continuation of the prior chapter. And if we want to know when “THEN” is, we have to go back to the last chapter and see the time Jesus was talking about.
Let’s turn back to Matthew chapter 24 and read a little bit to get context of when this time period is. Let me start at verse 43. Jesus says:
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
So clearly, he is talking about the sign of his coming. He is talking about the second coming of the Lord. And of course, the message believes there are three second comings. So, let’s read along and see just which one this would be.
Verse 43
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Verse 44
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Verse 45
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Verse 46
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Verse 47
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Verse 48
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
Verse 49
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
Verse 50
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Verse 51
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
So, let me again draw your attention to verse 51. Jesus, in that verse, is talking about the day he comes both to give judgment and to give rewards.
Because when the Lord comes here in verse 51, he is going to cut the wicked asunder. He is going to appoint him his portion with the hypocrite. He is going to send them to hell. And there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
So catch that. Jesus is talking about his coming at the day of judgment. Not a 1963 coming with a shout. Not a coming for the rapture. But a coming for the day of judgment.
So again, very clearly, let me draw your attention to the fact that Jesus is talking about his coming at the day of judgment.
And let me also point out, Jesus is talking about the reward of hypocrites there in verse 51. Back in chapter 7, it was the hypocrites who said, “Lord, Lord”. And it was the hypocrites Jesus said, “I never knew you”. And, could it be, that the foolish virgins who say, “Lord, Lord”, and hear him say, “I never knew you”, could that be the very hypocrites Jesus is talking about here in verse 51.
So verse 51, Jesus is talking about punishing hypocrites on the day he returns in judgment. And now turn to the next chapter.
So now we have two very serious problems with the message interpretation of this parable. Where two times now, it is very obviously not aligned with the plain reading of scripture.
The first serious problem is that the bible plainly tells us no saved person will perish because of the wrath of God. And this second problem is that Jesus plainly connected this passage to his coming on the day of judgement.
Let me move, let’s read on and let point out the third serious issue here.
Matthew 25
King James Version
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
So all of these people, both wise and foolish, they heard this midnight cry. And if this is midnight cry sounded in 1963, that was 60 years ago. Sixty years ago, people first heard this midnight cry. And then these following events are set into motion, starting with verse 7.
Verse 7
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
So at this critical moment, the foolish have no oil.
Verse 9
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.
So, the foolish virgins are sent out to the denominations to get their oil. And here is where the third big problem arises with the plain reading of scripture.
The message tells us that over 60 years have passed between verse 9 and verses 10 and 11. So sixty years go by, and verses 10 and 11 happen. Let me read it.
Verse 10
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.
Verse 11
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
This is a very serious problem. The virgins in verse 10 and 11 are the same virgins from verse 8 and 9. It’s not new virgins. It is the same wise virgins. It is the same foolish virgins.
But brothers and sisters, over sixty years have passed. Almost everyone who was here back in 1963 in the message is dead. Whether they are wise, whether they are foolish, they are pretty well all dead.
Anyone who was an adult would be at least in their 80s. And anyone who was a little kid would be at least in their 60s.
And brothers and sisters, given a little more time, they will all be dead.
But I want to ask you a simple question. Is there anything here that would suggest to us there is a 60-year delay between verse 9 and verse 10? Is there anything in there to suggest that even one of these virgins died?
Wouldn’t the plain reading of this parable indicate that the same virgins who heard the midnight cry, and the same ones who are there for what happened in verse 10 and 11.
How can it be that almost all these virgins from 1963 are dead?
And here is the thing. In most of the groups out there, you have zero people left who were in the message in 1963. All the groups that split off from where I come from, you have two, at the most three groups, who even have someone from 1963 left.
And if you don’t have a single person in your little group left who was in the message in 1963, you are already in the position that they are all dead. And that is the situation, by and large, of most message groups today. You have nobody left who was in the message in 1963.
And those who do, you won’t have them for much longer. And it is totally ridiculous to read this passage in such a way that you say the midnight cry happened and then all the virgins who heard it in 1963 died. I think it’s ridiculous to read it in such a way that you could even say any of them died.
There is absolutely no way to read this parable in such a way that you can fit multiple generations of people coming and going into this parable. It is very obvious. The same people who heard the midnight cry in the moment it first sounded, they are the same people who make it to the very end.
And it just impossible to put a 60-year pause here in the middle of this.
There is not the slightest thing here to suggest that is the case. And we are expected to believe that, not because the bible says that, but because some preachers have said so. And that is not good enough.
Faith comes from the word of God. It comes from building on the word of God. And what the message teaches, it makes more sense maybe 25 and 50 years ago. But today, it is clearly just nonsense. So much time has passed, the reality of the situation no longer fits with what this parable is describing. Too much time has passed.
And I can tell you most assuredly, there was no midnight cry in 1963. There is no special message from a man named William Branham you need to hear to be ready for the rapture.
That was all just a trick. And this parable has nothing to do with William Branham or his message.
Now of course, Jesus is coming again. And you should live every day ready. But being ready has nothing to do with William Branham or anything that happened in 1963. It’s time to let that go.
The men who led us into this deception, they are mostly dead and gone. And the leaders today, with all their predictions, in time they will be dead and gone too, and their predictions will be gone and past too. Just like the last half dozen of their predictions have all come and gone already. And we will still be here.
They are not going to have to live with the repercussions of all their false predictions. But you and I will. And so, it’s time to cut our losses and start putting our faith in Jesus, rather than in a false message.
Amen.
Matthew 25
King James Version
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins….
Then, when is “then”? Where does this fit? The prior verse is talking about the day Jesus comes to dish out judgment to the hypocrites.
And that was not 1963. And it also doesn’t fit with what the message teaches about the rapture. This can only fit with the day the Lord returns to bring the kingdom of God to earth.
This parable applies to the time Jesus returns to carry out judgment on the earth.
And people who would say otherwise are saying that purely on their interpretation of symbols, not the plain reading of scripture. And make sure you catch that when you listen to their explanations. Because they will rely very, very heavily on just what the symbols mean, rather than the plain reading. And ask yourself, where did they get that interpretation of the symbol? And the answer will generally be, they got it from William Branham, not from scripture.
A Fresh Look
Now I have titled this message “What the parable ten virgins is not.”
And we can very safely say, what this parable is not.
It’s not about William Branham or his message in any way, shape, or form.
And today, I am not going to make any deep exploration of what this parable pertains to.
But as we come to the last part of this message, I do want to briefly try to look at this parable and say some things I feel we can be certain about. Let’s just see if we can draw the main points from it.
And there is a man, a very wise man. I heard many years ago he said, “The main things are the plain things. And the plain things are the main things.”
Leaving the message, I can highly recommend you adopt that motto. The main things are the plain things. And the plain things are the main things.
So, let’s just look at the main plain things here, starting at verse 1. Jesus says,
Matthew 25
King James Version
1 Then,
The first word, “then,” places this at a particular time period. And the verse right before this indicates this fits with the time that Jesus will come in judgement, at the end of days. The rest of chapter 25 also reinforces that this day is when he comes for judgement.
And this is all off in the future. It’s not in the past. It’s not today. It’s in the future. How far in the future you may ask? I don’t know. But I do know it’s not today. The son of man is not coming back to judge the world today. So this parable does not apply to any events that have transpired in the past, or any events that are transpiring right now.
Insomuch as this parable has anything to do with actual events, everything in this parable is related to the future.
1 Then (the hour in which the son of man will come in judgement) then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
And this is letting us know it is a mixed group. They are all together as one group, both wise and foolish together. Whoever these people are, it’s clear they are all together as one group of people, right up until the final moments.
So this is certainly not telling us to separate from other people. Quite the opposite. It is showing us that the wise and the foolish, whoever they are, are all still together as one group, until the very last moments of time.
And what is the symbolic meaning of calling them virgins? Well, we cannot interpret that symbolism in a way that goes against the plain reading of scripture. And as we pointed out already, the scripture plainly indicates it is impossible that these foolish virgins represent people who are saved. In fact, these foolish virgins seem to be the same hypocrites Jesus was talking about in the last chapter.
And I would suggest to you, it is entirely possible that being a virgin does not have any symbolic meaning here at all, other than to illustrate that these girls are bridesmaids for a wedding.
Let’s move on to verse 3.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
What is the oil?
This parable would indicate to us that the oil represents the essential and genuine article of salvation for these people. It is what distinguishes the hypocrite from the genuine.
And we know, there is only one way to be saved. That is to believe on Christ as our savior. And that is only possible by the enabling power of the holy spirit.
And however we might define that oil, it is the symbol here in this parable that represents the genuine token of salvation.
And if we look at verse 4, that verse lets us know there is a distinction between the lamp and the vessel of oil. Read verse 4.
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
So here we discover that there are lamps and then there are also vessels. They are two separate units. And that is fairly clear here in the King James, but it’s even clearer in other translations.
But, the point being, the lamp and the vessel are two separate things.
And the issue here is a lack of oil in the vessel, which becomes a problem in verse 7.
And that is what distinguishes these two groups: the wise were prepared for the final dark hours, they had oil in their vessels, but the foolish were not prepared, and their vessels were empty.
And when we look at that aspect, it gives us the impression that the foolish virgins do not have the symbol which represents the essential elements of salvation, and they are not prepared for that final moment of time.
Let’s read on, verse 5.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Notice again, they are all together, in one group. And then at midnight, the hour of the Lord’s return is upon them, verse 6 happens.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
So something happens here to get the virgins’ attention to let them know the hour is upon them. And, in Matthew 24, it tells us very clear signs that will happen when that hour comes. And whoever experiences those days of time, there will be some clear signs manifested that the return of the Lord is upon them.
Let me keep reading because verse 7 is where the lack of oil becomes a problem. Verse 7 says,
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
So, verse 7 lets us see that none of these virgins have a burning lamp at this moment. They are all trimming their lamps here, which is what you do as you prepare to light it. When you trim a lamp, you are cutting the wick tip, and the lamp is not burning when you do that. But you trim the lamp just before you light the wick on fire. So verse 7 is a clear indication that none of these virgins has a burning lamp before verse 7.
Which again would draw our attention to the lack of oil in the vessels being the root problem here. The wise virgins were sleeping. The wise virgins didn’t have their lamps burning. The only real distinction here is, the wise virgins had oil in their vessels, but the foolish didn’t.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Now we know, you can’t get into heaven on someone else’s salvation. You can’t be saved because of me. I can’t be saved because of you. It is an individual thing, for each of us. There is some indication here that these foolish virgins might have thought that just being around the right crowd was enough to make it, without actually having oil in their own vessel. That would match with what Jesus said about the hypocrites in Matthew 7, and it would fit with what he mentioned about hypocrites at the end of Chapter 24.
And again, I want to point out to you here, this parable strongly indicates to us that the Foolish and the Wise are right side by side together up until the last few moments. It is as we come to verse 8 that Jesus begins to bring home the main point of this parable.
And how do we know the main point of this parable? Because Jesus tells us the main point in verse 13. Jesus is very direct about it. We don’t have to guess what the main point of this parable is. Jesus told it to us plainly.
And this parable is to let us know that we should never wait until the last minute to be prepared. That is the chief point. Jesus is demonstrating what is going to happen to people who wait until the last minute, and it’s not good.
In doing this, he shows that just because we are sitting in a church, just because we are fellowship with genuine Christians, just because we are with the right crowd, just because we have been going along with the flow, that is actually not enough. We must be prepared on an individual basis. We need oil in our own vessels. We need to have what it takes to be prepared as an individual.
And we realize a bottle of olive oil does not save anything, but recognizing Jesus as your savior does. Being filled with the holy spirit, which is the very thing that enables you to believe in Christ as your savior, that is a real token of your salvation. That’s not a symbol; it’s the real thing.
And these foolish virgins somehow missed what they needed to be prepared. They thought they would be able to make it using another person’s oil. They thought somehow they would be able to wait until the last minute to get prepared. But that won’t work.
And you and I, as individuals, we need to have our own individual walk with the Lord. We need to each of us as individuals have our own faith in Christ. We must experience salvation as an individual. And we need to be prepared for the day. We would be foolish to wait until the last minute to get ready.
So let’s be wise and be ready today.
Verse 9 starts to show what happens to foolish virgins who were not prepared.
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.”
And Brother Jordan took these verses not long ago, and he pointed out how in the book of Revelation – the only way you can buy and sell is to take the mark of the beast. If it be that Jesus is using that same symbolism here, as in the book of Revelation, that might give us another clue about this parable. It might tell us something else about these foolish virgins.
Verse 10
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.
So here we have the next part of this parable’s warning.
The people who waited until the last minute, for them, it was too late. There was not enough time left for them to get ready. The opportunity to be prepared had passed.
And this lets us know this space of time cannot be very long. You can’t say something like this is sixty years long. Because God is not going to let whole generations of people be born who do not have an equal chance. The Bible says God is faithful unto all generations. He does not give one generation a greater chance than another. He certainly is not going to cut whole generations of people out. So whatever this time period is, it is just going to be a short space of time.
And when the preachers started saying that we were in this space of time in the 1960s, it was just supposed to be a short space of time. But weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, and years into decades. Here now three and four generations of people have been born since the 1960s.
Thank God, the door is not shut today. This parable is not about events in the past. Whatever application this parable has to actual events, it will be for those people who are present in the day the Lord returns in judgement, in that day, and in that hour.
For ourselves, in the here and now, the application we can take away from this parable is that we need to be ready now. We should not put off until tomorrow what we need to do today. Let’s be right with the Lord, here and now. Jesus is clearly giving a warning here not to wait until the last minute to get ready. Let’s come to saving faith in Christ, here and now. Let us never think it is something we can put off until the last moment. If you are waiting until you hear a midnight cry, it will already be too late.
Recognize that from this parable, when the midnight cry came, from that moment on, it was too late. They either had oil or they didn’t.
Verse 11 is what happens to these foolish virgins who waited until the last moment.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, “Lord, Lord, open to us.”
Remember Matthew 7. Many shall say unto me, Lord, Lord. I have to believe this is the same kind of people as Matthew chapter 7. These are hypocrites of some sort. They sat alongside people who had the genuine article. They can even say, “We did many wonderful works in your name.” But they never actually knew the Lord. They were hypocrites sitting alongside the genuine.
12 But he answered and said, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not.”
Same as Matthew 7. It’s not a happy ending for the foolish virgins. It really is impossible that these foolish virgins are saved, because if they came to Jesus for salvation – how is it possible that Jesus does not know them? Clearly, they have not known Jesus as their savior.
And in verse 13, Jesus tells his disciples the main point of this parable. Let’s read it together.
Verse 13
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Watch, be ready. Have oil in your vessel. Be prepared. Because in the hour when the Son of Man comes, it is going to be too late.
That is the only application Jesus actually makes of this parable: the command to watch and be ready.
If we were to go into the epistles, that is the same application it appears the apostles drew from this parable.
That really is the point here. Watch and be prepared. Don’t be so foolish as to think it is a good idea to wait until the last minute to get prepared.
And if that is all you take away from this parable, I think that is perfectly fine. You are going to be just fine.
There is much more I could say here. If I were a message preacher, I would preach 36 sermons about this and take you all over the Bible. But I believe there is enough here to get you started in a good direction and to give you assurance this parable has absolutely nothing to do with a man named William Branham or something that happened in 1963.
Closing
So as we bring this lesson to a close,
If this parable concerns you, then respond to it by taking the words of Jesus to heart. Make sure you are prepared today. Make sure you are trusting in Jesus as your savior. Make sure your hope is not in a false savior, like the false savior of works, or the false savior of hidden mysteries, or the false savior of a special group. You have to throw those false saviors away and come to faith in the only savior who can actually save you, the one whose blood has justified you and delivered you from all the wrath to come: the Lord Jesus Christ.
And if you do that, whenever the Lord comes, whenever there is a midnight cry, whenever the last moment should come upon us, you will be just fine.
Amen
Next week, we will continue the William Branham series. I believe I have about two more lessons before I wrap up, and next week our lesson will be: “What is the sign of the end?” If that interests you, come back next week, and may God bless you all.
Let me close in prayer:
Lord God,
I thank you for the Bible, I thank you for your Holy Spirit, and I thank you for our Savior, who will save us from all wrath because we are justified by his blood.
Lord, you see the wicked men who do not believe the Bible, who instead of teaching salvation from faith in Christ, teach that salvation comes from works, knowledge, and the crowd around you. Lord, you see the rapes, the molestations, the cruelties, and the deaths. Lord, open the eyes of the blind, and let these things be brought into the open. And, Lord God, if those wicked men repent not, I pray you bring swift judgment on them so the innocent souls they hold in prison may go free.
And Lord, you see all the brothers and sisters here and around the world, especially those who, like Daniel, are praying with their windows open, and those like Ezekiel who are crying the truth, and those who, like Esther, are going before the powers to save who they can. Lord God, I pray you prosper and bless their work for the kingdom.
Let it be in Jesus’ name.
Amen