Bashan Ministries - The Ten Virgins

Then the reign of the heavens shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Matthew 25:1

To set the stage let us take a quick look at Purim.

This is an annual festival when Jews celebrate an historic event. It commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, who planned to destroy all the Jews in ancient Persia, as recorded in the Book of Esther (Megillah).

Hamas and Hezbollah is like the Haman of old.

Jews have a party. They dress up in costumes, dance on the streets, share gifts and have festive meals in joyous celebrations that make it one of the most spirited festivals in the Jewish calendar.

The Hebrew Bible uses profound language to describe the concept of divine providence, particularly in Esther 4:14 that is translated as Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. The original Hebrew however has much deeper insights. It reads as:

u’mi yodea im l’et kazot higat lamalchut.

The phrase l’et kazot literally means for a time like this, meaning that divine timing rather than mere coincidence is involved.

The word higat is derived from a root word that can mean to touch or to reach and it often refers to some kind of divine purpose or deliberately orchestrated meeting— a specific point by divine intervention.

There is another word in all of this that is lamalchut meaning to the kingdom and it shares its root with the word melech, reminding us that all authority ultimately comes from the King of Kings.

Purim is not merely a historical commemoration—it’s an invitation to discover the hidden threads of divine purpose woven through Scripture. In Biblical Hebrew, the word for hidden is nistar, sharing its root with Esther, our heroine’s name. I shared this to illustrate that the word of God contains “hidden treasures” or deeper truths that reveal that some of God’s greatest works are sometimes concealed within seemingly ordinary events.

Many women were presented to the king, but Esther was not chosen by that earthly king. She was chosen by the King of Kings.

This introduces our current message that is about these ten women in the parable. They had an opportunity to meet the bridegroom who we regard as the King of kings.

MANY, many years ago as I was reading this portion of scripture in Matthew, the Lord stopped me and asked me which of the two groups I would like to be in and I quickly replied, “one of the five wise virgins of course”. He stopped me and gently asked, “Wouldn’t you rather be the watchman?”
That started to change my perception of things. I first read about these ten women half a century ago and saw them in a different light after He spoke, but when reading it again recently, something else stood out—something different.
This is a wonderful thing about the word of God. It’s living. There’s life in it and I am of the opinion that this is because of the authorship, or the way it has been inspired. See 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

The portion of scripture about these women starts with the word Then and this means that it is a continuation of something said previously, which is of course found in Matthew 24.

Most people think of end time prophecies when reading this, but one thing often missing is the association with lamalchut. It relates to the Kingdom of God.

We can talk about wars, famines, earthquakes, conspiracy theories, the mark of the beast, the anti-Christ and perhaps touch on some elements of truth, but in so doing, I often wonder if we are forgetting who it is all about—The Lord and His Kingdom.

He will establish it on the earth one day soon now, but there is also an aspect of this Kingdom rule that already exists in the here and now.

To avoid making incorrect assumptions, we would be wise to always consider the setting.
They had just left the Temple and He told them that it would be destroyed, which is a historical fact.
They asked Him about certain signs and He shared many things, including deception that is rife today, even in many churches.
Most of His answer related to “them”.
Many times in scripture, reference is made to “them”, “we”, “they”, “us”, “you” etcetera and we can misunderstand things if we do not see who God is speaking to or about.

Most of these prophecies in Matthew 24 have already come to pass, although some are being fulfilled today.

In this parable therefore, Jesus stated that “then’ the reign of the heavens shall be compared to the ten virgins. He was talking about kingdom rule or kingdom principles and they apply today. Is this parable about the virgins or it is about His Kingdom?

Weddings

This parable, like most of Jesus’ other parables, taught another aspect of reality in the kingdom of heaven. I once likened them to the bride of Christ but these virgins were not the brides. They were the bridesmaids.

The bride is not mentioned, but the groom is and so was that watchman. Watchmen, like John the baptist, don’t talk about themselves and Jesus said that he was the greatest prophet ever.

They point to the Lord. They tell people to make sure that they are ready for the Bridegrooms appearing.

These ten women were invited to the wedding feast and Jewish wedding feasts could take several days—a week.

It was a great honor to be asked and certain protocols had to be followed. A Jewish wedding is a festive, lively and beautiful occasion.

It was customary that the bride and groom do not see each other for a week before the wedding.
On the day of the wedding, the bride and groom fast until the ceremony. Today, they recite the same confessional prayer said on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year.

In ancient times in Israel, as well as in many other places, a wedding was one of the most significant social events.

The actual wedding day was the highlight of the entire, often lengthy betrothal process that could take twelve months.

Betrothal was the making of a mutual promise or contract for a future marriage.
See Exodus 21:8-9,: Deuteronomy 20:7; Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 2:2; Luke 1:27;2 Corinthians 11:2 and Ephesians 5:25-27.

A betrothal was undertaken by a friend or agent representing the bridegroom and by the parents representing the bride.

It was confirmed by oaths and was usually accompanied with presents to the bride and to the bride’s parents.

Marriages in Bible times were often not made for love, per se, but for the mutual benefit of both families involved. Jewish marriages were usually arranged by the fathers of the bride and groom and would begin with a betrothal. The bride and groom may never have met before the betrothal and it may have been agreed upon when the couple was very young. It could stand until the bride and groom were old enough to marry. Sometimes the bride’s father would pay a dowry to the groom’s family. In Jewish culture the groom’s father paid a bride price, or mohar, to the bride’s family in order to negotiate the betrothal. He thus “purchased” the bride.

The groom could give a gift to the bride called a mattan, which became a part of the property the bride would bring into the marriage. These gifts were not always monetary. They may have been property or services provided to the bride’s family.
A good father was expected to share the mohar with his daughter or give it over to her entirely. In our modern culture, more so in the West, paying a dowry is not normal and in fact it puts the groom under a form of bondage. Today, we should owe no one anything but love.

A Jewish betrothal was an important part of the marriage process and was as binding as marriage itself. Those initiating the betrothal and witnesses to the event would likely sign a marriage contract called a ketubah. Therefore, if one or both parties wished to end the betrothal, they would be required to get a divorce.

We see this in the case of Mary and Joseph, who were pledged to be married and when Mary was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit, Joseph considered divorcing Mary quietly to protect her reputation (Matthew 1:18–19). An angel visited Joseph in the night and Joseph decided to continue their betrothal.
As a betrothed couple, Mary and Joseph were essentially husband and wife and they later married (verse 24), although they did not consummate the marriage until after Jesus was born (verse 25).

The bride usually joined the groom’s father’s household, rather than the groom and the bride establishing their own household.

If the bride and groom were of a marriageable age, the groom would return to his father’s house after the betrothal to prepare a bridal chamber. This process traditionally took a year or more and the length of time was dictated by the groom’s father.

When the place was complete, the groom would return and fetch his bride.

It is said that the bride did not know the day or hour of her husband-to-be’s return, but I wonder if this is really true. When my wife and I married, we set the date, time and place as do most of us. It is the bride’s special day and it would not surprize me if the couple had not talked about this in much the same way, usually with a chaperon present.

The groom’s arrival was usually announced with a trumpet call and a shout. The groom and his friends went to the house of the bride’s father in what could often be a noisy procession and the bride came out to join him. This is a type of the rapture.

They returned to his father’s house and they consummated the marriage.

Before the ceremony, which was attended by a select few, the bride took part in a ritual cleansing.

She stood under the canopy known as a Huppah of Chuppah as seen here. They could be simple canopies decorated with flowers and palm leaves or more elaborate affairs such as seen here.

The significance to us may be seen in Song of Songs where we see mention of a banner being placed over us.

After the ceremony, the couple attended a wedding feast in their honor. It was customary for a wedding feast to include a much larger crowd than the ceremony itself and it was a great celebration provided by the groom’s family

Jesus Himself attended a wedding feast in Cana, where He performed His first miracle of turning water into wine. At this marriage feast, the groom’s family had run out of wine, which could have damaged their reputation. Jesus’ mother, Mary, appealed to Him for help on behalf of the family. Jesus responded by turning the water into even better wine than the family had served previously.

For a full account of the wedding at Cana, see John 2:1–12.

In His time on earth, Jesus often used Jewish marriage customs as a beautiful way of explaining God’s relationship with the church, His “bride.” Jesus purchased believers with His blood, shed on the cross for the forgiveness of sins as seen in Acts 20:28 and 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; 11:25. He is currently preparing a place for us as seen in John 14:3 and on its completion, He will return for His bride with a trumpet call and a shout. This is revealed in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17.

Then

As we have seen, Matthew 24 flows into Matthew 25 with that one word, then, linking it with the kingdom. Is it possible that these ten women do not represent “the bride” at all, because they are actually the bridesmaids? All ten went out to meet the bridegroom, but the bride is not even mentioned in the parable.

I never thought of it like this before.

They were with the bride and so not necessarily in any relationship with the groom.

The foolish ones were disappointed at the end of the story. This indicates that they may represent people who want to be a part of the kingdom in some way, but not committed. They want the benefits or blessings, but do not enter into relationship.

Most people, even “unbelievers” have some form of hope to be in heaven for eternity.

They may try to deny “religion”, but deep inside them, the spirit in man desires to be connected with God. That’s how we are made. We may not understand it all, but it’s there. The problem is that we are all not wise enough to choose the correct path and throughout scripture, God tells us to make a choice.
Salvation is a choice process. We must make a deliberate choice to follow Jesus. Any church attendances or religous activity may come later...

An Evening Wedding

It was an evening wedding, meaning that the bridesmaids had to carry lights during the processional to the groom’s house—with the bride. It was their choice processes that made the difference.

Bridesmaids are usually supportive of the bride who is the center of attention. They help her dress, apply the makeup, do her hair, arrange her bouquet of flowers and so on, but they are not marrying the groom.

The ten bridesmaids separated themselves into two groups according to their choice processes. This represents the self-sorting of the faithful and the unfaithful in real life.

When speaking of the five foolish women, the Greek word moros is used. This is where we get the word moron, that means dull, inattentive and unthinking.

They took insufficient oil with them to keep their lamps burning for the wedding procession. Although they wanted to participate in the celebration, they displayed a lack of respect for the bride and bridegroom through their neglect of their responsibility to come prepared. They demonstrated their unworthiness of the honor of participating in the celebration.

They revealed a lack of respect for the Messiah. How a person sees Jesus is the key to his or her eternal destiny.

The five wise bridesmaids demonstrated their respect and love for the bride and bridegroom by coming well prepared with oil to keep their torches burning throughout the procession. We may say then that the faithful may enter heaven. By their preparation in this life, they reveal a love and respect for the Messiah.

The bridegroom’s delay represents the stretch of history between the Messiah’s first coming and his return.

All ten of the bridesmaids—both the wise and the foolish—fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom and this is understandable for anyone under those circumstances.

That sleep did not necessarily imply spiritual negligence.

The wise bridesmaids were so well prepared that they could afford to sleep, but in so doing were unaware of the groom’s arrival.

They did have oil, but not sufficient to share with others.

If for example, the bridegroom took longer to arrive than they thought, they too risked running out.

The foolish bridesmaids were aware of their lack. They should have used the time they had to get the oil they needed.

At midnight, which implied a long wait, the bridegroom’s arrival was finally announced. The bridesmaids were called out to meet him, with their lamps burning. All ten bridesmaids prepared their lamps for the procession, but the five foolish bridesmaids realized they did not prepare adequately. They were not ready.

Even though they knew it, they did not prepare themselves.

The exact details of the wedding procession are not important to the parable. The bridesmaids’ readiness or lack of readiness, in light of the bridegroom’s delay, is at the center of the story.

The foolish bridesmaids begged the wise bridesmaids to share their oil. They knew they should have oil. The wise ones told the foolish ones that they had to obtain their own oil, but it was too late to prepare.

The unfaithful will discover too late that they have spent their lives foolishly, failing to trust and respect the Messiah-King.

An additional important insight is taught here. Anointing can be transferred without the level of anointing diminished, but preparedness cannot be transferred or shared. It is a deliberate act of the believer to make themselves ready.

The foolish bridesmaids attempted to make up for their lack of preparation at the last minute, but they were too late. The bridegroom had arrived. He found only the five wise bridesmaids ready for him. They went on without the foolish ones. The door was closed, not to be opened for anyone else, primarily because of the insult the foolish bridesmaids had made to the bride they should have served and bridegroom.

The closed door speaks of being shut out of the kingdom.
In Revelation, Jesus opens and closes doors and once He has done that, the condition cannot be changed. We may wonder if they “lost their salvation” and I am not suggesting that. It may be true of course.
They were excluded from kingdom relationship, or kingdom rule. The kingdom of God refers to God’s domain in heaven, but it also speaks of His present kingdom rule, for that relates to how God operates in the here and now. It is how God does things.

When the five foolish bridesmaids finally arrived at the wedding banquet, they begged to be allowed in. But the bridegroom, offended at their lack of respect, denied them entrance and there was no negotiating. He would not change his mind. The time had passed and the bridegroom said that he did not know them.

By saying that he did not know them, he disowned any past or potential future relationship with the five. His response cut them off from him—and his bride for life.

For those who have failed to acknowledge the Messiah-King throughout their lives and realize only at the last minute the consequences of such foolishness, all their last-minute attempts to make things right will be too little, too late. They have already demonstrated the overriding quality of their character that has little respect for Him and His desires. He does not want that of course and so tells us twice in Matthew 24:42 and Matthew 25:13 to watch. The word watch is grēgoreō that means stay awake, to keep watch, to be alert and to be alive. It is seen often, so must be important. See Acts 20:31; 1Corinthians 16:13; Colossians 4:2; 1Thessalonians 5:6; 1Peter 5:8; Revelation 3:2-3; 16:15.

In Revelation 3, He was talking to the angel (or pastor) of the church at Sardus. All seven churches mentioned there represent the churches of our day.

This is not a negative or condemning approach, but wise counsel with an open invitation to be there with Him. He wants us all there. All seven churches in Revelation had problems that the Lord wanted them to address.

He summed it up by saying:

I know all that you do, and I know that you are neither frozen in apathy nor fervent with passion. How I wish you were either one or the other! But because you are neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm, I am about to spit you from my mouth. For you claim, “I’m rich and getting richer—I don’t need a thing.”Yet you are clueless that you’re miserable, poor, blind, barren, and naked! So I counsel you to purchase gold perfected by fire, so that you can be truly rich. Purchase a white garment to cover and clothe your shameful Adam-nakedness. Purchase eye salve to be placed over your eyes so that you can truly see. All those I dearly love I unmask and train. So repent and be eager to pursue what is right. Behold, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If your heart is open to hear my voice and you open the door within, I will come in to you and feast with you, and you will feast with me. And to the one who conquers I will give the privilege of sitting with me on my throne, just as I conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. The one whose heart is open let him listen carefully to what the Spirit is saying now to the churches. Revelation 3:15-22

He wants us to be sitting there beside Him so much that He tells us to buy what is necessary, but what is more amazing is that it is free!

All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You without money, come, buy, and eat!
Yes, come! Buy wine and milk without money—it’s free! Isaiah 55:1

How can we buy truth if it’s free? Jesus told us that He was going to give it to us. Intimacy is a gift. That oil is a gift. Nevertheless, it must be collected and placed into the lamps and the wicks lit and trimmed to produce the light. That’s our part. That’s the price.

Ten Bridesmaids

Jesus said that there were ten bridesmaids. Why 10? Why not 2 or 3? In brief, the number ten speaks of many things including the congregation, or The Church.

The number ten is one of the perfect numbers and signifies the perfection of Divine order. It is the start of something totally new.

In this instance it starts a new series of numbers.

It implies that nothing is wanting and that the whole cycle of something is complete. I was amazed at how often this is seen in scripture some of which are as follows:

Noah completed the antediluvian age in the tenth generation from God.
The Ten Commandments contain all that is necessary and no more than is necessary.
The Lord’s prayer has ten clauses.
The tithes are one tenth of what is due.
There were ten gerahs of the Redemption Money as seen in Exodus 30:12–16; Numbers 3:4
There were ten plagues in Egypt.
Antichrist’s world Power is comprised in the ten kingdoms. See Daniel 2:41; 7:7, 20, 24; Revelation 12:3; 13:1; 17:3, 7.
Ten Nations are connected in Genesis 15:19 with Abraham’s covenant possessions.
Abraham’s Faith was tested ten times.
There were ten rebellions of Israel in the wilderness (Numbers 14:22).
There were ten sets of ten silver sockets forming the foundation of the Tabernacle (Exodus 38:27). Silver speaks of redemption as seen in 1 Peter 1:18–19.
Ten Passovers are recorded in scripture.
The Tabernacle is spoken of ten times as the “Tabernacle of Witness,” or “Tabernacle of Testimony.”
Five of these are מִשְׁכּן (mishkahn), seen in Exodus 38:21, Numbers 1:50,-53; Numbers 10:11. This has special reference to the Tabernacle as the dwelling-place of God, from שָׁכַן (shahcan), that means to dwell. Mishkahn means the dwelling-place of God (Exodus 25:8) and is never used by the Holy Spirit of “whole congregation.”

The Tabernacle is simply a tent or אֹהֶל ohel. It was the meeting-place of the people by appointment or at appointed seasons.
This is the word which is used by the Holy Spirit of the “tent of the congregation.”
Fire Came Down from Heaven ten times.
The Tenth Generation completed and represented the whole existence of the family or nation. Deuteronomy 23:3 states that:
an Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever. See Deuteronomy 23:4–5 and Nehemiah 13:1
Jesus made the “I am” statement ten times.
Jesus gave ten parables of the Kingdom.
Paul gave ten examples of the unrighteous people who shall not enter the kingdom of God in 1 Corinthians 6:9–10.

Perhaps you saw that there is a distinct pattern of fives and tens, so Jesus’ discourse on these ten women is intriguing to say the least.

I started this presentation with mention of Purim. Esther was only one woman who was presented to the king. It makes me wonder if there were ten in all. She was chosen for a purpose and that was to preserve the Jews. When she made a commitment to go before the king uninvited, she knew that she may have to pay a dear price, hence her words, “If I perish, I perish”. She found favor and the king extended his scepter towards her. Before she did that, she fasted and prayed. She bathed and dressed in her best clothing and came before the king with dignity and respect and in the prescribed manner according to protocol.

These ten women in the parable were given the great honor and privilege to attend that wedding, but did not treat it with the dignity and respect it deserved. Five “only just made it” but the other five who had a legitimate “right” to be there did not make it.

I think at times that this parable relates to many churches and I shall leave it at that.

A Problem

I HAVE preached and taught on these five women, likening them to the bride of Christ and still do to a certain extent, but is that correct? If we are the bride of Christ, then He is our husband, but I have questions. Who is this Bride?
The Bride of Christ metaphor illustrates the relationship between Jesus and His followers, The Church. It speaks of His authority over the Church, His Body. Jesus, who is the Church’s bridegroom, loves His bride by offering Himself as a sacrifice for her (Ephesians 5:25–27). In response, The Church submits to Jesus and remains faithful to Him as His bride (Ephesians 5:22–24, 31–32).

The foundation for this imagery is based on what the Old Testament says. In Isaiah 62:5 for example, God declares:

As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you.

Faithfulness and loyalty in the marriage relationship between God and His covenant people is a primary theme in the Old Testament. God always remains faithful. See Isaiah 54:5–6; 62:4 and Ezekiel 16:8–14, but His people rarely do. God often compares their unfaithfulness to adultery and prostitution. See Jeremiah 3:1, 20; Ezekiel 16:15–43 and Hosea. God promised ultimate restoration of a happy marriage between Himself and Israel in Isa 61:10; 62:4–5 and Jeremiah 33:10–11.

Prior to the New Testament, depictions of the Messiah as a bridegroom were rare (see Psalm 45).
John the baptist and the Lord both made reference to marriage as seen in John 3:29; Matthew 9:15, 22:1-14; Mark 2:19–20 and Luke 5:34–35.

The language of marriage is often culturally specific, so it is important to understand Jewish wedding practices to understand the New Testament concept of the Church’s marriage relationship to Jesus. I touched on that earlier saying that a betrothal period normally lasted about a year. During this time, the couple was considered married and referred to as husband and wife even though they did not yet live together or consummate the marriage. These betrothals were so legally binding that if someone died during this phase of the marriage, the surviving spouse was considered a widow or widower.

If we are the Bride of Christ or are to be the Bride of Christ, we are betrothed to Him now.

We have thus entered into a covenantal relationship that is “legally binding” on both parties.

Jesus is presented as the bridegroom for his followers and the wedding feast suggests this refers to a gathered community (The Church) at the end time. Paul spoke of The Church as a bride in 2 Corinthians 11.
There is a relationship the relationship between Christ and The Church in Ephesians 5:21–33.

Revelation 19:7 refers to The Church. Revelation 21:2,9 describes the heavenly city of Jerusalem as a bride. This imagery describes the intimacy and mutual fidelity between God and His people and Jesus and His Church. It describes the care and protection required of the bridegroom toward the bride and underscores her dependence on and obligation to show reverence toward her spouse.

There certainly is “evidence” to indicate we may be the bride of Christ but I want to get you thinking and ask a pertinent question, “Are we the bride or are we the bridesmaids?” Some people in churches are the bride perhaps, but is it possible that others are bridesmaids?

Intimacy in marriage is between the bride and the groom!

In Isaiah 54, God calls Himself a husband. He refers to Israel, not the church. It deserves mention:

Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child;
reak forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed;
For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.
Enlarge the place of your tent; Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your pegs.“For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left.
And your descendants will possess nations,And they will resettle the desolate cities.
“Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; Neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;But you will forget the shame of your youth, And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
“For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.
“For the Lord has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” Says your God.
For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you.
“In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,”Says the Lord your Redeemer. Isaiah 54:1-8. I recommend that you read all of this chapter very closely.

If God is the husband, then Israel is the bride.

God commanded the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute. He did that to illustrate that His own people had committed spiritual adultery. She had a son she named Jezereel. That name means God sows. Sowing a seed always reaps a harvest. The outcome depends on the kind of seed we sow. She had another son that she called Lo-ruhamah and that name means “no mercy”. God’s covenant people had been committing spiritual adultery which was and is still a very serious matter. God is a God of love, but He is also a jealous and very possessive God. He uses marriage to illustrate this, because a marriage that God ordains—one in which He chooses the right person for us is the one He blesses. Choosing the wrong person may be likened to committing a form of adultery.

Paul spoke in such terms in 2 Corinthians 11:1-4, saying:

Now, please bear with some of my “craziness” for a moment. Yes, please be patient with me.
You need to know that God’s passion is burning inside me for you, because, like a loving father, I have pledged your hand in marriage to Christ, your true bridegroom. I’ve also promised that I would present his fiancée to him as a pure virgin bride.
But now I’m afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s clever lies, your thoughts may be corrupted and you may lose your single-hearted devotion and pure love for Christ. For you seem to gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you preaching a pseudo-Jesus, not the Jesus we have preached. You have accepted a spirit and gospel that is false, rather than the Spirit and gospel you once embraced. How tolerant you have become of these imposters!

Preaching anything other than absolute truth may thus be likened to a form of adultery. If our work and service for the Lord no matter how good is our focal point in preference to our personal intimacy of relationship as in marriage, are we committing a form of adultery? I think so. Paul also stated:

Become, then, imitators of Elohim as beloved children.
And walk in love, as Messiah also has loved us, and gave Himself for us, a gift and an offering to Elohim for a sweet-smelling fragrance.
But whoring and all uncleanness, or greed of gain, let it not even be named among you, as is proper among set-apart ones—neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather thanksgiving.
For this you know, that no one who whores, nor unclean one, nor one greedy of gain, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the reign of Messiah and Elohim.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these the wrath of Elohim comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Therefore do not become partakers with them. Ephesians 5:1-7

As I did more research, I started to see that this parable, as do many other parables, reveals exceptionally deep meaning that we can only understand by revelation. Paul spoke of this in more detail as follows:

Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.
Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.
Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage.
No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it.
That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh.” This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband. Ephesians 5:21-33

If we are the Bride of Christ, then it behooves us to do all we can to present ourselves to Him in the best appropriate manner.

Revelation 21:1-2 states:

...I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

If people in the church are those ten virgins, it also behooves us to ensure we are appropriately prepared—to serve and assist the Bride and are eagerly awaiting our heavenly bridegroom to rejoice with him on their wedding.

The King of kings is offering us something special. He has extended his royal scepter towards us just as the king did to Esther.

To come before His presence, I believe that we should do as Esther did and prepare ourselves accordingly.

This message has shared things in a way you may not have thought of before. It did to me and it may have opened up more questions.

I hope you look more closely into such things as this parable and hope this has touched you, been both a challenge and a blessing.

Robert