Session 7 - The Ten Virgins (Saved for Eternity)

OBJECTIONS AGAINST ETERNAL SALVATION (PART V)
Matthew 25:1–13 (The Ten Virgins)

Matthew 25:1–13 (NKJV)1 Then the Kingdom of Heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.6 And at midnight a cry was heard: “Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!”7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.8 And the foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.”9 But the wise answered, saying, “No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.”10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was shut.11 Afterward the other virgins came also saying, “Lord, Lord, open to us!”12 But he answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I don’t know you.”13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

The most common interpretation of this parable is that those ten virgins represent born-again believers belonging to the Kingdom of God who were all saved at one time. Then some of them lost their salvation due to their lack of watchfulness in morality and good works.

Let’s analyze first what we know for sure about this parable. First, the parable is about the Kingdom of Heaven, about a bridegroom who is king Jesus, and about ten virgins who represent the visible church of Christ. Second, the action in this parable occurs between the first and second coming of Jesus. Third, the harshness of the bridegroom’s answer in Verse 12—“I don’t know you” or “I never knew you”—makes very clear this parable is about an eternal matter of life and death, respectively the matter of eternal salvation into the Kingdom of God or of eternal damnation. Fourth, it’s also obvious that when the bridegroom came, alluding to the second coming of Jesus, some of those virgins, representing some Christians, participated in the wedding of the Lamb. That means they entered heaven while the rest were rejected and went to hell. Only three things are left to elucidate: (1) First, what do the oil in the lamps and the extra oil in the jars represent? (2) Second, were the people rejected genuinely born again in the first place or not? (3) Third, what does watchfulness mean?

The oil in the Old Testament was used to anoint kings and priests. It was a picture of anointing to work for God:

1 Samuel 16:13 (NKJV)13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him (David) in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So, Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

In the New Testament, believers are anointed with the Holy Spirit, as we see in these passages:

Acts 10:38 (NKJV)38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with Him.2 Corinthians 1:21 (NKJV)21 Now He