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Week 18 — Day 1
1 At that time the 1kingdom of the heavens will be likened to 2ten 3virgins, who took their 4lamps and 5went forth to meet the 6bridegroom.
2 And 1five of them were 2foolish and 1five were prudent.
3 For the foolish, when they took their lamps, did not take 1oil with them;
4 But the prudent took oil in their 1vessels with their lamps.
5 And while the bridegroom delayed, they all became 1drowsy and 2slept.
11 See note 34 in ch. 5 and notes 31 and 241 in ch. 13.
12 Ten is the major part of twelve (Gen. 42:3-4; 1 Kings 11:30-31; Matt. 20:24). Hence, the ten virgins represent the majority of the believers, who will have died before the Lord’s coming. The two men or two women in 24:40-41 represent the remaining believers, who will live until the Lord’s coming.
13 Virgins signify believers viewed from the aspect of life (2 Cor. 11:2). Believers, who are the kingdom people, are like chaste virgins. As virgins they bear the Lord’s testimony (the lamp) in the dark age and are going out of the world to meet the Lord. For this they need not only the indwelling but also the filling of the Holy Spirit.
14 Lamps signify the spirit of the believers (Prov. 20:27), which contains the Spirit of God as the oil (Rom. 8:16). The believers shine forth the light of the Spirit of God from within their spirit. Thus, they become the light of the world and shine as a lamp in the darkness of this age (5:14-16; Phil 2:15-16), bearing the testimony of the Lord for the glorification of God.
15 Went forth signifies that the believers are going out of the world to meet the coming Christ.
16 The bridegroom signifies Christ as the pleasant and attractive person (John 3:29; Matt. 9:15).
21 Five is composed of four plus one, signifying that man (signified by four) with God (signified by one) added to him bears responsibility. The fact that five of the virgins are foolish and five are prudent does not indicate that half the believers are foolish and the other half are prudent. It indicates that all believers bear the responsibility of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
22 Being foolish does not make these five virgins false. In nature they are the same as the five prudent ones.
31 Oil signifies the Holy Spirit (Isa. 61:1; Heb. 1:9).
41 Man is a vessel made for God (Rom. 9:21, 23-24), and man’s personality is in his soul. Hence, vessels here signifies the souls of the believers. The five prudent virgins not only have oil in their lamps but also take oil in their vessels. That they have oil in their lamps signifies that they have the Spirit of God dwelling in their spirit (Rom. 8:9, 16), and that they take oil in their vessels signifies that they have the Spirit of God filling and saturating their souls.
51 Becoming drowsy signifies becoming sick (Acts 9:37; 1 Cor. 11:30).
52 Sleep signifies death (1 Thes. 4:13-16; John 11:11-13). While the Lord delays His return, a majority of the believers become sick and then die.
We have seen that the section of the prophecy of the kingdom concerning the church covers two aspects: the aspect of being watchful and ready and the aspect of being faithful and prudent.…In life we need to be watchful and ready, and in service we need to be faithful and prudent.…Although both these aspects are covered in chapter twenty-four, they are not covered fully. Thus, in chapter twenty-five there is the need of a complementary word for each aspect covered in chapter twenty-four.…How to watch and be ready is revealed in the parable of the virgins [(25:1-13), and how to be faithful and prudent is revealed in the parable of the talents (vv. 14-30)]. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 745-746)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 745-751; Hymns: #1303
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 18 — Day 2
6 But at 1midnight there was a 2cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Go forth to 3meet him!
7 Then all those virgins 1arose and 2trimmed their own lamps.
8 And the foolish said to the prudent, 1Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are 2going out.
9 But the prudent answered, saying, Perhaps there will 1not be enough for us and for you; go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And as they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came; and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast. And the door was shut.
11 And later the rest of the virgins came also, saying, Lord, lord, open to us!
12 But he answered and said, Truly I say to you, I do not know you.
13 Watch therefore, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
61 Midnight signifies the darkest time of this dark age (night). That time will be the end of this age, the time of the great tribulation.
62 This cry signifies the voice of the archangel (1 Thes. 4:16).
63 A word different from meet in v. 1. The word in v. 1 refers to meeting someone alone and in secret, whereas the word here refers to meeting someone openly according to plan and ceremony.
71 Arose signifies resurrection from the dead (1 Thes. 4:14). This is the resurrection predicted in 1 Thes. 4:16 and 1 Cor. 15:52.
72 Lit., adorned. Trimmed their own lamps signifies the virgins’ dealing with the testimony in their living. This indicates that after we are resurrected, our living for the Lord’s testimony still needs to be dealt with if it has not been perfected before we die.
81 This word implies that even after they are resurrected, the foolish believers will still need the filling of the Holy Spirit.
82 Going out proves that the lamps of the foolish virgins were lighted; they contained some oil but did not have an adequate supply. The foolish virgins represent the believers who are regenerated with the Spirit of God and indwelt by the Spirit of God, but who have not been filled with Him sufficiently to have their whole being saturated with Him.
91 No one can obtain the filling of the Holy Spirit for others.
The prudent virgins told the foolish ones to go to those who sell and buy for themselves [v. 9]. Those who sell oil must be the two witnesses [Moses and Elijah] who appear during the great tribulation, the two olive trees and the two sons of oil (Rev. 11:3-4 and notes; Zech. 4:11-14). [They] will come to help God’s people.
Buy [in verse 9] indicates that a price must be paid. Having the filling of the Holy Spirit is at a cost, such as giving up the world, dealing with self, loving the Lord above all, and counting all things loss for Christ. If we do not pay this price today, we will have to pay it after we are resurrected. Those who do not pay the price do not have the extra portion of the Holy Spirit.
The word came [in verse 10] refers to the Lord’s coming to the air (1 Thes. 4:16), a part of His coming (parousia). Those who are ready must be those who are invited to the marriage dinner of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9 and note 1).
Not know [in verse 12] carries the sense of not recognize, not approve, as in Luke 13:25. The foolish virgins had their lamps lighted, went forth to meet the Lord, died, and were resurrected and raptured, but were late in paying the price for the filling of the Holy Spirit. Because of this the Lord would not recognize them, approve them, for participation in His wedding feast. They miss this dispensational reward but do not lose their eternal salvation. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 753-754)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp.752-755; Hymns: #1302
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 18 — Day 3
14 For the kingdom of the heavens is just like a 1man about to go 1abroad, who called his own 2slaves and delivered to them 3his possessions.
15 To one he gave five 1talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his 2own ability. And he went abroad.
16 Immediately he who had received the five talents went and 1traded with them and 2gained another five.
17 Similarly, he who had received the two gained another two.
18 But he who had received the 1one went off and 2dug in the earth and 3hid his master’s money.
141 The man here signifies Christ, who was about to go abroad, into the heavens.
142 Slaves signify believers viewed from the aspect of service (1 Cor. 7:22-23; 2 Pet. 1:1; James 1:1; Rom. 1:1). The believers’ status in relation to Christ is of two aspects: in life they are virgins living for Him; in service, in work, they are His purchased slaves serving Him.
143 His possessions signifies the church (Eph. 1:18) with all the believers, who constitute God’s household (24:45).
151 A talent, the largest unit of weight, was worth 6,000 denarii (see note 71 in John 6). In the parable of the virgins, oil signifies the Spirit of God (vv. 3-4), whereas in this parable, talents signify spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:4; 1 Pet. 4:10; 2 Tim. 1:6). For life we need oil, the Spirit of God, even His filling, that we may be enabled to live the virgin life for the Lord’s testimony; for service, for work, we need the talent, the spiritual gift, that we may be equipped as a good slave to accomplish what the Lord intends to accomplish. The filling of the Spirit in life enables us to use the spiritual gift in service (work), and the spiritual gift in service matches the filling of the Spirit in life, that we may be a perfect member of Christ.
152 Own ability signifies our natural ability, which is constituted of God’s creation and our learning.
161 Traded with them (talents) signifies our using of the gift that the Lord has given us.
162 Gained another five (talents) signifies that the gift we received from the Lord has been used to the fullest extent, without any loss or waste.
181 The main emphasis in this parable is on the one-talented one, who received the smallest gift. It is very easy for the least gifted to mistreat or ignore their gift.
182 The earth signifies the world; thus, dug in the earth signifies becoming involved in the world. Any association, any involvement, with the world, even a little worldly talk, will bury the gift we have received from the Lord.
183 Hid his master’s money signifies rendering the Lord’s gift useless, letting it lie waste under the cloak of certain earthly excuses. To make any excuse for not using the Lord’s gift is to hide the gift. This is always the danger with the one-talented ones, those who consider their gift to be the smallest.
Verse 14 says that the man gave his slaves his possessions, but verse 15 says that he gave them talents. This indicates that the talents in verse 15 are the possessions in verse 14. [When the Lord’s possessions are in His hand, they remain His possessions. But when they are delivered to us, they become our talents.]…Today the Lord’s possessions primarily are the gospel, the truth, the believers, and the church. If you do not care for these things, you will not have any talents.
We should not wait in an indifferent way for the Lord to give us something. No, we must diligently seek the gospel and the truth.…We need to experience the truth concerning the church.…Furthermore, we need to pray, “Lord, I want to take care of the saints and bear their burdens. My heart is for them.” (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 760-762)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 757-764; Hymns: #909
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 18 — Day 4
19 Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.
20 And he who had received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, Master, you delivered to me five talents; behold, I have gained another five talents.
21 His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.
24 Then he who had received the one talent also came and said, Master, I knew about you, that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow.
25 And I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the earth; behold, you have what is yours.
A long time [in verse 19] signifies the entire church age, and came signifies the Lord’s descending to the air (1 Thes. 4:16) in His coming (parousia). After burying the talent in the earth, the evil slave thought that all would be well. Little did he know that his master would come to settle accounts with him. Settled accounts signifies the Lord’s judging at His judgment seat (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10) in the air (within His parousia), where the believers’ living, conduct, and work will be judged for reward or punishment (1 Cor. 4:5; Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12; 1 Cor. 3:13-15).
The coming [in verse 20] of the five-talented one refers to the coming to the judgment seat of Christ. The gaining of another five talents is the result of the full use of the gift of the five talents.
[In verse 21] a few things signifies the Lord’s work in this age, over signifies the ruling authority in the coming kingdom, and many things signifies the responsibilities in the coming kingdom. The joy of your master signifies the enjoyment of the Lord in the coming kingdom. This refers to inward satisfaction, not to outward position. To participate in the Lord’s joy is the greatest reward, better than the glory and position in the kingdom. Here we see two aspects of the reward given to the faithful slave: authority and enjoyment.
[According to verse 23 the Lord gave the same reward to the two-talented one as He did to the five-talented one.] Although the gift given to the two-talented one was smaller than that given to the five-talented one, the Lord’s appraisal and reward were the same in both cases. This indicates that the Lord’s appraisal and reward are not related to the size and quantity of our work, but to our faithfulness in using His gift to the fullest extent. The same appraisal and reward would have been given to the one-talented one if he had been as faithful.
The one-talented one also, who did not gain any profit for the Lord, came [v. 24] to the judgment seat of Christ in the air. This proves that he was not only saved but also raptured to the air. No unsaved person can be raptured and come to the judgment seat of Christ.
To be afraid [in verse 25] is negative. We should, rather, be positive and aggressive in using the Lord’s gift.…[Furthermore], the one-talented slave went away and hid the talent in the earth. In doing this he was too passive. We should be active in the Lord’s work.…Merely to keep the Lord’s gift and not lose it is not sufficient; we must gain a profit by using it.…What the Lord has given you contains the producing element.…This productiveness, however, depends upon your practice, your exercise of the talent. If you use the talent, it will produce. But if you hide it, it will not produce anything.…The best way to use your talent is to take care of others, to become interested in others and concerned for them. This does not mean that you should become interested in the affairs of others. The Lord has employed you not for this purpose, but to take care of others. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 765-769)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 765-774; Hymns: #866, #1343
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 18 — Day 5
31 But when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, at that time He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32 And all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand and the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
[Now] we come to 25:31-46, the Lord’s word concerning the judgment of the nations.…In the first two sections of the Lord’s prophecy of the kingdom, the Lord covered the Jews and the church. At the end of this age, the people on earth will be in three categories: the Jews, the believers, and the Gentiles. The word but at the beginning of verse 31 indicates that what is spoken from verse 31 to verse 46 is another section, the section concerning the Gentiles.
[Christ on the throne of glory is revealed in verse 31.] The Son of Man is the title of Christ in relation to His kingdom, the Messianic kingdom (13:41). His judgment here is a preparation for that kingdom. [Moreover], the coming spoken of in this verse is the open aspect of the Lord’s coming. It will be the continuation of His coming mentioned in 24:30. His glory comprises the glory of His divinity (John 17:22-24), the glory of His humanity (Psa. 45:3), the glory of His resurrection (John 7:39; Acts 3:13-15), and the glory of His ascension (Heb. 2:9). The throne on which He will sit is the throne of David (Luke 1:32-33), which will be in Jerusalem (Matt. 19:28; Jer. 3:17).
All the nations [in verse 32] refers to all the Gentiles who remain at Christ’s coming back to the earth, after He has destroyed those Gentiles who follow Antichrist at Armageddon (Rev. 16:14, 16; 19:11-15, 19-21). These remaining Gentiles will all be gathered and judged at Christ’s throne of glory. This will be Christ’s judgment of the living before the millennium (Acts 10:42; 2 Tim. 4:1). It differs from His judgment of the dead at the great white throne after the millennium (Rev. 20:11-15) and will be executed on the earth after His judgment of the believers at His judgment seat in the air (vv. 19-30).
Verses 32 and 33...[indicate] that the Lord is the Shepherd not only of the believers (John 10:11; Heb. 13:20) and the Jews (Psa. 80:1; Jer. 31:10) but also of all the Gentiles (Psa. 100:1-3). The sheep will be gathered to His right hand, the place of honor (1 Kings 2:19; Psa. 45:9).
After the judgment at Christ’s throne of glory [in verse 34], the sheep will be transferred into the millennium to be the people living under the kingly ruling of Christ and the overcoming believers (Rev. 2:26-27; 12:5; 20:4-6) and under the priestly ministry of the saved Jews (Zech. 8:20-23). In this way the sheep will inherit the (coming) kingdom. In the millennium there will be three sections: (1) the earth, where the blessing of God’s creation will be, as mentioned in Genesis 1:28-30; (2) the nation of Israel in Canaan, from the Nile to the Euphrates, from which the saved Jews will rule over the whole earth (Isa. 60:10-12; Zech. 14:16-18); and (3) the heavenly and spiritual section (1 Cor. 15:50-52), the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, where the overcoming believers will enjoy the kingdom reward (Matt. 5:20; 7:21). The kingdom that the sheep will inherit consists of the first section.
The blessing of the first section in the millennium, the blessing of God’s creation, was prepared for the sheep from the foundation of the world [Matt. 25:34], whereas the blessing in the third section, the blessing of the heavenly and spiritual kingdom, was ordained for the believers before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:3-4). (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 775-778)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 775-778; Hymns: #946
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 18 — Day 6
35 For I was 1hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me a drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in,
36 Naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.
37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when have we seen You hungry and have fed You, or thirsty and have given You a drink?
38 And when have we seen You a stranger and have taken You in, or naked and have clothed You?
39 And when have we seen You sick or in prison and have come to You?
40 And the King will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you have 1done it to one of 2these, the least of My brothers, you have done it to 3Me.
41 Then He will say also to those on the left, Go away from Me, you who are cursed, into the 1eternal fire 2prepared for the devil and his angels.
46 And these shall go away into eternal 1punishment, but the 2righteous 3into eternal life.
351 All the sufferings in vv. 35-39 will befall the believers who are left to be tried (Rev. 3:10 and note 2) during the great tribulation (24:21).
401 This will happen in the great tribulation, when the believers suffer the persecution of Antichrist (Rev. 13:6-7; 20:4).
402 These should refer to the believers who overcome the persecution of Antichrist (Rev. 15:2 and note 2). They will be with Christ at this judgment.
403 Christ is one with the believers, who are His members, as indicated in Acts 9:4.
411 The fire in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14-15). The “goats” will perish in the lake of fire, after Antichrist and the false prophet (Rev. 19:20) and before the devil and the resurrected sinners (Rev. 20:10, 15). This is part of the fulfillment of Rev. 14:10.
412 The lake of fire was prepared for the devil and his angels, not for man. However, if any man follows the devil in opposing the Lord, he will share the lake of fire with the devil and the fallen angels.
461 This is to perish in the lake of fire (v. 41).
462 So that the believers left on earth will be cared for during Antichrist’s persecution, an eternal gospel will be preached to the nations (Rev. 14:6-7 and notes), as illustrated by the parable of the net in [Matt.] 13:47-50. The Lord will then judge the nations not according to the law of Moses or the gospel of Christ, but according to the eternal gospel. This is a matter of God’s dispensation. Those who obey that gospel and treat the suffering believers well will be blessed and reckoned as righteous and will inherit the kingdom (Matt. 25:34); but those who do not will be cursed (v. 41) and will perish for eternity.
463 The gospel of grace (Acts 20:24) brings eternal life into the believers (John 3:15-16) that they may live by God’s life, whereas the eternal gospel brings the “sheep” into eternal life that they may live in the sphere of God’s life.
In the kingdom of God as the sphere of God’s administration, there is the need for three kinds of people: the priests, the kings, and the people or the citizens. The prophecy concerning the kingdom given by the Lord on the Mount of Olives concerns God’s economy to bring in His kingdom.… The nation of Israel is like a woman in travail to deliver the remnant of Jews who will be the priests during the millennium [Zech. 8]....They will teach all the nations to serve God....The believers, covered in the second section of this prophecy, will be the kings, and the citizens will be taken from among the nations. How wise the Lord is, including all of God’s economy in a prediction just two chapters long! (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 778-779)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 778-782; Hymns: #946, #1348
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 18 — Prophecy
IV. The King’s being rejected (12:1—27:66)
E. The prophecy of the kingdom (24:1—25:46)
2. Concerning the church (24:32—25:30)
c. A parable for watchfulness (25:1-13)
d. A parable for faithfulness (25:14-30)
3. Concerning the nations (25:31-46)
а. Christ coming to be enthroned in glory (v. 31)
b. Gathering all the nations for the exercising of judgment (vv. 32-46)
We have seen that the section of the prophecy of the kingdom concerning the church covers two aspects: life and service. How to watch and be ready is revealed in the parable of the virgins (25:1-13), and how to be faithful and prudent is revealed in the parable of the talents (vv. 14-30). In watchfulness we are virgins. This relates to what we are. But in faithfulness we are slaves. This relates to what we do.
Virgins signify believers viewed from the aspect of life (2 Cor. 11:2). Believers, who are the kingdom people, are like chaste virgins. As virgins they bear the Lord’s testimony (the lamp) in the dark age and are going out of the world to meet the Lord. For this they need not only the indwelling but also the filling of the Holy Spirit.
To be regenerated is to have the Spirit indwelling our spirit, that is, to have the oil in our lamp. But to have the Spirit in our soul means that we grow in life, are transformed, and have our soul saturated with the Holy Spirit of God. This is to have the oil in the vessel. Hence, Matthew uses the word buy in 25:9, indicating that a price must be paid. Having the filling of the Holy Spirit is at a cost, such as giving up the world, dealing with self, loving the Lord above all, and counting all things loss for Christ. If we do not pay the price today, we will have to pay it after we are resurrected.
The man in verse 14 signifies Christ, who was going abroad, that is, into the heavens, and delivered His possessions to His slaves. Slaves signify believers viewed from the aspect of service (1 Cor. 7:22-23; 2 Pet. 1:1; James 1:1; Rom. 1:1). The talents delivered to the slaves in verse 15 are the man’s possessions in verse 14. Today the Lord’s possessions primarily are the gospel, the truth, the believers, and the church. If we do not care for these things, we will not have any talents. Therefore, we must diligently seek the gospel and the truth, experience the truth concerning the church, and have a heart to care for the saints.
In the eyes of the Lord, it is evil to bury the talent and not to multiply it. The Lord does not care for our argument or excuses. He cares only that the one talent is multiplied into two, two talents are multiplied into four, and five talents are multiplied into ten. Furthermore, according to Matthew 24:45 the slave is to supply food to those in the household. Therefore, the result of our service has two aspects. The first aspect is that others are fed and given rich nourishment. The second aspect is that the Lord’s possessions are multiplied.
In the first two sections of the Lord’s prophecy of the kingdom, the Lord covered the Jews and the church. The third section covers the Lord’s word concerning the judgment of the nations in Matthew 25:31-46. The Lord will sit on the throne of His glory, the throne of David (Luke 1:32-33) in Jerusalem, and judge the nations not according to the law of Moses or the gospel of Christ, but according to the eternal gospel. This is a matter of God’s dispensation. Those who obey that gospel and treat the suffering believers well during the great tribulation will be blessed and reckoned as righteous and will inherit the kingdom (Matt. 25:34), but those who do not will be cursed (v. 41) and will perish for eternity.
Composition for prophecy with main point and sub-points:
