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In Matthew 24:40-44 the Lord gave us two commands. The first command is found in verse 42, which says, “Watch therefore.” The second command is found in verse 44, which says, “You also be ready.” We need to watch and be ready. When we come to 25:1-13, the Lord commands us once again, saying, “Watch therefore” (v. 13). This command is the same as that in 24:42. At the same time, 25:10 also mentions the matter of being ready, saying that those who are ready can enter into the feast with the Lord. We can see that both Matthew 24 and 25 say to watch and be ready.
The matter of watching and being ready is related to a Christian’s maturity. Although the above passages do not mention the word maturity, they repeatedly mention the words watch and be ready. A person who is ready must certainly be mature. To watch and be ready is the way to become mature. No other passages in the Bible show more clearly the way for a Christian to become mature than Matthew 24 and 25. The way to become mature is to watch and be ready. Those who are ready are the mature ones.
It is easy for Christians to tend to emphasize the teachings in the Gospel of John but to neglect those in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. For instance, when we preach the gospel, we often like to use John 3:16, which says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.” We also often use 15:5, which says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him...” We often speak about these verses in the church meetings, but few of us pay attention to the teachings in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. The Bible not only contains the Gospel of John, which says that those who believe into the Son will have eternal life, but also the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, which show that there is a kingdom into which we should seek to enter. We gain eternal life once we believe into the Lord. However, we need to follow the Lord for a while before we can gain the heavenly kingdom.
John speaks of how to abide in the Lord after we have received the Lord’s life. Matthew speaks of how to follow the Lord after we have become His disciples. John 15 is the Lord’s teaching before He was crucified. Matthew 24 and 25 are prophecies that were also spoken by the Lord before He was crucified. We should pay as much attention to the Gospel of Matthew as we do to the Gospel of John. It is a pity that today in the church we often emphasize the teachings in John but neglect those in Matthew. We believe that in these last days the Lord will gradually recover the teachings in Matthew. John only shows how the life that is in us grows, but Matthew shows how this life matures and how we can be made ready for the Lord’s coming. In other words, Matthew shows what kind of condition we need to be in before we can meet the Lord. If we truly hope to be with the Lord and to abide with Him, we must know the condition we must be in and the stage that we must reach.
Let us consider Matthew 24 and 25. First, we need to see the similarities between these two portions of the Bible. They are similar in their topics. Both portions contain similar points about the Lord and about us. Regarding the Lord, both chapters say that the Lord will come. Regarding us, both chapters say that we need to watch and be ready. Thus, the subject of these two portions is that we need to watch and be ready and that we need to wait for the Lord’s coming and bring Him back. These are two different passages, but they have one topic.
It can be said that the first portion, Matthew 24, is an explicit message to those who belong to the Lord, telling them how to watch and be ready while waiting to meet the Lord. We all know that the Lord will come. Therefore, we should watch and be ready. If we are ready, we will be taken. If we are not ready, we will be left behind. Thus, verse 40 says, “At that time two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left.” The one who is taken is ready to be taken to see the Lord. Undoubtedly, the one who is left is not ready yet. This does not happen because the one who is taken is saved and the one who is left is not saved. Both men are in the field. They both have the same life, are on the same ground, and do the same thing. Hence, there is no doubt that both of them are saved. Although both of them are saved, having the same status, position, and kind of living, and although they are doing the same thing, they are different in the matter of their maturity in life. One is ready in life and thus is raptured, whereas the other is not ready and is left behind.
Verse 41 goes on to say, “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left.” Like the two men, the two women have the same status, position, job, and kind of living. Both are saved. It is not that one is grinding, and the other is watching a movie, so the one who is grinding is taken, whereas the one who is watching a movie is left. Both women are the same in status, ground, living, job, and career. If they are the same, then why is one taken and the other left? Verses 42 to 44 show that the reason is related to the need to watch and be ready. One is taken because she is watchful and ready. The other is left because she is not watchful and ready. Although their status, position, career, and living are the same and both are saved, they differ in one aspect. They differ in their attitude toward the Lord’s coming: one is watchful and ready, but the other is neither watchful nor ready.
We have all been saved and may be meeting together and living the Christian life together. Outwardly, there may be no difference between one saint and another. However, our attitudes toward the Lord and His coming may vary. Some saints may be watchful and ready, waiting for the Lord’s coming. Some may be indifferent to the Lord’s coming. They may merely want to be common. They may not want to be watchful or ready in regard to the Lord and His coming. Thus, when the Lord comes to take His people, those who are ready will be taken. Those who are not, although they are saved, will be left for some time. The Lord’s message in Matthew 24 shows this difference.
Do not think that as long as you are saved, are meeting together with other Christians, and are apparently the same as they are, you will have no problems. The Lord’s thought toward us in Matthew 24 is, “You have to be watchful and ready, because to be saved is one thing and to wait for My coming is another. To be a believer is one thing and to be watchful and ready is another.” For instance, suppose a person has eight children. To beget them is one matter, but to raise them up and educate them is another. All eight of them belong to the same parents, are in the same family, have the same life, and live the same kind of lives. Outwardly, it may seem that there are no differences among them, but actually there are. How will each one grow up? How will they receive their education? How will they prepare themselves to be useful people? In these aspects there are often differences.
The children may all have the same parents. They may belong to the same family and may have the same kind of lives. However, how they are educated, how they prepare themselves, how they live their lives, and which ways they take all depend on how they grow up and prepare themselves from childhood to adulthood.
In view of this example, the attitude that we have toward the Lord and His coming—whether watchful and ready or indifferent—is very important because it will determine whether we will be taken or left behind. Therefore, the Lord commanded us again and again to watch and be ready. We not only must accept the word in John that we will have eternal life if we believe in the Lord, but we must also accept the Lord’s command in Matthew 24 to watch and be ready. This was not only the Lord’s word but also His teaching before leaving the world. On the Mount of Olives before He departed, He told the disciples to watch and be ready. Why? He told them this because if they were not watchful or ready, there was a chance that they might be left behind. Like the two men in the field, one would be taken and one would be left. Therefore, in order not to be left, we must be watchful and ready.
By now we all realize that it is not sufficient to merely be a Christian. We must also be watchful, ready, and mature in life in order to go before the Lord. However, what is the way to become watchful and ready, and how can we be matured in life? In all matters the truth must first be presented and then the way. Matthew 24 states the truth—one needs to be watchful and ready in order to be taken and not left behind. The way is in Matthew 25. In Matthew 25 the Lord used a parable to illustrate the way to become watchful and ready. The portion in chapter 24 states the truth, and the portion in chapter 25 shows the way. The Lord first gave us a clear message on the truth of being watchful and ready and then pointed out to us the way to be watchful and ready. A truth without a way is useless. We may say that we need to be watchful and ready, but if we do not know how to be watchful and do not understand how to get ready, the truth does not help us much.
The Lord showed the way to be watchful and ready in Matthew 25. What is the way? The Lord used an illustration. We often need to use illustrations when providing people directions, such as drawing a map to show the way. In Matthew 25 the Lord used the parable of the virgins to show the way to be watchful and ready. While chapter 24 states the truth, chapter 25 shows the way. While chapter 24 speaks about two women grinding, chapter 25 speaks about ten virgins preparing oil. This is very meaningful. Two plus ten equals twelve. In the Bible the church in its ultimate stage is represented by the number twelve. The New Jerusalem has twelve gates and twelve foundations, and on them are the names of the twelve apostles in the New Testament and the twelve tribes in the Old Testament. The tree of life produces twelve fruits, and the wall of the city is one hundred forty-four cubits high, which is the product of twelve times twelve. Thus, ultimately, the church will be represented by the number twelve. The number twelve signifies eternal completion.
Why then in Matthew 24 and 25 did the Lord separate twelve people into groups of two and ten, as if He were dividing the church into two groups? The two in Matthew 24 were either working in the field or grinding at home. They were both working and were involved in some form of activity. Undoubtedly, they signify the living believers. When the Lord comes, only a minority of the believers will be alive. The majority will be dead and asleep. The ten virgins in Matthew 25 were all sleeping. They were not sleeping spiritually or sleeping because they were not being watchful. Rather, their bodies were physically sleeping. The five foolish ones were sleeping, as were the five prudent ones. This shows that they were not sleeping spiritually or sleeping because they were not being watchful. Instead, their bodies were physically sleeping. Why were they sleeping? They were sleeping because the bridegroom had delayed. Because the Lord has delayed, even Paul, who was the most watchful one, became drowsy and fell asleep. To become drowsy is to get old and to become sick, and to sleep is to pass away. These ten virgins signify the majority of the believers who will have died by the time the Lord comes. When the Lord comes, most of the saved ones in the past ages will have already fallen asleep. Paul and Peter who were watchful and who loved the Lord are asleep. Demas who loved the world but not the Lord is also asleep. They are all asleep. Why is this? They are asleep because the Lord has delayed. When the bridegroom delayed, the two groups of virgins became drowsy and fell asleep. This means that they all got old, became sick, and finally passed away. They signify the majority of the believers.
When the Lord comes, only a minority of the believers will still be living. If we read the Bible carefully, we will find that the Bible often separates a group of twelve into groups of ten and two. For example, out of the twelve tribes in the Old Testament, ten tribes rebelled and became the kingdom of Israel, whereas the other two tribes remained as the kingdom of Judah. Another example is the twelve apostles. In one case, while two of the apostles fought to sit on the Lord’s right hand and left hand, the other ten were unhappy with them. The Bible often divides the number twelve into ten and two. The number ten signifies the majority, and the number two signifies the remnant. When the Lord comes, most of the believers throughout the ages will have fallen asleep. Only a minority will still be living. Thus, the truth in Matthew 24 refers to the living believers, whereas the way in Matthew 25 refers to the believers who have died. However, whether a believer is alive or dead, he needs to be watchful and ready, and the way to be watchful and ready is the same for both the living and the dead.
First, at the beginning of Matthew 25 the Lord said, “At that time the kingdom of the heavens will be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom” (v. 1). This shows that the status and position of those who belong to the Lord is that of a virgin. The word for virgin used by the Jews has the same meaning as the word used by the Chinese. In China a virgin never leaves her house. She is always hidden and shut inside her chamber. The status and position of a Christian on this earth should be like that of a virgin. He should be hidden, having little involvement or contact with the outside world, and he should be pure and sanctified.
Second, all the virgins took their lamps. This indicates that they were in the night. At nighttime it is dark, and lamps are needed. Today’s age is the age of darkness. In this world of darkness Christians should shine like lamps. What the Lord meant in Matthew 25 was that those who belong to the Lord have lamps in their hands. They have light and can shine in the dark. A person who truly belongs to the Lord is always much brighter than the unbelievers. However, it is a pity that many saints have forsaken their status as virgins and do not take their lamps and shine as they should.
Third, the way of the virgins is that they went forth; that is, they went out from their original place. This is what it means to be a Christian. We were born into the world and were raised up in the world. The world was where we lived. However, after we were saved, we became people who are going out of this world.
Fourth, why did the virgins go out? They went out because they wanted to meet the bridegroom. This tells us that there should be only one purpose in our life and work—to meet the Lord and to wait for His coming.
I hope that the Holy Spirit would speak to us and reveal to us that a Christian’s status and position is that of a virgin, his condition is to take his lamp to shine, his way is to go out of the world, and the purpose of his life is to wait for the Lord’s coming. Only such a Christian is a normal Christian. May we all have ears to hear. If we do not heed these words, then these words will not save us but condemn us when we meet the Lord.
Please do not forget that on June 12, 1955, a man in Manila cried out to you, saying, “The Lord is commanding us to watch and be ready and to be virgins taking our lamps and going forth to meet the Bridegroom.” You cannot say that you have not heard these words. These words are the gospel and words of salvation. If you do not receive them, they will condemn you one day. I hope we would not be indifferent. May we all receive these words and repent of our past condition. May we be virgins, taking our shining lamps and going out of this world to meet Christ our Bridegroom.
