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April 1930 V. 5. The bridegroom, tarried. This and other statements by Jesus intimated that His return would not be as soon as the disciples expected. Yet they were ex horted to be always ready, for He might come before some careless ones expected Him (cf.- 24:48). They all slumbered and slept. Literally, -“nodded and were sleep ing.” In a sense this is a perfectly cor rect picture of the whole professing Church. If the Church were more eager ly longing for the return of the Lord it would be more awakened to a sense of the need of the “foolish virgins” and would find time to warn them before it is too late. V. 6. A t midnight. This hour is chosen in the story to emphasize the unexpected ness of the coming of Christ. It may also have a hint that when He comes the world will be in dense spiritual darkness (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; Luke 18: 8 ) . Behold, the bridegroom. It seems im possible to make such a statement as this refer to the coming of the Lord to the ,saint in special crises of life, or to the Christian at death, or to the Church in times of special judgments and testings, or to anything short of the personal and glorious return of the glorified Lord. V. 7. A ll those virgins arose. The lamps had burned low. The wicks had become charred. Suddenly there was bustling and confusion. The crisis time had come. V. 8. Give us of your oil. The foolish had no time to make needed preparations. Neither were they able to get help from those who were ready. V. 9. Peradventure . . not be enough. This reply does not signify that there was greed or lack of sympathy on the part of the wise. Go. . . . to them that sell. All may obtain grace from God by the Holy Spirit, but each must obtain in the same way and on the same basis. Buy for yourselves. God’s price is “without money” (Isa. 55; Luke 11:13). V. 10. While they went away to buy. The need was recognized. There was great haste and anxiety, but it was too late. Went in . . . to the marriage feast. The figure of the marriage feast to de scribe Christ’s future welcome of His Church is often used in the Scripture (cf. Matt. 26:29; Rev. 19:6-9). The door was shut. What solemn and terrible words! The opportunity to receive eter nal life and eternal rewards, if neglected, will at last be out of reach. There is a time here and now for the fixing of des tinies. V. 11. Afterward. How many neglect, the serious issues of life and afterward, when it is too late, face disaster and re morse ! Lord, Lord, open to us. The door of salvation is now open to all (John 10: 9 ) . But the day of opportunity will pass. V. 12. I know you not. This does not mean that the Lord Jesus rejects any per son who here and now asks to be saved. But it does signify that in that coming day He will disown persons who claim that they have been saved but who show no evidence of it when He comes. V. 13. Watch, therefore. This same injunction was often given (cf. 24:42, 44, 50). God has, in His own sovereign will, set the day and the hour for the re turn of His Son. It is not only idle but mischievous to attempt to set dates as some do. It is ours to simply watch and be ready.
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BLACKBOARD LESSON ^he B R ID E G R O O M COM ETH ykfr/finnto m m u m - j ^ e - adyi O FULL SIS LIGHT M r M S . NIGHT i f f » » the idea of ■ the unity of the body of Christ. (3) It tends toward strained and fanciful conclusions, for those who hold this theory often insist upon some par ticular sign or token or blessing or ex perience which is supposed to be neces sary to make one ready for the coming of Christ. The third view makes the parable refer exclusively to the Lord’s dealings with Israel at the end of the age. In an swer to this, it is urged that the picture is not of any company or nation viewed collectively, but of the relation of the in dividual soul to Christ, likened to the re lation of a bride to a bridegroom. $ $ $ H eart of t h e L esso n V. 1. Then shall the kingdom. The dis ciples had asked the Lord, “When shall these things be?” (24:3). In answering this question Jesus, according to Mat pression “kingdom of heaven” makes the Messianic dispensation (cf. 3:2; 4:17; 5:3; etc.). Likened unto ten virgins. Oriental weddings usually take place in the evening. The great event of the cele bration is the arrival of the bridegroom to receive the bride prepared for him and waiting among her attendants. This im agery is intended to set forth the relation between Christ and the Church, He is the Bridegroom who loved the Church and claims it for Himself as His chosen bride (Eph. 5:25-32). The Church is com posed of all true believers, not viewed here as the bride, but as virgins waiting for His return (cf. Luke 12:35, 36). Who took their lamps. Lamps are used to rep resent religious profession (cf. 5:16; 2 Tim. 3:5). All of the virgins had lamps. V. 2. Five . . . were foolish. The foolish had the same outward profes sion as the wise. The difference was hot manifest until the crisis came. V. 3. Took no oil. In anticipation of the bridegroom’s coming the lamps were left burning and the oil in the lamps be came exhausted. If the light represents the outward tokens of a professing Chris tian life, the oil stands for the regenerat ing and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. V. 4. The wise took oil. The oil is a frequent emblem of the Holy Spirit. The wise, born of the Spirit, and filled with the Spirit, build up their Christian char acter through study of the Word, prayer, meditation, etc., and thus make them selves ready for the coming of the Son of God. thew’s s t o r y , re peats t h e w o r d “then” fifteen times, each time making it introduce a n ew point of view. In the parable of the virgins it occurs the tenth time. The ex
May 25, 1930 Jesus Describes th e Future of th e Kingdom Lesson: Matt 24:1-25:13. (Lesson Text: Matt. 25:1-13.) Golden Text: “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is” (Mark 13:^3). * * * L e sso n in O u t l in e I. Two Classes (1-5). 1. Similarity: all were virgins; all were expectant; all slumbered; all had lamps, oil, light. 2. Contrast: five wise, five foolish; wise had oil in vessels, foolish had not; five ready, five unready. II. Two Destinies (6-12). 1. The crisis—at the bridegroom’s coming (6-9). a. Sudden, startling.. b. Revealing unreadiness. 2. The disappointment—too late to prepare (10-11). 3. The separation—“I know you not” (12). III. The Practical Application (13). He Hi Hi A pproach to t h e L esso n '"THE parables of Matthew are in two groups. The first group, in the earlier part of the Gospel, describes the begin ning and the progress of the Kingdom; the second deals largely with condition’s and events at the consummation of the age. The parables of the second group are clustered around the prediction of the second coming of our Lord, and in order to properly interpret them one must first determine the meaning of that prediction. The view presented in the present study is that the coming of Christ is to be under stood literally, as referring to His visible, personal and glorious return to earth (Acts 1:11). The Olivet discourse in cludes,. it is true, a forecast of some things nearer at hand, but it also goes far out in history, even beyond our own times. It is sometimes argued, on the contrary, that these prophecies were com pletely fulfilled in the destruction of Je rusalem. To this a sufficient answer is that it is quite impossible to thus spirit ualise plain statements without creating more difficulties than are removed. While there undoubtedly is figurative language in the discourse, the promise of the re turn of Christ is given in simple and di rect words which do not appear to be either figurative or mysterious. There are at least three different inter pretations of the parable of the virgins. One states that the foolish virgins repre sent professed disciples, having a testi mony (light) but no real life, while the wise are true Christians, born of the Spirit. The second view looks upon the foolish virgins as typifying real Chris tians with some light (good works) but no fulness of life; the wise virgins, then, represent Christians who are supplied with an abundance of oil (Holy Spirit). Three objections to this view are fre quently raised: (1) It makes the privilege of going “forth to meet the bridegroom” to be grounded upon good works and not upon the grace of God. (2) It destroys
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