Audio Download

Matthew 25:1–30 The Parable of the Ten Virgins

[Study Aired November 17, 2025]

In our study today, we shall focus on the parable of the ten virgins and that of the talents. In the previous study on Matthew 24, our attention was centered on the physical coming of the son of man. These parables therefore serve as warning, so that we are not found wanting at His coming.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Mat 25:1  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 

The kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God is a spiritual realm, led by Jesus as king, with God as the ultimate authority. This realm is the hearts and minds of those who are being dragged by the Lord to submit to His will. The fact that the kingdom of heaven is likened to ten virgins implies that the participants of the kingdom are people who are full of the flesh who are receiving the mercy of the Lord to become the Lord’s bride when He comes. This is because the number ten signifies the fullness of the flesh. The story of Esther and the other virgins who were being prepared for the king illustrates the point being made in verse 1 where the ten virgins went forth to meet the bridegroom.  

Est 2:2  Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king: 
Est 2:3  And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them: 
Est 2:4  And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so. 

From this Esther story, we can see that the king is looking for fair young virgins as a bride. These young virgins are the participants of the kingdom of heaven. The fact that they must go through a purification process before they can be the bride of Christ is to suggest that these young virgins are of the flesh. That is why the number of virgins in this parable is ten. As noted in this Esther story, it is the maid who pleases the king who is privileged to become a queen. The ten virgins therefore are those who have been called, and in their lifetime, must please the Lord to become His bride.

In verse 1, we are told that all the virgins took their lamps. Spiritually, the lamps represent the word of the Lord as shown in the following verses:

Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

The fact that these virgins took their lamps therefore means that all those who are called by the Lord are instructed by the word of the Lord to make themselves ready for our Lord Jesus. 

Psa 119:130  The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. 

Psa 119:133  Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.  

To be granted to be part of this marriage union with Christ, we are required to put on fine linen, which is the righteousness of the saints.  

Rev 19:6  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 
Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 
Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

The ten virgins who set out to meet the bridegroom therefore signify all those who are called, which includes the Lord’s elect and our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world or Babylon. The five who were wise represent the Lord’s elect and the foolish ones symbolize our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world. The number five for the wise virgins indicates the fact that it is by grace through faith that the wise virgins are called and chosen. The number five in the case of the foolish virgins means that these foolish virgins are going through a period of famine of the word of the Lord as we shall see in the next verse of the study.

Gen 45:6  For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.

Gen 45:11 And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 
Amo 8:12  And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
Amo 8:13  In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. 

Mat 25:3  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 
Mat 25:4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

Verses 3 and 4 show us that the difference between the wise and the foolish virgins is that the wise took oil in the vessels with their lamps while the foolish ones did not take oil with them. The oil represents the spirit of the Lord, and the vessels are our bodies. Remembering that the lamps signify the word of the Lord, what we are being shown is that the five foolish virgins are not given to understand the word of the Lord in the spirit. On the other hand, the five wise virgins are privileged to understand the word of the Lord in the spirit, which is another way of saying that the wise virgins are given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but the foolish ones are not given to do so. 

1Sa 16:13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

Being able to understand the word of the Lord in the spirit is a prerequisite to worshiping the Lord in spirit and in truth.

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

Mat 25:5  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 
Mat 25:6  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 
Mat 25:7  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 

We all start our walk with the Lord as virgins as we escape the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the bridegroom, who is the Lord and savior Jesus Christ. The coming of the Lord into our lives to establish His kingdom within us takes time. This delay in the Lord’s coming exposes us as to whom we really are, as we all end up slumbering or sleeping. To slumber or to sleep is another way of saying that we all go back to our vomit as dogs as we eat and drink with the drunken. In other words, we are deceived as we are overwhelmed by our flesh. 

At the Lord’s physical appearing, when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, many will be found asleep spiritually due to the Lord’s delay in coming.

Mat 24:48  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 
Mat 24:49  And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken
Mat 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,  

2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 

The cry at midnight that the bridegroom comes is to let us know that when Christ comes into our lives, we shall know within us, without the shadow of doubt, His voice. Going out to meet Him means preparing to join the Lord in the marriage feast. This preparation involves trimming our lamps. That is to say that the word of the Lord must be illuminated to lighten our path to Christ. This is dependent on the oil in the lamp. In other words, it is as we understand the word of the Lord in the spirit that we see our way clearly to be united with the Lord. If there is no oil, there will not be any light from the lamp. That is to say that if we are not given to understand the word of the Lord in the spirit, then there is no way that we can become part of the bridegroom train.  

Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.  

It is insightful to note that it is at the Lord’s coming that the five foolish virgins will realize that all along, they did not have what it takes to become the bride of Christ. As indicated, the five foolish virgins represent our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world. We were part of them until the Lord came to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. This implies that many at this point in time, are not aware that they have been deceived by the very churches which they think will take them to Christ. Just as we, His elect, realized that we had been deceived when Christ came to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness, it is at the Lord’s physical reunion with His elect at the first resurrection that many will realize that they have been deceived. This deception is spoken of in several places of the word of the Lord.

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 
2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 
2Co 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 

Mat 25:8  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 
Mat 25:9  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.  

It is at Christ’s coming that our brothers and sisters in Babylon who are living shall see that we, His elect, are truly blessed to be with the Lord. That is when they come to us asking us to give them oil as their lamps have gone out. On the other hand, our brothers and sisters in Babylon who are dead before the coming of the Lord shall see our status as the Lord’s elect at the second resurrection. 

Through us, His elect, our brothers and sisters in Babylon shall come to know that they should go to them that sell and buy the oil for themselves. That means that there is a price to pay to be given the privilege to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. This price to pay is the Lord’s judgment of our old man which will be meted out to all humanity, including our brothers and sisters in Babylon, during the lake of fire age. They that sell in verse 9 refers to the Lord’s elect, who will administer the Lord’s judgment to the whole of humanity during the lake of fire age.

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.  

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

Mat 25:10  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 
Mat 25:11  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 
Mat 25:12  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 
Mat 25:13  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. 

The fact that the wise virgins went to the marriage feast with the Lord while the foolish virgins went to buy oil means that it is the Lord’s elect, symbolized by the five wise virgins, who will be part of the first resurrection. Our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world or Babylon will buy oil during the lake of fire age. The door being shut implies that no one will be saved during the thousand-year reign of the Lord and His elect. This is made clear in verses 11 and 12 where the five foolish virgins were not allowed to enter the marriage feast because the Lord said that He did not know them. The reason why the Lord did not know them is shown in Matthew 7:23 where the Lord said that they are workers of iniquity. 

Mat 7:21  Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

We must understand that iniquity is defined as self-righteousness by the word of the Lord. This means that the foolish virgins, who represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon are disqualified from the wedding feast of the Lord primarily because of their self-righteousness.

Eze 33:13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. 

In verse 13, the Lord is admonishing us to be watchful since we do not know the day and the hour of His coming. If we do not know, then it means that the Father has not revealed it to our Lord Jesus Christ. This is because whatever the Lord has received from the Father, He makes it known to us.

Joh 17:8  For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.   

The Parable of the Talents

Mat 25:14  For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 
Mat 25:15  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 
Mat 25:16  Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 
Mat 25:17  And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 
Mat 25:18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth and hid his lord’s money. 

The man travelling into a far country is our Lord Jesus Christ. The servants are the Lord’s elect in every generation. The goods here represent the talents that the Lord has given to each one of us. As stated in verse 15, the talents is given according to the abilities that the Lord has given to each one of us.   

1Pe 4:10  As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 
1Pe 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 

Eph 4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 
Rom 12:4  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 
Rom 12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 
Rom 12:6  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Rom 12:7  Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 
Rom 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

The journey that the Lord took in verse 15 is to go and prepare a place for us. This place that the Lord is preparing is the hearts and minds of His elect. 

Joh 14:2  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 
Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.  

Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 
Joh 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

As indicated, the Lord has given to each one of us various capabilities. To some, He has given five talents. By grace through faith (the significance of the number 5), those who are given many capabilities are able to carry out the responsibilities the Lord has assigned to them. Let’s look at the example of Paul. He was given so much (five talents) by the Lord’s grace, and He was able to execute all the responsibilities that the Lord gave to Him. 

1Co 15:9  For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 
1Co 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 

Similarly, those who are given two talents are also able to carry out the work that the Lord assigns to them. The problem was with the one who was given one talent. Usually, we feel we do not have something to offer when our talents are not obvious. As shown in the earlier verses, each one is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.  As indicated in verse 18, the one with one talent went and dug the earth and hid the Lord’s money or talent. The earth in this case, represents our bodies and therefore what happened was that the one with one talent hid the talent within him. That is to say that he was not able to bring out his talent. Every one of us has something to offer. Just a word of encouragement, a testimony, a song, etc. from a brother or sister will go a long way to help us in our walk with the Lord.

Mat 25:19  After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 
Mat 25:20  And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
Mat 25:21  His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 
Mat 25:22  He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 
Mat 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.   

In the fullness of time, our Lord will come, and that is when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. His coming is the first resurrection where the Lord’s elect who are able to double the talents that the Lord has given them shall be rewarded. That is the beginning of the rulership of many things for the Lord’s elect, which is the same as entering into the joy of the Lord. It is worth noting that the doubling of the talents is the same as becoming witnesses of Christ since the number 2 or double means a witness. 

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.  

As we can see, it does not matter the capabilities the Lord has given to each one of us. We shall all receive the same reward, that is, the rulership of many things or the entering into the joy of our Lord. The rulership entails ruling the nations of this world during the thousand-year reign of the Lord and of His Christ. It also involves playing the role of judges in the lake of fire age to usher in the whole of humanity and the devil and his cohorts to Christ. 

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

Mat 25:24  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 
Mat 25:25  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 
Mat 25:26  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 
Mat 25:27  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 

These verses demonstrate that our perception of the Lord affects the way the Lord relates to us. This principle is captured by the following scripture:

2Sa 22:26  With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright. 
2Sa 22:27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury. 

This principle is demonstrated clearly in the situation where the elders of Israel came to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. However, because they harbored idols of the heart (false doctrines), the Lord answered them according to the idols in their hearts. In the verses under discussion, the man regarded the Lord as a hard man who reaps where He has not sown and therefore the Lord required that the man should have at least put the money to the exchangers so that at His return, he can receive interest. These verses therefore stress the importance of knowing who Christ is through His word. As we are aware, it is only the Lord’s elect who are given to know Christ.

Eze 14:1  Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. 
Eze 14:2  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? 
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;  

Mat 25:28  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 
Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 

Here in these verses, the Lord is showing us that if we are not faithful in the little that He has given to us, what we have shall be taken away and given to those who are faithful. For example, in Matthew 13, we are told that our understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven is increased as the Lord takes away the knowledge that our brothers and sisters have of Him in the church system of this world and gives it to us His elect. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

The reason that what our brothers and sisters in Babylon have is taken away and given to us is that they were not faithful with the little knowledge that they have received. 

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them, 

That is why they become worse off over time. At a certain stage of our walk with Christ, we were also in this situation, but the Lord showed us mercy. 

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 

Mat 25:30  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

Being cast into outer darkness means that one is given over to the devil, who blinds the mind, so that the light of the gospel of Christ cannot shine in the mind to make one understand the truth. The weeping and gnashing of teeth reflect the remorse of lost opportunity.

2Co 4:3  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 
2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 

May the Lord continue to lead us in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake, as we see the day approaching. Amen!!