In Matthew 25 Jesus elaborates the watching period just before His return. He tells several parables to illustrate what He will be expecting His followers to be doing when He returns.

Today we discussed the parable of the ten virgins. Rather than retelling the story, I will discuss what each symbol in the parable means.

The bridegroom: Jesus. Jesus is to be married to His church. (2 Corinthians 11:2.)

The ten virgins: These were all Christians. They were all waiting for Jesus to come and receive His bride.

The lamps: There are several possible applications here. The lamp is the Bible. (Psalms 119:105.) The light is also Jesus. (John 8:12.) The Christian’s life is also to be a light to the world. (Matthew 5:14-16.) So the light represents having a knowledge of the Scriptures and Jesus, and applying that knowledge practically in how you live your life.

The oil: The oil represents the Holy Spirit. (Zechariah 4:1-6) As the olive tree supplies olive oil that powers the lamps, so the Holy Spirit supplies the power to apply the Bible to our lives. Our lives are changed to conform to the Bible teachings through the work of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:16.)

Running out of oil: The foolish virgins had no reserve of oil. They allow the Holy Spirit to work in their lives to a certain extant, but do not allow complete victory over all sin. Therefore, their lights will go out before Jesus returns. The wise virgins have a reserve of oil. They have allowed the Holy Spirit to thoroughly sanctify their lives. They have a complete and practical knowledge of the Scriptures. They are ready to act in a Godly manner in any crisis.

The refusal to lend oil: On the surface it may seem mean of the wise virgins not to give any oil to their friends who ran out. But the wise virgins know that if they gave up any of their oil in this time of crisis, it would only delay the crisis. All ten would run out of oil in the middle of the wedding party. The only solution was for someone to go buy more oil. Naturally, the ones who did not bring extra oil should be the ones to go buy more. Likewise, we can teach each other and pray for each other, but in the end each of us has to individually allow God to change our lives. You cannot get to heaven on the coattails of anybody but Jesus Christ. If you have not made it your business to have a close relationship with God, you will not be ready for Jesus to return.

I do not know you: You get to know Jesus by studying the Bible, praying, and unselfish service to others. The power behind all of this is the Holy Spirit. Those who wait until the last minute to have a vital connection with God will find that they have waited too long. They will find themselves left outside the kingdom of heaven.

The point for me today: The same as last time—I should be busy studying the Bible, praying, and helping others. I need to live by the Holy Spirit so that my life will be completely reformed. Then, I will be ready when Jesus returns.

Yesterday we looked at the signs of Jesus’ return. We found that nearly everything has been fulfilled. Jesus could come pretty much any time now. Jesus said that just like the leaves on the trees show that summer is near, these signs show that He is at the door.

We can know that Jesus will come soon. But we cannot know the day or the hour. Many have made the mistake of trying to pinpoint the day, and have been disappointed. In the early 1800’s William Miller preached that Jesus would come back about 1843 or 1844. His followers pinpointed the date to October 22, 1844. It turns out they were right about the date, but wrong about the event that occurred on that date. (See The Great Controversy chapters 22, 23, and 24.) More recently it has been thought by some that Jesus would come back in the 1980’s, 1994, or 1996.

Jesus predicted that it may seem that His return is delayed. Everything seems normal. People eat, drink, and get married. But those who count on His coming being delayed are in for an unpleasant surprise—He will come when they least expect it.

Jesus told us to keep watch and to continue doing what He has told us to be doing. So I thought about what this means.

First, we are to keep watch. This would involve studying the Bible, observing what is happening in the world, and praying. We need to study the Bible to learn true doctrine. We need to study Bible prophecy to understand the events that are yet to take place so that we can recognize them when they happen. We need to be aware of the world around us so that we can recognize the signs of Jesus return. We need to pray to understand God’s word and our duty. We need to pray for forgiveness for what we have done wrong, and strength to do what is right. In summary, we need to know God on a personal basis.

Second, we are to keep doing what Jesus has told us to be doing. His last words were “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations….” (Matthew 28:19.) We should be busy spreading the gospel. We should also be keeping His commandments. (John 14:15.) This includes helping the poor and those oppressed by sin and sickness. (Matthew 25:31-46.) In summary, we need to know God by experience, working along side God to help and teach others.

The point for me today: Jesus is coming soon! Therefore, I should be busy studying the Bible, praying, and helping others.

Last time we noted that the disciples thought that the temple would be destroyed at the end of the world. Jesus did not explicitly correct them. In His answer He wove together the destruction of the temple and the end of the world. He included enough detail so that we could figure it out along the way.

First, Jesus gives the airplane view. First, there will be false Christs, wars, famines, pestilences (epidemics and, perhaps, pandemics), and earthquakes all around the world, all throughout history until the end of the world. These all happened in the days of the apostles and continue to happen today. That was just the beginning of problems. Then there would be persecution and false prophets. Sin will increase, and the people’s love will grow cold. These have now also happened. Finally, the gospel will be preached in all the world. This is happening. Thus, the end could come at any time now.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the fulfillments of the airplane view.
1. False Christs. Several of these appeared in the days leading up to the destruction of the temple and the destruction of Jerusalem. Barabbas, who was released instead of Jesus, was thought by some to be the Messiah. Simon Bar Kochba, who thought to be the Messiah, led the revolt that resulted in the total destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 135. There were many others in between. Modern false Christs include David Koresh and Moon Sun-Myung. There have been many others.
2. Wars. To start with, there were the Jewish revolts against Roman occupation. There were also wars and assassinations among the Roman leaders. Today there are around 30 wars going on around the world at any given time. You can hardly pick up a newspaper without reading both war and threatened war.
3. Famine. Jerusalem was racked by famine in the siege leading up to the destruction of the temple. Nowadays, every several seconds a child dies of starvation.
4. Pestilences. AIDS, cancer, threat of bird flu, etc.
5. Earthquakes. There are many every year. Recent large earthquakes include the tsunami in Southeast Asia in December 2004 followed by the earthquake in Pakistan.
6. Persecution. This happened under both pagan and papal Rome. For example, pagan Rome persecuted Christians under Diocletian. Then for several hundred years papal Rome persecuted anyone who would preach the Bible.
7. False prophets. Paul contended with false prophets. (2 Corinthians 11:13.) There have always been false prophets. Many pastors and seminary teachers today do not believe the Bible, but rather teach their own philosophies.
8. Increase of sin. This is happening not only in the world in general, but also in the church. Just recently, a man who was to be married by a minister of Christ was killed by police while leaving a strip-tease bar the morning of his wedding. The man’s bishop and another prominent preacher have been quoted in news reports condemning the police for killing the man. (I’ll leave whether the police were justified in killing the man to other blogs.) However, neither pastor seems to have mentioned that the man spent the night before his wedding committing adultery! (See Matthew 5:27-28. Why else would he be at a “strip” bar?) The prominent preacher called for “moral outrage” against the police for killing the man. But where is the moral outrage about the man attending a strip bar, possibly getting drunk, and attempting to run over another man?
9. Cold love. Just read the newspaper. (No, don’t! It’s not good reading.)
10. The Gospel. The Bible is available in hundreds of languages all over the world. There are churches in pretty much every country. (In some counties, the churches are underground.) Missionaries have reached nearly every people group. Books, magazines, radio, television, internet, and other media are full of preachers. This work is nearly complete. But as long as my neighbor does not know Christ, or there is a people group yet to be reached, there is work for me to do to help spread the gospel message.

After the airplane view, Jesus gives a timeline. Here are the events.
1. The destruction of the temple. When there is an abomination of desolation in the holy place, it is time to flee Judea. When the Christians saw the Roman army outside Jerusalem in the part of the “holy city” outside the walls, they knew it was time to leave. Not a single Christian was killed in the siege of Jerusalem. Note that Jesus cites the 70 week prophecy of Daniel when describing the sign of the destruction of the temple. (See Daniel 9:27.) The destruction happened after the 70-week (490-year) probation for the Jews was ended. If the Jewish leaders had accepted Jesus, they may well have averted the destruction of the temple. (See Jeremiah 18:7-8.)
2. The Great Tribulation. The next great event is the great tribulation which Jesus said would be cut short. We noted above that Jesus referred to Daniel in reference to the destruction of the temple. Daniel also predicted a time when a power emanating from Rome would “… wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of a time.” (Daniel 7:25.) This time period is three and one-half years. Taking 360 days to a year (approximate Jewish lunar calendar), that makes 1260 days. Using the prophetic principle of a day stands for a year (Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34—This is the same principle that makes the 70 weeks of Daniel 9 refer to 490 literal years.), that makes 1260 years. This time period started in A.D. 538 when the last of the Arian powers that challenged the supremacy of the bishop of Rome was removed. It ended in 1798 when the Pope was taken captive by the French army. What is commonly called the Dark Ages occurred during this time of the supremacy of papal Rome. Many Christian doctrines were changed by the papal system, including the gospel, the Ten Commandments, and the church calendar. Possession of the Bible by the common people was banned by the papal Roman Catholic Church. And priests were instructed in church dogma rather than the Scriptures. Those who possessed or preached from the Bible were killed or persecuted. Such persecuted people included the Waldenses, John Huss, Jerome, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, John Wycliffe, and millions of others. Jesus said the time of tribulation would be cut short to preserve the elect. And so the prominence of the papal church was cut several hundred years before 1798 by the Protestant Reformation.
3. False Christs and false prophets. Jesus said that after the tribulation there would be more false Christs and false prophets. Some would even do great miracles. We are not to be deceived by miracles. Satan can do miracles, and so can his prophets. Sometimes the miracles of the false prophets look exactly like miracles of God. (See, for example, Exodus 7:10-12, 20-22; 8:5-7.) Just because a person does miracles (healing, moving mountains, bringing down fire from heaven, etc.) does not mean the person is from God. HOW TO KNOW IT IS JESUS: Jesus says that when He comes again, it will not be secret. His coming will be as visible as the lightning, and after He comes, birds of prey will be eating dead bodies. The dead bodies would be those who opposed Jesus and were destroyed at His coming. (Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:8 and Revelation 19:11-21, especially verses 17-18.)
4. Signs in the sky. Right after the tribulation, there were signs in the sky. On May 19, 1780, the sun disappeared at noon. The earth because black as night. The moon did not shine until after midnight, and when it did finally shine, it was blood red. The day is known as The Dark Day. This happened after the tribulation had been “cut short” by the Protestant Reformation. The next sign was the falling of the stars. This occurred during the remarkable meteorite shower of November 13, 1833. All over North America the sky was lit up for hours by a dazzling display of meteorites.
5. The powers of heaven shaken. We are still waiting for this to happen. This is the last sign to occur before Jesus comes back. Revelation describes this event as “the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together….” (Revelation 6:14.)
6. The second coming of Jesus. When the heaven is rolled back as a scroll, then Jesus will come through. He will be seen by the whole earth. (There is nothing secret here!) He will come “with great power and glory.” It will be as bright as the lightning. There will be a trumpet sounding. He will be ‘in the clouds of heaven.” The angels will gather the elect from the whole earth. Paul says the elect will be gathered to “the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” That is, the elect will be raptured to the clouds. Nothing here says that Jesus will even touch the ground. Instead, He will take us to His Father’s house in heaven to be with Him forever. (See John 14:1-3.) The unsaved mourn and call for the rocks to fall on them. (Compare Revelation 6:12-17.) As mentioned in #3 above, the unsaved die and are eaten by the birds of prey.

Note that the timing given by Jesus does not agree with the “Left Behind” series that has been so popular recently. Nor does it agree with the notes in the Scofield Study Bible. (The notes in a study Bible are not necessarily inspired by God. Only the main text of the Bible is.) Scofield and the Left Behind series say that the tribulation will occur after the rapture of the saints (elect). Jesus says the tribulation will occur BEFORE the rapture.

Note also that the rapture is not secret. When the elect are raptured, Jesus is sitting in the clouds in great glory that can be seen all over the earth, and there is a trumpet sounding. The angels are carrying the elect up to the clouds. The unsaved are mourning and dying. This is a very public event. There is no place where the Bible ever mentions a secret rapture. The doctrine of the secret rapture is a deception originally made popular by the Scofield Study Bible and recently repeated in the “Left Behind” series.

Jesus’ very first words in the passage were, “Take head that no man deceive you.” Jesus gave us the basic information in this passage. He gave us even more information in Revelation. We need to know what Jesus says, and not be deceived by the false teachings circulating so freely in the Christian churches.

Finally, only two conditions from this passage remain to be fulfilled before Jesus comes again. (1) The gospel preached to the whole world. (2) The shaking of the powers of heaven.

The point for me today: (1) Jesus has given me good information about how to recognize Him when he comes. He has also warned me against false prophets (preachers). I must study His words so that I will be ready for Him and will not be deceived. (2) I must do my part in spreading the gospel to prepare the way for Jesus to come back.

Jesus had just pronounced the temple desolate. The architecture and materials used in the temple were gorgeous. Herod had invested a lot of time and money in beautifying the temple. While the temple was not as beautiful as the temple built by Solomon, it was impressive.

Imagine what might have been going through the minds of the people who had heard Jesus pronounce the temple desolate. Has God left the temple? If so, what will happen to it? Is it still OK to worship here? What will happen to the temple? Will it be destroyed? I’m sure some of these thoughts went through the minds of the priests. I’m sure some of these thoughts went through the minds of the disciples.

If I had been there with Jesus, I would have wanted a bit more information about the meaning and consequences of a desolate temple. Was there any possibility to restore the presence of God? This may have been what the disciples were thinking when they drew Jesus attention to the temple buildings and their beauty.

Jesus saw the beauty of the temple. But he also saw the consequences of the Jewish leaders’ rejection of true worship. If you reject God, then you are by definition on the side of Satan. The basic principle of Satan’s government is selfishness, and the outworking of this principle is usually violence. Violent selfishness would lead to fighting that would result in the destruction of the temple. Jesus predicted that not one stone would be left upon another. The only thing left of the temple today is a section of retaining wall.

The disciples could apparently not comprehend another destruction of the temple. If the temple were to be destroyed, surely that would be the end of the world. So when Jesus’ disciples ask about the sign of the destruction of the temple, they also ask for the sign of Jesus second coming.

Jesus knew that His disciples were not ready to comprehend the distinction between the destruction of the temple and the end of the world. So He did not make a distinction in His answer. Nowadays, we can make the distinction in hindsight. The disciples recognized the distinction as the events unfolded. Next time we will examine Jesus’ answer and its meaning for us today.

The point for me today: The wise teacher introduces new concepts only as his students are ready to learn. I do not need to unload all doctrinal teachings on my students all at once. I should introduce new doctrines little by little, building on what they already know. Jesus does this for me, and I should give others the opportunity to learn over time.

These are the last words of Jesus as a teacher in the temple. He may have been brought to the temple at some point during His trial, but He said almost nothing at that time. Seeing how these are the last words of Jesus to the scribes and Pharisees, we should pay careful attention to what He had to say.

1. They shut up the kingdom of heaven so that nobody can enter. This is because of their false religion that they created. As I mentioned yesterday, the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees have been preserved in the Talmud and Mishnah. There are a lot of good teachings in these books. But there are also a lot of false and fanciful teachings. These books will not point you to Jesus, the only means of salvation.
2. They devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. This was their “get rich off of religion while appearing very pious” scheme. They would tell widows that it would be virtuous for them to devote their property to religion. Then the scribes and Pharisees would reap the financial benefits of the donation. They also had a system somewhat similar to the Catholic system of indulgences. Meanwhile, they would recite long prayers in public to cover up their lack of inward piety. To be sure, there are some beautiful prayers written by the scribes and Pharisees. But rote recitation of these prayers just to look pious will not lead a person to heaven.
3. They are very careful to indoctrinate their converts. Since their doctrines do not lead to the Savior, they lead to hell. The system of religion they created has some beautiful aspects to it. But the have perverted the Scriptures and do not point their converts to the Messiah, Jesus. Therefore, they are children of hell, even though they may appear more righteous than other men.
4. They allowed people to break their oaths. They said that if you swear by temple or by the altar, you don’t really have to tell the truth or keep your oath. You can lie or change your mind. But if you swear by the gold of the temple or the gift on the altar, then you are bound to tell the truth and keep your oath. Basically, they were looking for loopholes. They were looking for ways to make promises and break them with impunity. But there are no loopholes! “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (Psalm 24:3-5.) You cannot swear deceitfully and be innocent before God.
5. They are very particular about giving tithe of their garden herbs and removing the smallest bugs from their food and water. But they are not just or merciful, and they do not have faith in the Son of God. They will strain a real gnat out of their drinking water, but they swallow the proverbial camel of cruel injustice. For example, they took widows houses. (See #2 above.) “Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.” “Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Take care of these big issues, and the little things will sort themselves out in time.
6. They go so far as to baptize cups and platters so that they will not be defiled by using impure or unholy dishes. Yet their own hearts are full of extortion. They blackmailed people using religion to get their money. I have not seen my Orthodox Jewish friends doing this. (Maybe I just don’t know enough.) But I understand it was common in the time of Jesus. God is not concerned about baptizing (ceremonially submerging) cups and platters. He is concerned about pure hearts! (Compare Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Romans 2:28-29.)
7. They try to look good and righteous, while their hearts are full of evil desires. They indulge these evil desires when they think nobody is looking.
8. They say that if they had been alive during the time of the prophets, they would have listened to the prophets rather than persecuting them. But they don’t listen to the prophets, even now. Even to this day, when they go to study prophecy, they look at what their own commentaries say, rather than accepting what the prophets themselves said. The fathers spurned the prophets in favor of idolatry and false worship of the true God. The scribes and Pharisees spurned Jesus in favor of their own system of religion. Jesus predicted that it would continue to be this way. And it was—they killed Jesus, Stephen, James, and others. NOTE: We also must not be too quick to say they we would not kill the prophets. We should not trust God, and not trust ourselves. We often don’t know what is in our own heart until God reveals it to us.

At the conclusion of the woes, Jesus declares that their cup of iniquity is nearly so full as to cause their rejection as a nation. Jesus wanted to save them. He wanted to protect them from their enemies. But they rejected Him because they did not like His terms.

Up to this point, Jesus had referred to the temple as “My Father’s house.” But the temple in old Jerusalem was about to lose all significance. It was not glorified with the Shekinah glory in the Most Holy Place like Solomon’s temple. Instead, it was privileged to a greater glory—the presence of God Himself teaching in the temple courts. But the Son of God is about to leave the temple for the last time. God’s presence would never again be manifested in that temple. Thus Jesus pronounces, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”

It occurred to me as I was going through the list of woes that this passage applies to the Catholic Church. Dear reader, if you are Catholic, think carefully about this. I do not aim to offend, but merely to point out the truth. This truth can be difficult to comprehend for someone who is accustomed to thinking of the Catholic Church as the “Mother Church,” who thinks of the Pope as sitting on the seat of Peter. But if you will compare the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church with those of Jesus and the Bible, you will come to some startling conclusions. It may be enough to prompt you to consider looking for a church that truly follows Jesus.

1. The Catholic Church teaches that some of the commandments of God have been changed. For example, they teach that Sunday has replaced Sabbath and that it is alright to bow in front of statues. But Jesus taught that the law would not be changes. (Compare Exodus 20 and Matthew 5:17-19 with Catholic doctrine.) The Church also teaches that you are saved by the grace of God through the sacraments and the merits of the church and the saints. But the Bible says we are saved by the grace of God through faith, not works. (Ephesians 2:8-9.) The merits that save us are the merits of Christ, not the Church or the saints. (2 Corinthians 5:21.) It also teaches people to pray to Mary, the other saints, and other dead people. But the Bible also says we are not to try to contact dead people. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12.) The apostles and prophets never prayed to anyone but God. Jesus taught us to pray to “our Father who art in heaven.” Thus, the teachers in the Catholic Church are shutting up the way to heaven rather than teaching the true way to heaven.
2. Often the Catholic Church has taught that spiritual benefits can be bought with money. Though it is not emphasized like it was a few hundred years ago, the Catholic Church still offers indulgences. Nowhere does the Scripture say that forgiveness can be bought by money. In fact, the Scriptures say the gifts of God cannot be bought. (See Acts 8:18-20.) Can a widow’s gift to the church result in her husband be immediately transferred from purgatory to heaven? The Bible says “no.”
3. The Catholic Church is careful to indoctrinate its converts. You must attend catechism class before you can be confirmed as a member of the Catholic Church. Indoctrination is a good thing. But the Catholic doctrine contains many falsehoods and puts a person on the path to hell rather than to heaven. “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:9.)
4. The Catholic Church presumes to annul marriages, thus making the marriage vow of none effect. (John Kerry is one prominent person who had his marriage annulled.) But once the marriage is consummated, it is a marriage and cannot be annulled. God says that at marriage “they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24.) Jesus says that once the one flesh experience has occurred, man has no right to separate the couple and annul the marriage. (Matthew 19:6.)
5. The Catholic Church has committed great injustices in the name of God. In the past, popes and prelates have used any means to preserve their power. Just read history.
6. The Catholic Church teaches that so long as you observe the sacraments, including the requirement to come to church at least at Easter and Christmas, you will go to heaven. All you have to do is be baptized, be confirmed, attend mass twice a year, go to confessional from time to time, and have last rights, and you will go to heaven. It does not really matter what kind of a life you live. If you live a bad life, you might spend longer in purgatory, they say, but you will eventually go to heaven.
7. The Catholic Church has beautiful churches and cathedrals. They have impressive worship services with beautiful music. But as pointed out in #1 above, they do not preach a religion that truly sanctifies the heart.
8. The Catholic Church has at times banned the writings of the prophets—the Bible. A Catholic friend of mine told me that his priest told him not to read the Bible. The Catholic Church persecuted and killed some of the prophets who tried to lead them back to the religion of Jesus and the Bible. Examples are John Huss, Jerome, Martin Luther, Wycliffe, and Tyndale.

Dear Catholic reader, I mean you no harm is writing this. I write it only because the behavior of the scribes and Pharisees bears a striking resemblance to the behavior of the Catholic Church. If Jesus warned them about these teachings and behaviors, then His warnings also apply to any other religious system with the same problems. By writing this I hope to benefit you by pointing you to the true doctrine of salvation. Martin Luther had to abandon the Catholic Church because she would not yield to the doctrine he found in Scripture. You will have to do the same, if you want to enter heaven.

The Jews were rejected by God when they refused to believe John the Baptist and Jesus. How do you think God feels about the Catholic Church having rejected the scriptural teachings of the reformers?

Dear Protestant reader, Do not take too much comfort in the fact that you are a Protestant. Many of these same woes apply to many of the Protestant churches. Take good stock of your situation and see whether your church is truly following the example and teaching of Christ. If they are not, then you may need to find another church.

We must also take stock of ourselves individually. Is my religion, personally, a religion of the heart, following God from my heart? Have I allowed God to “circumcise” all the evil from my heart? Do I major in justice, mercy and faith? It is this true religion that will lead one into a knowledge of God and entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

The point for me today: I must put my faith in Jesus, not myself. God will cleanse me from the inside out. I cannot change my own heart, but God can. Once the heart has been changed, good actions will follow. Then I will be prepared to live in the presence of God in heaven and the new earth.