Parable of the 10 Virgins

[psalmone]

That's ok Alan, I appreciate your attempt to.

Maybe I'm just reading too much into it.

It's just that they needed MORE oil. Yet the other 5 anticipated the need and had the necessary amoung ALREADY. They knew what to anticipate in terms of the "the darkness", and having enough oil to light their way.

In His Love,

Suzanne

Could the 5 unprepared be within the church that Jesus calls Lukewarm, while the other prepared 5 were in the church on fire for Him?

That was simple and interesting.

I was recently recieveing it as an instruction not to allow ourselve to get raw and coarse and infertile and desolate. We must continue in valueing the Spirit in our lives above all else.

[patricia1]

Amen...They were all christians Thats why they all had oil. The parable of the wedding feast, I hope you do not mind 't' They were all busy with what God gave them to do to come to the wedding. Since God knew them enough to send invintations, you send invintations to friends. Then God went to te highways and byways.

[nikos]

Also of interest to note is that prepared or not with oil, they were ALL asleep when the Bidegroom came. What a picture of the church today. IMO, the church is asleep and we need an awakening. Even the true church with oil in their lamps.

Lord wake us up!

[~pearl]

Interesting way of looking at it Suzanne, see I believe pre-trib but I have talked with my husband and said what if we are wrong. We need to know how to do things the "old fashioned" way in order to survive. I think that is what you are saying?

I had always thought that the oil represented the Holy Spirit and the ones who ran out of oil are the ones that fell away. Great discussion, btw.

[tsth]

Thanks PB,

I think it also goes along with various other posts I've presented regarding the issue of "Endure".

It is vital. So, to me, it only makes sense that you need to have oil for the longrun.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[Fraught]

very interesting post - still, i fail to understand the concept of 'more'. if the oil = Holy Spirit, that's puzzling. how does one go about obtaining 'more'? what would i have done to 'run out' of the Holy Spirit and have to borrow some? i look forward to reading more of the post so i may, hopefully, get clued in.

[tsth]

Dear Fraught,

Your confusion is valid, because actually, we've got 2 trains of thought going on in the thread. Which is fine. But just keep in mind that people are sharing different thoughts on this. My focus/view is one of "endurance". Someone elses is "The Holy Spirit". Which I do not dismiss, but I'm looking at another viewpoint of being able to endure.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[nikos]

I tend to see the Holy Spirit as giving the power to endure. So I connect the two.

[Guest Greg Davies]

This is a great little discussion. Oil=Holy Spirit; no doubt. Paul exhorts Timothy to stir up the gift that was in him. That means use it, apply it, minister to the body. The gifts operate by faith in love and are expressions of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 12).

Prov. 20:27 says that the spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord searching all the inward parts. In Rom 8:26-27, we find the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God and also searches the hearts. Hallelujah! Our spirit, one with the Holy Spirit, can truly accomplish the purposes of God. We can do all thing through Christ that strengthens us.

But we must stir it up! If we are fountains of living water because the Holy Spirit is in us, we must release this living water, washing one another's feet.

The parable of the talents teaches us that if we put to use what the Lord gives us we'll recieve more. If we don't, we'll lose even that which we seem to have and suffer for it. Help us Lord!

If we love one another we will endure. Love endures all things.

Greg.

[Fraught]

so are you saying that if we do not use the oil of the Holy Spirit, it will run out? the more we use it, the more we will have when the bridegroom returns? the 5 virgins without oil in their lamps are 5 who have not used their gifts? therefore, the door is closed to them?