"the Sleeping Church."

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES

(Matthew 25:1-5) (1) "Then the kingdom of heaven, shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom." (2) " Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish." (3) " Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them," (4) "but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps." (5) " But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept."

(Matthew 25:6-9) (6) " "And at midnight a cry was heard: "Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!" (7) " Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps." (8) " And the foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." (9) "But the wise answered, saying, "No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves."

(Matthew 25:10-13) (10) " And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut." (11) "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us!" (12) "But he answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you." (13) "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

(Luke 12:40) "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

(Matthew 7:21-23) "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (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? (23) "And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you that work iniquity."

(Mark 13:32-33) "“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (33) "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is."

(Mark 13:35-37) (35) "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is cometh, at even, or at midnight, at the cockcrowing, or in the morning" (36) "lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping." (37) " And what I say unto you I say unto all: Watch!”

(Revelation 19:7) "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

PREFACE SUMMARY

The parable of the Ten Virgins is a story told by Jesus to illustrate the need for Christians to be prepared for his second coming. It speaks of ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom; five were wise and brought enough oil for their lamps, while the other five were foolish and did not.

When the bridegroom was delayed, all ten virgins fell asleep. But when he arrived, the foolish virgins realized they had run out of oil and asked the wise ones to share with them. The wise ones refused and advised the foolish ones to go and buy oil for themselves.

The foolish ones left to buy oil, but by the time they returned, the bridegroom had already arrived, and the door was closed. The parable concludes with the bridegroom telling the foolish virgins, "I do not know you."

This parable teaches us the importance of being prepared and ready for the return of Christ. The wise virgins who brought enough oil for their lamps represent true believers who are prepared and ready for the second coming of Christ. The foolish virgins who did not get enough oil represent those who attend church just for appearances, lacking genuine faith and failing to prepare for the return of Christ. The parable emphasizes that the second coming of Christ will be sudden and unexpected, and those who are not ready will not be accepted into the kingdom of God.

In this parable, Jesus uses ordinary events and customs of the day to relate spiritual truths to his disciples. The five foolish maidens in the parable chose to do things their way, and as a result, the wedding party had to walk in less light on a dark path. This is because Jewish weddings are usually held at night.

In today's world, many people in the church may appear to be ready to meet the Lord, but in reality, they have not completely surrendered their lives to Christ. They may still identify as Christians but have not obeyed His commandments to serve others and be a light to the world.