16.
The reluctance of the wise to share their oil resulted in complete refusal lest they themselves would have insufficient oil. The unwise were commanded to go seek for them selves. Our standing before the Lord is an individual matter. Likewise the depth of our spiritual experience. Too often we compare ourselves by with others and feel that we are sufficiently spiritual, even more spiritual than they are. Such comparison is most unwise and extremely dangerous. 2 Cor. 10:12 The odds of finding oil at midnight were not great for them. Most any merchant being awakened at that time of night would charge them an exorbitant price. Buy for yourselves was the admonition of the wise. Mt. 25:9
Their quest for the oil which was so vital and that which they should have possessed all the time caused them to miss the arrival of the Bridegroom. The very event for which they had been waiting, and was so important to them, was missed. Just imagine the heartache, the depression, the sorrow of not being there for the moment of His appearance. Those who were ready went in with Him, into the marriage. How important and vital it is to be prepared for this most wonderful event. It is the climax of great joy and extreme happiness of the ages. One of every two Christians who are living in that day will miss the marriage of the Lamb, because they did not have a sufficient reserve of oil, {the Spirit}. Mt. 25:10
And the door was shut. What a final and unwelcome sound that statement has to it. The scriptures are so wonderful and expressive of the workings of the Lord. Jesus compared the end of the age to the days of Noah. In His statement He also referred to marriage, certainly not without purpose. Luke 17:26-27 In Noah’s day it was the Lord who shut the door when the full complement of man and beast had entered. Gen. 7:16 The five wise, filled to full capacity, with the Holy Spirit had already found rest in the Spirit. They experienced the prophecy of Isaiah of that rest granted by the presence of the Spirit. Isa. 28:11-12 The wise, behind the closed door will find themselves in the rest of the Lord. While the time of God’s judgment just prior and during the great tribulation rages around them, they will be in perfect and complete peace. They will have entered into perfect union with the Lord Jesus. This is a rest well worth striving for. The wise will consider these things and being wise will take appropriate action.