VERSE 6 “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.”
What is “midnight”?
It is the end of one day and the BEGINNING of the next. Specifically, “midnight” is October 1874, the beginning of the seventh 1,000-year period. (See, "God's Great Sabbath Day, Part 2" for more on this)
An announcement occurred at midnight with regard to the beginning of Jesus’ Second Advent, the parousia—an announcement that the Bridegroom was present. (The word “cometh” is spurious.) But, nevertheless, there was a time interval, for the virgins were to go forth to meet him.
Jesus also announced his presence to the Church of Laodicea in Rev 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” In this last period of the Church, Jesus is pictured as knocking at the door. To do this, he would have to be present, not coming at a future time. At the First Advent John the Baptist said, “There stands one among you, whom ye know not” and “Behold the Lamb of God” (John 1:26, 29); that is, Jesus was right there—present!
Following the disappointment of the Millerite movement, a magazine was published called The Midnight Cry; it pointed out the date 1874. This journal was associated with the Truth movement in the early days when the Pastor and a few other individuals were the nucleus.
VERSE 7 “Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.”
Consider the experience of the brethren at the beginning of the Harvest. All of the virgins were asleep. Then at midnight a cry went forth: “Behold, the bridegroom!” Hearing the cry, all arose with their lamps and trimmed them. However, the period of “trimming” (searching the scriptures for evidence of our Lord’s return) covers a long period of time—from 1876 when the brethren first became aware of Jesus’ Second Presence right up to our day and even a little beyond.
VERSE 8 “And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.”
The foolish virgins’ comment “Our lamps are gone out” should be “Our lamps are going out” (see King James margin). Their lamps were flickering and giving a feeble light because of insufficient oil. (Therefore they could not see, i.e. perceive the returned Lord through an examination of the scriptures, this requires the Holy Spirits assistance).
VERSE 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.”
What does “trimming” a lamp mean?
After an oil lamp burns for a long time, the wick carbonizes. That end needs to be broken off lest it retard the flame. A brighter illumination is the result. All of the virgins woke up and wanted to go forth to meet the Bridegroom following the announcement of his presence. However, the foolish virgins found they were having a problem; namely, the oil supply was inadequate and their lamps were flickering. The illumination was weak because of a lack of fuel. Not having an extra reservoir of oil in separate vessels (as the wise had, see Verse 5 once again); the foolish virgins found that their lamps were going out. Thus they asked the wise virgins for some of their oil. The answer was “No,” for the wise needed all of their oil for themselves. In addition, the wise virgins suggested to the foolish ones that they go to the marketplace to buy some oil.
VERSE 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.”
This verse says, “The bridegroom came.” There are different “comings,” and this one refers to the rapture (or translation), when Jesus comes for the last members. Other “comings” include Jesus’ initial arrival and his sitting down and feeding the household of faith with truths new and old. Thus there are several aspects of the Second Coming, just as there were at the First Advent. Jesus “came” when he was born as an infant. He “came” at his baptism at Jordan and again, later, riding on the colt of an ass, etc. In other words, the prophecies of the First Advent pertain to certain points of time. The Second Advent began with the initial act of Jesus’ coming (1874), but some years later it will be marked by the closing of the door and the taking of his Bride. In the near future the wise virgins will go into the wedding.
We continue with Verse 11 in our next post.
