Got Oil?

Someone once complained to me that I talk a lot about faith, it was true… and it still is. In fact, I am going to write about it now. So if you are sick of it, please just scroll along.

Frankly, I am not going to change the amount of time I spend on this topic, it is after all, what Jesus himself talked about most often. It is how we become saved from eternal destruction. It is how we survive in our day to day lives. It is even how we can defeat an enemy that is way more powerful than we are. It is how the Kingdom of God moves.

It is NOT an arbitrary power to make us “like God” if we only will ourselves to access it. That would go against what Faith really is, trusting God, not anything else…especially ourselves.

Faith is going to become a bigger issue as we head screaming toward the end of days.

Yes, they are coming. Yes, folks have been saying it for thousands of years. Yes, many of them were kooks.

Sure, you can call me a kook too, if that makes you feel good about yourself. But sooner or later the end will come, and those who warned others to get ready will not seem so kooky, especially to those who actually got ready.

Regarding the end, Jesus told a parable of 10 virgins. 5 were wise and 5 were foolish. Now this parable is clearly a warning to those who believe in God as each virgin is waiting for the Bridegroom. The Bridegroom is a representation of Jesus.

The 5 wise virgins, were considered wise because they brought extra oil for their lamps as they figured the bridegroom could come to get them later time than what was expected. In the parable, the bridegroom was going to come at night, when it was really dark, so they needed lamps to see how to get to him when he finally came. If their oil ran out they would not be able to see how to follow him.

The 5 foolish virgins did not bring enough oil since they expected the bridegroom to come earlier. As the parable states, the bridegroom was indeed late so the 5 foolish virgins began to run out of oil for their lamps. Up a creek, they had to quickly go and buy oil, and when they were gone doing that, the bridegroom did come and they missed him. When they came to him later, he rejected them as those he didn’t even know.

Ouch.

1. Jesus is the bridegroom.

2. The virgins are those who profess to believe in Him.

3. The bridegroom’s return is the return of Jesus, which is at the end of days.

4. The bridegroom comes later than expected.

5. Most Christians today believe Jesus could come at any time.

6. He is not going to do that. He IS going to be later than expected.

7. He DID warn us!

For additional reference see (Daniel 12:1-3 “at that time”), (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 “that day will not come until…”), (Revelation 20:1-5 “This is the first resurrection”) and of course Matthew 25:1-13.

So, what does the oil represent?

Some would say the Holy Spirit, as oil represents the Spirit of God in many other places in scripture. However, that correlation doesn’t make any sense in this parable. The oil is the means of fueling the light in the lamps.

What Christian is running out of the Holy Spirit by waiting?

What makes more sense is faith. For while waiting for the bridegroom a virgin will need faith to see by. Faith is the power and light by which we live for and with God.

If we trust God in the little things…

So, when Jesus’ coming is delayed, or in other words, he doesn’t come until after the stuff hits the fan, a Christian will need to have a greater amount of faith to remain in Him.

Hebrews 10:38

38 And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”

The stuff will hit the fan, and we are getting closer and closer to where we will need to hide, run or deal with execution or imprisonment.

Revelation 13:9-11,

9 Whoever has ears, let them hear. 10 “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

Yeah, God’s people WILL experience this. That’s what it says.

Look, I know most Christians don’t want to believe that our loving God will make us go through the Great Tribulation… but he will.

Thinking Jesus is coming to get us (the Bridegroom coming for the virgin bride) before it gets difficult, is the same as the 5 foolish virgins waiting for him to come sooner than later. It is going to get dark. We need to be ready! He DID say that more than once!

So how do you get ready for a late coming Jesus? Well, stop praying for God to make your life easier and blaming the devil for all your difficult circumstances. God is in control.

If you are a Christ follower, the devil can’t do squat to you without God the Father's permission…HE CAN’T or Jesus is not really Lord and God.

God is not weak. God is not limited.

He does need to make us ready.

We WILL need to have enough faith to risk exile from society, trust God for daily food, hide for survival, survive in an internment (prison) camp or be killed for not renouncing Christ.

If you bail on a marriage vow now, while it is still light out, because you are disappointed with how your spouse “turned out”, how will you have the faith to stand against the threat of an executioners axe?

If we trust God in the little things…

If you have to lie to stay “cool”, how will you have the faith to openly profess Christ when it will cost you imprisonment?

If we trust God in the little things…

If you yield to the world when it turns totally against Christ, you WILL walk away from Jesus’ lordship. After, when you do finally see him face to face, he will say “Depart from me, I never knew you”.

Yes he will.

Christian, please don’t be foolish. Get ready now. Learn to trust God in all things. Get to know Him as He is.

You don’t have to like what He does all the time. Jesus wasn’t thrilled about the Cross. Just keep walking with Him.

Do things His way, even if it costs you jobs, friends, family and status. Stop making Him a small hippy dippy Jesus that just loves all the time. He is not.

He is the King over all reality.

Revelation 19:11-16,

11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.