How will we know the end of the age? How will we know your second coming? One of the great things for us as believers is to know that not only Jesus came once, He will come again. There are massive issues related to His second coming that affect how you live your life. So Jesus spoke some parables and He had three parables and each parable brings out a different aspect of His coming.
I want you to open up your Bible with me in Matthew, Chapter 25. It's the Parable of the Virgins, five wise, five foolish. When you read it you automatically think I wouldn't be a foolish one. I must be a wise one and it may not be so though.
Then the kingdom of heaven should be likened to 10 virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five were wise and five were foolish, and those who were foolish took with them their lamps, but took no oil with them. That's a bit strange isn't it? And the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept, and at midnight a cry was heard: behold the bridegroom is coming. Go out and meet Him. Then all the virgins rose up, trimmed the lamps, and suddenly the foolish realised their lack of oil. They said to the wise: give us some of your oil, our lamps are going out; and the wise said: no, no, less there be not enough for us and for you. Go rather to those who sell, buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and those who were ready went in with them to the wedding, and the door was shut. And afterward the other virgins came also saying: Lord, Lord, open to us, and He answered and said: surely I say to you, I do not know you; and then Jesus applies it: watch therefore, you know not the day, nor the hour, at which the Son of Man is coming.
Now it's helpful if we see the context that Jesus is speaking, context is the background, otherwise you've just got one story on its own. The context for this is found in Matthew 24. The disciples asked this: how will we know the end of the age? How will we know your second coming? One of the great things for us as believers is to know not only Jesus came once, He will come again; and there are massive issues related to His second coming that affect how you live your life. If you don't understand anything about the second coming, chances are you won't worry, just go on with your life, and not understand the tremendous issues that are at stake for us.
So Jesus spoke some parables, and He had three parables, and each parable brings out a different aspect of His coming; so one of the parables brings out that Jesus is represented as a bridegroom. In other words, the Bible uses a picture to describe what He's like, and what He's like is a bridegroom; you think of people who love weddings. I mean everyone loves a wedding, come to the wedding, everyone's dressed up. You see the groom standing there, waiting for the bride to come down the aisle, and it's an exciting event a wedding; and then afterwards there's a great feast and celebration, and dancing and partying. Weddings are great - but when it's talking about the bridegroom ,it's presenting Jesus like this: that He is passionate with desire for you! He intensely loves you, and is willing to do everything He can to win your heart. He's the bridegroom.
Then it represents Him, in one of the parables, as a King. When Jesus is represented as a King, He's represented as something with great power, extraordinary supernatural power, able to transform individual lives, groups of people, families, cities and nations. And so the Bible presents that Jesus is a King, He has a kingdom, and He calls us to obey. He calls us to bring our lives into alignment with Him, for blessing and for destiny. Then the third way He's presented, He's presented as a judge. Now people don't like that aspect of Jesus. We just want to hear He's a bridegroom, He loves me and I love Him and I have a wonderful time.