Matthew 25:1-13 - "Then at the end times, when Jesus comes, the kingdom of heaven shall be like 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom, five were wise and five were foolish..."
I've taught a little bit on this, but the parable reveals that some will be given access to great intimacy, into the marriage feast; and some will be excluded. The things that we need to see in that story: they were all virgins - they were all believers. They all had lamps, they all had oil, they all were waiting for the bridegroom. The lamps are our life that we live before men. They are the overflow of the life of God within us - the oil represents the presence, tangible presence of God in our life.
The bridegroom is Jesus. The wise ones were wise because they prepared ahead of time and paid the price to have oil. The foolish ones were foolish because they failed to anticipate the coming of the bridegroom, they failed to prepare. The key issue in the parable is really simply this: there is a need to prepare for the coming of Jesus - and if we are prepared, we enter into the marriage supper of the lamb, into a season of rejoicing, celebrating, festivity, of honour and communion with Him. If we're not prepared, we don't enter - it's as simple as that!
The key thing in that was, the foolish one said: give us what you've got; and they said: no, we're not going to do that - you must pay the price to have the oil. There's a price to prepare your heart. It's a price you pay daily, little by little, when you keep your heart right before God, you remain soft and tender and responsive to Him. There's the price in prayer, the price in surrender to Him, and becoming filled with His presence, so you become a presence carrier. So that's one story, and clearly, if you look in that story: some entered; some did not. There was a distinction between people who were believers.
There's another one here - another promise is found in the Book of Revelation, and it's found to the Laodicean Church. In Revelation 3, Jesus spoke this.
Revelation 3:20 - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hears My voice and opens the door... I will come in to him, and I will dine with him, and he with Me."
What is He saying there? Clearly, this is a church. There were things to overcome; He's talking to people who overcome, who respond to Him. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock" - so the key thing here is, the door represents our heart or our life - do we hear Jesus speaking? Notice the strange thing is: Jesus is outside of the church, when He should be inside the church. He's seeking access to come in. Believers can live a life where they're living, and they're in church, and they're doing whatever - but they're not in intimate relationship with Jesus. He constantly is seeking access to our heart, access to different areas of our life.
It says, the promise here is: "I will come in to him, and dine with him" - so what does that mean, to dine? Again, frequently, if you look at just the natural thing, and what it would mean to you, you then get insight of what He's saying. Dining with others, if you think about it - it's an opportunity to relax. You laugh together, you enjoy one another. People talk, they open up their hearts, they build relationship around a table - and the early church was really built around a table - so Jesus said: I will dine with them, and them with Me. What He's saying then is: He's promising one of increased access and intimacy to Him - and we have that now, to some degree; but in the millennium, we will know Him in a much greater way. He will reveal more of Himself.
Ever know when you can be with someone, and they don't give away much; and then they suddenly one day, open up and let you know a whole lot of things? You think: oh my, I thought I knew you, but I hardly know you at all! He's talking about something like that. The word 'dine' that's used there is the same word in Revelation 19:9 that refers to the marriage supper of the lamb. The word 'supper' - it comes from that same word, dine. When He says: I will dine with him, He's saying: I will bring you into the marriage supper, where there'll be celebration, and a place of intimate conversation and friendship. He's really offering the opportunity for us to enter into a deeper intimacy with Him - and that requires that we overcome something.
It's hard to describe what that will be like - it's hard to find words for it! You can think of the happiest meal you've had, the funniest time you've had at a meal, and maybe that gives an indication. But this is... let me give you a couple of things. Firstly, David. David said this... He said that intimacy with Jesus is an indescribable pleasure.