The time is now approaching that two divergent paths will appear– one path five wise virgins will take, while the other path will be taken by five foolish virgins. The Matthew 25 account of this situation says- that the main difference between these two paths- is that on the wise path- those virgins will have a flask of oil with their lamps as they approach the coming Bridegroom- while the virgins on the foolish path- will have no additional oil for their lamps. (Mt. 25:1-4; AMPC) This is prophesied for the End Times- but as the Church is now anticipating the beginning of big End Time Revival- it behooves believers to also anticipate that it is now prudent to “watch therefore [give strict attention and be cautious and active], for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come.” (Mt. 25:13; AMPC)
It needs to be pointed out- that it is very important to be prudent, and not miss having obtained enough “oil” (that signifies intimacy acquired with the Bridegroom) for your “lamp” (which signifies one’s ministry for Him)- at the time when the Bridegroom finally appears. For only those virgins who have thus acquired a flask of oil (intimacy)- will be allowed to enter into the marriage feast with the Bridegroom. The text does not elaborate on exactly why this is so important- but Jesus did elude to the fact that getting into the wedding celebration- is something that is really desirable, and significant, and we can only surmise by His strong warning in this passage- not to miss this event- that we should do everything we can- to make sure that we get the needed intimacy with Him- while there is still time to do that.
It is therefore- no wonder- that the very last letter to the Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation (the Letter to the Laodiceans)- also gives a strong word from Jesus- with strong encouragement also- to take heed, and obey His admonishment to “dine (eat) with Him”, and seek Him for intimacy– saying that if we would “overcome” in doing this- that there would be a great reward following:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears
and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he with
Me. He who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant him
to sit beside Me on My throne, as I Myself overcame
(was victorious) and sat down beside My Father on
His throne.
(Rev.: 3:20,21; AMPC) emphasis added by the author)
Given that those who “overcome” in “dining with Him”- i.e.- walk with Him in intimacy- will be given the opportunity to then ‘sit beside Him on His throne’- and that from the Matthew 25 passage- those who have had dined with Him sufficiently– will be also those who will be invited to the marriage feast with Him- it behooves us to search the scripture to see if we may gain any insight on how to go about doing this- i.e.- how to get started on the road to intimacy with Him. With this need in mind- I would like us to take a look at the following verses in Psalm 25:
Who is the man who reverently fears and worships the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that he should choose. (verse 12; AMPC)
The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning.
(verse 14; AMPC)
These two verses are of great importance in getting on the road to an intimate relationship with Jesus. The first verse above- says that He will teach the man or woman who truly worships Him- the right path to take in our Christian lives- i.e.- that we should take the abiding, dining, getting into the Secret Place path- rather than the “foolish” path- of just seeking to run in ministry- without first having the proper foundation of intimacy with Him. If you would think that this isn’t a very legitimate view of what that verse is really getting at- then please take a good look at the second verse, and go spend some time meditating on it- in your Secret Place with Jesus. It says pretty plainly that those who revere and worship Him with godly fear (and that is an aspect of abiding)- have the secret– of then having sweet, satisfying companionship with Him (- i.e.- intimacy).
The “secret” is that such devoted worship of Him- opens the door to such sweet, satisfying companionship with Him- for its in consistent, devoted worship of Him- that we acquire a real “bride-like heart” after Him- that then attracts His Bridegroom heart- back toward us. (Didn’t He say in John 15- that if we would abide in Him- that He would then abide in us?) And the second part of verse 14- says that for those who reverently worship Him (and reverently– is the real key it seems here) – that He would then even reveal the deep, inner meaning of His covenant to us- which the “marriage feast” in Matthew 25 seems to indicate- is to become His espoused Bride. Receiving this- experientially- in this earthly pilgrimage- is the true value of spending regular, consistent time in your Secret Place- “Tent of Meeting”- away from the commotion of the Camp- to meet with Him there- to extravagantly worship and abide in Him- and to begin the journey of becoming such a Bridal Partner for Him. For He inhabits the praises of His people- so in doing this worship and abiding- one will come to really know His sweet, satisfying companionship.
In the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke)- Jesus only revealed that He was a Bridegroom- in the text where He also said that a “new wineskin” was needed- because an “old wineskin” isn’t able to receive new wine (See Mt. 9:14-17; Mk. 2:18-22; Lk. 5:33-35; AMPC) It is very evident that because being a Bridegroom- is the explicit context in all three of these gospel accounts- that Jesus was saying in these passages- that when the Bridegroom comes- that no “religious exercises” are needed anymore, that instead of doing such religious works- that “eating and drinking”- i.e.- celebrating iin His Presence (as His disciples did- as opposed to John’s disciples and the Pharisees- who only fasted much)- is the more appropriate behavior needed– when one is around the Bridegroom. Why? Because He doesn’t want you to mourn in His Presence- but to celebrate Him- (and I would add- according to Psalm 25:14- as we have seen above)- to do this- even by reverently worshipping (and truly abiding in) Him!! This is the “new wineskin” that is needed- in order to receive the “new wine”- that Jesus mentions- that by the passage’s context- has to do with when the Bridegroom comes.(See the following account in Matthew to see what I’m referring to:)
Then the disciples of John came to Jesus, inquiring, Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, [that is abstain from food and drink as a religious exercise], but Your disciples do not fast? And Jesus replied to them, Can the wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is still with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. And no one puts a piece of cloth that has not been shrunk on an old garment, for such a patch tears away from the garment and a worse rent (tear) is made. Neither is new wine put in old wineskins; for if it is, the skins burst and are torn in pieces, and the wine is spilled and the skins are ruined. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.
(Mt. 9:14-17; AMPC, emphasis added by the author)
And so as the Church now is hearing from the Holy Spirit- that revival is coming into view on the “radar screen” for America- we need to become “fresh wineskins“- and stop our old wineskin “religious exercises”- of just focusing on “doing”, and running in ministry for Him, and to re-focus our attention- more on getting into His Presence- in the Secret Place, and there- reverently worship Him and seek His face. And not to just get overly focused on “the things of His hand“- i.e.- kingdom things- such as healing and deliverance, and “signs & wonders”- which have recently become the dominant focus of many in the Body of Christ- in these last few years.
For I myself- have been hearing- pretty clearly- in my own personal Secret Place- that those who put Him first– by seeking to really acquire a true, intimate, “new wineskin”- bride-like heart after Him- by putting extravagant worship of Him first, and truly abiding and connecting with Him in intimacy– before trying to run in ministry– will in the end- be able to receive the Holy Spirit’s “new wine” into such “fresh wineskins”, and thereby walk with Him- communing with Him- doing far greater works with Him– as His devoted, intimate Bridal Partners– than those who stay on the default “foolish virgin path”- of pursuing- not Him first– but ministry and the things of His “hand”- first!! And I would now admonish you- the reader of this Blog Post- to spend some quality time- seeking Him about this notion- in your Secret Place- “Tent of Meeting”- to see if He might confirm this to you.
The upshot of all of this is: it behooves us very much– to remember Psalm 25:12 in this critical hour- as we begin to hear about end-time revival beginning to come- as we need to be sure to choose the right path. (And the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25- tells us that out of ten of us- that five of us- will choose the wrong path- and not acquire a flask of oil (intimacy)- for when the Bridegroom shows up.)
Who is the man who reverently fears and worships the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that he should choose. (Psalm 25:12; AMPC, emphasis added by the author)
Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified Bible
