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Matthew 25:1-13
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1“At that time the kingdom of
heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the
bridegroom.
2Five of them were foolish
and five were wise.
3The foolish ones took their
lamps but did not take any oil with them.
4The wise ones, however, took
oil in jars along with their lamps.
5The bridegroom was a long
time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6“At midnight the cry rang
out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7“Then all the virgins woke
up and trimmed their lamps.
8The foolish ones said to the
wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there
may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and
buy some for yourselves.’
10“But while they were on
their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready
went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11“Later the others also
came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12“But he replied, ‘Truly I
tell you, I don’t know you.’
13“Therefore keep watch,
because you do not know the day or the hour.
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1)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 1 what will the kingdom of heaven be like?
o
The kingdom of
heaven will be like ten virgins who
§
Took their lamps.
§
And went out to
meet the bridegroom.
2)
Whom does the
bridegroom represent?
o
He represents Christ.
3)
Whom do the
ten virgins represent?
o
They represent
the church crowd with
§
The obedient and
the disobedient.
§
The wheat and the
weed.
§
The sheep and the
goat.
§
The regenerate and
the unregenerate.
4)
What does the act
of the ten virgins taking their lamps and going out to meet the bridegroom signify?
o
It signifies the
church crowd being of one mind in
expectance of the second coming of Christ.
5)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 2 what was his characterization of the ten virgins?
o
Five of them were
foolish.
o
And five were
wise.
6)
According to what
Jesus said in verses 3 and 4 what is the contrast between the foolish virgins and
the wise?
o
The foolish ones
§
Took their lamps.
§
But did not take
any oil with them.
o
The wise ones
took
§
Oil in jars.
§
Along with their
lamps.
7)
What does oil represent,
given Acts 10:36-38?
o
Oil represents
the Holy Spirit.
o
To anoint is to
smear or rub with oil.
o
The Holy Spirit
was analogized to be the oil of the anointing.
o
When
o
Jesus was said to
be anointed with the Holy Spirit.
· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read
out loud Acts 10:36-38 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
36You know the message God
sent to the people of
37You know what has happened
throughout the
38how God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and
healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
+++++++++++++++++++++
8)
What do the wise virgins
who took oil in jars along with their lamps represent, given that oil represents
the Holy Spirit?
o
They represent those
in the church crowd who have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
9)
What do the foolish
virgins who took their lamps but did not take any oil with them represent,
given that oil represents the Holy Spirit?
o
They represent those
in the church crowd who do not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
10)
What does the foolish virgins having lamps that burned and gave
light but not taking any oil with them signify?
o
It signifies those
in the church crowd who
§
Have the
appearance of having the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit.
§
But in reality do
not.
11)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 5 what happened when the
bridegroom was a long time in coming?
o
The ten virgins all
§
Became drowsy.
§
And fell asleep.
12)
What does the bridegroom
being a long time in coming signify?
o
It signifies Christ
taking a long time in his second coming.
13)
What happened to the
supply of oil of the ten virgins in the meantime?
o
Their supply of oil
dwindled.
o
As
o
The lamp kept
burning.
14)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 6 what happened at midnight?
o
At midnight the
cry rang out:
§
‘Here’s the
bridegroom!
§
Come out to meet
him!’
15)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 7 what did all the
virgins do?
o
All the virgins
§
Woke up.
§
And trimmed their
lamps.
16)
According to what
Jesus said in verses 8 and 9 what was the response of the wise virgins when the
foolish virgins asked them to give them
some of their oil since their lamps were going out?
o
The wise virgins
told the foolish ones
§
That there might
not be enough for both parties.
§
And that they should
Ø
Go to those who sold
oil.
Ø
And buy some for themselves.
17)
What was the
ultimate reason the wise virgins did not want to share their oil with the foolish
virgins?
o
They did not want
to jeopardize the task of meeting the bridegroom.
18)
Could a disciple who
has the indwelling Holy Spirit share the Holy Spirit with another person?
o
No.
19)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 10 what happened while the foolish virgins were on their
way to buy the oil?
o
The bridegroom
arrived.
o
The virgins who
were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet.
o
And the door was
shut.
20)
What is the
wedding banquet for, given Revelation 19:7?
o
The wedding
banquet is the wedding supper of the Lamb that will take place upon the second
coming of Christ.
· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read
out loud Revelation 19:7 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
7Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the
wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
8Fine linen, bright and
clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of
God’s holy people.)
9Then the angel said to me,
“Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the
Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
+++++++++++++++++++++
21)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 11 what did the foolish virgins do when they came?
o
They asked the
bridegroom to open the door for them.
22)
What did the foolish
virgins seem to have developed a habit of doing based on their dialog with the wise
virgins and with the bridegroom?
o
They had
developed a habit of making demands of others for others to accommodate them.
23)
Where did the foolish
virgins fail in contrast to the wise virgins?
o
Unlike the wise virgins
they neglected their personal responsibility to make preparation for the
task of meeting the bridegroom.
24)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 12 what was the bridegroom’s response to the demand of
the foolish virgins?
o
The bridegroom
rejected their demand.
o
Saying that
o
He truly did not
know them.
25)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 13 what lesson did he draw for us from the parable?
o
Keep watch.
o
Because
o
We do not know
§
The day.
§
Or the hour of the
second coming of Christ.
26)
What is the
parable of the ten virgins about in the context
of the second coming of Christ?
o
It is about
§
The church crowd
Ø
Making
preparation.
Ø
And not making
preparation for the second coming of Christ.
§
And the outcome
of each course of action.
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Matthew 25:1-13
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