Introduction
This is the word of the Lord,
Matthew 25:1–13 ESV
1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’
10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Let us pray.
There are two kinds of Christian in this world,
• Those who think that the world is getting worse (a pessimistic eschatology)
• Those who think that the world is getting better (an optimistic eschatology)
In that sense, whether you have a clear conviction on the subject of eschatology or not, you are either an opt-millennial and pess-millennial.
And in the extremes of either of these positions, you have a people who are so earthly minded that they are no heavenly good, or those that are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good. Christians ought not to be in either of these extremes.
Those who are wise, who understand the need for balance, can stand together even though they have differences. They can work together and accomplish much together.
Postmillennialism by nature is an optimistic eschatology, and I am one of them.
In his great commission, Jesus told us,
Matthew 28:18-20
Matthew 28:18–20 NASB95
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
And from this, we can make a couple of confident assertions (not all of which I will explain in detail in this sermon, but will address them more comprehensively as we move on).
1. Satan is bound for a 1000 years. Revelation 20:2-3
Revelation 20:2–3 NASB95
And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
Jesus alluded to this in Matthew 12:29
Matthew 12:29 NASB95
“Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
Here, Jesus was talking about how he was casting out demons. These exorcisms were a sign of Christ plundering Satan’s house.
Ask yourselves the question, “what is this authority that is given to Christ?” Isn’t he the One for whom, according to Colossians 1:16
Colossians 1:16 NASB95
For by Him all things were created, aboth in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
What is this authority that he needs to receive then?
Well, you get a glimpse of this in the wilderness where Satan tempted Jesus. Remember what he was tempted with? Matthew 4:8-9
Matthew 4:8–9 NASB95
Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;
and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”
Now, how were all the kingdoms of the world and their glory Satan’s? Well, this leads us to the nature of authority itself.
• We know that God as creator has ultimate authority and rule over all things. It was Abraham Kuyper, a Dutch reformed theologian and statesman who once said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’”
• But we also know that he appoints dominion and authority over earthly regions. John 19:11
John 19:11 NASB95
Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
Romans 13:1 NASB95
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
These authorities don’t supersede God, but are subordinate to him. That is the nature of granting authority, the granter is head over the grantee. This is why when Satan offers the kingdoms of the world to Jesus, that he might be their authority, Jesus in turn has to worship Satan for he would be his authority.
• Now, Jesus passes the test and does not kneel to the enemy. But Adam and Eve did. Genesis 1:26
Genesis 1:26 NASB95
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
God made man and gave them authority over the world, but they in turn bowed to the corruption of Satan. Deceived by his lies they were bound to folly and all human flesh became inherently corrupt and destructive. Though God did not appoint Satan the ruler of this world, we as rulers of this world have handed ourselves to his deception.
John 14:30 NASB95
“I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me;
2 Corinthians 4:4 NASB95
in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
No matter what authority we had, we were slaves of sin, slaves to the god of this world. Our authority inevitably subordinate to Satan’s deception. Through his corrupting influence he was truly ruler and god of this world.
• So, Satan has no real authority to give Jesus all the Kingdoms of this world, and Christ is not deceived.
But, real authority was given, all of it, over heaven and earth to Christ. Now this, unlike Adam and Eve, is the authority that has not bowed its head to the enemy. This is the authority that binds Satan and keeps him from deceiving the nations.
In Luke 11:21-22, the same verse is rendered as
Luke 11:21–22 NASB95
“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed.
“But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder.
So, the binding of Satan is the stripping of his armour on which he relied. The influence he exerted in deceiving entire nations was now significantly diminished through the redemptive work of Christ.
2. We are to disciple the nations.
A more literal translation of the phrase ‘make disciples of all the nations’ is ‘disciple the nations’. This is significant for two reasons.
• When you hear ‘make disciples’, it almost sounds exclusively like evangelism to a lot of Christians. Go and share the Gospel to all people groups so that they become born-again and you’ve met the key aspect of the great commission.
But the verb is not simply to make disciples but to do the act of discipleship. This is clarified in the words following where this discipleship includes both baptising and teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded.
• The second reason is that the object of the discipleship are nations and not just the people within that nation. It is a true statement that to disciple Redemption Hill Church is to disciple the members of that church. However, the aim of such a statement is not to be content with the discipleship of one or two members in the church, but of seeing the church as a whole overwhelming discipled.
So it is with discipline nations. The Great commission sends us not merely to individuals but to nations.
Therefore, it should not surprise you to read the title of this sermon – How to raise communities that conquer the world. I mean to use such a title in both ways – to conquer the principalities of this world through the redemptive work of Christ in our individual hearts, and also in the fulfilment of the great commission in taking the redemptive work of Christ to conquer (disciple) the nations.
This sermon and the next will focus on the millennial rule of Christ, where I intend to make the case for historical optimism and how we ought to expect the nature and substance of the millennium.
In that sense, you could consider this a 2-part sermon. But if I am to make the case for the millennial advancement of the church in this age, I need to lay some groundwork.
And I’d like to begin with the principle of ‘already, but not yet’.
Already, but not yet
Now, a very crucial component of understanding the prophetic language of Scripture is the principle of ‘already, not yet’.
The “already, not yet” principle is a theological concept used to describe the tension in Scripture between the present reality of God’s kingdom and the future fulfilment of God’s promises.
The “already, not yet” principle helps believers understand the Christian life as one lived in the tension between what has already been accomplished by Christ and what is yet to come. It encourages hope and perseverance, recognising that while we experience the blessings of salvation now, we also await the full realisation of God’s promises in the future.
Here is an example, Ephesians 1:3
Ephesians 1:3 NASB95
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
According to Paul, the state of our conversion is one where we have been granted every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, yet we know that not all these blessings are yet fully manifested. 1 John 3:2
1 John 3:2 NASB95
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
Therefore, we have every spiritual blessing in an already, but not yet sense. In Christ, all these blessings are for us, yet, they are manifested according to his time.
Now, every Christian, regardless of their eschatological position, grapples with this reality. The disagreement comes with how much one believes has already come, and how much is yet to come.
Most of the prophecies concerning the end times have this component of ‘already, but not yet’.
For instance, was Satan defeated in the death and resurrection of Christ? Yes. But has he been utterly defeated? Not yet. Why not?
Because, in this principle of ‘already, but not yet’ is the inherent reality that God carries out the advance of his kingdom gradually and not overnight. So, Satan is defeated at Christ’s obedience, and decisively at the cross, and even more completely at the resurrection. This is why we call him a defeated foe. He has been defeated, is being defeated and will finally be defeated once and for all.
Hebrews 2:14 NASB95
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
This again is the picture of 1 Cor 15:24-26
1 Corinthians 15:24–26 NASB95
then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
So the end comes when all the enemies are subdued.
Therefore, when I tell you that the great tribulation is past and that this is the millennial age of the rule of Christ where the Gospel will advance to the ends of the earth such that,
Habakkuk 2:14 NASB95
“For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.
; when I tell you this, I’m holding firm to the principle of already, but not yet. The passing of the great tribulation is not the passing of all tribulation. Sin is still present in this world, and death is still not abolished, and Christians will still be hated by the world just as their Christ was hated.
However, with passing generations, we will see the advance of the Gospel, the retreat of worldliness, and the great commission will not be a failed exercise.
Exegesis
Matthew 25:1 NASB95
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
The Kingdom of Heaven
• So, this next parable in the Oliver discourse is a parable concerning the kingdom of heaven. Now, in the Gospel of Matthew, the apostle records for us several parables that are specifically mentioned as being parables concerning the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 13 is a chapter full of such parables that we covered a few months back.
• Now, what are parables? They are metaphors, similes or allegories that describe something. Therefore, we glean something of the object of that parable. Since we have here many parables all of the same object, namely the kingdom of heaven, we can observe certain similarities between all of them. Let me briefly show you five of them.
a. For one, the advance of the Kingdom is gradual.
• The Sower sows the word of the kingdom in Matthew 13:19 and this word is like the seed that grows into a plant. And all the adversities that the different kinds of soils (our hearts) face are evidenced through the gradual sprouting and growing of this seed into a plant.
Matthew 13:23 NASB95
“And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
• The weeds planted among the good seed are evidence only once the plants have grown according to Matthew 13:26 and the Master commands the servants to wait till they are fully grown before separating out the darnel (weed). The harvest is at the eschaton.
• The mustard seed is the smallest seed and it grows into the biggest tree. So does the kingdom of heaven grow.
• Or like leaven hidden in the dough, which is manifest in the dough as it rests and rises.
• Or like a fishing net cast far and wide and is reeled in only once it is full.
b. The advance of the Kingdom is victorious.
• The fruit of the kingdom seed yield fruit some hundredfold, some sixty and some thirty.
• The weeds do not stop the wheat from harvesting. Matthew 13:29
Matthew 13:29 NASB95
“But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.
• The kingdom of heaven indeed grows from the smallest seed to the largest tree “larger than all the other garden plants” according to Matthew 13:32.
• The leaven leavens the whole lump. It cannot not cause the dough to rise.
• The net gathers every kind of fish
c. This kingdom is more valuable than anything else this world has to offer
• Treasure hidden in a field and the pearl of great value
d. The kingdom of God belongs to those who are forgiven in order that they may forgive
• The unforgiving servant (Matthew 18) and the Lord’s prayer (forgive us as we forgive)
e. The kingdom of heaven came under new stewardship after the Judaic age, from the hands of the Jews to the hands of the Christians. (Matthew 21)
• So, as you can see, each parable informs our understanding of the nature of God’s kingdom. And this kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and its dominion is forever. Daniel 7:14
Daniel 7:14 NASB95
“And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed.
Of the increase of his government, there shall be no end (Isaiah 9:7).
Therefore, the kingdom building activity of the church is a world conquering activity.
• Another thing that we must note is that in invoking the kingdom of heaven in this parable, Jesus is speaking about things that go beyond AD 70.
If all the previous parables in the Olivet discourse were centred in on the events of the great tribulation, the kingdom of heaven has to do with things concerning the great tribulation and beyond.
And this suits the already running parallel themes of destruction and a new beginning, of the coming of the end of the age and the beginning of a new age, the end of the old covenant and the beginning of the new covenant.
The Wedding Feast
The parable here is compared to a marriage feast similar to the one we find in Matthew 22. In that parable, there were those that rejected the invitation to the marriage feast and those that came for it not dressed appropriately and both were judged.
Here we have 10 virgins preparing themselves for the arrival of the bridegroom.
• The virgins symbolise those who are consecrated (pure). The number 10 is again complete set, probably referring to all the covenant people of God, the visible church.
Matthew 25:2–4 ESV
2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
• The division of the ten virgins into two groups (five wise and five foolish) emphasizes the distinction between those who are truly prepared for Christ’s return and those who are not.
Here, that is seen as a marker between the truly regenerate and the unbelieving within the visible church.
• So, you see, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to these virgins. If AD 70 saw the fulfilment of the Great Tribulation for which the virgins ought to have been prepared (that which already happened), then the future holds many fulfilments for which the virgins ought to still be prepared.
It is in the nature of the kingdom that the citizens of that kingdom be prudent and wise, ever ready to receive the bridegroom.
This again goes in line with the two ‘coming of the Lord’. If AD 70 marked the coming of the Lord in judgment, then our future holds the second coming of the Lord in final judgment.
When the Lord came in AD 70, it would be too late for them to flee, and when the bridegroom will finally come at the end of the world, it will be too late to believe in him.
• Salvation is like the flame of these lamps that for the elect never die out for the Spirit makes them wise, to be prepared to meet their saviour.
Matthew 25:5 ESV
5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
• The word ‘delayed’ here should be understood in line with the previous parable of the wicked servant who foolishly failed to discern the coming of his Master. He did not come as soon as he expected, neither did he arrive as late as he expected.
The unexpected arrival of the Master or the bridegroom is the common theme. Jesus tells them that his coming in judgment to destroy the Jewish temple will be unexpected.
And this unexpected arrival is to be expected in the kingdom of heaven.
• He was delayed in the eyes of the virgins and they all became drowsy and slept, the foolish and the wise. The gradual nature of the kingdom growth can easily make one drowsy and sleepy.
Yet, the question is if they are wise for when the bridegroom arrives.
Matthew 25:6–9 ESV
6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’
• Midnight
The cry came at midnight, at the turn of a new day. It symbolises a time when all men are asleep and least expect an arrival. Of that day or hour, no one knows.
• Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him
This does not appear to be the cry of damnation, desolation or destruction! So far in the Olivet discourse the emphasis has been to flee the coming of the judgment of Christ.
However, here we have been tasked to go out and meet his coming, instead of fleeing. This language is more in line with what is considered the rapture that happens at the second coming post millennium.
If this is the case, we see that just as the coming of Christ post-millennium is just as unexpected as the coming of Christ is pre-millennium. And so Christians are asked to always be prudent and prepared.
• The virgins (the pure and consecrated ones), hearing the cry, wake up and the wise ones are prepared and the unwise ones have the lights run out. So, they ask for the oil of the wise ones.
• But the wise are helpless. At the coming of our Lord, there is no oil that can be lent, no strength that can be passed on, no wisdom that can turn the fate of the foolish. False piety and religion run out of fire at the coming of Christ.
Matthew 25:10–13 ESV
10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
• This brings to mind the words of Christ in Matthew 7:21-24
Matthew 7:21–24 ESV
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Truly, I say to you, I do not know you
The parable is addressing a different scenario than all that was being spoken of till now in the Olivet discourse. So, when Jesus begins with “Then, the kingdom of heaven” at the beginning of this chapter, I believe we are seeing a shift in the timeline of events.
Stephen Langton, an English archbishop of Canterbury, in the early 13th century was responsible for the chapter divisions we see in most of our translations. I figure it interesting that he thought to divide the Olivet discourse at this parable, probably because he too saw a significant enough deviation from the contents of chapter 24?
The emphasis of “I do not know you” is a direct reference to Christ’s effectual foreknowledge of all the elect. Romans 8:29-30
Romans 8:29–30 ESV
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
The foolish virgins (Christians in the visible church), unprepared and in unbelief, are not among the foreknown.
• Watch therefore
It is a characteristic of the kingdom life that one is watchful. Postmillennialism does not render one inert from such watchfulness.
• For you neither know of that day or hour
Coming back to our principle of already, but not yet. The coming of Christ in judgment in AD 70 (pre-millennium) is only a precursor to his final coming in judgment at the end of the millennium.
Conclusion
So, where does that leave us? I believe it leaves us with a great degree of confidence and optimism.
1. We have been given a kingdom that is not of this world, but one that descended from heaven at the virgin birth of Christ.
2. This Christ became the new and better Adam upon whom was enacted a new covenant with better promises, who unlike Adam did not bow or give his allegiance to the enemy.
3. This Christ is King of this kingdom of heaven, and he has plundered Satan’s armour and bound him from deceiving the nations.
4. This Son of David, the promised One, the Messiah, would shoulder the government of God and of its increase there shall be no end.
5. He kept the law we could not keep, died the death we should have died, and rose to the life we abandoned at the garden of Eden. He did this for the joy of our salvation.
6. All authority in heaven and on earth was given to this man, this God-man, and all who are found to be in him have been plundered from the household of Satan. No longer are we slaves of this world, but slaves of Christ.
a. There is a shift of allegiance here that marks the world conquering ones. Our allegiance is to Christ, and Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father who is subduing all the enemies under his feet, and we are the vessels, the branches, the ambassadors, the priests through whom he brings this about.
i. We are the world conquering ones because we follow Christ whose mission is to conquer the world.
7. The end of the Jewish age was marked by the destruction of the Jewish temple where not one stone was left on top of another. But the new age of the Church is the construction of a spiritual house where we are the living stones and Christ is the cornerstone.
1 Peter 2:5–7 ESV
5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
8. So, now we go to disciple the nations whom Satan can no longer decieve as he used to. There is a people in this world now upon whom the Spirit of God has been poured out and at the sound of whom no walls of Jericho may stand.
• We evangelise, baptise and teach the commandments of Christ
9. We pray that the will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven knowing that this prayer that Christ taught us is a prayer that will be fulfilled, not one that will fail. And we go to the nations knowing that this commission will not fail under the fullness of the authority of Christ.
10. And ever in our hearts is a spirit of watchfulness, of prudence, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who love his appearing. And the events of the Great Tribulation is a great reminder that we ought not to be left without oil for our lamps when the bridegroom comes.
This is the heart of what makes a community, world conquering. So, 2 Corinthians 10:3-7
2 Corinthians 10:3–7 ESV
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
7 Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we.
