Verse 4 says, “The prudent took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” Man is a vessel made for God (Rom. 9:21, 23-24), and man’s personality is in his soul. Hence, vessels in Matthew 25:4 signifies the soul of the believers. The five prudent virgins not only had oil in their lamps but also took oil in their vessels. Having oil in their lamps signifies that they have the Spirit of God dwelling in their spirit (Rom. 8:9, 16), and taking oil in their vessels signifies that they have the infilling of the Spirit of God saturating their souls.
Through regeneration we have the Spirit of God in our spirit. This causes our lamps to burn. However, the question is whether we have the extra portion of the Holy Spirit filling our soul. Although we have oil in our lamp, we still need an extra portion of oil in our vessel, our soul. This means that the Spirit must spread from within our spirit to every part of our soul. Then we will have an extra portion of the Holy Spirit in our soul. If we have this extra portion, we are prudent. Without this extra portion of the Spirit, we cannot be watchful and ready. In order to be watchful and ready, we need the infilling of the Holy Spirit, the spreading of the Spirit Himself from our spirit to every part of our inward being.
The virgins who were ready were invited to go in with the bridegroom to the wedding feast, and the door was shut (Matt. 25:10). This wedding feast is the marriage dinner of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9), which will be spread in the air (1 Thes. 4:17) on the path of the Lord’s coming (parousia). The wedding feast will occur before the manifestation of the kingdom as a reward of mutual enjoyment with the Lord to the believers who are ready, who have been equipped with the infilling of the Holy Spirit before they die.
Matthew 25:3 says, “The foolish, when they took their lamps, did not take oil with them.” Oil signifies the Holy Spirit (Isa. 61:1; Heb. 1:9). The foolish virgins were foolish because they had oil only in their lamps but not an extra portion of oil in their vessels. In addition to the regenerating Spirit, they did not have the infilling Spirit, the extra portion of the Holy Spirit.
The foolish virgins represent the believers who have been regenerated by the Spirit of God and have the Spirit of God indwelling them but are not filled with the Spirit of God so that He saturates their whole being. After their resurrection, they will still need to pay a price to obtain the infilling of the Holy Spirit. We need to understand that the infilling of the Holy Spirit is obtained at a cost, such as giving up the world, dealing with the self, loving the Lord above all, and counting all things loss for Christ. If we do not pay the price today, we must pay it after our resurrection, because others cannot obtain the infilling of the Holy Spirit for us (Matt. 25:9). Those who do not pay the price do not have an extra portion of the Holy Spirit. Eventually, after their resurrection the foolish virgins must pay the price to buy the oil to fill their vessels.
The foolish virgins, who do not take oil in their vessels and are not ready when the Lord Jesus comes, will miss the wedding feast of the Lamb (v. 10). Verse 11 says, “Later the rest of the virgins came also, saying, Lord, lord, open to us!” The foolish virgins arrive after going to buy the oil. The later coming of the foolish virgins refers to the later rapture of the resurrected believers. They paid the price for the extra portion of oil, but they obtained the oil too late; hence, when they arrived at the wedding feast, the door was shut. When they asked the Lord to open the door for them, the Lord said, “I do not know you” (v. 12). To not know in this verse indicates not recognizing, not approving. This means that the believers who do not pay the price to gain the oil in their vessels will miss the reward dispensationally, but they do not lose their salvation eternally.
According to the New Testament, Christ’s coming will be His presence with His believers; this is His parousia. In 1 Thessalonians 4:15 Paul says, “This we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are living, who are left remaining unto the coming of the Lord, shall by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.” The Greek word translated “coming” in this verse is parousia. The Lord’s presence, the Lord’s parousia, will continue for a period of time. His parousia will begin when the overcomers are raptured to the throne of God in the heavens (Rev. 12:5; 14:1), it will continue with the Lord’s coming to the air (10:1), and it will end with His coming to the earth (Matt. 24:27, 30; Rev. 1:7). During the Lord’s parousia, there will be the rapture of the majority of the believers to the air (1 Thes. 4:15-17), the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10), and the marriage of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-9).