By now we all realize that it is not sufficient to merely be a Christian. We must also be watchful, ready, and mature in life in order to go before the Lord. However, what is the way to become watchful and ready, and how can we be matured in life? In all matters the truth must first be presented and then the way. Matthew 24 states the truth—one needs to be watchful and ready in order to be taken and not left behind. The way is in Matthew 25. In Matthew 25 the Lord used a parable to illustrate the way to become watchful and ready. The portion in chapter twenty-four states the truth, and the portion in chapter twenty-five shows the way. The Lord first gave us a clear message on the truth of being watchful and ready and then pointed out to us the way to be watchful and ready. A truth without a way is useless. We may say that we need to be watchful and ready, but if we do not know how to be watchful and do not understand how to get ready, the truth does not help us much.
The Lord showed us the way to be watchful and ready in Matthew 25. What is the way? The Lord used an illustration. We often need to use illustrations when providing people directions, such as a drawing a map to show the way. In Matthew 25 the Lord used the parable of the virgins to show us the way to be watchful and ready. While chapter twenty-four states the truth, chapter twenty-five shows us the way. While chapter twenty-four speaks about two women grinding, chapter twenty-five speaks about ten virgins preparing oil. This is very meaningful. Two plus ten equals twelve. In the Bible the church in its ultimate stage is represented by the number twelve. The New Jerusalem has twelve gates and twelve foundations, and on them are the names of the twelve apostles in the New Testament and the twelve tribes in the Old Testament. The tree of life produces twelve fruits, and the wall of the city is 144 cubits high, which is the product of twelve times twelve. Thus, ultimately, the church will be represented by the number twelve. The number twelve signifies eternal completion.
Why then in Matthew 24 through 25 did the Lord separate twelve people into groups of two and ten as if He were dividing the church into two groups? The two in Matthew 24 were either working in the field or grinding at home. They were both working and were involved in some form of activity. Undoubtedly, they signify the living believers. When the Lord comes, only a minority of the believers will be alive. The majority will be dead and asleep. The ten virgins in Matthew 25 were all sleeping. They were not sleeping spiritually or sleeping because they were not being watchful. Rather, their bodies were physically sleeping. The five foolish ones were sleeping, as were the five prudent ones. This shows us that they were not sleeping spiritually or sleeping because they were not being watchful. Instead, their bodies were physically sleeping. Why were they sleeping? They were sleeping because the bridegroom had delayed. Because the Lord has delayed, even Paul, who was the most watchful one, became drowsy and fell asleep. To become drowsy is to get old and to become sick, and to sleep is to pass away. These ten virgins signify the majority of the believers who will have died by the time the Lord comes. When the Lord comes, most of the saved ones in the past ages will have already fallen asleep. Paul and Peter who were watchful and who loved the Lord are asleep. Demas who loved the world but not the Lord is also asleep. They are all asleep. Why is this? They are asleep because the Lord has delayed. When the bridegroom delayed, the two groups of virgins became drowsy and fell asleep. This means that they all got old, became sick, and finally passed away. They signify the majority of the believers.
When the Lord comes, only a minority of the believers will still be living. If we read the Bible carefully, we will find that the Bible often separates a group of twelve into groups of ten and two. For example, out of the twelve tribes in the Old Testament, ten tribes rebelled and became the kingdom of Israel, while the other two tribes remained as the kingdom of Judah. Another example is the twelve apostles. In one case, while two of the apostles fought to sit on the Lord’s right hand and left hand, the other ten were unhappy with them. The Bible often divides the number twelve into ten and two. The number ten signifies the majority, and the number two signifies the remnant. When the Lord comes, most of the believers throughout the ages will have fallen asleep. Only a minority will still be living. Thus, the truth in Matthew 24 refers to the living believers, whereas the way in Matthew 25 refers to the believers who have died. However, whether a believer is alive or dead, he needs to be watchful and ready, and the way to be watchful and ready is the same for both the living and the dead.