Jesus spoke this parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were wise and five were foolish. While the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept.”

Gospel of Matthew 25:1-2,5

This describes the Christian church at present – some are wise, some are foolish and they are all asleep.

The time will come when their sleepiness and readiness will be tested by the arrival of the bridegroom. This evidently refers to Jesus, Who as the King of the kingdom of heaven is arriving for His marriage and its marriage feast, which is variously described in Scripture, such as the marriage supper of the Lamb of God Rev 19:7. This kingly bridegroom has many designations, and Jesus applies this parable to Himself as “the Son of man” Mat 25:13.

In what sense are the virgins asleep – all of them?  At least it points to none of them expecting the bridegroom to delay so long, and thus the arrival of the bridegroom was in a sense unexpected, necessitating a scramble to be ready. Jesus’ application of the parable draws attention to this Mat 25:13. The foolish failed to anticipate the long delay and failed to prepare properly for the bridegroom’s coming 2Pe 3:3-4, manifested by their thinking that they could borrow what they needed from the wise. The difference in personal readiness showed up the difference in the personal piety of the wise and foolish. This is a very significant lesson for Christians in our sleepy stage of the kingdom of heaven. Do not measure yourself by the standard of sleeping Christians you meet around you 2Cor 10:12. The foolish were satisfied with what they had, and they thought that they had more than enough for their needs. The wise were also asleep and not much help to the foolish. How many Christians do you know who speak and behave like this?

If this parable is applied to the coming of Christ at the Day of Judgment at the end of the world, only a limited number of people will be alive at that time, so how does this collective waiting for Christ the Bridegroom apply now in our day?

Are you ready for the arrival of the Bridegroom?  Do you think about it, or are you asleep?  Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.”  Has His Kingdom come?  In what sense has it still to come? Are you looking for it, and praying for it and its King to arrive?  Even if you are a wise virgin and have prepared for His arrival, are you looking for it or are you asleep?  What if you die before He comes as the Bridegroom to His marriage supper?

How does this parable apply collectively? or should we simply interpret it individually? A marriage supper is not an individual matter but it is celebrated collectively.

The Bible tells us that there are many comings of Christ. The birth of Jesus into this world was His First Advent. The resurrection of Jesus was another coming – coming back to life.  The death of believers is another – a spiritual coming of Jesus to receive His people into heaven Jn 14:3.  The Day of Judgment is another – which is Jesus’ Second bodily Coming, but there are many spiritual comings before then. Jesus met Saul of Tarsus on the Road to Damascus.

This parable tells us about another Coming, when the whole sleeping Christian church will be wakened up at Jesus’ coming. What is this Coming?

The Millennial Advent

The Bible tells us about a long time of blessedness on Earth called the Millennium Rev 20:1-8, towards which Christ directs His Church to pray – “Thy kingdom come”.  At present the Church is fast asleep throughout the Earth, neither praying for nor expecting His global triumph over the devil and the nations of the world Rev 11:15. At least, there is little said about it, except in the mis-interpretation promoted by Dispensationalism and the various forms of premillennialism including the charismatic movement that majors on Kingdom theology. The subject is not helped by the multitudes of theologians who confuse the kingdom of God with the kingdom of heaven, showing how little biblical exegesis they have come across in their reading.

The biblical millennium will be introduced in a remarkable manner, to such an extent that its introduction deserves a theological term of its own, if for no other reason than to draw attention to what the Bible, and Jesus in particular, repeatedly draws attention.  Several decades ago, I coined the term the Millennial Advent for this, and the biblical prophesies regularly refer to it because it is a significant part of Jesus’ agenda. I have referred to the Millennial Advent in a number of my blogposts and published material.

Jesus calls it “the coming of the Son of man” Mat 24:13,27,30,37,39,44, mentioned six times in the previous chapter, so that it is very likely that He is still on the same theme in this parable, answering the enquiry from the four cousins on the Mount of Olives Mk 13:3.

However, this Coming has been misinterpreted in various ways.  The biggest mistake is the failure to realise that this is a spiritual coming of Christ and not His physical, bodily Coming at the end of the world.

The Millennial Advent is the spiritual coming of Christ to complete His First Advent. 

Donald Boyd

The First Advent of Christ is when He came into this world; the Second Advent of Christ is when He will come to judge the world at the last day; and between these there is the Millennial Advent of Christ when Jesus will be seen to reign over the nations of the world Rev 11:15, Ps 72:11, Ps 2:8, having conquered the devil and exposed false religion for what it is.

The Resurrection, Ascension and Session of the Lord Jesus Christ at God’s right hand is in order to subdue His ungodly opponents Ps 110:1.  He does not need to come back to Jerusalem to do so, which would be another humiliation for Him.  He is already doing so from heaven.

Jesus used Ps 110:1 in His debates Mat 22:44. Apart from the ten commandments it is one of the most frequently quoted Old Testament texts in the New Testament. It is quoted in Mat 22:44, Mk 12:36, Lk 20:42, Act 2:34 and Heb 1:13.

This global, spiritual coming of Jesus is not His coming for His people individually at their death Jn 14:3 nor is it His coming in Judgment at the end of the world. 

It is His coming to claim the nations as His inheritance Ps 2:8 when He will put down all opposition Ps 110:2, described as the seventh angel blowing his trumpet Rev 11:15 and the nations of the world will become Christian.

This is the Millennial Advent – the completing of Christ’s First Advent, so that His Messianic Kingdom may flourish in the Earth during this long biblical millennium.

Jesus came to save His people from their sins and to bring in His Kingdom on Earth, such a heavenly kingdom that He called it “the kingdom of heaven”.  Its name has been in plain sight since John the Baptist and Jesus began to preach it Mat 3:2 and Mat 4:17.

It is not a footnote at the end of history but the whole purpose of history.  It is His Story and His triumph in the Earth, when the Bridegroom chooses to come for His marriage supper.

When will the wise virgins waken up?  When the King comes to claim his Kingdom Rev 12:10, Mat 16:28, with His uniquely royal marriage feast Mat 25:10, Rev 19:11-12, unlike every other royal marriage on Earth. 

After the Rev 19 marriage feast, we are told about the biblical millennium in Rev 20. The devil is consigned to the bottomless pit from which he had emerged Rev 9:1-2,11 along with the beast Rev 11:7, Rev 17:8. This introduces Christ’s lengthy Millennial reign.  It will be so blessed that it is like heaven on Earth Rev 21 and Rev 22, described in such blessed terms that biblical commentators are divided whether these final two chapters of the Bible refer to Earth, heaven, new heavens or a new Earth, because it will be like heaven on Earth, symbolical of the blessedness of the eternal state in heaven.

The godly await their Saviour’s timing.  Blessed are they who wait and are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb of God Rev 19:9.

Today’s blogpost is presented to the watching and waiting world, as well as the church, in the celebration of my dear wife’s 77th birthday, a birthday present to her and a gift to the rest of my readers.

Links

10 Aug 2018: the many comings of Christ.

30 Oct 2025: John Gill: “Christ will be sent, and will come in a spiritual manner” on Zec 2:8.

5 Nov 2025: who are the 144,000 in the Book of Revelation?