There’s nothing like a national emergency to get our attention and make us come to the realization that we are not in control of our lives. It came so quick. We heard about the pandemic, Covid-19, and in a matter of just a few days, we went from limiting crowds to 200, then 50, then 10, all the way to a lock down. It changed every day. Life as we know it seemingly changed overnight. Those who weren’t prepared, and didn’t see it coming scrambled for food and supplies, and wished they had prepared better if they didn’t get what they needed before the lock-down.
Christ’s return will come the same way—without warning. Do we think about our eternity and prepare for that in the same way that we prepare for our survival on this earth? Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. How are we preparing for our life in eternity? Do we live as though this life is all there is?
In the parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25, we see the contrast and fate of the one who is prepared, and the one who sleeps. It’s a picture of the situation at the arrival of Christ, and teaches readiness in light of the unknown timing of the coming of Christ. Jesus represents the bridegroom in the parable, and the ten virgins represent ten bridesmaids (unmarried friends of the bride) who are sent out to meet her groom.
In typical Jewish marriage customs, a groom left his parent’s home with his friends to go to the home of the bride where the ceremony would take place. Then there would be a wedding banquet at the home of the groom. The wedding would often be held at night and last for a week! What a party! In the parable, the virgins wait for the groom but the groom is delayed. The virgin’s torches would only last for 15 minutes unless they brought extra oil with them, in which case, the torches would last for hours. While waiting for the groom, the virgins fall asleep, and while they’re sleeping, their torches go out. In the middle of the night, the bridegroom comes. Waking up and seeing that they have no extra oil, half of the virgins ask the other five for some of their extra oil. The prepared virgins tell the others that if they share, there won’t be enough for any of them to make it to the banquet, so they send them to a store to buy more. While the flaky five go to the store, the bridegroom arrives, and the procession to the banquet takes place. This part of the story is meant to teach us that we are all responsible for ourselves before the Lord. We cannot depend on others for our spirituality. We are not getting into Heaven on someone else’s ticket. Those who were ready, enter the banquet with him. This is where the separation of the foolish and the wise begins. One moves away from the bridal party, and the other moves closer. The parable says….”and the door was shut.” This finality is tragic. There will not be any more chances. Later, the rest of the virgins arrive and say, “Lord, Lord, open the door for us.” But the groom replied, “I tell you the truth, I do not know you.” This parallels Matt. 7:23, 22:12, and Luke 13:25. We can’t enter the Kingdom on our own terms, but only on God’s terms. It is clear from this parable that one of God’s terms is readiness, and a life of obedience to God.[1]
Most of us are quarantined at home with not much to do but think about this pandemic and when we get to go out again and eat at restaurants and be with friends, go to work, weddings…etc., and live our lives. We wonder how this could have happened to America, and how long will this last? Will we ever be the same? Will we have enough food? As you sit at home, know that this life is not all there is. Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead (a bodily resurrection), making it possible for you to do the same if you believe that. Is there oil in your lamp? Don’t spend all your time thinking about this world. Prepare for the next one.
Here are some ways you can do that
- Understand that you are loved by God more than you can imagine. God cares about the details of our lives. The Bible is full of stories in the Old Testament and the New Testament of how He cares for us. God is not one who just created us and then left us on our own, and doesn’t interact with us. That notion is called deism and it is heresy. God is relational.
- Understand that we are not here for self-gratification. I enjoy a good meal and a good time with friends just like anyone else. But happiness is not our life-purpose. Our purpose is to know God and love Him with our whole, heart, soul, mind, and strength. Let’s not forget about the mind part. We need to feed our minds with the knowledge of God. That is an act of worship. We can’t worship God if we don’t know Him. So that brings me to my next point.
- Find a Bible teaching church that teaches the orthodox Bible. This is how you will fulfill step number two. Psalm 91 tells us that “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shelter of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress.” The shelter is a place of safety. Only the true God can give us this shelter. But in order that you find this place of shelter, you have to seek it. You have to make a move to find this place of strategic comfort and peace.
4. Because we need to love God with all our minds, be intentional about getting any doubts or questions answered, and learning who God is. There are good answers to today’s common questions about God like, “Why does God allow evil? Does truth exist? Etc.. Don’t be satisfied with not knowing the answers to your questions. Settling for the idea that there are no answers does not help one grow one’s faith. Logical answers help us to be confident about our faith. You can check out some of my previous blogs for answers to some of these questions.
While we’re all at home under quarantine, and have the time, do some self-introspection, ask yourself if you are more Heavenly minded or earthly minded. Seek to know God, His character and His will. Jesus is coming again. Preparing for earthly emergencies is important, but what is more important is making sure you have oil in your lamp and you are prepared for Christ’s return. As my good friend, author and Biola professor Dr. Clay Jones said, “There’s no greater plague that can affect you than loving this present world.”
[1] Grant R. Osborne, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mi., Zondervan, 2010) 918