This message is directed to every child of God. It is a message of warning and preparation straight from the mouth of the Master. You cannot be careless or negligent and think you are going to be ushered into Heaven with the members of the Bride of Christ. You may be associated with the bridal company members, but that doesn’t make you a member.

Take the Word of God to heart, especially as you see what’s going on in our world today and the spirits that are manifesting and taking over in our society. If those things don’t shake you, chances are you are in a spiritual slumber; and you probably will not wake up when the call goes forth, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh. Go ye out to meet Him!”

The title of this message is based on Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. I want to highlight important key points in that parable which are related to this end-time hour and to a person’s spiritual condition. You must know what is required for you to meet Jesus, the Bridegroom, face to face.

When Jesus returns, He will not come all the way to the Bride. The Bride must go forth and meet Him at a certain point called Rapture ground. Jesus planned this on purpose because there is a certain obligation or duty bridal company members must fulfill to meet Him. It’s a love duty, and it separates the real child of God from the person who plays church. It separates those who have first love in church from those who just go to church. Jesus has His ways of trying and testing people, and it will all reveal itself when He returns.

The Ten Virgins Were Pure

The first point to take note of is that there are ten virgins. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1). Notice that they had to do their part and go forth to meet the Bridegroom. It wasn’t all on the Groom; and today, it’s not all on Jesus.

The virginity in that parable symbolizes spiritual purity and holiness. Those virgins were undefiled by sin and the world, and nothing less will do for the Bride of Christ.

In Ephesians 5, Paul compared the relation-ship of a husband and wife to that of Christ and His Bride, the Church. That he [Jesus] might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27). Christ’s Bride is a glorious church. Every member possesses spiritual wedding garments without spot, wrinkle or blemish; garments made holy by the blood of the Groom who loved His church so much that He gave His life for it.

It Is the Midnight Hour

The second point to take note of is the time Jesus will return to Earth to receive His Bride. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him (Matthew 25:6). You have to go meet Him; and again, I stress that He is not coming all the way to Earth.

The midnight hour symbolizes the great, spiritual darkness that will be in society when Jesus returns. Jesus declared society will be like in the days of Noah and Lot. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed (Luke 17:26-30).

Study those two civilizations and compare them to our society. You should easily be able to recognize that we live in the midnight hour; and that means it’s time to awaken, rise up, answer the call and go forth to meet the Bridegroom, Jesus, on Rapture ground.

The Oil of the Spirit

Moving on to the next few points I want to highlight in this parable...the virgins are described as five of them were wise, and five were foolish (Matthew 25:2). What distinguished the foolish from the wise? They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps (Matthew 25:3,4). Now, what does the oil, each vessel and each lamp represent? How do those things apply to children of God?

First, oil in the Word of God is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. One example is when Samuel anointed Saul to be king in the Old Testament. Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, [meaning Saul] and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him [meaning Saul], and he prophesied among them (I Samuel 10:1,6,10).

Another example is when Samuel anointed David. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward (I Samuel 16:13).

The Lamp and the Body

The vessel each virgin carried represents the soul, and the souls of God’s children are to hold the oil of the Spirit. The lamp carried by the virgins represents the body of a child of God, which God’s light is to shine through.

According to Jesus, the five wise virgins possessed the oil of the Spirit in their vessels and in their lamps, meaning in both soul and body. The five foolish virgins were pure and holy just as the wise ones were, but they did not have the oil of the Spirit in their vessels. Now, why would the Lord, the Master and Bridegroom, consider that to be foolish?

It was midnight when the virgins heard the call to make their way to the Bridegroom; and at that time, there was no electricity, no streetlights and no cars with headlights. Trying to find someone in such darkness was nearly impossible. The foolish virgins had lamps, but they had no oil for them. How were they ever going to see their way to meet anybody?

Also, remember that Jesus was telling the parable, and He had instructed His followers to receive the Holy Ghost. To disobey Jesus, the Bridegroom, is foolish.

The Light of the Holy Spirit

Being made pure by the blood is one thing and being filled with the oil of the Spirit is another. The bodies of children of God glorify Him by the shining light they produce just as lamps produce light. However, just as a lamp needs oil to produce light, so do our bodies need the oil of the Holy Ghost to produce light.

Jesus as the son of man was filled with the Holy Ghost before He began His ministry. After He received the Spirit, He went into the wilderness to fast. Then He came forth declaring, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me (Luke 4:18). What was He anointed to do?—works that would glorify God and give great light to the world. The Bible speaks of Jesus saying, The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up (Matthew 4:16).

That light started shining through Jesus after He was filled with the Holy Ghost, after He had fasted and after He was anointed. How does that apply to us? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to His followers, Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16).

That light Jesus spoke of is the good works you produce through the anointing of the Holy Spirit in your life. Your life is to shine the Jesus light to people around you who are in darkness, and that can only be done through the Holy Ghost power within you. When you are anointed by the Holy Ghost, your life can produce many good works that people will see; and some of those people will give glory to God.

Show Forth Spiritual Fruit

Your life must shine forth the nine fruits of the Spirit. They are produced by the Spirit within you and are to be shared with those around you. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, [humility] temperance: [self-control] against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22,23).

Compare those fruits with how Paul and Jesus describe the characteristics of society and what the world will be like in the end. You will find the contrast between the two is just as great as light is to darkness.

Those who are in the darkness of the world do not possess the spiritual fruits. They may desire them and hunger for them, but they are searching for them in all the wrong places—through sports and entertainments, alcohol and drugs, business, money, sexual relationships and technology. They are looking everywhere, but the divine fruits of the Spirit cannot be found in the world. Satan and this world offer many counterfeit fruits that appeal to the eye, but they cannot satisfy a person. Only the spiritual fruits can satisfy.

Your Body Must Produce Light

It’s important to highlight that it’s not your soul, the vessel, that produces the light people see shine through you. Your body, the lamp, produces the light. When the cry went forth for those ten virgins to go forth to meet the bridegroom, all of them arose and trimmed their lamps; but the foolish ones had no oil, so why were they even trimming their lamps?

Two things are required for a light to shine brightly in a lamp. First, you must have oil in the lamp. Second, and just as important, is the wick in the lamp must be properly trimmed. The same holds true for a child of God. To have the light of Jesus shine in your life, and to make your way through the spiritual darkness to meet Jesus on Rapture ground, you must have the oil of the Spirit in you; and your wick must be properly trimmed. That is where many children of God miss it, and that is why they lose their way in the night.

And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out (Matthew 25:8). Those virgins could not see their way to meet the Bridegroom even though they were pure, clean and holy. If you don’t have a trimmed wick and oil in your lamp, you will not be a light to the world; and you will not see your way to meet Jesus on Rapture ground.

Is Your Wick Trimmed?

What does all of this mean when it comes to your lamp, and why is it so important? A wick that is not trimmed properly ceases to draw the oil that’s in the lamp, so there is no fire and no light. A dirty, untrimmed wick is the result of negligence and carelessness, so it must be taken care of properly.

In the same way, the human spirit needs proper care and attention for the body to produce light. I am not just talking about not sinning; you have to go beyond that to address self and the human spirit. It’s not enough to be a virgin and have the oil of the Spirit within you. Your human spirit must be properly maintained, or the light of God will grow dim in your life and eventually be quenched. Your human spirit must be brought under subjection to the Holy Spirit.

Child of God, you must trim your lamp. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his (Romans 8:8,9). You are to be living in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

Paul goes on, This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would (Galatians 5:16,17). You cannot do all the things you want to do because they are not in agreement with the Holy Spirit in you.

Be Responsible for Your Lamp

Child of God, who has control over your life, the human spirit or the Holy Spirit? Is your light shining brightly, or is it so dull that people barely notice it? Do people around you even think you are a child of God? The Bible says, Quench not the Spirit (I Thessalonians 5:19). As a child of God who is full of the oil of the Holy Ghost, it’s your responsibility not to allow the light in your life to dim or go out. No one can do it for you.

Don’t be foolish and negligent with your wick. Make sure you stay full of the oil of the Holy Ghost and keep your human spirit trimmed. You must get rid of anything in your life that would hinder the flow of the Holy Spirit and cause your light to dim or go out.

Jesus warns, Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh (Matthew 24:42,44). You must prepare for the Lord’s return and stay prepared. You must be filled with the oil of the Spirit and stay filled. Make sure your wick is clean and trimmed and keep it that way. Live every day as if Jesus could come at any moment because He warned that He could.

Trim Your Tongue

In Matthew 24, Jesus compared His return to a master returning to his house after a long journey. In that story, the master’s return was delayed; and his servants didn’t know when he would return. His wise and faithful servants were ready and doing their master’s will when he finally did return, but the evil servants took it easy. They forsook their duties and caused trouble in the master’s household. The wicks of their lamps were dirty and untrimmed.

I say again that your human spirit must be trimmed. Self must be cast down so the Holy Spirit can shine brightly. Without any trimming, self will be in control and hinder the Holy Spirit in the work of God. The Holy Spirit will be quenched and grieved; and eventually, your light will go out.

It takes time and effort to trim a wick, and it’s now time to cut out any wrong beliefs and opinions that contradict God’s will. It’s time to trim your tongue of words that grieve the Holy Spirit and quench His light—words of gossip, complaining and belittling others.

James warns you about your tongue. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain (James 1:26). For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body (James 3:2).

Foolish Christians can spiritually kill them-selves with their untrimmed tongues, so you must trim your tongue and keep it clean. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell (James 3:6). Every word you speak must be under subjection to the Holy Spirit.

Yield to the Spirit

It’s time to cut out selfish thinking and actions because Jesus said, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 16:24,25). Does this sound like you can live any way you please and make it to Heaven? Those are the words of Jesus, and He set the standard.

Get rid of grudges and the things you hold against other people. Cut out any disobedience, bad habits or lack of love in your life. Let me remind you again that Jesus is coming for members of the glorious Church who are wearing the spiritual wedding garments, those not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27). If you have even just one little blemish, you must cut it out.

To live a life well-pleasing to God, it requires the Holy Spirit be in you to help you; but if you don’t give Him liberty and your human spirit is in control, you might as well not even have Him because you’re not yielding to Him. You can’t just carry around the oil of the Spirit and think you’re ready for the Rapture. That doesn’t mean anything if your wick isn’t trimmed, just as oil in a lamp cannot produce any light if the wick is dirty and not trimmed.

It’s not enough to love Jesus. He has to be your first love and your first priority. Jesus said, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:26). It’s time to trim the habits that take up all your free time and hinder you from drawing closer to the Lord and growing stronger in Him.

Time to Start Trimming

There are many things that can take up your time, like social media or watching TV. You may not be sinning or disobeying God’s commandments, but you are making yourself spiritually weak. You have to spend more time in the presence of the Lord in prayer, fasting and studying the Word. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you (James 4:8). You have to grow into His stature. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). You must be a good soldier of the Cross so your Jesus light will shine brightly.

You may have to trim your time with other people. We live in a restless hour, and it’s the spirit of the age to be doing, doing, going, going. Many people who claim to be children of God can’t be alone in His presence. They have no reality in God, so they become miserable Christians.

The only way you can trim unnecessary hindrances from your life and cut self down to size is found in this verse: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1). That is not an extraordinary sacrifice; God counts it as reasonable.

Take On a Spiritual Mind

How do you come to the place where you are willing to be submissive unto God and want to be a living sacrifice which is reasonable to Him? Paul said, Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2). The only way you can demonstrate the perfect will of God is by being transformed, and the only way you can be transformed is by the renewing of your mind.

Some Christians are in and out of the Kingdom because they never take on a spiritual mind. Their mind doesn’t match their soul that Jesus cleansed; so eventually, their soul is going to go out into the world along with their mind. Your mind and soul have to be in harmony before you can become a living sacrifice unto God.

Your life will not be transformed, and you will not be willing to offer yourself as a living sacrifice unto the Lord unless you have a spiritual mind, the mind of Christ. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). The Bible goes on to say that Jesus made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:7,8).

Being a living sacrifice is not just a nine-to-five thing; it’s 24/7. You must be willing to answer God’s call whenever it comes. If you possess a mind that is centered on this world and focused on pleasing self, your mind is carnal; and the light of God in you will go out sooner or later, if it hasn’t already. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6). If you don’t get rid of your carnal mind, it will be your spiritual death.

The Bridegroom’s Return Is Nigh

Spiritual midnight is upon us; and the cry will soon go forth, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him (Matthew 25:6). It’s time to arise and make sure your life, soul and body are full of the oil of the Spirit. It’s time to trim your lamp and live a life pleasing unto the Master. Make sure you have denied self; you have a renewed mind, and your human spirit has been brought under subjection to the Holy Spirit.

It’s time to trim any actions, vocabulary or people that would quench the Holy Spirit in your life and cause your Jesus light to grow dim. Make sure your wick is trimmed and your light is shining brightly so you can be the light Christ ordained you to be, and so you can make it to Rapture ground.

Don’t be a foolish virgin. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh (Matthew 25:10-13).

Friend, be careful with your life before the Lord, or you will become careless without even realizing it. Your wick will become dirty and unkept and fail to draw the oil of the Spirit. Your life will produce no light, no fruits of the Spirit and no good works that are anointed and glorify the Lord’s Kingdom. It’s time to examine self and your human spirit before the Lord and make sure nothing quenches the oil of the Spirit in your life because there is only one flight out.

Receive a Purified Soul and Body

If you want to be a bridal company member, it starts at Calvary. That is where the power and the blood of Jesus will transform your life and make you a spiritual virgin before the Lord. He will cleanse you of all sin, guilt and condemnation and make you a brand-new creature in Christ, holy and undefiled before the Lord.

If that is your heart’s desire, pray this prayer with me: Oh, God, save my soul. Forgive me for all of my sins. I have come home to serve you for the rest of my life. I believe there is power in the divine blood of Jesus to wash away all of my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus. Amen.

Friend, if you meant that prayer, Jesus is yours. Now, let the power of the blood in your soul also cleanse and purify your body of every sickness, disease and affliction. Only believe. All things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23).

Whatever the need is in your life, raise your hand as I pray. Lord, in the name of Jesus, I bring each person before you now. God, we honor the blood and the saving, delivering power that is in the blood. No power is greater than the power of the blood. Oh, God, do move and deliver. Lay a healing hand upon each one; and in the holy, blood name of Jesus, heal! Let your healing virtue flow to them now and make them well. Amen. Watch for every sign of improvement and give God all the glory.

Receive the Oil

Now, Friend, you need the oil of the Holy Ghost in your lamp. It is a gift from God to all of His children. Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call (Acts 2:38,39). You don’t have to purchase, earn or merit a gift; you just have to receive it.

Get off to yourself and present yourself before the Lord. Then begin praising the Lord with your whole heart and don’t stop until the Holy Ghost comes in. Yield yourself completely, and He will fill your body and your soul with power from On High.