Welcome to part two in my series on the parable of the ten virgins.
In part one we looked at Matthew 25 in light of the proceeding chapters. We then compared Matthew 24&25 to the book of Revelation. We also compared Revelation to Ezekiel.
Here in part two we will dip into the book of Joshua but before then, lets examine 1 Thessalonians 5, which is very similar to Matthew 24&25.
1 Thessalonians 5
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Notice verses 5 and 6?
5 Ye are all the children of light…
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Do they remind you of the parable of the ten virgins?
What I find astounding is verses 1 and 2.
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
According to Paul, the Thessalonians to whom he wrote understood the times and seasons. What does that mean?
They had an agricultural lifestyle therefore they were very attuned to the seasons, they were attuned to the lunar cycle, they knew how it related to their harvest times and annual feasts.
Genesis 1
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Leviticus 23
4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
In both these verses the word seasons is from the Hebrew word moed which means appointed time.
The seven feasts listed in Leviticus 23 were celebrated at appointed times, year after year.
The use of the word moed in the first chapter of the bible is an indication as to how important the seven feasts of the old covenant were.
They had two purposes, which were to remind Israel of past events and to point them to future events.
The Thessalonians knew the first four feasts had been spiritually fulfilled Passover, the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of first fruits and the feast of weeks.
They were watching and waiting for the spiritual fulfilment of the final three feasts the feast of trumpets, feast of atonement and feast of tabernacles.
The feast of trumpets was next to be fulfilled.
Leviticus 23
24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
The feast of trumpets was the ONLY feast, of all seven feasts that began on the first day of the month.
Israel’s calendar was such that each month began at the new moon.
It was hard to know exactly when the new moon would appear. It was a dark disk with a thin sliver of light that could be obscured by the weather.
The Jews required at least two witnesses to site the new moon before commencement of the feast of trumpets.
Due to the uncertainty around when it would actually commence, all the preparations had to be done before hand. The Jews had to be in a constant state of readiness.
Each of the seven feasts listed in Leviticus 23 were connected to an old testament event.
Every year, year after year the feasts were kept to remember those events and continue to remember them down the generations.
Passover reminded them of their deliverance from bondage in Egypt and the feast of weeks reminded them of when Moses received the ten commandments on Mount Sinai.
What event was the feast of trumpets connected to? What did it remind them of?
I propose that it was their victory at Jericho. How can I defend that claim?
According to Israel’s calendar, the feast of weeks was celebrated in the third month, Sivan and the feast of trumpets was celebrated in the seventh month, Tishri.
Between these feasts were four hot, dry months which represented the 40 years Israel spent wandering in the wilderness (Num. 14:22, 32:13).
At the end of those forty years Israel arrived at Canaan land. Thus the feast of trumpets is connected to the battle of Jericho.
Joshua 6
2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
The Caananites were very wicked people. Sexual immorality was rampant. They had temple prostitutes as part of their worship of Baal and Ashtoreth. They also sacrificed their children to Molech.
Like in the days of Noah, God was “long-suffering” towards them, “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (1 Peter 3:20, 2 Peter 3:9).
He gave them much time to repent. At the very least, they had 40 years while Israel wandered in the wilderness.
Finally, at the battle of Jericho, God used Israel as a tool to execute divine judgment upon them (Lev.18:24-25, 20:22-24 Deut. 9:5,12:29-31).
However he warned Israel that if they became like the Canaanites, God would turn that same judgment back on them.
Joshua 23
11 Take heed therefore unto yourselves that ye love the Lord your God.
12 Else if ye do in any wise go back and cleave unto the remnant of these nations…and shall make marriages with them…
13 Know for a certainty…ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you.
15…so shall the Lord bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you.
16 When ye hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God…ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given you.
When you think of Joshua 6, does it remind you of anything in the book of Revelation?
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
The seven trumpets in Revelation represent God’s divine judgement coming upon Jerusalem due to her extreme unfaithfulness. Hence the cry “Babylon is fallen is fallen” (Rev. 14:8 18:2).
Conclusion:
In Matthew 3 & 21-23 John the Baptist and Jesus warned the Pharisees, chief priests, Sadducees and scribes that their city was about to be “burned up” and their house left “desolate”.
In Matthew 24 Jesus was at Jerusalem when he said to his disciples “there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down” (vs 1&2)
His disciples then asked him three questions- “WHEN shall these things be (temple thrown down), what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the age?” (Vs 3)
Jesus went on to describe “great tribulation” when those in Judaea should “flee to the mountains”. He said, “immediately after the tribulation of THOSE days” he would come in the clouds to “gather…his elect from the four winds” (vs 16, 21, 29-31).
Then Jesus gave a broad answer to the disciples first question “WHEN shall these things be”…
“THIS GENERATION shall not pass till ALL these things be fulfilled” (vs 34)
What did he mean? The destruction of the temple, the coming of Christ and end of the Jewish age would ALL happen within the next forty years, one biblical generation (Num. 32:13).
Revelation was written by Apostle John before 70AD.
It was written to seven literal churches existing at that time, to warn and inform them of events that would “shortly come to pass”, events that were “at hand”, events that would effect THEM (Rev. 1:1,3,4 Rev. 22:10).
The book of Ezekiel confirms that “Mystery Babylon, Mother of Harlots” was in fact Jerusalem that was destroyed by Roman soldiers in 70AD due to her extreme unfaithfulness to God (Rev. 17, Ez.16).
Like the wise virgins in Matthew 25, the saints in Thessalonica were “children of light” who knew the “times and seasons” but not the “day or hour” of Christ’s coming, therefore they had to WATCH and be sober (Matt. 25:10-13, 1 Thess. 5:1-6).
Being an agrarian society they understood the seasons moed- God’s appointed times.
They were attuned to the lunar cycle, the harvests and the seven feasts listed in Leviticus 23.
They knew the first four feasts had been spiritually fulfilled and the feast of trumpets was next.
The four hot, dry months between the feast of weeks and feast of trumpets represented the forty years Israel was tested and tried in the wilderness.
The forty years in which the Canaanites had a chance to repent of their sin.
The forty years (one generation) in which the Pharisees, chief priests, Sadducees and scribes were to “bring forth…fruits meet for repentance” in order to “flee from the wrath to come”.
Like in the days of Noah, God was long-suffering “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (1 Peter 3:20, 2 Peter 3:9).
The feast of Trumpets was the only feast to commence at the beginning of the month, right on the new moon.
No one knew exactly when the new moon would be sighted and when the feast would commence therefore the Jews had to be prepared before hand.
The Feast of Trumpets, which reminded Israel of their victory in Jericho, now represented God’s divine judgement upon them.
The “sudden destruction” that caught many unawares (1 Thess. 1:3).
Do WE, like the ten virgins, need to WATCH for Christ’s coming? I don’t believe so.
However we DO need to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10).
We DO need to be so deeply rooted in Christ that when trials and temptations come we don’t fall away (Matthew 13:20,21,23).
We DO need to be ready for our death day, our last day, which could be at any moment.
We may not have warning. We may not have extra time to prepare.
Let us each work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. God bless.
Bibliography
aish.com The Moon: 7 Jewish Facts
jewishencyclopedia.com New Moon by Kaufmann Kohler
