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 KJV)
And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith יהוה Adonay. (Ezekiel 20:34-36 KJVm)
Previously we found that, during the Greater Second Exodus, “the Remnant of Israel” are going to go through a proverbial wilderness.
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am יהוה. (Ezekiel 20:37-38 KJVm)
Which is also a period of testing, where many that are called are going to be purged even before entering Israel.
…“How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague to cut off man and beast from it! Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come forth to you and you will see their conduct and actions; then you will be comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it. (Ezekiel 14:21-22 NASB)
And for those that do arrive in Jerusalem, a final purge awaits inside the walls of the Old City.
In this article, we are going to examine a purge described in the Parable of the Ten Virgins so as to help prepare you for this period of refinement which “the Remnant of Israel” must go through.
This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. (Matthew 13:13 KJV)
According to The Son of Man, the reason He spoke in parables to the crowds was because His message was not meant to be understood by all that heard them.
He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. (Matthew 13:11 NIV)
However, in a private setting, The Son of Man would graciously explain the parables to His disciples.
Unfortunately, His explanation of the Parable of the Ten Virgins was not written in the New Testament. However, that doesn’t mean it was never documented.
JERUSALEM 70 A.D.
Jerusalem fell to the Romans in 70 A.D. after a 143 day siege, where all of it’s inhabitants were killed or enslaved.
According to the historian Josephus 1.1 million Jews were slain and 97 thousand were captured, enslaved and scattered throughout the empire.
However dreadful, this national tragedy provides end time believers with vital insight into the Parable of the Ten Virgins.
THE SIEGE ON JERUSALEM
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall יהוה go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:2-3 KJVm)
According to the prophet Zechariah the Old City of Jerusalem is predicted to be in the process of a fortress siege prior to the second advent of HaMoshiach.
Many believe that this prophecy was fulfilled in the 70 A.D. when Jerusalem fell to the Romans. It was not.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall יהוה go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:2-3 KJVm)
According to Zechariah, only half the inhabitants are predicted to be compromised, unlike in 70 A.D. where all the inhabitants were either killed or enslaved.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall יהוה go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:2-3 KJVm)
Also notice that this prophecy is predicted to take place on The Day of יהוה (the Second Coming), where The Son of Man will come and fight the nations sieging Jerusalem on the behalf of the remaining inhabitants of the Old City.
Many of the 1.1 million Jews which died in 70 A.D. had to be aware of Zechariah’s prediction and probably assumed that the Roman siege on Jerusalem in 70 A.D. was the fulfillment of this prophecy and probably assumed that they would be protected by the advent of The Messiah.
Unfortunately for the 1.1 million which died, the Son of Man did not return then. Their misfortune, however did not negate Zechariah’s prediction, that The Son of Man is going to come and protect half the inhabitants of the Old City while deeply embattled in this predicted fortress siege.
So what is the implication?
Zechariah’s prediction is the written explanation of the Kingdom Parable of the Ten Virgins. Notice that both the parable and Zechariah’s prediction have three things in common:
1. THE SECOND COMING OF THE SON OF MAN
First, both passages are describing an event that takes place during the second coming of The Son of Man and the end of the age.
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. (Matthew 25:10 NIV)
In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the Son of Man’s return is compared to the arrival of the bridegroom.
Then shall יהוה go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east… (Zechariah 14:3-4 KJVm)
In Zechariah’s prediction, The Son of Man arrives to fight the nations… and sets foot on the Mount of Olives which is East of Jerusalem
2. A GROUP OF BELIEVERS WHICH PHYSICALLY SURVIVE TO GREET THE SON OF MAN AT HIS RETURN
Secondly, both accounts provide details concerning a group of believers which will be alive at the second coming of The Son of Man.
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:36 KJV)
The scriptures mention a group of believers which will physically escape the predicted apocalypse and will be alive at The Son of Man’s return.
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (Matthew 25:1 NASB)
And it is this parable of the Ten Virgins which is describing this group of believers which will be alive and waiting to meet The Son of Man (the Bridegroom) at the time of His return.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zechariah 14:2-3 KJVm)
Likewise, Zechariah describes a “residue of the people” which are not going to be “cut off from the city.”
And it is this “residue of the people” which are those believers that will be alive at the end of the age.
3. HALF THE PARTICIPANTS WILL BE PURGED
Thirdly, both the New Testament parable and the Old Testament prophecy predict that half the participants will be purged and prevented from entering the Kingdom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise. (Matthew 25:2 NIV)
In the parable, half of the ten virgins are not prepared.
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. (Matthew 25:10 NIV)
And as circumstances would have it, only the half that are prepared will join The Son of Man and enter the kingdom. The foolish virgins will be shut out.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall יהוה go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:2-3 KJVm)
Likewise, Zechariah’s account of the siege against Jerusalem is a description where half those in the city will be taken captive. And it is these individuals which go into captivity that are represented by the five Foolish Virgins in the parable.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall יהוה go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:2-3 KJVm)
Then after half the city is taken, the Son of Man will enter the battle on behalf of those remaining within the Old City. And it is these remaining individuals, which The Son of Man fights for, that are represented by the five Wise Virgins in the parable. They are “the Remnant of Israel” and they are those of you that are found worthy to escape and be alive to greet the Son of Man at His return.
So the Parable of the Ten Virgins and Zechariah’s prophecy concerning the siege of Jerusalem are both a description of this final purge.
THE GREATER SECOND EXODUS AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION SCENARIO
The following is a description of the Great Tribulation scenario which “the Remnant of Israel” are going to be faced with.
1. “The Remnant” arrive in the Metropolitan area of Jerusalem.
And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13: 16-17 KJVm)
“The Remnant” have to be in the Jerusalem area prior to the start of the Great Tribulation because of the Mark of the Beast.
Anyone trying to get to Jerusalem after the Great Tribulation starts will not make it because they will not be able to buy food or purchase transportation without the Mark.
And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. (Luke 21: 20 KJV)
2. Next the armies of the Beast will surround the modern city of Jerusalem just before the Great Tribulation begins.
“His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. (Daniel 11:31 NIV)
3. Then with a detachment of soldiers, the Abomination of Desolation will forcefully enter the Old City and the Temple. He will then abolish the temple sacrifices and set himself up as Elohim.
This desecration of the Holy Place, by the Abomination of Desolation, is the sign for…
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:(Matthew 24:15-16 KJV)
4. “The Remnant” (the Wise Virgins) and the Two Witnesses to “flee” for the safety of the Mountain Fortress (the Old City of Jerusalem).
He will halt between Jerusalem and the sea and there pitch his royal tents, but while he is there his time will suddenly run out, and there will be no one to help him. (Daniel 11:45 TLB)
This mass influx of over a million people, will persuade the Abomination of Desolation to evacuate the Old City, eventually establishing his camp in a location somewhere between the Mediterranean Sea and Jerusalem.
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (Revelation 11:2 KJVm)
5. Then, after evacuating the Old City, the Abomination’s armies will advance on Jerusalem right up to walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, just as the Roman army surrounded Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
And יהוה will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. (Isaiah 4:5 KJVm)
6. Next, יהוה will stop the armies advances by defending the Old City (Mount Zion) and her assemblies with a Pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night…
… and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. (Exodus 14:19-20 KJVm)
…just as He protected Israel while fleeing from Egypt.
And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:3 NASB)
7. Inside the walls of the Old City, the Two Witnesses begin their 1260 day ministry…
And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith YHVH Adonay. (Ezekiel 20:35-36 KJVm)
…while the Wise and Foolish Virgins co-mingle and are pleaded with by YHVH.
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (Revelation 11:2 KJVm)
8. Outside the Old City will be the armies of the Abomination, which will be occupying the rest of the Metropolitan area of Jerusalem for the 42 months of the Great Tribulation.
When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Master was crucified.(Revelation 11:7 -8 KJVm)
9. When 1260 days are completed the protection will drop, the two witnesses will be killed and their bodies will lay exposed on a street in Jerusalem where our Master was crucified.
10. The nations that surrounded Jerusalem for 42 months will then begin to siege the Old City, like the Romans in 70 A.D.
11. Next, an undisclosed event persuades the Foolish Virgins to separate from the Wise Virgins, with one group gravitating to the North side of the fortress and the other group moving to the South side (More on this shortly).
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zechariah 14:2 KJVm)
12. The sieging army then breaches the wall and captures half of the fortress containing the Foolish Virgins.
And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the East, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. (Zechariah 14:4 KJVm)
13. At that point the Son Of Man returns and set’s foot on the Mount of Olives, which is to the East of the Old City.
And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the East, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. (Zechariah 14:4 KJVm)
This will cause an earthquake that will split the Mount of Olives in half creating a North and South Side.
And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the East, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. (Zechariah 14:4 KJVm)
It is this earthquake that will be instrumental in protecting the Wise Virgins during this siege. Notice that this quake will create a great valley which will run East and West…
You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thenיהוה my Elohay will come, and all the holy ones with him. (Zechariah 14:5 KJVm)
… and will reach all the way to the Old City, creating an escape route for the Wise Virgins.
And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the East, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. (Zechariah 14:4 KJVm)
The quake will also split the Old City of Jerusalem in half, with one group of Virgins being on the North side and the other group being on the South.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zechariah 14:2 KJVm)
This raises the question: If the Foolish Virgins gravitate to one side and into captivity…
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zechariah 14:2 KJVm)
…while the Wise Virgins move to other side and protected…
…then which side of the earthquake should the Wise Virgins be on?
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of יהוה shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as יהוה hath said, and in the remnant whom יהוה shall call. (Joel 2:32 KJVm)
According to the prophet Joel, deliverance for “The Remnant” will be on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
Traditionally, Mount Zion is the City of David, which is on the south side of the Old City. This and other evidence suggest that it is the south side.
IN REVIEW
And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.(Matthew 25:2 KJV)
Zechariah’s prediction concerning the future siege on Jerusalem is the written explanation of the Kingdom Parable of the Ten Virgins, where within the walls of the Old City will be the individuals the parable recognizes as Five Wise Virgins and Five Foolish Virgins
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zechariah 14:2 KJV)
As the siege progresses the city will be taken, where half the inhabitants recognized as the Foolish Virgins will be purged and go into captivity.
And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: andיהוה my Elohim shall come, and all the saints with thee. (Zechariah 14:4 KJVm)
At that point The Son of Man will return with the resurrected believers…
Then shallיהוה go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:3 KJVm)
…to fight the nations which will be sieging Jerusalem.
On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. (Zechariah 14:4 NIV)
Then the Son of Man will set foot on the Mount of Olives, which will create an earthquake that will split the Mount of Olives and the Old City of Jerusalem in half…
You will flee by my mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: you shall flee, like as you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and יהוה my Elohay shall come, and all the saints with thee. (Zechariah 14:5 NIV)
…and will be instrumental in protecting the “wise virgins”
These remaining individuals (which The Son of Man fights for) are the five Wise Virgins in the parable. These are “the Remnant of Israel” which will be in the Greater Second Exodus. And these are those of you that are found worthy to escape and be alive at the second coming.
This is the gospel of the kingdom according to The Son of Man’s Kingdom Parable of the Ten Virgins.
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