Foolish Virgin

By TAHREN TERRELL BRANDON

Stop praying for things to return to normal, have you thought about what you are actually asking? What is normal? You mean the school shootings, the social injustice, disease, poverty, pedophilia, abortion, gender confusion, the literal defiance of God with no remorse, shall I go on? Normal doesn’t equal good. Have we gotten so numb to the effects of sin in this fallen world that we would pray for normal? Have we become so desensitized to the Word of God, that we would not only accept normal but pray for its return?

When I learned about counting the Omer, I made a calendar to count up the days, something colorful that would attract my daughter’s attention. She is very dedicated to counting the Omer, knowing that her part is placing the mark on the calendar each day as we get closer to day fifty. Leviticus 23:16 says, “Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD.” Shavuot is the Jewish pilgrimage feast that takes place 50 days after Passover, honoring the giving of the Torah. Counting the Omer is a way to recall the days before God gave Moses the Torah for the Jewish people on Mt. Sinai. It was then that Israel received the law from God and actually became a nation, separated from pagan cultures, set apart for God.

With the threat of imprisonment, Paul took personal risk to return to Jerusalem for this particular feast, knowing something monumental was about to happen. Jesus had promised the disciples that His Spirit would empower them to be His witnesses so they could reach the world with the Good News (Acts1:8, 20:16, 21:10-12). While celebrating Shavuot, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples and the body of believers in Christ and the Christian Church was born. This phenomenon is known as Pentecost and as it approaches, we need to have Paul's determination and get back to Jesus; something monumental is about to happen. The exact day and hour are unknown but we are not in the dark, we can watch for Christs return (1 Thess. 5:2-10).

In ancient days there were three stages to a Jewish wedding, a formal agreement made by the fathers marked the engagement, a betrothal ceremony and finally, the marriage (Matt. 1:18). Strangely enough, the bride was unaware of the exact time of her wedding, can you imagine? Her wedding party, virgin maidens, would wait for the groom and his groomsmen in order to usher them in, using lanterns to light the way. Since the groom would arrive at an unexpected time, the maidens would sit with their lamps and wait, oftentimes falling asleep. In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, there were five wise and five foolish virgins. The wise brought extra oil to light their lamps, they were prepared to go at a moment’s notice. The foolish had no extra oil for their lamps. All ten virgins were expected at the wedding and up until the midnight cry was heard, they all seemed to be ready (Matt. 25:1-13). Many scriptures liken the Holy Spirit to oil (Zech. 4:1-7). The virgins couldn't be ready for the groom without oil in their lamps, neither can the Church be ready for Jesus without the Holy Spirit.

At the first Pentecost, God filled believers’ lamps with oil. He gave us the Holy Spirit to empower us as witnesses to reach others for Christ. When Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, fulfills Pentecost, right before we attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, He will require that our lamps are filled with oil (Rev.19:7-10). While much of the church is preoccupied with getting back to normal in a wicked world, they are neglecting to make themselves ready. The door was shut on the foolish virgins and despite their pleas for entry, it was too late. God had granted them ample time to prepare. You may profess to be a Christian, you may even look like you are ready for the Rapture of the Church, but if you don't have the Holy Spirit, you're just a foolish virgin.

Our future here on earth is limited and bleak. Bill Gates, heir to Planned Parenthood and founder of Microsoft, has been pushing for a coronavirus vaccine. His company has already been granted a worldwide patent for a cryptocurrency system that uses body activity data, think microchip aka “mark of the beast” (Rev.13:16-17). The TRACE Bill, Testing Reaching and Contacting Everyone (H.R. 6666), will require health care officials, accompanied by police, to conduct mandatory door-to-door testing for coronavirus.

We are bearing witness to the destruction of the old world and the beginning of the new. Corona means crown and will lead to the crowning of the leader of the New World Order, the opening of the six seals and the commencement of the rider on the White Horse (Rev. 6:2). The final battle is about to begin. The time to accept Jesus is now. Watch, pray and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Our redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21:28). Maranatha.