Matthew 26:31 says, Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.  Jesus warned the disciples that they would be offended by what was going to happen to Him that night, and they would be scattered like sheep without a shepherd.  If we are offended by the cross, then we will likewise be scattered about like sheep without a Shepherd.  We cannot remove the cross and the shed blood of Jesus from salvation.  In order to be His sheep, we must be born again through the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross.  Jesus said that even His closest disciples would be offended by His death before they understood the significance of it after the fact.  They were still looking for Jesus to declare His earthly kingdom.  I believe that unless we accept Jesus for Who He truly is, the Savior of all who believe, that the gospel will be something that we ignore at best or find offensive at worst.  Verse thirty-two says, But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.  Had the disciples been really listening and understanding Jesus, they would have recognized that the cross was not the end.  Jesus said that after He had risen again.  Jesus did not say that there was a possibility He might rise again, but that He would.  We can rest assured in that fact.  Jesus has already defeated the power of death over us if we accept Him as our Savior and Lord.  Jesus told the disciples after the resurrection that He would go before them in to Galilee.  Jesus will always go before us wherever we go as we follow Him by faith.  We cannot afford to be offended by or fail to share the gospel under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  In verse thirty-three Peter declares, Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.  Peter was very outspoken in his declaration of faithfulness to Jesus.  Peter said that even if all men should be offended by Christ, that he never would.  Peter made this statement based on his own power and before Jesus was arrested.  We may make bold statements about our faith, but until it is tested, we cannot really know how strong it is.  The test may not even be life threatening, but may simply be how we respond to any temptation.  In verse thirty-four Jesus answers Peter asserting, Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.  Jesus told Peter that before the night was over, Peter would deny Jesus three times.  Peter had great faith in himself, but Jesus knew him even better than he knew himself, just as He does with each individual.  If we are making bold statements of faith based on our own strength and ability, then we will often fail.  I believe even if we succeed, it will be an empty success if we aren't acting from faith in God, so that He alone will be glorified.  Verse thirty-five states, Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.  Peter basically said that Jesus didn't know what He was saying.  Peter said that even if he died, he would not deny Jesus, as did the other disciples then.  Peter was bold in his declaration, and I believe that the other disciples simply didn't want to be seen as less faithful than Peter.  Peter had yet to face the possibility of dying for his faith, and neither had the other disciples.  We may make the same statement in the security of our home or church, but how will react if actually confronted with death for our faith?  Hopefully, we will stand firm.

Matthew 26:20 says, Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.  At the time for the passover meal, Jesus sat down with the disciples.  We are not told where the man who owned the house was, but evidently the disciples and Jesus had a separate eating area.  When God is using us to accomplish His will, we may not always be in the center of what is going on, but we need to be obedient non the less.  Verse twenty-one states, And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.  Jesus had been teaching the disciples for a long time now, but He knew that one of them was not to really listening.  Just because someone is always around Christians does not necessarily mean that they are a Christian, even if they celebrate all the Christian holidays.  To be a Christian, a follower of Christ, requires a personal, spiritual relationship with Jesus.  Verse twenty-two says, And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?  Though this says that the disciples were sorrowful and asked if they were the one who would betray Jesus, there was one, Judas, who knew the answer.  We might question why the other disciples had to ask if one of them was the one.  If our faith is strong enough, we will not question our obedience to Christ, but the disciples were not at that point yet.  If Judas was really sorrowful, I believe that it was because he saw an end to the material benefit of following Jesus.  In verse twenty-three Jesus answers, And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.  Jesus did not name anyone by name, but He let them know that He knew who it was that was going to betray Him.  We can never fool God about our true relationship to Him.  Verse twenty-four declares, The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.  This was not just a warning to Judas, but to anyone who professes to follow Jesus and the betrays Him by their actions.  Verse twenty-five states, Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.  Judas didn't really have to ask the question for himself, but I believe asked it to see if Jesus really knew what he was going to do.  If we decide to betray Jesus, we can be certain that He already knows that we are going to do it.   This was not a case of Judas being selected as the one who had no choice but to betray Jesus.  Though Judas knew what he was going to do, he was not somehow forced into doing it.  He did so of his own free will.  Verse twenty-six says, And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.  This was the first Lord's Supper as we observe it today, and if it is to have real meaning then Christ does indeed need to be in the center of the observance and bless it.  Nothing miraculous happens to the bread changing it to something else, but it is simply symbolic of the body of Christ.  Verse twenty-seven says, And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;  Then continuing in verse twenty-eight, For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  Jesus gave thanks for the cup and told the disciples to drink it all, as it was symbolic of His shed blood.  We are not covered with just a little of the blood of Christ when we accept Him as our Savior, but we are covered by all His blood.  There is no partial salvation, only complete through the death of Christ.  Verse twenty-nine states, But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.  Jesus told the disciples that he would not drink again here on earth.  Jesus' time to go to the cross was almost at hand, and He knew it and was attempting to prepare His disciples for it.  I don't believe that God will ever send us into a situation unprepared if we are following Him in total obedience and faith.  Verse thirty says, And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.  We are told that the sang a hymn and went out to the mount of Olives.  After we observe the Lord's Supper, we are to sing praises to Him, and then we are to go out into the world to do His work, and it means we must die to self will and live under the will of God.

Matthew 26:14 says, Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,  After Jesus commended the woman for anointing Him with the expensive oil instead of selling it for money, Judas Iscariot left Jesus and went to the chief priests.  Hopefully, we will never be guilty of leaving Jesus for anyone else, even those who are seen as religious leaders.  We are to be obedient to and worship Christ alone.  Verse fifteen states, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.  The chief priests had been trying to figure out how to seize Jesus without upsetting the crowds.  Judas asked them how much they would pay him to deliver Jesus to them.  Judas was one of the twelve who had been with Jesus physically since the beginning of His ministry, but Judas was not with Jesus spiritually.  Being close to other believers does not necessarily make someone close to God.  I have said this before, but we cannot make what Judas did any less terrible than what it was.  I don't believe that Judas was working to force Jesus to declare His kingdom, but that he began to realize that following Jesus was never going to be materially rewarding.  Judas did not betray Jesus because he had no choice but to do so, but simply betrayed Him for material gain.  Of course, the chief priests, those who were supposed to represent God, were guilty of wanting to kill Jesus, their Messiah.  There may be times today when those who are supposed to be followers of Christ, even religious leaders, will sell out their relationship with Him for material gain.  Anytime a person puts material gain ahead of a spiritual one, that person is guilty of betraying their relationship to Christ.  Verse sixteen says, And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.  Judas had agreed to an amount and had been paid to betray Jesus.  He was still with Jesus physically, but was never with Jesus spiritually.   Judas was looking for a way to gain materially from following Jesus.  I believe some people today are guilty of the same thing.  They profess to follow Jesus simply to gain materially from that profession of faith, but never really accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  Verse seventeen states, Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?  At the beginning of the feast of the observance of the passover, the disciples asked Jesus where they should prepare the passover meal.  When we have a religious celebration today, we need to insure that Jesus is the One Who is in charge of the celebration.  We should never just prepare a celebration and expect Jesus to show up, but we should always pray for His guidance even before we start.  Verse eighteen says, And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.  Jesus told the disciples to go to a certain man and tell him that the disciples and Jesus would eat the passover at his house.  The disciples had to act in faith, but so did the man they went to.  Even though the man may not have really known who Jesus was, he followed His request.  We still do not know who the man was, but he had the honor of having Jesus celebrate the passover with him.  Verse nineteen states, And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.  Once Jesus told the disciples what to do, they did it.  We need to react the same way.  Once Jesus tells us what to do, we need to simply do it putting our faith in Him.

Matthew 26:1 says, And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,  After teaching all those around Him, Jesus always spoke to His disciples privately.  We can indeed learn a lot about following Jesus from listening to someone teaching the world about Him, but we need those private times when Jesus speaks to us as a group of believers and even more so individually.  If we are to follow Christ, we must know where He is leading us individually.   Verse two states, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.  I believe that Jesus was asking the disciples if they understood yet Who He really was and what He came to do.  We still have to answer these questions today in order to be saved.  The disciples were looking ahead to the coming crucifixion of Jesus, and we look back on the accomplished fact, but we must accept Who Jesus is in order to be saved.  Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and He was crucified for our sins.  Verse three says, Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,  The religious leaders, the chief priests, scribes, and elders gathered with the high priest Caiaphas.  They were not gathering to accept Jesus, but to figure out how to stop Him.  Verse four declares, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.  These religious leaders thought they might take Jesus by subtility.  It is bad enough when anyone attempts to stop God's work in the world, but when those who declare themselves to be religious leaders do so it is even worse.  Verse four says, But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.  The religious leaders were afraid to take Jesus and kill Him on the feast day for fear of the people.  If these religious leaders had really been following God's direction, then they would not have feared the crowds, especially those who were coming to hear Jesus.  If we are following God's direction in our lives today, we should never allow the crowds around us to stop us from acting.  Verse six states, Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,  Even though the religious leaders would have said avoid a leper, Jesus was in the house of a leper, Simon.  Once more, Jesus was reaching out to someone that even the religious leaders would have said to avoid.  We must acknowledge that Jesus died for all people, no matter how lowly they may be viewed by society.  We, as followers of Christ, must reach out to all people with His message.  I do not find anywhere in the teachings of Jesus where He said that we are to look down on anyone as unworthy of salvation.  Verse seven states, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.  As Jesus was sitting to eat, a woman came and anointed His head with expensive oil.  We are not told who she was, but she wanted to honor Jesus without worrying about the cost evidently.  When we serve Jesus, we can never look at what it might cost us materially.  If God leads us to do something, then we must simply do it.  Verse eight says, But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?  This implies that all the disciples were indignant.  They saw this anointing of Jesus with the expensive oil as a waste.  We should never feel that anything done for God is a waste, no matter the cost.  This woman was more devoted to Jesus than were His closest disciples.  In  verse nine the disciples declared, For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.  The disciples attempted to justify their attitude by saying that the oil could have been sold and the money given to the poor.  Though this might be a good idea, we should never allow our ideas to get in the way of someone else worshipping God, and we should never put monetary value ahead of sincere worship.  In verse ten Jesus asks, When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.  As with the disciples, we can be certain that Jesus understands our motivations.  When Jesus understood, He asked the disciples why they bothered the woman, since she had done a good work for Him.  We need to live in such a way that we never attempt to stand in the way of someone worshipping or doing a good work for God.  Verse eleven says, For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.  I don't believe that Jesus was unconcerned about the poor, but He knew that His time was almost at an end, so if anyone was going to honor Him in His time on earth, the time had come.  We must put Christ first before we can do good works for Him.  Verse twelve says, For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.  Jesus said that her ointment was a preparation for His burial.  She may not have fully understood this, but Jesus did.  It may be that at times we do not fully understand how everything that we give to God will be used to bring Him honor, but if we give with the right attitude, it will be used the best way possible.  Verse thirteen states, Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.  Jesus said that wherever the gospel was preached that what the woman did would be a memorial to her.  This didn't mean that she would be worshipped, but that her faith would be remembered.

Matthew 25:31 says, When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:  This is simply a statement about the return of Christ.  When Christ returns with His angels, He will sit on His throne in His glory, and will not a baby in a manger.  There will certainly be room for Him in the world.  Verse thirty-two states, And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:  Jesus tells us that everyone living will appear before Him, and He will separate them as a shepherd would separate sheep and goats.  Verse thirty-three continues, And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.  The sheep and goats will be on opposite sides during the judgment of God, just a those who are saved will be separated from those who have not put their faith in Christ.  Verse thirty-four declares, Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  Jesus tells us that the sheep, those on the right hand of God will be invited in as those blessed by the Father through faith in the Son.  This is how the relationship between God and man was meant to be, even before God's creation began.  In verse thirty-five Jesus says, For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:  I believe that these are actions that God expects from His people.  We cannot divide the world into those who have a lot because they deserve it and those who do not because they don't.  I think we sometimes seem to have the attitude in America that God has blessed us because we deserve it and that His blessings are strictly for our benefit.  Being blessed by God, if indeed we are, means that we are to help the less fortunate and not to look down on them with contempt.  The whole world belongs to God, and all the people in it.  The only way we can claim to be better than anyone else is because of our acceptance of Jesus as our Savior and Lord, and even then we are to see ourselves as simple servants to God.  Just as God reached out to us in love, we are to reach out to the world.  Verse twenty-five continued with the commendation saying, Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.  We do not have to search very hard to find people in great need today.  We often write off people in prison by thinking they got what they deserved, but Jesus tells us we are to have compassion for them, even if the are there because they are guilty.  As followers of Christ, we cannot be a me first group of people, but must be a God first group of people.  Sharing with the less fortunate is an expectation, but condemning them is not.  Verse thirty-seven states, Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?  I believe that Jesus is telling us that we shouldn't even be aware of our good works.  If we are doing good works so that we can be praised, then I believe that is all the reward we will receive.  Verse thirty-eight continues the question asking, When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?  Then verse thirty-nine ends the question stating, Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  As stated above, we don't do good works for self reward.  Jesus tells us that we should not even be aware of when we did these things for God.  Then in verse forty Jesus gives the answer declaring, And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.  Jesus says that when we help the less fortunate, then it is the same as helping God Himself.  Since everything belongs to God anyway, He could simply take things away from us and give them to someone else.  Instead, like the talents, God chooses to bless some with more than others, expecting them to use what they have been blessed with to enlarge His kingdom.  Verse forty-one says, Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:  Just as those on the right were commended for their actions, those on the left were condemned for their lack of action.  We may not even acknowledge when we fail to act in God's love, because we don't have His love for all people in our hearts.  Verse forty-two continues, For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:  Then verse forty-three concludes,I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.  These are the same things that those that loved Christ had done.  Their lack of action condemned them.  It is not enough to avoid doing wrong, but we must also do what is right.  Verse forty-four says, Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?  They asked the same question those who had been commended asked.  They wanted to know where they had failed to do these things.  I believe that was one of the keys to the problem.  Had they been following God's leadership, they would have known when they failed to do His will.  Verse forty-five says,  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.  The answer was the opposite as with the other group.  It named the least of these once more, but said anytime they failed to help the least that they failed to help God.  Then, verse forty-six declares, And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.  This is not a statement about working for salvation, but is a statement about being led by the Holy Spirit to help the less fortunate in the world.  Since those who were told to enter into heaven didn't even know when they had done these good works, they weren't working for their own benefit, but were doing the will of God.  So must we as followers of Christ.

Matthew 25:14 says, For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.  Jesus is still teaching His disciples, and that would mean any who follows Him by faith, about the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus was returning to heaven, a far country, and He was leaving His disciples in charge of everything, especially His gospel message, while He was gone.  This has not changed.  Verse fifteen states, And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.  Not everyone has the same talent, or ability, to do the work of God's kingdom, but all are given a responsibility to serve according to their ability and calling.  These servants did not determine how many talents they would have, but their lord did, just as God determines our capability to serve Him.  Verse sixteen states, Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.  The one with the five talents begin to use them and doubled them for his lord.  When we use the talents that God gives us, it is always for His benefit and glory and not for our own.  Verse seventeen says, And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.  Though he wasn't given as much, the second servant likewise used and doubled what he had been given.  We can only use the talents that God gives us, and we should never be concerned with how many talents someone else has.  Verse eighteen says, But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. The last servant did not use his talent, but buried it.  We should never be guilty of burying, or not using, the talent, or talents, that God gives us.  Verse nineteen says, After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.  No matter how long Jesus tarries in His return, He will return.  These talents never belonged to the servants, but always belonged to their lord, just as everything in the universe belongs to God.  Verse twenty states, And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.  This servant faithfully used what his lord had entrusted him with and doubled it.  He was ready for the return of his lord.  Verse twenty-one states, His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.  The servant was rewarded for his faithfulness and given even more to rule over.  Notice he was not set free to do whatever he wanted.  He was still responsible to his lord, just as followers of Christ we are always responsible to Him.  Verse twenty-two says, He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.  Then verse twenty-three continues, His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.  Though having fewer talents, this servant also doubled them, and was rewarded the same as the servant who started with five talents.  The main point was not the number of talents given, but the wise use of them.  Verse twenty-four says, Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:  Continuing in verse twenty-five, And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.  The servant with one talent came to his lord, not with an increase but with an excuse.  I believe that their lord knew their ability when he entrusted them with the talents, just as God knows our ability when He entrusts us with our talents.  We can only gain things for God if use what He entrusts us with for His glory, and we must never be so afraid of God that we do nothing.  Verse twenty-six declares, His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:  Then continuing in verse twenty-seven, Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.  Just like this servant and his lord, we should know what God wants of us when He becomes our Lord.  God expects us to faithfully use our talents for His glory, and not to be wicked and slothful.  This does not mean that we have to earn our way into heaven, but only that we should use our Goal given talents for His benefit and glory.  Verse twenty-five says, Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.  This unfaithful servant lost what he had, and it was given to the servant with five talents.  Again, this was not about the servants gaining more, but about faithfully using what their lord had entrusted them with for his benefit.  Verse twenty-nine says, For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.  I believe that this is a reference to our faithfully using what God has entrusted us with to advance His kingdom.  The servant with one talent did not really know his lord at all, but was only concerned with his own safety.  When we truly know Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we will serve Him with joy and not fear.  Verse thirty declares, And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  As stated already, I believe that this was due to a lack of knowledge of who the lord was, and not because of a lack of material gain for the lord.  We must know Christ and put our faith in Him, or we will likewise be cast into utter darkness when He returns.

Matthew 25:1 says, Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  In this parable, Jesus is still teaching about the second coming.  Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like ten virgins awaiting the bridegroom with their lamps.  We know that the bridegroom is Jesus, and I believe the virgins are those who profess to be His servants.  Verse two says, And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Jesus then speaks of the nature of the ten virgins.  Five were wise and prepared and the other five were foolish.  I believe that those who were prepared really believed that the bridegroom was coming, just as we can be certain that Jesus is coming again.  We should live every day prepared for the return of Christ and do everything that we can to shine His light into the world to prepare for His coming.  The foolish evidently did not take the coming of the bridegroom seriously and were not prepared.  Verse three states, They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:  The foolish virgins appeared to be ready.  They had their lamps, but no oil with them.  I believe this would be those who appear to accept Christ and put on a good show of serving Him, but they really have an empty faith.  We as followers of Christ must live our lives filled with faith in Christ, always prepared and ready to serve Him.  Verse four then states, But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  Hopefully, we will be like the wise and ready to serve the Bridegroom, or Christ.  I believe that our light in the world is to share the gospel of Christ, and our oil is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  The only way that we can claim to be wise is through accepting Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives.  Verse five states, While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.  While the bridegroom tarried,  all ten slept.  Even the most vigilant of Christian must at times rest, but even when sleeping, we must be ready for the second coming of Christ.   Verse six says, And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.  We might find it strange that the bridegroom came at midnight, but it was evidently the custom of the bridegroom to come to the bride's house the night before the wedding in that day according to Matthew Henry.  No matter the time of the night that the bridegroom came, the ten were to be ready.  No matter how long Jesus tarries in His return, we are to be prepared for it to happen at any time.  Verse twenty-five states, Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.  All ten went through the motions of getting ready, but that was not enough.  Verse eight says, And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.  The five whose lamps went out due to a lack of oil asked the other five for oil.  When the Bridegroom, or Jesus, returns, it will be too late to get prepared for His return, and we cannot look to anyone else to help us be prepared.  Verse nine declares, But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.  The wise could not share their oil and still be prepared themselves.  I believe this means that the only way that a person can be saved is by accepting Jesus as their Savior and Lord while there is still time.  When Jesus returns, or when a person dies, it is too late.  Verse ten says, 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.  As just discussed, when Christ returns, the way door to heaven will be shut.  There will be no way to gain entry into God's everlasting kingdom after the return of Christ, or after the death of an individual for that matter.  Verse eleven states, Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.  The five foolish virgins came attempting to gain entry.  I believe that when every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, that those who rejected Him in this world will be crying out for entrance into His kingdom.  Verse twelve says, But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.  The Bridegroom told those who were not prepared, or we should say those who have not accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord before His return that He did not know them.  The only way into heaven is through a personal relationship with Jesus, and when we have that He knows us personally.  Verse thirteen concludes, Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.  We are told to watch, or be ready, for the return of Christ, because we do not know when it will occur.  Our challenge is to be doing what God calls us to do until Christ returns.