Parable of the 5 wise virgins and 5 foolish virgins

Parable of the 5 wise virgins and 5 foolish virgins

This parable is part of the conversation that Jesus had with his believers and a continuation of Matthew 24 discussion, even though it was placed in chapter 25 instead of chapter 24. Remember the book of Matthew does not have chapters and verses, but it was later placed in by translators for easy referencing and quotation.

So to understand this parable, you have to look within the Context of Matthew 24, because it is part of the verbal discourse that Jesus had with his disciples, and particularly in answering their questions in Matthew 24:3

Let's look at Matthew 25:1-13

Mat 25:1  “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 

Mat 25:2  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 

Mat 25:3  For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 

Mat 25:4  but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 

Mat 25:5  As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 

Mat 25:6  But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 

Mat 25:7  Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 

Mat 25:8  And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 

Mat 25:9  But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 

Mat 25:10  And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 

Mat 25:11  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 

Mat 25:12  But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 

Mat 25:13  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. 



One of the most misinterpreted and misunderstood parable by modern bible teachers.

This parable found in Matthew 25, has been preached by so many preachers in so many different ways, and in ways which are totally contradictory to the intention of the message in the story.

Evangelists have treated it as either your be saved or damned.

Motivators have treated it as always be prepared or missed out.

Preachers have used this for emotional altar calls, as to either repent or perish.

Charismatics have used this parable as to the importance of having the Holy Spirit as the oil or missed heaven.

Some denominations have decried other denominations as not worthy of entering the kingdom and only they are eligible.

And on and on, spewing disunity, hatred, insolence, arrogance, disputes, anger and fear to believers far and near.

It's no wonder that many are leaving religious church organizations, because they cannot find God in their midst.


A futuristic parable?

Some (dispensationalists and futurists) have treated this story unfairly and incorrectly when they interpreted this as a futuristic rapture. If you do that, it is going to open up more theological questions and problems, which are too numerous and unanswerable.

Futurists say that the virgins represent the church, and that half of them have the oil, and the other half do not have the oil. The half that had the oil, are those who are ready to be raptured, as compared to the other half that did not have the oil, as those who are not ready to be raptured.

The half that had the oil represents those who have the Holy Spirit because oil represents the Holy Spirit. The half that did not had the oil means they did not have the Holy Spirit.

Note that the half that had the oil (Holy Spirit) did not share it with the other half that had no oil.

And futurists said that the bridegroom's arrival represents the "rapture" that is to come.


My line of Questioning:

a. How do you buy the Holy Spirit (oil) if the oil represents the Holy Spirit? Can the Holy Spirit be bought?

b. Who determines which "church" has more of the Holy Spirit (oil), and which "church" does not have more of the Holy Spirit?

c. Who is the judge of the amount of Holy Spirit that is in the "church" or Christian?

d. Don't ALL Christians have the Holy Spirit, because ALL Christians have Jesus?

e. Why are the 5 wise virgins so stingy as not to share the oil (Holy Spirit) with the 5 foolish virgins?

f. I thought the "amount" of Holy Spirit is not measurable, and not quantifiable? Isn't the Holy Spirit infinite and cannot be exhausted?

g. Does that mean that when Jesus "returns" (as they called Second Coming), half of the church/Christian will be saved and the other half will be unsaved?

h. Do you know that futurist preachers will falsely use this parable message, especially in altar calls, at the end of the sermon, and people will rush to the front for prayer, out of FEAR, and "just to make sure" they get to heaven, and that they can make it when the bridegroom arrive. I have been very guilty of this mistake and grave error.


My Answer

I would like you to see how the futurist's interpretation is theologically wrong, and it opens up lots of wrong theology and even more questions. It is more vague and can literally be very, very damaging to the community of believers.

This story of the 5 wise virgins and 5 foolish virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 has been used in so many ways by evangelists, motivators, bible teachers, sunday school instructors, and all of them use it out of Context.

The  RIGHT way of interpreting this parable in Matthew 25, is to read it WITHIN the Context of the continuation of Matthew 24, when Jesus was still speaking to his audience.


How do I KNOW?

Matthew 25:1 starts with the word "THEN".

Mat 25:1  THEN the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 

The Timing of Matthew 25 is in the immediate timing of Matthew 24. 

There is NO break, NO interval, NO change of timing. The timing is ALL within the lifetime of Jesus audience as in Matthew 24 (especially Matthew 24:34).

This parable story is within the impending judgement of Jerusalem that was coming in AD70, and this happened within the lifetime of the disciples that were his audience. Jesus did NOT change audience and start talking about the futuristic church (where half will be saved and half will be unsaved/lost).


The audience is Jewish, and it is about Israel.

The audience that was listening to Jesus message in Matthew 24 and 25 were Jews.

Only Jews can understand what Jesus was talking about, and the futuristic church was not all Jews!

The believers in our modern era comprise of Jews and non-Jews.

How do I know that Jesus was talking to Jews?

It is because Jesus used the language and imagery that Jews can understand easily.

When Jesus told describes the image of the virgins waiting for the bridegroom, he is reminding them of the words of their prophet Isaiah that said God is their bridegroom and the Jews will be his bride. God will clothed the Jews with garments of salvation and righteousness (Isaiah 61:10; Isaiah 62:5).

Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Isa 62:5  For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. 


So who are these Virgins?

God calls the nation of Israel, virgin. He calls the Jews, virgin.

Amo 5:1  Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel: 

Amo 5:2  “Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up.” 


The virgin is Israel, and Isaiah and Amos calls Israel, God's virgins. Amos is a lamentation (cry) of God towards the house of Israel, the virgin.

This word "virgin" should not be interpreted to mean Mary the virgin, who gave birth to Jesus as the Messiah. It is obviously wrong interpretation.

Another verse (out of many) is in Jeremiah 31:3-4

Jer 31:3  the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. 

Jer 31:4  Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. 

God is going to rebuild his people after the destruction of Israel by the Babylonians, the Medes and the Persians. God called out to virgin Israel and said he will rebuild them.


Jesus used metaphors

So when Jesus spoke about the parable of the 5 wise virgins and 5 foolish virgins, Jesus was using the metaphor virgins to refer to the Jews in the nation of Israel. (Note: God has never referred non-Jews as virgins).

Jesus also used this metaphor of a Jewish wedding feast or ceremony which can be easily understood by his Jewish audience. These are stories that Jews can easily understood and identify.

Jesus likened their last days (the end of the Mosaic Age), as like a Jewish wedding ceremony.

They were all waiting for the bridegroom to come and start the wedding feast, when suddenly the bridegroom appears. They do not know the day nor the hour.

This is similar to Matthew 24:36-51, where "no one knows the day and the hour".

See: https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2021/04/no-one-knows-that-day-or-hour.html

Mat 24:42  Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 

Mat 24:44  Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 

Mat 24:50  the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 

This coming of the bridegroom is the coming of the Son of Man (Jesus).

This is the coming judgement that is in line with the Context of Matthew 24. Jesus is ushering a new era, a new Age, a new kingdom, a new Messianic rule on humanity. 

For those who are prepared for it (like the 5 wise virgins), then they will enter into this Messianic Age, the new kingdom of heaven, as compared to those who were not prepared for it, and were left out.

This is similar to Matthew 24, where some will be taken, and some were not. Some fled to safety, and some did not. Some entered into the new Era, and some did not.

This coming of the Son of Man is not the "rapture"

Jesus did not come to take the 5 wise virgins and kill the 5 foolish virgins.

There was no killing or eliminating of those 5 foolish virgins, as compared to what the rapture theory proposed.

Instead the bridegroom, Jesus came to take the 5 wise virgins into the marriage feast / marriage ceremony. It was not a physical place or a new world. It was a new kingdom era. Jesus brought them out of the old Mosaic Age into the new Messianic Age.

Note: This is what Revelations is all about, the ushering of the new Age where we live with Jesus forever now and forever more. The marriage Jewish ceremony is the same as this spoken of in Matthew 25.

Rev 19:7  Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;

Rev 19:9  And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

John Wesley commentary on Matthew 24 is about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD

John Wesley commentary on Matthew 24 is about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD

John Wesley (1703-1791), was an  English cleric and the leader of the Methodist movement. 

Matt 24:2…There shall not be left here one stone upon another…

John Wesley: This was most punctually fulfilled: for after the temple was burned. Titus the Roman general, ordered the very foundations of it to be dug up; after which the ground on which it stood was ploughed by Turnus Rufus. (This should be about Terentius Rufus, mentioned in Josephus', Wars of the Jews 7:2:1)

Matt 24:5:For many shall come in my name…

John Wesley: First, false Christs, next, false prophets, Ver. 11; at length, both together, Ver. 24. And indeed never did so many impostors appear in the world as a few years before the destruction of Jerusalem; undoubtedly because that was the time wherein the Jews in expected the Messiah.

Matt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world…

John Wesley: Not universally: this is not done yet: but in general through the several parts of the world, and not only in Judea. And this was done by St. Paul, and the other apostles, before Jerusalem was destroyed. And then shall the end come - of the city and temple. Josephus' "History of the Jewish War" is the best commentary on this chapter. It is a wonderful instance of God's providence, that he, an eyewitness, and one who lived and died Jew, should, especially in so extraordinary manner, be preserved, to transmit to us a collection of important facts, which so exactly illustrate this glorious prophecy, in almost every circumstance.

Matt 24:15: When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation…

John Wesley: Daniel’s term is, "the abomination that maketh desolate," Dan 11:31; that is, the standards of the desolating legions, on which they bear the abominable images of their idols. Standing in the holy place - Not only the temple, and the mountain on which it stood, but the whole city of Jerusalem, and several furlongs of land round about it, were accounted holy; particularly the mount on which our Lord now sat, and on which the Romans afterward planted their ensigns. He that readeth, let him understand - whoever reads that prophecy of Daniel, let him deeply consider it.

Matt 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

John Wesley: So the Christians did, and were preserved. It is remarkable, that after the Romans, under Cestius Gallus, made their first advance toward Jerusalem, they suddenly withdrew again, in a most unexpected, and indeed impolitic manner. This the Christians took as a signal to retire, which did, some to Pella, and others to Mount Libanus.

Mat 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

John Wesley: They did so; their flight was in the spring. Neither on the Sabbath on many accounts inconvenient: besides that many would have scrupled to travel far on that day. For the Jews thought it unlawful to walk above two thousand paces (two miles) on the Sabbath day.

Matt 24:22 And except those days should be shortened…

John Wesley: By the taking of Jerusalem sooner than could be expected. No flesh would be saved - the whole nation would be destroyed. But for the elect's sake - that is, for the sake of the Christians.

Matt 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

John Wesley:  Our Lord gives this as further reason why they should not hearken to any pretended deliverer. As if he had said: Expect not any deliverer of the Jewish nation; for it is devoted to destruction. It is already before God a dead carcass, which the Roman eagles will soon devour.

Matt 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

John Wesley: The expression implies that great part of generation would passed away, but not the whole. Just so it was. For the city and temple were destroyed thirty nine or forty years after.

Faithful servant and evil servant

 

Faithful servant and evil servant

This parable of the faithful servant and evil servant is found in Matthew 24:45-51

Mat 24:45  “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 

Mat 24:46  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 

Mat 24:47  Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 

Mat 24:48  But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 

Mat 24:49  and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 

Mat 24:50  the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 

Mat 24:51  and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

It should be noted that this parable is not a stand-alone parable, and to be interpreted indiscriminately according to the likes of the preacher, but this parable is part of the Context of Matthew 24, where Jesus was explaining about the events that must take place during their last days before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70.

If you were to just read the parable, it does seem slightly extreme, but if you take it as part of the answer to the disciples' questions in Matthew 24:3, then you will be able to comprehend it within its Context, its Audience Relevance, and Historical Relevance.


Preceding Context.

What was the preceding Context of this parable? You will read in verse 36-44, that Jesus speaks about no one knowing the hour, about the Day of the Lord, and it will be coming at an unexpected time or hour.

Considering this train of thought and Context, Jesus then launch into this parable of the faithful servant and the evil servant.


Contrast

In this parable, Jesus brings a huge distinct contrast between the faithful servant and the evil servant. 

It is a contrast between those who heeded his warnings and those that did not heed his warnings. 

It is a contrast between those who were ready, and those who were not ready.

The contrast showed that the faithful servant was expecting, and doing was instructed, when the master arrived back. The evil servant was not expecting, and not doing what was instructed, when the master arrived back.

The evil servant said the master was delayed, so he did not considered the consequence of his actions and turned on other servants and beat them.


This parable is a representation of 2 different groups of people, who have 2 different responses to the same circumstances, even though they were all servants of the same master.


Then the master arrived, but he did not do anything to the faithful servant. The master left him alone. But he cut into pieces the evil servant.

What was Jesus implying? What was Jesus interpreting? What did he meant?

Jesus is telling the story for his immediate audience at that time (audience relevance).

The Jews were the servant of God (in this parable, the servant of the master). 

The faithful servant represents Jesus disciples, those who believed in him and the church at that time. They were busy doing the master's business, busy taking God's message to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and outer regions. They were bringing the kingdom of God everywhere, and healing the people. There were busy spreading the good news of Jesus.

The evil servant represents the other Jews who mocked the Jewish believers of Jesus. They turn around and beat their Jewish brethren, stoning them (e.g. Stephen), crucifying them, and killing them. They turned on their own kind, their own people, the Jews.

When Jesus (the master) showed up, He is going to go against the evil servant.

Note: Jesus is not in the work of removing or taking out the faithful servant. Jesus did not "rapture" out the believers, but he came to deal with the evil servant only.

The evil servant was not watching for the arrival of the master, as compared to the faithful servant who had his eyes expectedly on the master.

The faithful servant on the other hand, was anticipating with hope for the  master's arrival, even though they did not know the hour as well.


Peter added clarity to the parable

Historically, the Judaistic Jews persecuted the Christian Jews prior to the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD70, when the Roman armies besieged Jerusalem. The  persecution began with mocking, stoning, imprisonment etc.

Peter, as part of the audience receiving this parable story from Jesus about the faithful servant and evil servant, began to write about this in 2 Peter 3:1-4.

2Pe 3:1  This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 

2Pe 3:2  that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 

2Pe 3:3  knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 

2Pe 3:4  They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 


See the connection here, Peter is telling the same meaning with more descriptive  words.

In verse 3, Peter was speaking to them of the coming of their last days of the Mosaic Age (their Old Covenant system). The Old Covenant was fading away.

The scoffers will be so ignorant of the warnings of Jesus. They said that everything was the same as before, so why bother.

Peter is reminding them so that they can remember (verse 1-2), because Peter remembers Jesus warning about the master's returning.


Paul gave a similar description in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9

1Th 5:1  Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 

1Th 5:2  For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 

1Th 5:3  While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 

1Th 5:4  But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 

1Th 5:5  For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 

1Th 5:6  So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 

1Th 5:7  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 

1Th 5:8  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

 
1Th 5:9  For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 

Paul here is describing the difference in a different way about those in the light and those in darkness.

Adam Clarke (1762-1832), a reputable bible theologian, wrote a commentary on the bible which took him 40 years to complete. This commentary became the primary Methodist theological resource for two centuries.

Regarding 1 Thes 5:9, he wrote:

[.. For God hath not appointed us to wrath - So then it appears that some were appointed to wrath, to punishment; on this subject there can be no dispute. But who are they? When did this appointment take place? And for what cause? These are supposed to be “very difficult questions, and such as cannot receive a satisfactory answer; and the whole must be referred to the sovereignty of God.” If we look carefully at the apostle’s words, we shall find all these difficulties vanish. It is very obvious that, in the preceding verses, the apostle refers simply to the destruction of the Jewish polity, and to the terrible judgments which were about to fall on the Jews as a nation; therefore, they are the people who were appointed to wrath; and they were thus appointed, not from eternity, nor from any indefinite or remote time, but from that time in which they utterly rejected the offers of salvation made to them by Jesus Christ and his apostles; ]


In John Bray's book "Matthew 24 fulfilled", John quoted a famous theologian Dr. Milton Terry in his 1898 book "Biblical Apocalyptics - A study of the Most Notable revelations of God and of Christ in the canonical scriptures". 

He quote:

[..Finally it is important to observe that the preterist and historical method of interpretation followed in this  volume conserves the substance of every fundamental doctrine of the gospel of Christ. It may helpfully modify some current conceptions of "the Great and Notable day of the Lord", for it treats the imagery of collapsing skies, and falling stars, and sounding trumpets, and dissolving mountains, and great white throne, and scores of similar figures of thought as expressing great realities, but not spectacular physical phenomena.

Our interpretation no more denies or sets aside the doctrines of eternal judgement, of heaven and hell, of resurrection of the dead, and the coming and kingdom of Christ than does the refusal to affirm the literal "fire and brimstone" the future retribution deny or invalidate the doctrine of eternal reward and punishment beyond this  mortal life.

Nearly 19 centuries of the manifested power and glory of Christianity in the world ought to have thrown some light on the nature of the coming and the kingdom of Christ. It can scarcely be a question among intelligent believers in Christ that the beginning of the era of our Lord and Savior was the most signal and significant epoch in the history of mankind. It marked a "fullness of times", a crisis of Ages.

The exact point of transition from the old to the new maybe with many an open question. But whether we placed it at the birth of Jesus or at the time of his crucifixion when he cried "it is finished", or at his  resurrection, or at his ascension, or at Pentecost, or at the fall of Jerusalem, the great commanding fact is still before us, that the manifestation of the Christ with which all those events must ever appear in vital relation, opened a new era in human civilization.

We now submit the thought that these 19 centuries of Christian light and progress are relatively but the misty morning twilight of the great day of Christ. It may be that he must reign a thousand times a thousand years before he shall have put all his enemies under his feet. 1 Corinthians 15:25.

The Coming of Christ in his kingdom and power and glory is not one instantaneous act or event. It is a long continuing process comprehensive of his entire work both of redemption and of judgement.

He comes in the power of his spirit to convict the world respecting sin and righteousness and judgement. John 16:8

He comes in light manner to forgive the sins of the penitent and to lead the disciple into all the truth. He comes and is present wherever 2 or 3 gathered together in his name.

He has been coming through all the Christian centuries to receive unto himself the faithful souls who have looked for his heavenly appearing in glory. John 14:3; 7:22-24.

As truly as Jehovah come of old in clouds of heaven to execute judgement on the Egyptians, so did the Son of Man come in the clouds with the angels of his power to execute judgement on the great city that was guilty of his blood and drunk with the blood of his saints and martyrs.

He sits at the right hand of power and sends forth continually his innumerable company of angels to minister for them that shall inherit salvation. Such triumphal administration of judgement, mercy and truth has been, is now and shall for ages, be the work of his Messianic reign.
And in full accord with these revelations of his power and glory, we cry out with the Hebrew psalmist,

"The Lord cometh, He cometh to judge the earth.
He shall judge the world with righteousness and peoples with his truth"

And we also respond with the Christian apocalyptist, Amen. Come Lord Jesus.  ]

Timeline of written Translation History

 

Timeline of written Translation History

1,400 BC: The first written Word of God: The Ten Commandments delivered to Moses.

500 BC: Completion of All Original Hebrew Manuscripts which make up The 39 Books of the Old Testament.


200 BC: Completion of the Septuagint Greek Manuscripts which contain The 39 Old Testament Books AND 14 Apocrypha Books.

1st Century AD: Completion of All Original Greek Manuscripts which make up The 27 books of the New Testament.


315 AD: Athenasius, the Bishop of Alexandria, identifies the 27 books of the New Testament which are today recognized as the canon of scripture.


382 AD: Jerome's Latin Vulgate Manuscripts Produced which contain All 80 Books (39 Old Test. + 14 Apocrypha + 27 New Text).


500 AD: Scriptures have been Translated into Over 500 Languages.


600 AD: LATIN was the Only Language Allowed for Scripture.


995 AD: Anglo-Saxon (Early Roots of English Language) Translations of The New Testament Produced.


1384 AD: Wycliffe is the First Person to Produce a (Hand-Written) manuscript Copy of the Complete Bible; All 80 Books.


1455 AD: Gutenberg Invents the Printing Press; Books May Now be mass-Produced Instead of Individually Hand-Written. The First Book Ever Printed is Gutenberg's Bible in Latin.


1516 AD: Erasmus Produces a Greek/Latin Parallel New Testament.


1522 AD: Martin Luther's German New Testament.


1526 AD: William Tyndale's New Testament; The First New Testament printed in the English Language.


1535 AD: Myles Coverdale's Bible; The First Complete Bible printed in the English Language (80 Books: O.T. & N.T. & Apocrypha).


1537 AD: Tyndale-Matthews Bible; The Second Complete Bible printed in English. Done by John "Thomas Matthew" Rogers (80 Books).


1539 AD: The "Great Bible" Printed; The First English Language Bible Authorized for Public Use (80 Books).


1560 AD: The Geneva Bible Printed; The First English Language Bible to add Numbered Verses to Each Chapter (80 Books).


1568 AD: The Bishops Bible Printed; The Bible of which the King James was a Revision (80 Books).


1609 AD: The Douay Old Testament is added to the Rheims New Testament (of 1582) Making the First Complete English Catholic Bible; Translated from the Latin Vulgate (80 Books).


1611 AD: The King James Bible Printed; Originally with All 80 Books. The Apocrypha was Officially Removed in 1885 Leaving Only 66 Books.


1782 AD: Robert Aitken's Bible; The First English Language Bible (KJV) Printed in America.


1791 AD: Isaac Collins and Isaiah Thomas Respectively Produce the First Family Bible and First Illustrated Bible Printed in America. Both were King James Versions, with All 80 Books.

1808 AD: Jane Aitken's Bible (Daughter of Robert Aitken); The First Bible to be Printed by a Woman.


1833 AD: Noah Webster's Bible; After Producing his Famous Dictionary, Webster Printed his Own Revision of the King James Bible.


1841 AD: English Hexapla New Testament; an Early Textual Comparison showing the Greek and 6 Famous English Translations in Parallel Columns.


1846 AD: The Illuminated Bible; The Most Lavishly Illustrated Bible printed in America. A King James Version, with All 80 Books.


1885 AD: The "English Revised Version" Bible; The First Major English Revision of the KJV.


1901 AD: The "American Standard Version"; The First Major American Revision of the KJV.


1971 AD: The "New American Standard Bible" (NASB) is Published as a "Modern and Accurate Word for Word English Translation" of the Bible.


1973 AD: The "New International Version" (NIV) is Published as a "Modern and Accurate Phrase for Phrase English Translation" of the Bible.


1982 AD: The "New King James Version" (NKJV) is Published as a "Modern English Version Maintaining the Original Style of the King James."
 

2002 AD: The English Standard Version (ESV) is Published as a translation to bridge the gap between the accuracy of the NASB and the readability of the NIV.

(from the web)

My Questions:

1. Why was the written bible books translated and changed so many times (in the western languages)? Who decided on the change?

2. If there was a need for human hands to change "the Word of God", does that mean that the previous versions, or previous books, or previous translations are NOT the Word of God?

3. Why is there a modern need to stick to KJV translation, when many research articles have stated that there were thousands (one even put it as 100,000) of changes to the original work that was ordered by King James of Britain?

4. Is the actual word for word verbatim more important or is it that the general message of the bible books (66 books or 80 books, depending of which denom you are from) is more important?

5. Where is the harmony of all these translations and bible books? Do you know that there are more than 30,000 denominations (separatist groups or some may call them cults), that stemmed out of the assumption that their translation is more correct, or their verses are more important.?

6. Who determines that there should be 66 books or 80 books in the modern bible book? Shouldn't importance be granted to the other books that were left out of the 66, especially some of them are written by early church leaders, and some are historical recorded facts in essence?

Many more questions to come. This is to provoke your thinking cap instead of blind herd mentality syndrome.

ps:

1. I have not even gone into the other languages translated out into their mother tongues. Then the list of bible translations will be too overwhelming long. Some of their bible versions were translated from error sources and wrong translations.

2. For example, the Chinese bible used today was translated from the KJV English bible that has numerous errors. It is only wise that even the Chinese readers study the original text in their Greek or Hebrew, to understand the extent of these errors. Also the Taiping bible printed in China cannot be trusted because part of the text was rewritten to suit the overthrow of the China's emperor then, to gain political power and control.

3. Some years ago, I was under the tutelage of a Kiwi missionary in New Zealand. He told me that in one area of his mission, there was no translated version of the bible for their language, and as a result, they had to translate the New Testament for them to understand. However, these people never knew what sheep is, and how they look like or behave. So in order to make them understand, they replaced the word "sheep" with "pigs", which is their most prized possession.... hahaha..

Imagine us reading that "Jesus came for the lost pigs of Israel".

Remember Lot's wife (Luke 17:32)

Remember Lot's wife (Luke 17:32)

This phrase "remember Lot's wife" is not found in Matthew 24 but in a parallel passage of bible text in Luke 17.

To understand this phrase, we need to understand the verses that are surrounding this phrase, and that is about the "days of Noah".

The background or pre-text of this phrase is about the "days of Noah".

Mat 24:37  For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 

Mat 24:38  For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 

Mat 24:39  and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 

Mat 24:40  Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 

Mat 24:41  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 

Mat 24:42  Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 

See also Luke 17:26-32.

Luk 17:26  Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 

Luk 17:27  They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 

Luk 17:28  Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 

Luk 17:29  but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all,

Luk 17:30  so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 

Luk 17:31  On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 

Luk 17:32  Remember Lot's wife. 


The context of "days of Noah" is still within the conversation of Jesus about the destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus has not changed topic in the midst of His conversation with His disciples. Jesus was not switching timeline and meant it to be a future event of a few thousand years to come. Jesus is still in the timeline of "this generation shall not pass away", and this generation shall witness all these events. Nothing has changed in terms of timeline, audience and context.

Jesus used a comparison of the "days of Lot" with the "days of Noah".

In the "days of Lot", God led Lot and his family away from the destruction that came upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

In the "days of Noah", God led Noah and his family away from the flood that came and swept everyone away.

This was the example of Jesus to his audience that God will lead them away from the destruction that is coming upon Jerusalem in AD70.

Note: Some futurists interpret these "days of Lot and Noah" as examples of a future event when Jesus will come again a second time and take everyone away. That is wrong interpretation. Firstly, it is not about a future event that is going to happen. Secondly, God did not take Lot and Noah out of the world that they lived in. God led them out of the destruction, but not out of the world.

In fact, Jesus prayed to the Father, that His disciples will NOT be taken away or out of the world.

Joh 17:15  I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 

Jesus is preparing them that just like the flood that took all away, so it shall be on that day.

In the days of Noah, they were living normal lives, eating, drinking, marrying, given in marriage etc.

It doesn't mean that they were in debauchery (excessive indulgence in sex, alcohol, and other bodily pleasures).


Wrong contemporary teaching.

Some bible teachers say that in our future, just like during the days of Noah and Lot, the people will be in excessive indulgence, and then Jesus will suddenly come and take the believers away. They interpret it as a sign of the timing of the Second Coming of Jesus in the future.

But Jesus never meant it that way in Matthew 24 and Luke 17.

Jesus meant that the people at the times of Noah and Lot were just living normal lives that's all. Normal in their routine of  eating, drinking, raising their families etc. The people who perished had no apprehension (anxiety or fear that something bad is going to happen) that they knew of a flood or destruction that was coming soon.

Consider this issue of marriage (Matthew 24:38; Luke 17:27).

Before the flood and destruction came upon the people, they were having marriage plans. They were not expecting any disaster coming.
However, Paul dealt with this issue of marriage in view of the coming destruction of Jerusalem.

1Co 7:25  Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. 

1Co 7:26  I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. 

Paul suggested to those who were about to get married,  not to marry, because of the "present distress".

Why? What was the "present distress"?

Paul was speaking to the believers that were undergoing persecution. They were about to be invaded by the Roman army, and the destruction upon their beloved city Jerusalem was imminent, so in view of that, it is better to put off getting married. (Compare this with what Jesus said about the rest of the others who were indifferent, and were marrying and giving into marriage).

Paul continued in 1 Corinthians 7:27-28

1Co 7:27  Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 

1Co 7:28  But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. 

Paul was referring to their particular dangerous circumstances. Paul was not saying generally that marriage is not good.

Their current situation is so stressful that there is going to be lots of trouble in their physical world, and they might lose their spouse or love ones that were caught up in the coming destruction.

1Co 7:29  This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 

Verse 29 says that "the time is short". There is coming a particular day of great tribulation and disaster, and that event is coming very soon.


1Co 7:30  and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 

Verse 30 is preparing them to take heed that there are more important issues at hand as compared to marriage plans. These issues will result in their salvation from the wrath that is coming upon the Jews.


1Co 7:31  and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. 

Verse 31 says "the present form of this world is passing away". That means their way of life is coming to an end. It is going to be hard on them. Paul is discouraging the unmarried Jews to stay unmarried to spare them of the difficult hardship.


So when you read 1 Corinthians 7:25-31, you will see that it is in line with what Jesus meant about people getting married in Matthew 24:39.
Jesus and Paul is not against getting married, but discourages it because they have so little time left till the destruction. The judgement is coming very soon and they will go through a very present distress.


The future disappearing act?

Futurists and dispensationalists teach that there will be a last days coming and there will be a rapture as according to Matthew 24:40-42.

They claim that in the future "last days" that is coming, one will be taken, and the other left. One will be gone, and the other is still working.

They have even produced very dramatic disaster-themed movies that show how some pilots will disappear, and then the planes will nosedive into disastrous results. Parents will disappear. Important people will disappear, and then worldwide disaster will take place. They claimed that this judgement is going to happen to planet earth.

Futurists and dispensationalists have always through the past years been proven wrong. They are using scriptures to wrongly fit into their wrong theology. Sad, that the modern religious churches have followed onto this wrong path. They preached that 50% of the people are going to die because of this rapture. This is called taking the verses out of Context, and misunderstanding the historical timeline.

Also, Jesus was referring to the last days of the Jews before the destruction of Jerusalem, and not referring to our  future event of a great judgement to come. Jesus did not speak to an audience and warned them of a great tribulation that will not happen during their time. What is the point? They will be long dead by then. This is called wrong interpretation with regards to audience relevance.


Now, let's consider the "days of Lot". This is found in the parallel passage of Luke 17:28, and not in Matthew.

Right after Jesus spoke about the "days of Noah" in verse 27, He spoke about the "days of Lot" in verse 28.

Luk 17:28  Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 

Luk 17:29  but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all.

Verse 28 and 29 is related to the coming of the Son of Man in judgement on Jerusalem.


Rapture? What rapture?

In the story of Noah and the flood, and the story of Lot and Sodom, you will notice that Noah and Lot were not raptured away out of this world, prior to the judgements. Righteous Lot was encouraged to leave the city prior to its judgement. Lot got out, but Lot's sons-in-laws, stayed behind (See Genesis 19:14), and died in the judgement.

Similarly, when Jesus told His disciples about the coming judgement that took place in AD70, He was not promising them about rapturing them out, but instead they should flee the city, and flee the judgement. See Matthew 24:17; Mark 13:15 and Luke 17:31.


Remember Lot's wife

However, this phrase "remember Lot's wife" is only found in Luke 17:32, and not in Matthew or Mark.

Qn: Why this phrase "remember Lot's wife"? What is the significance?

Some motivators have used this verse to instill vision and motion in people to move forward and not look backwards. However, Jesus did not meant this verse to be used in this way.

An: This verse should be interpreted in its historical context. When Lot's wife looked back, she didn't really want to leave the city. As a result she died. That's it. Not any deep meaning into it.

So Jesus said it to His disciples, as a warning to them, not to us, but to that generation of believers, that they should not linger but flee. They should not delay like Lot's wife and died. So when the destruction begin, don't drag their feet and delay or put off fleeing. Just get out of there. Don't look back and don't leave their heart or mind behind.


This verse should be read just as it is and not spiritualized into a motivation message.


A spiritualized meaning of "remember Lot's wife"

However, if you want to spiritualize the verse Luke 17:32, then it should be, that our heart should be cut off from the Mosaic system, and don't let your heart go back to that old covenant. Don't ever consider it and look back, because that was what Lot's wife did and it cost her life. If you delay you will not make it. If you hesitate you may die.


Jesus added in Matthew 24:43, 44.

Mat 24:43  But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 

Mat 24:44  Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 

This was the warning from Jesus to His disciples to be on guard, and watch out, be ready, time is short. The judgement is going to happen very soon and it will be within their generation.

It was not a warning to us about a future event that is going to happen 2000, 3000, or 4000 years in our future. That is wrong teaching.

It was a warning to the Jews that it was going to happen in a very short while within their timeline. The calamity is coming upon the Jews, and they are to flee to the mountains. Make haste, do not look back, and do not delay, but to escape quickly, and to remember that by delaying Lot's wife lost her life.


Additional note from a commentary of John Gill on why Lot's wife looked back:

[ Remember Lot's wife: whose name by the Jews, is said to be Adith, or Irith, and who, they also say was a native of Sodom; and that the reason of her looking, was either to see what would be the end of her father's house and family; or as others, because her heart yearned after her daughters, and she looked back to see if they followed her; upon which she became a pillar of salt, Gen 19:26. ]



Extra reading on: what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? (The historical location of Gomorrah was just a short distance away from Gomorrah, and that their histories were connected).

1. New Science Suggests Biblical City Of Sodom Was Smote By An Exploding Meteor.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2018/12/04/new-science-suggests-biblical-city-of-sodom-was-smote-by-an-exploding-meteor/?sh=7ecd3a975c67

2. Evidence of Sodom? Meteor blast cause of biblical destruction, say scientists
https://www.timesofisrael.com/evidence-of-sodom-meteor-blast-cause-of-biblical-destruction-say-scientists/

3. Sodom and Gomorrah Proved!
https://watchjerusalem.co.il/489-sodom-and-gomorrah-proved

A Metaphorical Example - Revelations 12

 

A Metaphorical Example - Revelations 12

Revelations is a book full of metaphorical language.

An example is in Revelations 12:12-14

12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 

13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 

14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.


My question: Can it be that the apostle John, who wrote Revelations, would suddenly used literal language, after their people had been using prophetic, apocalyptic, and metaphorical language for thousands of years? Would John suddenly change their ancient and cultural way of writing and thinking?

My 2nd question: Can it be that Jesus, also coming from the same historical and cultural background as John, suddenly used literal language instead of metaphorical language? Thereby causing miscommunication and confusion to His listeners and disciples?

My answer to these questions: Of course, definitely and conclusively NOT!


The book of Revelation was spoken to the Jews to THEIR generation, to THEIR culture, with THEIR understanding. This book has more than 400 references to Hebrew scriptures to prove that it was about the Jews.


There is plenty of evidence to show that the book of Revelations was written before the fall of Jerusalem in AD70. It was written to predict its coming catastrophe. And the purpose of this book, was to warn them before the Great Fall of Jerusalem.

In that Day of Judgement on Jerusalem, their earthly Israel kingdom (the Mosaic and Law system) will be removed, and Jesus will usher in the eternal spiritual kingdom as was promised by Daniel to the Jews.


Revelations was a book about warning them to flee from the destruction that is coming from the Roman invasion on Jerusalem in AD70. Jesus told them not to be caught in the fires of Gehenna (literally the Valley of Hinnom) where the fires will burn their bodies for months after the city of Jerusalem is burnt to the ground.

That was the end of the Old Covenant, the end of the Age of the Mosaic Law system, and the end of the city of Jerusalem as the central place of worship of God. This was exactly what happened according to history.

The writings of the New Testament reveals the same apocalyptic and metaphorical language that is meant to turn the hearts of the Jewish audience from the coming destruction of Jerusalem that the Roman empire will bring to their nation.

It was meant to show the foolishness of their sins and ways, the futility of their religious system, and to point them to the certainty of God's kingdom through Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

If you can understand this from a metaphorical perspective / viewpoint, then literally hundred of bible verses will open up to you and you will see God wasn't in the business of destroying the heavens and earth, but leading us to change our minds and trust in the spiritual kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.

A Metaphorical Example - Isaiah 13

 

A Metaphorical Example - Isaiah 13

Isaiah 13:6-10 reads:

6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand!
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

7 Therefore all hands will be limp,
Every man’s heart will melt,

8 And they will be afraid.
Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them;
They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth;
They will be amazed at one another;
Their faces will be like flames.

9 Behold, the day of the Lord comes,
Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger,
To lay the land desolate;
And He will destroy its sinners from it.

10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not give their light;
The sun will be darkened in its going forth,
And the moon will not cause its light to shine.

Did every man's heart physically melt? NO.!

This is metaphorical and exaggerated language to describe an imaginary picture of their hearts melting so that it will cause the people to wake up and come to their senses. 

The prophet Isaiah wanted to awaken and shake them up!

These writings describe a literal and physical event that actually happened as shown in the past history.

Qn: How to interpret this?

An: Look at the Context in Isaiah 13:1.

Isaiah 13:1 "The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw." 

This was a prophecy predicted by Isaiah about the fall of Babylon in 689 BC! 

When the prophets used the language of sun, moon and stars, it referred to the governmental powers of their times. It meant kings, queens, governors, and leaders would fall from power. 

God did not literally come out of clouds, darken the sun, nor cause the moon to cease its light.

He can (because He is God). But he didn't.


According to ancient Assyrian historical writings:

Notice how King Sennacherib (King of Assyria) uses his language to describe his victory over Babylon:

 “I made its destruction more complete than by a flood. That in days to come the site of that city, and (its) temples and gods, might not be remembered, I completely blotted it out with (floods) of water and made it like a meadow” 

(Daniel D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, 1926-1927, Vol. 2, p. 152).

This is a Metaphorical Example.