LWB Newsletter - Questions & Answers

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. (2) And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. (3) They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: (4) But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. (5) While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. (6) And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. (7) Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. (8) And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. (9) 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. (10) 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. (11) Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. (12) But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. (13) Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” [Matthew 25:1-13]

“When you use the expression that if we do not believe the Word, we will be eternally separated from Christ, do you mean the foolish virgin will live eternally, but they will be separated from the new Jerusalem where Christ will dwell with the Bride? Here are those who do not have the Holy Spirit, born again as the Scripture speaks of being born again. If the natural birth requires water, blood, and spirit, does not the spiritual birth require all three stages of grace before the person is truly born again? Absolutely, I just explained that this morning--the same, on the same thing. You've got to have all stages. You're begotten of the Spirit, just like a baby's begotten into the womb of a mother, but not born until they receive the Holy Ghost. That's right. You're born then; you're not converted. You're in the procession of being converted until that time. That's the reason that all these great mysteries could not be given to Luther, could not be given to Wesley, could not be given to the age that has just passed by us, the Pentecostal age. Why? It wasn't time. They were begotten. Now, the Person of Christ, Himself, the Son of man (You understand?) revealing Himself in human flesh, it could not have come till now." [Questions And Answers, Jeffersonville, IN 64-0830E]

“Where are the foolish virgins during the Millennium?” In the Millennium they're in the grave. "The rest of the dead lived not for a thousand years." [Questions And Answers, Jeffersonville, IN 64-0830E]

“That the oil always symbolizes the Holy Spirit, like the foolish virgins with no oil, wise virgins with oil, which is the Holy Spirit, and then on back in--in the--the prophets and so forth.” [The Fourth Seal, Jeffersonville, IN 63-0321]

“What troubles me at this hour, is knowing that we see all these denominations pulling into this what we know to be the... what you call the latter rain, or, the pouring out of the Spirit. Do you realize that Jesus said, that, "When that come to pass, it would be the end"? When, the foolish virgin and the wise virgin was not heirs together. For when... The foolish virgin, she was a virgin, just lacking Oil. But when she come to buy Oil, it was at that time that the Bridegroom came. And she was left out, while she was trying to buy Oil. Do you understand? I want that to soak in, real good. Now, surely I won't have to move that subject any further. Now, neither can the Spiritual and the natural be heirs together.” [The Seed Shall Not Be Heir With The Shuck, Los Angeles, CA 65-0429B]

“Today, as it was then, they put their own interpretation to the Word. Now, if they want to do that, that's up to them, but they try to make us believe it. The Bible said that, "This Word of God is of no private interpretation." God does His Own interpretating. God confirms His Word, and that's the interpretation of It. As I many times said, He said in the beginning, "Let there be light," and there was light. That don't need to be interpreted; it happened. He said, "A virgin would conceive," she did. He said He'd "pour out His Spirit," He did. And He said, "in the last days," the things that He would do, and He's doing it! It don't need any interpretation; God is doing His Own interpretating. No matter what foolish man say, that doesn't stop God a bit.” [Spiritual Food In Due Season, Jeffersonville, IN 65-0718E]

“But some day those feet of brass will stand upon the earth. And the Judge of all the earth He shall be, and with equity and perfection will He judge mankind. And there will be no evading that judgment. No turning of that justice. There will be no tempering of it. He that is unjust will be unjust still; he that is filthy will be filthy still. The Unchanging One will not change then, for He never has and never will. Those feet of brass will crush the enemy. They will destroy the antichrist, the beast and the image and all that is vile in His sight. He will destroy the church systems that have taken His Name only to corrupt its brilliance and crush them along with the antichrist. All the wicked, the atheists, the agnostics, the modernists, the liberals, will all be there. Death, hell, and the grave will be there. Yes they will. For when He comes, the books will be opened. That is when even the lukewarm church and the five foolish virgins will appear. He will separate the sheep from the goats. When He comes He will take over the kingdom, for it is His, and with Him will be the thousands times ten thousands, His Bride, who come to minister to Him. Glory! Oh, it is now or never. Repent before it is too late. Wake up from amongst the dead and seek God to be filled with His Spirit or you will miss eternal life. Do it now while there is time.” [Patmos Vision, Church Ages Book]

“What will be the punishment of the harlot and her children? Well, it is going to be twofold. First He said, "I will cast her into a bed." According to the last part of verse 22 it will be a bed of tribulation, or the great tribulation. That is exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 25:1-13. There were ten virgins. Five were wise and five were foolish. The five wise had oil (the Holy Spirit) but the other five did not. When the cry went up, "Behold the Bridegroom cometh," the five foolish had to run seeking oil while the five wise virgins went in to the marriage. The five that remained outside were left to the great tribulation. That is what will happen to all who do not go up in the rapture. That is what will come upon the harlot and her daughters. Secondly, it says that he will kill them with death or as a literal translation says, "Let them be put to death with death." This is a strange saying. We might say, "let a man be put to death by hanging, or by electrocution or some other way." But this says, "Let them be put to death by death." Death itself is the cause of their death. [Next Paragraph] Now I want you to see this clearly so I will take our illustration again of the daughter of Jezebel marrying into the house of Judah and thereby bringing it right into idolatry and causing God to deliver Judah to death. That is what Balaam did, too. So here was Jezebel with her paganism. Over there is Judah properly worshipping God and living under the Word. So Jezebel marries her daughter to Jehoram. The minute that happens, Jehoram causes the people to become idolaters. The minute that marriage took place Judah was dead. Spiritual death came in. The minute the first church of Rome organized, it died. The minute that the Lutherans organized, death came in and they died. The Pentecostals came along last and they organized. The Spirit left, though they don't believe it. But He did. That marriage brought death. Then the light of Oneness of the Godhead came. They organized and they died too. Then after the fire of God fell on the Ohio River in 1933 a healing revival swept the world, but it never came through any organization. God went outside the Pentecostal groups, outside of organization, and what He is going to do in the future is going to be outside organization, too. God can't work through the dead. He can only work through the LIVING members. Those living members are outside of Babylon.” [Thyatirean, Church Ages Book]

“It is the second resurrection wherein the five foolish virgins come up. Notice that they were virgins. They did not have the Holy Spirit so they missed being in the bride, while the five wise who had oil became a part of that bride. But these people, being a separated, God-loving people, and trying to abide in the Word, according to what they knew of it, and being a help in the work of the Lord will come up at the end of time. They will miss the millennium, which you can begin to see by these truths is much more important and wonderful than we have ever thought or believed.” [Sardisean, Church Ages Book]

“First of all, we know most assuredly that the purpose of God stands in election. It was purposed in Himself. It was God's purpose to bring forth a people like unto Himself that would be a Word Bride. She was chosen before the foundation of the world IN HIM. She was fore-known and beloved before she was ever brought forth during the ages upon the earth. She was redeemed by His blood and can NEVER come into condemnation. She can never be in the judgment because sin cannot be imputed unto her. Romans 4:8, "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." [Sardisean, Church Ages Book]

“But indeed she shall be with Him in His throne of judgment, judging the world and even angels. Her name (each of her members) was written in a section of the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world. Secondly, there is another class. Their names are also in the Book of Life and they will come up in the second resurrection. Such are the foolish virgins and the righteous as are spoken of in Matthew 25. In this class also are those who do not worship the beast or become involved in the antichrist system but die for their faith even though they are not in the bride, not having been born again. But they will come up in the second resurrection and go into eternal life. Thirdly, there are the borderline Christians such as we saw in Israel coming out of Egypt. These had their names in the Book of Life and their works written in the books. These having failed to obey God and being void of the Spirit, though even the signs and wonders were amongst them, will have their names removed from the Book of Life. Amongst this group will be the ones like Judas who though entirely void of the Spirit, but are religious, will have manifestation in their lives, and though on the books were not the elected IN HIM. Such also as Balaam will be in that group. Fourth and finally are the ones whose names have never been or will ever be written on the books.” [Sardisean, Church Ages Book]

“Such are found in Revelation 13:8 and Revelation 17:8, "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.The beast that thou sawest was, and is not: and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." Jesus said that a certain group would accept one who came in his own name. That one is the antichrist. And that is exactly what it says of them in Revelation 13:8, and 17:8. These were ordained of God but not unto election. And with this group is such that are as Pharaoh. It says of him, "Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up. Vessels of wrath fitted for destruction." Romans 9:17 and 22. None of these would be placed on the records of life. I am not saying that there is no record of them. No doubt there is some kind of a record of them, but NOT IN THE RECORDS OF LIFE. Their purpose of existence has been dealt with slightly in the rest of this book but we can add two more Scriptures. Proverbs 16:4, "The Lord hath made the wicked for the day of evil." Job 21:30, "The wicked is reserved to the day of destruction, they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath." [Sardisean, Church Ages Book]

Bible References: Matthew 25:1-13

[Answer provided by Bro. Ken Andes, Minister, Lynden, Washington, USA]