The parable of the 10 virgins

Well Jimp I understand why you would come to that conclusion, and I am open to new interpretation.

We could glean from the idea you've presented with this verse;

Revelation 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

I think that those that "sell" are not selling as we might think of that word to mean, rather those that sell the gospel, meaning, those that present it, preach it, to convince that everlasting life is worth obtaining.

Trading (barter) is a form of buying and selling. Trade your earthly treasures and ambitions for heavenly treasures and ambitions. Buy gold that has been tried in the fire as Snuf, said.

When you barter you have to speak to someone, don't you? You have to ask them for something, you give something to get something from the other fellow.

Luk 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Now the Lord here is talking about a gift but we do have to ask (give something). Many don't see asking as giving something. We know this is true from His Word and from experience. If you look at the whole counsel of God, we have to give Him our whole heart, by denying our whole flesh nature. By denying self, we are able to give our heart to Him and not to others or self. And He gives us something, more of Him by His Holy Spirit. We don't just ask God for things just to be asking. The person that became born-again, gives God something. His sins, his hopelessness, his utter depravity and lostness. Repentance is giving God something. Your heart.

Think about it. When you pray, you are asking for more of Jesus (the Holy Spirit) and you are repenting of your sins (giving them to the Lord) and determining in your heart that you will deny self and walk in holiness. So a transaction is taking place. You are giving and the Lord is giving. We give Him dross and He gives us Gold. Amazing, isn't it? And we give God our evil heart and He transforms it. Did He not say, "Ye then being evil" in Luke 11:13?

We don't buy the Holy Spirit in the sense that we think of buying, today. But we "barter" for it, meaning we give something. Which is self. We are living sacrifices on God's altar. The more we decrease (give ourselves or deny ourselves) the more He increases in us (give us His Holy Spirit).

Back to Luke 11:13, so the greater dominion and rule that the Holy Spirit has in us, the more that we KNOW the LORD. That is why Jesus said to the five foolish virgins when they were knocking to be let in, He said, "I never KNEW you". This is a key word in Mt 25. Know Him. They did not have His Spirit in them, the Oil of relationship with God. They had faith, because they knocked, but it was not faith mixed with works (relationship). True works are knowing Him and being known of Him and allowing (yielding to) His dealings in our lives thus being transformed within. We see this in Matt 7.

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

To do His Father's will you have to be in close relationship with Him. Doing our will, which can result in spectacular and noble works, will not cut it.

Anyway, this is how I see it. The more I truly give myself to Him, the more I actually decrease and He increases in me, because true works are knowing Him and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform and conform me to His image. If I am being changed within, then I am loving without, hence Jesus is being seen and getting the glory and not me.

To be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ is to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and my neighbor as myself. That is true transformation and evidence that we know HIM.

God owns everything in the entire universe, except one thing. Your heart. He is looking for a people that will willingly turn away from all that this world offers and give Him their heart. He has already given His heart completely to us, and now it is our turn to complete the transaction.

BUY GOLD!!!

We have all heard the saying, "If you do business with God, He will do business with you".

In other words when we are ready to get serious...

Yes, "transactions" of the heart take place all the time.

2nd definition of transaction sums it up.

2b : a communicative action or activity involving two parties or things that reciprocally affect or influence each other

Matthew 13:46
"who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

jimp said,

... you must choose this day Whom you will serve every day for today is the day of salvation.if you are looking to be raptured some time in the future and you think you have plenty of time then you are duped by satan.everyone knows Heb.11 verse 1 but few understand that the key word is de (now)pistis de hupostastis (spelling from 30 years ago greek memory) now faith is the substance...not tomorrow or yesterday.jimp also jewish tradition was that the future groom would go with the other men in the family and build an apartment on the home of the patriarch and when finished would come for His bride and if she was not ready by then or at that time then how interested is she in the groom.so love is the only thing that will get you ready and keep you ready.

Hi knitefall,

The best I've ever handled is that the Oil represents Grace. It fits the context of who is listening. The Hebrews under the old Cov't knew only to work and earn approval from our Lord.

and (There are others I'm not quoting.)

Exodus 34:9 And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it [is] a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

Remember, GOD knew that death was reigning, even if people didn't. He had mercy on us in our ignorance.

my point is be ready today and who cares what the oil is.jimp

Oh Brother, that was funny, I am sure you didn't mean it to sound that way, but it was.

The oil is important because our Lord that has saved us made a point to speak it.

We can be ready and study at the same time.

Heads up brother.

bobmcd510 asks

and how do we store up wine for ourselves?

Psalm 104:15 And wine [that] maketh glad the heart of man, [and] oil to make [his] face to shine, and bread [which] strengtheneth man's heart.

{oil...: Heb. to make his face shine with oil, or, more than oil}

Wine, which we take to represent the blood of Christ, makes itself felt on the inside.

Oil is more representative of the burning lamp of the Spirit which shine THROUGH a man's eyes and face showing others the glory of God, if he has received Him.

WE are to look towards the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. By this, we will be changed from one degree of glory to the next 2 Cor 3:18.

Matthew 6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

What are we tempted to look at? Money, wealth, material gain?

Matt 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matt 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matt 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness!

Matt 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh [is] in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it [is] the blood [that] maketh an atonement for the soul.

John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

John 11:9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Everything is in Christ and if Christ is in us, we have everything.

We need enough oil to see us through the night.