Having been born into poverty and having grown up therein, I am very familiar with the practice of “trimming the wick.” Before electricity made its way into the homes of sharecroppers and fieldhands in the “cotton country” of Missouri, in-house lighting came by way of coal oil lamps. My family on both sides was comprised of those two categories of manual laborers. We lived in what were referred to as “shotgun shacks,” so-called because, as the joke went, one could shoot a shotgun through them and not hit a board. Our oil lamp light sources used wicks which, being soaked with the oil (fuel), burned, thereby giving off light. Over time the tip of the wick, where most of the light came from, having become black and useless, would be “trimmed” (cut off) in order for the lamp to work properly. This is the meaning of the statement found in Matthew 25:7 where we find the parabolic virgins (professing Christians), having learned that their future Husband was on the way, arose and “TRIMMED THEIR LAMPS,” meaning their wicks, so that they could travel in the dark to the place of where the marriage would take place. The Bridegroom (Jesus) would meet them there. This was a parable (picture story) about ten “virgins” who had learned that Jesus was on His way to the place where He would “marry” all true saints. We call this event His Second Advent.

In the previous chapter we find His disciples asking Him to tell them when He would return to earth to establish the Kingdom of God and what would be the sign of His immanent return. The entire chapter consists of His answer. There He goes into detail about what to expect, what to believe and what not to believe. The crux of His explanation begins with verse 37 where He tells His people to be spiritually ready at all times for His return, for only the Father knows when His return will take place. In other words, we should at all times “have our wicks trimmed” and our lamps “filled with oil.”

When I as growing up in the 1940’s and 1950’s churches would have periodic “revivals” during which all who had not kept their wicks “trimmed” and their lamps filled with oil, could, during a two-week-every-night revival, “get right with God,” usually referred to as “rededicating” one’s life to the Lord by repenting of all of the sins we had committed over the past six months. My church had two annual revivals–spring and fall. We were like the five foolish virgins in the parable. We all needed to “trim our wicks” and “fill our lamps” periodically so that, if Jesus returned before the next revival, we would be prayed-up and read-up, in other words–“churched up.” However, the wick trim, like a haircut, had to be done on a regular basis in order look good (appear to be religious). This is where the “Sunday Service” came into play.

We “knew” that, because Adam had transplanted his sin gene into our spiritual dna (man’s first miracle) we had to sin because it was our “nature,” like hair growth, eye color, foot size, etc. over which we had no control. However, it was our responsibility to “trim off” the sins of the past week in order to remain in good stead with the Lord. We knew that our wick would be black again by the following Sunday. The spring and fall revivals were designed to relieve us of the sins that we kept repeating. Thus the need for a Spring and Fall “sin dumps” during the biannual “revivals.” The word “revive” means to raise from the dead. Our weekly dose of religion carried us through until the next revival when we could rededicate our lives to the Lord–again. Admittedly, I was as guilty as everyone else.

In Matthew 24:36-51 Jesus warned that He would return when the world would be “as in the days of Noah” when no one would be looking for Him. He goes into detail about how both ministers and laity would be carrying on business as usual. Which is fine if our business consists of doing what God commands us to do. In chapter 25 we find the parable of ten virgins, five of whom had made God’s “normal” way their “normal” way. However, five of the virgins had stopped serving Him His way (backslidden) and were serving Him their (church) way. Though all ten were called “virgins”–true Bible-obeying saints–only five were actually doing so. This is the difference between God’s true saints and Satan’s false saints. They both appear to be “good Christians” but, in today’s church world, the vast majority are counterfeit saints who serve their god (Satan) while believing that they are serving the true God.

In Matthew 7:13,14 Jesus describes this situation noting that only a few would enter His church and conduct themselves according to His strict, My-way-or-the-highway way. These are the minutely few who obey His Law today. “The many,” He warns, have entered His church by following Satan’s instructions and, unlike the few, would regret their decision.

In chapter 25 Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven (His true church) as having within it both wise and foolish virgins. This Truth is described by Him using His return to earth to establish the Kingdom of God where He and His true saints will live forever. Read about this kingdom using the key word–Kingdom. In the virgin parable the church has learned that the Bridegroom is on the way to marry His true saints. All ten virgins “know” that they are spiritually ready to meet Him. However, when it was time to go to the marriage hall, the five backsliders realized that they had run out of fuel. Why did they not know? Because their lights had not been burning. They had been walking in darkness using the light that Satan provided–counterfeit Christianity. Counterfeit church people fit Christ’s description of the modern-day church as described by Him in Revelation 3:14-20. As did the foolish virgins, they “know” that they are spiritually “hot” and “rich” and therefore “in need of nothing.” Jesus tells them that they are neither hot nor cold, but rather “luke warm” and comparable to vomit. He goes on to describe them as “wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.” In other words, they had not kept their spiritual lights burning by replenishing their fuel and trimming their wicks. Because of this, Jesus would “spew them out of His mouth.”

In verses 1-12 of chapter 25 Jesus describes what will happen when the two groups arrive at the door of where the wedding would take place. The wise virgins were allowed inside. However, the foolish virgins were running late because they had to go “buy oil” for their lamps–have a quick “revival” in order to “rededicate their lives,” etc. They were about to learn that neither their Sunday “minivivals” (my word), nor their periodic “maxivivals” (sorry–me again) had done anything for them. God, they were about to learn, was not impressed with their “vivalosity” (“”). Listen to what Jesus will say to the foolish virgins upon their arrival: “I do not know you.” Then He will close the door.

In the rest of the chapter Jesus describes Himself as returning to heaven to receive His inheritance (the earth), then returning to His inheritance which will include His true saints, who will live with Him on the earth forever. Therefore, let us all keep our wicks trimmed and our lamps full of fuel 24/7. God’s true saints are “the light of the world.” Let us deal with our wicks and fuel on a moment-by-moment basis. Let us keep our minds on Him and His way at all times. And let us always remember that Satan is “like a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). And understand this: HE ALREADY HAS THE WORLD’S PEOPLE–INCLUDING THE CATHOLIC/PROTESTANT RELIGIOUS SYSTEM–UNDER HIS CONTROL. THEREFORE, HE IS NOT LOOKING FOR THEM. HE IS LOOKING FOR GOD’S PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT WALKING IN HIS LIGHT WITH THEIR LAMPS FILLED WITH HIS “OIL” (THE HOLY SPIRIT) AND THEIR WICKS (MINDS/HEARTS) TRIMMED (UNDER HIS CONTROL). Read “My People Who Are Called By My Name” and Who Are God’s People? The key word–People will take you to the area where you can find both series. L.J.