The Midnight Cry (It Is Extremely Important)

I’m SENDING this Sermon again since we had no church last Sunday. (SNOW) It will be too late to repent and go in the Rapture after the Midnight Cry. This is one of the most important lessons from the Lord Jesus Christ. There have been multiple efforts to prove this great truth to be about anything but the Pre-Tribulation Rapture; but, the lesson is perfectly clear. Every keyword in this entire text is Rapture truth. The ten virgins are believers that were living Biblical lives. They were virgins; you cannot make something unclean out of that word. In this sermon I emphasis the “oil” that was missing from the vessels. The fire had gone out because the “oil” was depleted. “Oil” in the Holy Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, represents the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the author of everything that happens in a Christian’s life. We are convicted, converted, sanctified, kept, anointed, and preserved for Christ by His Spirit. Paul said, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9b). When Jesus comes, and the Midnight Cry sounds, every person in which the active powers of Jesus Christ are at work by the Holy Spirit will go into the Supper. From the youngest Christian to the oldest, the living, saturating, and transforming power of the Spirit at work in their vessel will guarantee their presence in that great Rapture to the Father’s presence.

12 thoughts on “The Midnight Cry (It Is Extremely Important)”

  1. Jim

    Dear Pastor Chambers,
    I appreciate your messages and insight into the Scriptures and the need for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians. I particularly like the applications you make pertaining to the 10 virgins and the oil. However for a point of clarification, you state that when the “Midnight Cry sounds every person in which the active powers of Jesus Christ are at work by the Holy Spirit will go into the supper.” I’m wondering if you are referring to all born again believers or just those who have the “active powers of Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit?”
    There are those described in 1 Cor. 3:15 who will suffer loss because of fleshly works but will be save. In your opinion, are these Christians, who are obviously not allowing the active powers of Jesus to work in their lives, included in the Rapture?
    Thank you so much for all the effort and insight you present to the church at large.
    Jim

  2. Jim S

    Pastor Chambers is correct! An obedient believer is someone who “believes God” and works to receive and embrace the truth, and then so live his life in alignment with that truth. The truth we receive from our Lord contains warnings that are not to be dismissed at random. As a warning, the biblical doctrines we adopt for salvation must accurately portray the salvation verses in scripture. The parable of the Ten Virgins is a warning to be diligent in our faith, as is the parable of the Vine (John 5:15). The branches grew out from the vine, for a while, but then were unfruitful, withered, and cut off to be burned. Unfruitful branches are like lamps without oil. Both the lamp and branch require an inner resource to live. The warnings make no sense unless some believers become careless and unfaithful. Why warn a person about something if there are not grave consequences? We can argue all day long about what might be lost, but what we know for sure is that something will be lost and the consequences are eternal (See I Cor. 3:16 and I John 2:28). Abiding in Christ is our most urgent call and responsibility as genuine believers.

  3. For Consideration

    Oil is not exclusively the Holy Spirit in the Bible. It would be unsound to assume that everywhere oil is used in the bible, the Holy Spirit is automatically implied. For instance, Proverbs 21:17 says, “He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.” Would it be wise to assume that the oil here is the Holy Spirit? Ecclesiastes 10:1 states, “Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink.” Would is be wise here to think that Solomon means to say that dead flies make a perfumer’s Holy Spirit stink?

    Even in the parable of the 10 virgins, consider verse 8 of Matthew 25, which states, “The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'” If we change out the word “oil” with the phrase “Holy Spirit” it would imply that both the prudent and the foolish possess ownership of the Holy Spirit and are able to choose how much of the Holy Spirit they possess, as if the Holy Spirit can be quantified and measured, even by human hands. This is a very unsound and unintelligent interpretation.

    Let me rephrase the verses that discuss “oil” and substitute the phrase “Holy Spirit”:

    …For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no Holy Spirit with them, but the prudent took Holy Spirit in flasks…The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give me some of your Holy Spirit, for our lamps are going out.’ But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough [Holy Spirit] for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some [Holy Spirit] for yourselves.’ And while they were going away to make the purchase [of Holy Spirit]…

    No where in the parable of the ten virgins can oil be determined through the immediate context to be the Holy Spirit. By saying that the oil is the Holy Spirit, you are affirming that the Holy Spirit can be purchased, that humans have some control over the Holy Spirit and that they can choose how much they want to possess. This is grossly heretical. Men cannot purchase the Holy Spirit and they do not control and command the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a fully autonomous person of God who does whatever God wants to do and goes wherever God wants to go. Therefor you cannot in any way believe that the oil in the parable of the ten virgins is the Holy Spirit without also affirming in your heart that the Holy Spirit can be purchased, traded and controlled by men.

    Furthermore, Jesus mentions that this parable is about the Kingdom of Heaven and affirms that the ten virgins are anticipating the arrival of the bridegroom, that is, Jesus. They are children of God who belong to God, therefore they all have some connection to the Holy Spirit and have the Spirit of Christ from Romans 8:9. This passage isn’t speaking at all about the rapture, it’s discussing the return of Jesus and the choices we make on this earth to prepare for his arrival. If anything, the oil represents the degree of our preparedness, that is, how we choose live our lives, whether to serve Him faithfully or to not serve Him faithfully. Upon judgment Jesus will reward us according to how well we did, and the lazy ones will suffer loss and will not receive a place near to Jesus in the New City. They will still live on the New Earth, but they will have no reward, dwelling in what is sometimes considered “outer darkness”. This is teaching is abundantly more consistent in the New Testament. Consider the parable of the Marriage Feast in Matthew 22, or 1 Corinthians 3:8-13.

    I would adjure you to at least consider this. It is impossible for there to be any intelligent connection between the parable of the ten virgins and the pre-tribulation rapture. Any attempt to connect the two is highly unsound.

  4. Tommy

    I think the term “depleted” is a stretch since the Bible clearly states that the foolish virgins “took no oil” which seems to be interprered more correctly that they were definitely unsaved and had no oil. Can you explain the degree to which a person must have the active powers of Jesus Christ(by the work of the Holy Spirit)in order to enter the supper. I find that
    statement to be very vague and wonder where it comes from.

    Thanks

  5. georgette

    Dear Pastor Joseph,
    Thank you so much for all your powerful articles pertaining to the Kingdom of God. Yes we are truly
    in the season of our great escape. The world is going from bad to hopelessly worth. Catastrophe after
    catastrophe, makes you wonder how worth could it get.
    My best wishes for 2011 for you and everyone involved in your ministry, may our soon coming Lord and
    King richly reward and bless all your efforts in advancing His Kingdom here on earth while we still
    have time, and my prayers for all of God’s children to be found worthy to go with the King when He comes for His Bride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Blessings,

    Georgette

  6. RJ

    Hi! I do not know if you will allow a link to be posted, anyway I think this
    really explains it well in addition wo that you say here, Bro. Chambers.

    And “For Consideration” what you are teaching is saying that there is NO rapture….. sorry,
    WRONG!! For those with their robes washed (and KEPT white) who are READY, who are following
    Jesus (“abiding in the Vine”) ~ then the rapture is for these people. And it will be soon,
    because the whole church/world is filled with Laodecia right now; not to mention the mark
    of the beast is ready, the antiChrist is likely waiting to get rolling, and look at all the
    natural catatrophes ~ clear around the globe right now.

    Stay close to the Lord; keep those LAMPS BURNING BRIGHT, Christians!! Jesus is our all in
    all ~ and we are about to meet Him!! and go up with Him, [Jn 14:2-3] where we will be with
    Him FOREVER!! Amen, even so COME Lord Jesus!

  8. Ed Branch

    Verse 13 of Matthew 25 is an idicator of the time Jesus is referring. It sounds like an
    imminent but uncertain time that the Son of man will come. Jesus’ coming back after the
    Tribulation can be acertained based on the chronology of the seven year tribulation and the
    associated judgments, etc. There is an urgency and a warning to be ready for the marriage.
    I believe this is in fact a reference to the pre-tribulation rapture of the Bride of Christ.
    The five wise virgins do not speak of five brides, but are representative of the Body of
    Christ–the Bride. Let’s be ready with burning lamps and vessels full of oil.

  9. James Lishman

    Blessings to you Pastor Chambers,
    I am in agreement with yopu, as one of our Pastors preached on this same topic, equating the oil to the Holy Spirit which comes upon each one who has a one-on-one relationship with our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
    This is where the 5 virgins come in who have oil (and a relationship with JESUS) and when the 5 who’s oil had run out came to the 5 who had oil (and an active relationship) and said “give us some of your oil” the 5 that had said go buy, get, for we cannot share our ‘relationship’ with you, for a relationship is a very personal thing, as is the indwelling SPIRIT – cultivated in time spent with the LORD.
    You cannot borrow someone’s relationship – YOU HAVE TO CULTIVATE YOUR OWN, YOURSELF with the time you spend in the LORD.
    May this be a blessing to many in obtaining that elusive commodity OIL of the HOLY SPIRIT.

  10. Jim S

    Closely related to the Parable of the Ten Virgins is Revelation 2:5; it says, “Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent.” Obviously and in flow with the Parable of the Ten Virgins, this verse in Revelation is a warning and a picture of God removing the presence of the Holy Spirit from the church and individual believers who fail to continue in the first works (the works of faith)! The candlestick is light and the Holy Spirit (oil) is the source of that light. Keeping the light source (oil) in our life is apparently conditional upon our love for Christ, holding fast to the truth, and continuing in the faith. Faith is a gift and indisputably linked to the security of the believer. If faith is a gift and we are careless to hold fast to that faith, then what may we expect? What is more, why does the apostle Paul repeat this stern warning throughout his epistles: 1 Cor 15:1; 1 Cor 9:26; 2 Tim 4:7; Rev 2:10; Phil 2:16; 2 Thes 2:15; 2 Tim 1:13; Heb 3:6; Heb 4:14; Heb 10:23; Col 2:18; Titus 1:9 and Heb 10:35.

  11. Pat H.

    Great sermon! I wept, leapt, prayed, shouted and tasted of the good Word of God… Much better than all the laughing I did in Toronto!

  12. Tim Sturm

    A faith and works sitaution. The Kindom of Heaven is physical. Jesus sets it up., it is a
    political KINGDOM. The 10 virgins applies to the TRIBULATION SAINTS. They are 144,000 in REV 7 and
    14. DURING THE TRIBULAION IT WILL REQUIRE A FAITH AND WORKS SITUATION. This will be at the second
    advent. NOT BEFORE. Just as the Jews did not accept the Messiah when he was on earth the first time THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND”. IT went to the Gentiles. The gentiles are raptured, then it goes
    back to the Jews and Trib Gentiles. THE CHURCH IS NOT 10 VIRGINS, IT IS A CHASTE VIRGIN. THE 5 WISE VIRGINS ARE ATTENDEES, THEY ARE GUESTS. FOR GOD HAS A FAMILY; HE HAS A SON, FRIENDS, BRIDE, ATTENDEES (VIRGINS), EVEN THE QUEEN OF TYRE PRESENTS A GIFT. THAT IS ALL IN PSALMS CHAPTER 45. BUT
    HARDLY ANYONE READS A KJV BIBLE ANYMORE, THEY ALWAYS APPLY EVRYTHING IN THE NT TO THE CHURCH. I
    SOMETIMES QUESTION IF A PERSON, WH IS TOO LAZY TO STUDY A BIBLE, HE PROBABLY WAS NOT CALLED TO PREACH. IN CHRIST. TIM