The Final Judgment
Jesus continued to prophecy about the final judgment and the end of the age.
Jesus said,
“The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them where foolish and five of them were wise.
The foolish virgins took lamps without oil in them. The wise virgins took plenty of oil.
While the bridegroom delayed his coming all the virgins nodded off and went to sleep.
At midnight the cry went out in the land,
‘Look the bridegroom! Come out and meet him.’
All the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish virgins said to the wise,
‘Give us your oil, our lamps are going out.’
The wise virgins responded,
‘But then there may not be enough for us; go and buy some more oil for yourselves.’
While the foolish virgins were out trying to find oil, the bridegroom came, and the wedding party entered the house and the doors were shut and locked.
After a little time, the five foolish virgins arrived and knocked on the door,
‘Lord, Lord open to us.’
But the Lord answered and said,
‘The truth is that I do not know you.’
Be watchful because you do not know the day or the hour of your Lord’s coming.
It is like when a man goes to another country, but before he goes, he calls his servants together and gives them talents, one five, another two and yet another one, in order to invest and make a profit while he is gone.
The one given five talents, traded and made five more talents.
The one given two talents, traded and made two more.
But the one given one talent hid the Lord’s money in the earth.
Then one day the Lord returned and called his three servants together for a reckoning with them.
He received back the five talents and then another five from the first servant.
‘Well done, you good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a little now I will put you in charge of a lot. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’
He received back the two talents and then another two from the second servant.
‘Well done, you good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, now I will put you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’
He then received back the one talent from the third servant, but no more. The third servant said,
‘I knew that you were a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter.
I was afraid and so I went and hid the talent in the ground.’
