Your Destination Is Decided While You Are Alive

Jesus regularly used stories about everyday things to help us understand spiritual things.  In Matthew 25:1-13, he used a story about a wedding feast to illustrate what would be required for one to get into heaven.  “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.  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.  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.

Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

Let’s explain this in modern terms.  A very rich man was planning his wedding, and had chartered a flight to take them to the place where it would be held.  Five of the girls had returned their confirmation letters, but the other five had not.  For several hours, they set in the waiting room, talking and napping until their flight was announced.  When the flight was announced, they all gathered their luggage and got their tickets ready.   Realizing their tickets had never been confirmed, the foolish ones asked the others to let them use their confirmation letters.  Fearing this would result in them not being allowed to go either, the wise ones refused, telling the foolish ones they needed to get their own.  After all, they had had plenty of time while they were waiting.    When they finally went they were too late and the flight had already departed.  The pilots couldn’t come back to get them. 

Jesus point was that people had had however long they lived on the earth to get right with God.  They would not be given another chance after the Lord came for them.  It is exactly the same point Jesus made in Matthew 16:19 when he told the disciples, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  The disciples could unlock the gate so people can get in, but whether they get to go into heaven or not depends on whether they get everything ready before their flight leaves, before the gate is closed.   Those who did not care enough to take care of their salvation while they had time, while they were yet alive will not get to cross over and decide whether they want to go to heaven or hell after they see what the judgement is like.

Speaking of the same time, II Thessalonians 2:8-12 tells us, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”  John 3:18 tells us, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”  there’s no changing your mind after death.