How terrible! How utterly terrifying! How would you feel if the door of Heaven were shut in your face? Such is the reward for carelessness.

Consider the fact that these were "virgins." Nothing is said about their being drunkards, or adulteresses, of liars, or thieves. Their only sin was that of carelessness. Was carelessness alone sufficient to keep them out of the wedding? Apparently so!

It seems there is coming a day when it will be too late to repent; too late to pray; to late to call on the Lord for forgiveness; to late to gain the support of a fervent saint; too late decide to be a fervent Christian; too late to be diligent. Too late! Too late!

Later the others also came. "Sir! Sir!" they said. "Open the door for us!" But he replied, "I tell you the truth, I don't know you." (Matthew 25:11,12)

Will there ever come a day when people who at one time knew the Lord will cry out to Jesus, and He will refuse to acknowledge them?

Consider: they wanted to go to the wedding banquet. These were not people who rejected the Bridegroom. Rather, the Bridegroom rejected them.

The argument is made that these virgins were not the Bride. I do not doubt that, not knowing enough about Jewish wedding customs. But I don't think the Lord is saying the members of the Bride can be careless; but a lesser group, those who were invited to attend the wedding banquet, were required to be diligent in order to attend the wedding!

The point of the present article is that carelessness is sufficient to keep us out of the Kingdom of God, and I believe this is the point of the parable.

As far as Christ rejecting a believer:

Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 7:21-23)

The Lord must be speaking to Christians. They prophesied in His name. They drove out demons in His name. They performed many miracles in His name.

I think this is describing a believer. I haven't seen many people who did not believe in Christ but prophesied in His name; drove out demons in His name; and performed many miracles in His name. In fact, I have not seen many believers who prophesied in the name of Jesus; drove out demons in His name; and performed many miracles in the name of Christ. Have you?

Yet, the Lord rejected them. Why did He reject them? Because they were evildoers.

Did they reject the Lord? No!

Did they want to be with Christ? I would say from their words that they wanted to be with the Lord.

What was the problem? They were evildoers.

The Lord said many would be rejected because they were evildoers, even though they performed supernatural works in His name.

I am saying the demands of salvation are stricter than what is being preached today.

To be continued.