“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Is Christ Returning Soon?
As the Russian invasion drags on, I have had conversations with many Christians. They are talking about how this is all the end. I have read articles and blogs about how Christians need to not plan for tomorrow’s tomorrow but wait in faith that Christ is coming soon.
Over the last 15 years, I have been working with a team of individuals to build a college for the next generation, to build an institution of higher learning that prayerfully will last centuries beyond us.
Why do we plant fields if God is ending hunger tomorrow?
Why do we build educational institutions if this generation is going to see the Great Teacher face to face?
The Parable of The Virgins
When I was thinking about Christ’s Immanent return and building Aletheia Christian College in the context of this parable, I was reminded of a Dr. Who episode (Episode 3.11, Utopia) where Dr. Who and his companions are transported 100 trillion years into the future.
It’s the energy death of the universe.
And there are people there.
In the context of Christ’s parable, this episode got me thinking: What if God should tarry that long?
What if humans should be there at the end?
This parable made me realize that we need to be ready for God to take as long as God wants.
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”
2 Peter 3:8
For God, who has no beginning, even 1 Trillion years is imminent. Time beyond the ability of mortal man to count still does not stack up to that which has no measure.
While we cannot plan to build educational institutions to last a trillion years or even 1,000 years, we can build an organization to last long after we are gone. We can build an educational community who raises up new generations to walk in the way they should go.
And if God should wait a short trillion years, I hope that quality education will be here till the end.
