The house of happiness must be strong. I do not think any of you would want to live in a building that looks attractive but was not designed to withstand severe weather, cannot protect you from disaster, and will collapse on you and crush everyone inside. When an ordinary building is involved, people act wisely and are willing to invest whatever is necessary to make everything reliable. Yet for some reason they show astonishing carelessness toward their own souls, assuming that they can build haphazardly, build only a little, or build nothing at all. But this, too, deserves our attention.
Jesus began His ministry with the Sermon on the Mount. From His opening words, He revealed the laws of happiness, explained the details of a blessed life, and concluded His discourse with the building of a house of happiness. Perhaps in earlier centuries it was not as important to pay attention to the quality of the walls; the main thing was for the house to be built on the Rock. But in the last days, God wishes to draw our attention both to what we are building and to the foundation on which we build, as well as to how and from what we build. His purpose is not merely to teach us happiness, but to show the entire visible and invisible world what role love and the laws of blessedness play even in a critical time, and how they protect the soul that belongs to Christ.
The Lord Himself has chosen the means and instruments by which the final battle between good and evil will be fought. The final victory will not be won through the blood of the saints or through their agonizing deaths for the faith, as Satan would so greatly desire. It will be won through the very things that the Lord counsels us to obtain in His message to Laodicea.
And in this message He assures us that He Himself will come so that, through His personal presence, He may sanctify our home and fellowship with us in its warm and welcoming atmosphere.
The Lord assures me of His love, calls me to repentance, and gently knocks and calls, longing for me to open the door. He offers me gold tried in the fire, which, when melted, closely resembles golden oil reflecting the light of Heaven in brilliant shimmering colors. And when I consider that the walls of my house are strong but hollow, I understand that this gold must be poured into the walls so that every part of them will be filled with golden material which, once hardened, will give them exceptional strength. This process is so important that Jesus has come personally to oversee it. How tenderly He asks to enter my little house! How gently, yet persistently! Will I open the door?
I understand that if I ignore the voice of Christ, I will have problems. But I am deeply troubled that the goods offered to me must be purchased. In exchange for them, the Lord expects to receive everything that makes me wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. He also wishes to take all my time in order to teach me how to use these goods, while I value my time greatly and strive to spend it on anything except studying what He has offered me. Besides, I have grown very accustomed to an unhappy life, and I have no desire to change anything in it.
But the Lord does not leave me alone. He tells me the story of ten young women, five of whom were wise, while the others were like me. I began watching what the wise women did. They started stocking up on oil from the Laodicean shop and spent a great deal of time doing so. I watched without understanding why they were spending so much. Everything seemed to be continuing as usual, so why did they need such strong houses in which to store this oil? Meanwhile, the knocking and the voice at my door continually urged me to join the wise women. I know that they are doing something interesting, and I see from Whom they are buying their oil, but I have no time to join them. After all, I must serve and accomplish things, while they are constantly studying something and rejoicing over new discoveries and revelations. They continually invite me to join them. But I decide to wait.
Besides, I am exhausted by my workload. I ought to rest. And the wise women do not mind sleeping either. I know that the Lord will warn me if events begin to draw near, so there is no reason to worry about the future. If something happens, I know where I can buy everything I need, and my foolish companions support my way of thinking. I look and see that the wise women have already dozed off. We are getting sleepy too, and eventually we all fall asleep.
The Lord will not forsake us, for He promised to be with us until the end of the world. Besides, He has already come and is standing at the door, although He wishes to enter only after I make my purchase.
Oh, that gold, those white garments, and that eyesalve! How long can He keep offering them? I even dream about all of it constantly.
How pleasant it is to sleep! They say the brain resets during sleep and can then continue working with renewed strength.
Oh, I will rest! And if there is any danger, the Lord will warn me in advance. He loves to give warnings.
But then the midnight cry awakens us. How dark it is! And the Bridegroom is coming. Where is my lamp? Everything is in place. But for some reason it will not light. Yes, there is no way to manage without oil. And no one will be admitted to the wedding feast without a lamp. The wise women cannot give me any of theirs and advise me to go to those who sell and buy some. But the Seller has gone away! What am I to do? I did not expect this turn of events. The wise really were wise, while we laughed at them and twirled our fingers at our temples. And now they are already at the celebration. Well, I have managed to buy something, and my lamp seems to be burning. I must hurry so that I can make it in time. But the doors leading to the celebration have closed. Wait!!! I am still here!!! Wait for me!!! We want to come too!!! Oh, Jesus, it is us; please open the door! We are here now. Do You not know us? Stop making a mockery of us! You called me by name for so many years and held me by my right hand, and now You say that You do not know me? Did we not prophesy in Your name? And in Your name did we not cast out devils? And in Your name did we not do many wonderful works?
Why do You not know us? Must we depart from You? Are we workers of iniquity? What makes You say that? Please open the door, I beg You, Lord!!!
How terrifying it is to find oneself outside the door! Yet for so many years I heard that voice and those warnings. I saw how the wise were preparing and knew that they possessed something valuable, but I was ignorant, expecting the Lord to tenderly rebuke me once again and offer me something else without expecting anything from me. I was accustomed to receiving everything freely and at no cost. But He did not warn me again; He simply withdrew from me when I finally fell asleep. I was so certain that the time of grace would never end and that I could use it to improve my financial position and build larger barns for my goods. Oh, how much I possess, and how rich I have become! And who will receive it all? Now I am miserable, and everyone around me is miserable too. Suddenly we realize that we have lost something vitally important and precious that will never be ours. Yet it was so near! So accessible!
My house could not withstand the pressure of the waters, which represent the passions of the wicked, and it collapsed. All my plans collapsed with it. What did I live for? What did I believe for? Why was I not interested in what mattered most, and why did I not listen to those who spoke so much about love and happiness in Jesus?
Even now their messages can be watched on YouTube and their books can be read. But it is no longer possible to become what they became. I never imagined that everything would end so quickly. How dark it is! How painful! Oh, if only I could turn everything back, I would devote all my time to seeking!
Bible verses for this chapter:
Matthew 25:1–13; Revelation 3:14–22, especially Revelation 3:18; Matthew 7:21–27; Habakkuk 2:9–14; Psalm 127:1–2; Jeremiah 29:5–7; 1 Corinthians 3:10–17; 4:1–5; 1 Peter 4:10