My landlord said seriously, “In my house, every tenant must be home by 10 pm. One day, I stayed out later than 10 pm. The gate was locked. No matter how hard I knocked, the landlord refused to open the door. I had to knock at a friend’s window who opened for me to enter; otherwise I would have been locked out all night. Virgins: The Lord Jesus told the story of ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). The ten virgins went to meet the bridegroom. By the time the bridegroom arrived late at night, five of the virgins realised they didn’t have enough oil or kerosene for their lamps. They rushed to town to buy some. By the time they returned, the door to the banquet hall was shut. They knocked on the door. “Lord, Lord,” they pleaded, “please, open the door for us!” They knocked hard, but no one opened for them. “I don’t know you!” Then the bridegroom, whom they rightly referred to as Lord, said, “I don’t know you!” The five virgins, who were foolish, remained outside in the dark. They couldn’t get into the banquet hall to take part in the celebration. They went away into terrible darkness. The Kingdom of God: The Lord Jesus told this story about the Kingdom of God. That means, the Bridegroom is the Lord Jesus Himself. The banquet is the celebration in Heaven! The oil in the lamp stands for several Christian qualities, including faith, hope, love, determination, commitment, and obedience. Eternal banquet: In order to prepare us for the eternal banquet in heaven, the Lord Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). Hearing his voice means listening to the gospel of Jesus. Opening the door means believing in him, confessing our sins, and receiving Him as Lord and Saviour. Our sin has closed the door, but when we accept that we are sinners and repent and ask for forgiveness, he forgives us (1 John 1:9). That moment the door opens. When you invite him in, he comes and lives with you. Open the door for him: Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart. Open for him to enter now. Otherwise, one day you will knock on his door, saying, “Please, open for me!” If you don’t open the door of your heart for him now, he will not open the gate of heaven for you then. What he said to the foolish virgins, he will say to you at that time, “I don’t know you!” If Jesus lives in you, he knows you. But if he doesn’t live in you, he doesn’t know you! Pray, “Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for me. I believe in you. I am a sinner and I repent of my sins. Please forgive me and cleanse me in your blood. I open my heart for you. Come and live in me today. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for making me a child of God. If you prayed like this sincerely, know that you are born again. The Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has passed away, the new has come” (1 Corinthians 5:17). Find a Bible-believing church and attend regularly. Read your Bible and pray every day. The Holy Spirit will help you to turn away from sin and live faithfully for Jesus.