In the above text, we see the eternal word and Lord in one of his days in the flesh declaring what shall be at the end time upon the inhabitants of Zion (Church). The Lord is that Spirit and the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. As he that is perfect in knowledge, even as the God of all knowledge, Christ with the power of unfailing and accurate prophetic authority foretold the slumbering spirit which shall fall upon the end time church to prepare his bride (church) against that time, that his sudden arrival as a thief in the night (unannounced) should not found any unprepared, unaware and embarrass. The author of eternal salvation knows all our strength and limits: he is the discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart, and all things are naked and opened before him with whom we have to do. Every prophetic revelation requires proper scrutiny, spiritual consideration, treatment and sifting. If proper action is not taken regarding the prophetic revelation on the part of the individual like the proud and self conceited Hazael (2 Kings 8:11-13) disputed the accurate prophetic revelation of Elisha concerning his evil exploits and wickedness which he will commit against God and humanity, even before he became king which were eventually fulfilled, we might as well found ourselves on the negative and bad side of the scriptures – outside the will of God. The good thing about negative prophetic revelation is that it can be prevented if we can pray to nullify it’s fulfilment in our lives, to implore the grace of God for help against the accomplishment of any negative part of the scriptures or prophecy: to pray always, that we may have grace to escape those things that shall come upon the nations, and to be able to stand before the Son of man at his appearing and kingdom. Another thing about prophetic revelation is that it will help you to wage a good warfare of faith, and to align and position yourself with what God is doing or about to do on earth. 2 Chronicles 15:1-8.
 
Hope defers makes the heart sick, but it is not the reason for anyone to be spiritually sleeping in the Lord while we are absent from him. Because of Christ tarrying in his second coming, the enemy has taken advantage to win over many believers who have violated and adulterate the word of God, apart from the people who do know and have deep and personal encounter with solid relationship with their God, for those shall be strong to do exploit and to stand watching to the end. One thing is sure from the scripture, Christ will not come back to the earth until the fullness of the gentiles are saved into the kingdom – until the gospel is satisfactory preached to all the nations of the world as the testimony against them to the full pleasure of God the Father before he send back Jesus into the world to bring the church home. Romans 11:25.
 
In one way or another, all shall be found sleeping towards the arrival of the bridegroom except those who had earlier prayed for grace not to fall into bad slumbering of sin and death as others, as they keep their breast plate of faith and love, and for an helmet, the hope of salvation always on them. The act of sleeping in the above text is not necessary the natural state of periodic rest during which the consciousness of the world is suspended, but it also imply to the spiritual, mental and moral state of the entire body of Christ such as the partial but conscious neglect of duty in the wise (and that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:47-48) or complete abandonment of it (but and if that servant say in his heart, my lord delays his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looks not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers) by the fools. Luke 12:45-46.
 
It also signifies the entanglement of many people from the church in the affairs of this life, which is very displeasing to the Lord. Instead of engaging in global soul wining that those who were not told about Christ should see, and those who have not heard will understand the gospel, but the filthy and day dreamer believers are draining and wasting the precious oil upon them for the world and the lusts in it. Christ is to them the product of personal enrichment and means to an end in the world for them – enemies of the cross, they mind earthly things, their belly is their god and they glory in their shame. They are ignorant of the signs of the time, that it is high time, that now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed: but they and the under shepherds over them are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Isaiah 56:10-11. Slumbering in this passage also reveals the worst case scenario of certain people in the church having lost the treasures of Christ deposited in them (2 Timothy1:14) which was given unto them by the Holy Ghost when they first come to Christ or during their previous walk with him. They have lost the fire and the oil, thus they become trees whose fruit withers, tree without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the root: gone and acted against the scriptures not to quench the spirit. When the Spirit is quenched, what is left behind is the word or preaching without the quickening power that gives life and the absence of fire that purifies: but in him was life, and his word is like fire and like hammer that breaks the rock into pieces. The foolish sleepers are not only slothful in business (Romans 12:11) but have altogether gone out of the narrow way, and like the mixed multitudes among the church in the wilderness, they mingle around with the people who are on the way, but they are as vessels wherein is no pleasure to God, therefore the bridegroom disowned them at his arrival. Matthew 25:12.                    
If the lamp (vessel) is empty of oil, there is no way to spark fire to power it. The foolish sleepers possesses the entire letter and theology of the scriptures, but they are lacking in the demonstration of the spirit with the transforming power of it (and my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:4-5) for the kingdom of God is not in talk, but in power. 1 Corinthians 4:20.                                                                                                            
They cannot grieve the spirit of God because he has of a long time side tract in them, though it was thought that they are sealed or secured by him unto the final day of the redemption of their bodies when they shall be gloried with Christ at his second coming, but because the Spirit lusts towards envy against any friendship with the world, they made him to forsake his house, and when the arrival of the bridegroom was announced, though they woke up from their sleep to meet him, and they went out to look for oil, but the door was shut behind them by the very bridegroom they thought they are expecting and represented; just like Samson, upon hearing the arrival of the Philippines who has come for him, woke up from his bed to fight, but he knew not that the Lord has departed from him. Again, the sleeping here indicates the present of besetting sins they ought to have dealt with long ago but have done nothing against it, failed to purge themselves and made themselves vessels of dishonour; thus are they overcome by the unfruitful works of darkness, wherefore he says, awake you that sleeps, and arise from the dead (transgressions) and Christ shall give you light. Ephesians 5:14. Hebrews 12:1.                                                                              Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion. Amos 6:1. The fact that they were left with no fire for the Lord in their lamps (vessels) shows that they’ve completely swayed over by the flesh and the world around them. These are foolishly living in pleasure to the flesh and world; but the scripture says whoever lives in pleasure of the world is spiritually and eternally dead while he lives. They are the class of believers copying others in ministering of spiritual gifts, setting up strange fire, and measuring and comparing themselves among themselves by the spirit of envy, but their foolishness was marked and judged by the Lord by rejection. 2 Corinthians 10:12. Their reasoning and zeal is of the flesh, but whatever originates from the corrupt and not the divine nature is enmity and unacceptable to God, because it is the present of the fire from the divine nature that purifies the altar (believer) and the offerings (services) on it, for his ministers are made up of flaming fire.
 
Surely the anointing of Elijah has fallen upon Elisha (2 kings 2:15) but not on finger click, but from the intense desire and determination of Elisha to have it against all odds of ridicule and mockery of the sons of the prophets in every cities he travelled through with his master before he received the double portion of the oil (anointing) he requested for, not from Elijah as the giver, but from God. Elijah bluntly and categorically answered Elisha that neither a single drop nor the double portion he requested for was in his power to give, but if he is willing and able to pay the price to be present to witness the event leading to his departure to heaven, the double portion of the oil shall be his. It is the Lord that pours and anoints oil on individual’s head for their assignment in the body of Christ and for the position of authority in the kingdom – given and obtained from the Lord on the altar of consecration and devotion.                    
To borrow oil from somebody is to mimic or intrude into their ministry, or seek to steal the glory of it from them, or seek to rob them of their position of authority and assignment like the seven son’s of Sceva did (Acts 19: 14- 16) take upon them the authority they have no right to exercise by impersonating (in the name of Jesus whim Paul preached) the carrier of that particular oil. It is therefore of no surprise that the wise virgins refused to give or share their extra oil with the foolish virgins when they were asked for it, but turned away their request, and advised them to go out and look for themselves oil. Matthew 25:9. Note: as for those things regarding your devotion and accountability before the Lord, they are personal and should be without respect of person in the absence of sensual sentiment playing any role to determine your devotion, dedication and consecration of your decision to love him more than yourself, husband, wife, father, mother, sons and daughters, lest you fall from your steadfastness into the errors of the foolish and the wicked. Oil is maintained (fire burning on the altar) before it can be increased (new and additional oil) on the altar of consecration and devotion before God in spirit and truth – my head will thou anoint with fresh oil. Psalms 92:10.                                                                                                                    
Oil is not something to waste away like dirty water throw into the sewer or to borrow others like the foolish virgins requested to borrow from the wise. Even Christ, when he discerned that a virtue has left him, after that the woman with the issue of blood touched his garment by faith for her healing, contended for the precious oil to teach us that though the anointing is free, but it is not something to distribute anyhow; but to cherish, keep, nourish and appreciates its presence in your life. It is a holy anointing oil of God which should not be given to the dogs, or rob it on pigs, lest they trample it under their feet and turn again to rend you. Even God the Father will reprove, rebuke and avenge any unjust or cruel dealing against his anointed ones. He places great value on them because of the measure of oil of consecration upon them. He would not hesitate to fight against and to punish any confrontations and rivalry against his anointed ones just as he punished Miriam with leprosy for her unjust and envious rebuked of Moses: and just as he likewise overthrew Dathan, Koran and Abiram for their envy, fight and rebellion against Moses and Aaron leadership because of the oil upon their head. Most of those unjust and dirty war in the past and at present today in the oil rich countries in the world was all about the oil to be taken from the oil rich regions and to seize power from the sitting president to take control of the oil for money, so likewise shall the enemy intensify his attacks against you because of the rich and increase supernatural oil upon your head, but is it written, you have overcome them little children, because greater us he that lives in you, than he that lives in the world. 2 Samuel 5:17. If God values your life because of his holy anointing oil upon your head, you should position yourself to live and to act in the consciousness of this anointing for proper functioning and maintenance in righteousness in readiness for proper accountability before him, even as David, after the conquest of Goliath dos not walk proudly because he has anointing, but humbly and wisely before the king and people at the palace and great favour and grace was upon him. Genuine and lasting anointing makes your life a wonder and causes you to rejoice with trembling, wondering at the marvels of God in your life while musing on his loving kindnesses and mercies obtained.
 
Permit me to say that the wise sleepers were sleeping because it was at the end of the day’s work and theirs was the restorative and restful sleep. Besides, it was at midnight when the arrival of the bridegroom was announced, and the necessity of nature demands that man should take rest at night after the day’s work – the sleep of a labouring man is sweet unto him, whether he eats little or much. Ecclesiastes 5:12. Matthew 25:6. Though they were asleep at the arrival of the bridegroom, but were in a state of zealous vigilante and awakening spirits by the reason of the extra oil in their possession and as soon as the bridegroom appeared, they were more than ready to go into the banqueting hall with him at once. They are the believers whose inner man is conscious and awaken to the happenings around and within them with perfect knowledge of the signs of the time. They are not following multitudes to sin; neither can they be influenced from devotion and consecration in faithfulness in any way by those whose love for the Lord is fading away because iniquity is increasing in the church and in the world. Matthew 24:12.                                                                                                                       
Though they were outwardly weary, yet are they restful in Christ, and are mindful and ready for the performances of their responsibility in the Lord – day or night. They are able to rise up to any occasion before them at any time (day or night) because of the extra oil they have in possession. They are in great preparation to go extra miles with Christ, that if he comes at anytime, while they sleep or awake, he will find them ready to go in with him into the banqueting hall. The failure of the foolish sleepers was on their unwillingness to dig deeper and to go distances with the Lord in their walk of faith and spiritual life – periphery Christians. Oil is supplied and programmed to increase according to the distances we are ready and willing to cover with the Lord guiding us in the paths of righteousness and spiritual brokenness even as Elijah revealed to Elisha that if he is able to endure the confrontations, molestations, indirect and deceitful discouragement of his spiritual father to stay behind (2 kings 2:2. 2:4. 2:6) and not considering the humiliations from the sons of the prophets at Bethel and Jericho (2 Kings 2:3. 2:5) designed to cajole him to become a dry, power and life less Christians like them, the double portion of the oil with all its distinctive factors (anointing makes the difference) honour, power, authority, glory and respect shall be his (2 kings 2:10) in life as well as in death (and it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. 2 Kings 13:21) that we serve and worship a living God and a resurrected Christ who is the same yesterday, today, and forever as the testimony of Christ is confirmed, and the word of God is glorified in him and him in his Lord glorified – even so come Lord.