The Parable of the Ten Virgins

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:1-13).

An incorrect interpretation of this parable would distinguish the wise from the foolish virgins as being distinguished between members of the Lord’s Church on the one hand and members of the pseudo-Christian community and gentiles on the other. Support for this erroneous interpretation might be in part based upon an improper reading of the following scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants namely, D&C 45:56-59 and 63:53, 54. In fact, all ten virgins are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We know the lesson the Lord taught with this parable did not apply to those living in His day because the coming of the bridegroom has reference to the Lord’s glorious appearance at the ushering in of the Millennium.

At the time we were baptized and confirmed, we entered into a covenant with God to serve Him and to keep His commandments (Mosiah 18:10). In return, He promised that His Spirit, the Holy Ghost, would be with us to guide and sustain us as we labored for the opportunity to return to His presence. The blessings at the hand of the Holy Ghost and the opportunity to return to the presence of our Father are dependent upon us being faithful in our living of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who are judged as having lived the gospel unfaithfully will have neither the Holy Ghost to sustain them in this life nor will they gain admittance into their Father’s presence after death. In other words, within the Lord’s Church are to be found both the wise and the foolish or the righteous and the wicked. “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10).

This is the truth the Lord desired to teach when He related the parable of the ten virgins. The five wise virgins were faithful to their baptism and confirmation covenants, and the five foolish virgins were not. The wise ones were admitted into the wedding feast, the foolish ones were not. Thus the lesson for each and every member of the Lord’s Church in these last days is that we must live the gospel faithfully as long as we are upon the earth if we expect to receive the Lord’s “promised” blessings. What is being written concerning us in “the book of life” (Revelation 20:12-13) will end abruptly with either the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ or our mortal death, timely or not.