Some Teach That The foolish virgins Must Have Had Some Oil for Their Lamps to Light Up at All and What the Actually Lacked Was Extra Oil. Is This True
No. That is not true. The parable draws a sharp line: some had oil; some did not.
Scriptural explanation:
- “They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them” (Matthew 25:3). The wise “took oil in their vessels with their lamps” (Matthew 25:4). That’s the Spirit-supplied life within.
- When the cry came, the foolish said, “Our lamps are going out,” and they tried to borrow and then went to buy (Matthew 25:8-10). If they had the Oil, they wouldn’t need to borrow or buy at midnight.
Simple clarifying logic:
- The lamp is the outward profession; the oil is the Holy Spirit. You can trim a wick and get a momentary flare, but without oil there is no lasting light. That’s why their lamps went out at the crisis.
- The text never says “some” oil or “only lacked extra.” It says they took no oil with them, while the wise had a supply in their vessels. Either you have the indwelling Oil or you don’t—you cannot borrow it, and you cannot rush out to purchase it when the Door is opening.
Short reinforcement:
Now notice, the shut door proves it: those without Oil were not ready. It’s not a matter of “not enough extra,” but of not having the Spirit’s supply when the Bridegroom came.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
The Ark
55-0522 §72
Now with our heads bowed, everyone being in prayer, we're going to sing some songs. Don't be weary now. I am not a fanatic. You know that. If I am, I know it not. But something has definitely spoke to me, said, "I will speak to them. You just call them up here." I did what He said do. Now, while we have our heads bowed, and singing songs, just see what He will tell you. Whatever He tells you, that's Him talking. We will walk in the light, it's such a beautiful light; come where the dewdrops of mercy are bright; shi...
Jehovah-Jireh, part 3
64-0404 §95
The Bible said, when they come, said, "Give us some of your oil." They said ... the sleeping virgin... They realized they had all that time to get oil, but they didn't do it. So when the bridegroom was just about to come, they said, "Give us some of your oil." They said, "We just got enough for ourselves. You go buy it from them that sell." And while they were gone the bridegroom come, and the bride went in. And they were cast into outer darkness, to wake up and find out the rapture was gone and they were left, whe...
Questions and Answers, part 2
54-0103E §39
...et His church out to glorify it. On the second coming, here comes the church back, the bride. Now watch. See whether they go through the tribulation period. He said, "These virgins, that they come and said, 'Give us of your oil.'" "The Bridegroom comes!" The sound went out, "Behold, the Bridegroom is come. Go ye out to meet Him." And these virgins, who were virgins, holy, sanctified (think of it), holy, sanctified people without the baptism of the Holy Ghost, they said, "Give us oil!" And the church said, "We just...
The Seed shall not be heir with the shuck
65-0429B §21
Now there, what troubles me at this hour, is knowing that we see all these denominations pulling into this, what we know to be the, what you call the latter rain or the pouring out of the Spirit. Do you realize that Jesus said that when that come to pass it would be the end---when the foolish virgin and the wise virgin was not heirs together? For when the foolish virgin (she was a virgin, just lacking oil) but when she come to buy oil, it was at that time that the bridegroom came. And she was left out, while she wa...
Questions and Answers on Genesis
53-0729 §97
Five of them... Ten of them were virgins. Five was wise that had oil in their lamp, and the other five was just as pure and holy but they had no oil (they were sanctified, without the Holy Ghost). "There's three that bear record in earth: the water, the blood, the Spirit." St. John 5:7 ... I John 5:7, rather, said, "There are three that bear record in Heaven: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, these three are one." But there's three that bear record in earth: water, blood, and Spirit, they're not one, but they agree as o...