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.
Escape hither, come quickly
58-0202 §39
...o every nation, and through every generation. He's doing it today. The church nominal sits asleep. The church spiritual is awake. The sleeping virgin has went off to sleep, that'll take the tribulation period. But the one that had oil in her lamp is ready. Blessed be the name of the Lord. How I love that parable of the virgin. You know the old coal oil lamps we used to have. We never had lights till just recently. And looky here. The oil's in the bottom of the lamp. And there's a wick that draws it up. Now, that wi...
Questions and Answers
54-0515 §112
Didn't Jesus teach that ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom, and five of them...? All of them were virgins, pure, holy. And these went to sleep and didn't get the Holy Ghost; and these got the Holy Ghost and had oil in their lamp. And when the bridegroom come, the voice come, shouting, they said, "Oh, let us go. And give us some of your oil." He said, "Go to them and buy (pray up), get it now." But they couldn't. And while they was gone, the virgins went into the wedding supper. And they were cast into oute...
Adoption, part 4: Adoption
60-0522E §60
ten virgins went out to meet the Lord, all sanctified, all holy. Every one of them sanctified. Five were dilatory and let their lights go out, five had oil in their lamps, and, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh." And the five that had oil in their lamps went in to the wedding supper; and the others was left outside where there was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Be ready, for you don't know what minute the Lord comes. Have... What does the oil represent in the Bible? Holy Spirit.
Seals 9: Questions and Answers on the Seals
63-0324M §19
Now, the first one here: QUESTION: Are the five wise virgins of Matthew 25 attendants to the bride, or are they the bride? If these wise virgins are attendants to the bride, where is the bride? Now, to the best of my understanding, these five virgins... There were ten of them, you know, that went out, and this here is only a symbol or a parable, see, that I'm going to tell you. See, there were ten of them. Of course, there were more than ten---that was just made a number. But then, the wise virgins had oil in their...
Seals 5: The Third Seal
63-0320 §120
Notice, here's the good part now. Notice, "See that thou hurt not this wine and oil." Just a little bit of it left, brother. "Don't you touch that." Now, oil is ... symbolizes the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. I'll give you a few verses if you want to, a few scriptures: in Leviticus 8:12, where Aaron, before he went in, had to be anointed with oil, you know; and Zechariah 4:12, of oil coming, pouring through the pipes, and said, "This is my spirit."---oil. Another thing is if you want to see in Matthew 14 ... 25, there...