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.
Church Ages, part 2: The Patmos Vision
60-1204E §18
Now, these virgins that did not get the Holy Spirit, you remember, the only thing they lacked was oil in their lamps. Is that right? The Bible said the oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. That's the reason we anoint the sick with oil, and so forth, because it's a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Now. And then if the Holy Spirit did not come upon them, they did not have it. And then when He come, they said... Now, to the virgins that did have the oil, said... You see, they were back in the church age. There was some of them i...
Church Ages, part 9: The ten virgins, and the 144,000
60-1211M §86
Now, there was ... the virgins went out to meet Him. And the foolish virgins, now, did not have oil in their lamp, but they had everything else. They were clean. They believed in Christ. They preached the Word that they believed their denomination would let them preach. They preached that: the second coming, the sacrifice, the atonement. They believe... You ever tie up with a good Baptist scholar one time, you better know what you're talking about. You sure had.
Investments
63-1116B §100
Now you might be a fine, loyal member of a church. And that, oh, how I appreciate that, certainly. You just continue right on in your church. That's right. Because, the sleeping virgins is coming up now, you see that. And remember, Jesus said, when the sleeping virgin ... the one that tried to live a good life within theirself, they was a virgin, but they didn't have any oil. Oil symbolizes the Spirit. That's why we anoint in oil. The oil symbolizes the Spirit. They were good people, fine people, members of fine Me...
Seals 9: Questions and Answers on the Seals
63-0324M §48
...e new wine would be... Now watch. The oil and wine went together in sacrifice, went together in the church worship (now notice), assembled together, connected together. You that's got a concordance, look and see a whole string where wine and oil is met together in worship. If you've got a Cruden's, why, it says that there. Now notice on this. But now, you see, the oil is always the Holy Spirit. We find that over in Ezekiel, and we find it in the Old Testament, and we find it all through the New Testament. Why do we...
Church Ages, part 9: The ten virgins, and the 144,000
60-1211M §96
the wise virgin with oil in her lamp. She made ready. Now, while she was gone to get some oil... That's what they're trying to do right now. These great evangelical churches, trying to find these great things, you know, do ... go back to the Bible---back. "We need the Pentecostal blessing." Well, you can imagine what kind of a service they're going to have, see. They ain't going to get down there, and spoil all that manicure on them, and all that. Oh, no! They ain't going to give up them sororities, and societies,...