We are living in the latter days, and while I don’t know when the Second Coming will occur, it is clearly sooner today than it was yesterday.  I have been thinking a lot in the last week on the Parable of the Ten Virgins.  It is found in the Gospel of St. Matthew, immediately after the apocalyptic Matthew Chapter 24.

Matthew 25:1-13 reads:

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 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.
10 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.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Some will find it of interest that Joseph Smith rendered the first verse differently, to more clearly set forth the time frame of the parable:

And then, at that day, before the Son of Man comes, the kingdom of heaven shall be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

From the very outset, the Savior is talking about the “kingdom of heaven” being represented by these ten virgins.  By this we are to understand that He is talking about earthly embodiment of the kingdom of heaven, being the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This has been attested to by many, but I like how Elder Marvin J. Ashton put it best, “It can be properly and appropriately concluded that the ten virgins represent the people of the Church of Jesus Christ, and not alone the rank and file of the world. The wise and foolish virgins, all of them, had been invited to the wedding supper; they had knowledge of the importance of the occasion. They were not pagans, heathens, or gentiles, nor were they known as corrupt or lost, but rather they were informed people who had the saving, exalting gospel in their possession, but had not made it the center of their lives. They knew the way, but were foolishly unprepared for the coming of the bridegroom. All, even the foolish ones, trimmed their lamps at his coming, but their oil was used up. In the most needed moment there was none available to refill their lamps. All had been warned their entire lives.” A Time of Urgency, April 1974 General Conference

In this, the Lord warned the Church, and all of us included, in D&C 63:54 which reads:

54 And until that hour there will be foolish virgins among the wise; and at that hour cometh an entire separation of the righteous and the wicked; and in that day will I send mine angels to pluck out the wicked and cast them into unquenchable fire.

We can expect that there will be foolish virgins inhabiting the Church until the end, along with the wise.  However, I have a more personal, more individual question to ask: what is your role in this parable?  Are you one of the foolish, or one of the wise?  Do you have oil in your lamp? It is a question better asked now, and better answered now, for the price of procrastination is steep.

The Lord himself explains what separates the wise from the foolish, and the answer is straightforward. D&C Section 45 also follows an apocalyptic theme.  In fact, verse 60 includes a directive from the Lord to Joseph Smith to proceed with the work of translating the New Testament in order that more details and information could be received on such topics.  One result of that effort in Joseph Smith-Matthew in the Pearl of Great Price, which does expand on the discussion there.  But of relevance for this discussion is D&C 45:56-58, in which we read:

56 And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins.
57 For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.
58 And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation.

Here we find that the wise virgins “have received the truth,” “have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide,” and “have not been deceived.” We cannot say that the exact opposite describes the foolish virgins however.  It is not for nothing that each are described as virgins, for instance.  Further, as Elder Ashton described above, each of the virgins have a knowledge of importance of the coming of the Lord; they have all received at least a portion of the truth.  It seems to me that the difference between the two groups is that the wise “have the Holy Spirit for their guide” which allows them to avoid being deceived.  I will leave it to a future post to discuss what it means to have the Holy Spirit for your guide.