Lamps Trimmed and Burning

The Savior alluded to the parable of the ten virgins in a revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith when He said this: “Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom—For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that I come quickly” (Doctrine and Covenants 33:17-18). This gives us at least a partial interpretation of the story from the Savior Himself: having adequate oil in our lamps represents being ready for the coming of the Savior. Moreover, to be prepared we need to be faithful and pray always. He referenced the parable again in a revelation about five months later when He said this: “And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins. 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. 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” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:56-58). This teaches us that to have oil in our lamps and to be ready means that we must take the Holy Ghost as our guide. Putting these together we see that to be one of the wise we must be faithful, pray continually, and be consistently guided by the Holy Ghost.

The importance of this parable for us is underscored by the fact that it was referenced in three different talks in general conference this past weekend. After discussing the parable, Elder Renlund summarized: “The essential lesson of this parable of the ten virgins is that we are wise when we accept the gospel, seek to have the Holy Ghost with us, and avoid deception. The five wise virgins could not help those without oil; no one can accept the gospel, take the Holy Ghost as a guide, and avoid deception on our behalf. We have to do this for ourselves.” No one can do for us the spiritual work required to be faithful, pray, and follow the Spirit. President Oaks made this comment about those who would not adequately do this and remain unprepared to meet the Savior: “With so many powerful helps to guide us in our mortal journeys, it is disappointing that so many remain unprepared for their appointed meeting with our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. His parable of the ten virgins, spoken of so frequently in this conference, suggests that of those invited to meet Him, only half will be prepared…. Many of such deviations occur when members fail to follow the fundamental spiritual maintenance plan of personal prayer, regular scripture study, and frequent repentance. In contrast, some neglect weekly renewal of covenants by not partaking of the sacrament.” The parable is indeed a warning to us in these last days to not neglect our own personal spiritual preparation.

Sister Camille N. Johnson also discussed the parable of the ten virgins at length. She taught, “To be whole means to be complete and full. Much like the five wise virgins who had their lamps full with oil when the bridegroom came, we can be whole in Jesus Christ as we fill our lamps with the nourishing oil of conversion to Him. In that way, we are prepared for the symbolic wedding supper, His Second Coming. In the parable all ten of the virgins were in the right location, awaiting the bridegroom. Every one of them came with a lamp. But when He came, at the unexpected midnight hour, the five foolish did not have sufficient oil for their lamps. They were not described as wicked but rather as foolish. The foolish failed to adequately prepare to keep their lamps burning with the oil of conversion.” To not participate in the wickedness of the world is not enough for those who have made covenants with Him; we must also not be so foolish as to let the cares of the world divert our attention from preparing for His coming. Sister Johnson also described what was recently placed on temple square: “A magnificent sculpture depicting the five wise virgins was recently placed on Temple Square, just outside the doors to the Relief Society Building and in the shadow of the Salt Lake Temple. It is a location befitting application of the parable. Because when we make and keep covenants, particularly those available in the house of the Lord, we fill our lamps with the oil of conversion.” These talks and this new statue highlight how important this parable is for us in these last days when the Savior’s coming is nigh at hand. We must strive to be ready with our lamps trimmed and burning, just as President Nelson urged us to prepare: “We do not know the day or the hour of His coming. But I do know that the Lord is prompting me to urge us to get ready for that ‘great and dreadful day.’”