<p>25:3&nbsp;<em>For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them-&nbsp;</em>The ten virgins each having lamps may connect with the parable of the ten servants each having the talents of the true knowledge of God (Lk. 19:13).&nbsp;Those who were &quot;wise&quot; had oil in their lamps;&nbsp;our Lord earlier defined &quot;the wise&quot; as those who truly obeyed the word (Mt. 7:24).&nbsp;By contrast, the &quot;foolish&quot; without oil are those who only superficially respond to it (Mt. 7:26).&nbsp;The parable of the talents following on from that of the oil lamps suggests that the talents- symbolic of our appreciation and application of the word- are to be equated with the oil.&nbsp;&nbsp; Those whose spiritual lamps go out during the tribulation &quot;took no oil with them&quot; after the first intimation that the second coming is about to occur (Mt. 25:3). Thus during the delay period they will rely on the feeling of hope that this intimation gives rather than on genuine spirituality.&nbsp;These contrasting attitudes are perhaps hinted at by the wise taking their oil first,&nbsp;<em>then</em>&nbsp;their lamps;&nbsp;whilst the foolish grabbed their lamps but discounted the need for more oil (Mt. 25:3,4).&nbsp;Thus those who presume too much upon their own personal worthiness, thinking that they are spiritually in &quot;peace and safety&quot; (1 Thess. 5:3), fail to properly apply themselves to the oil of the word.</p><p>However, it&rsquo;s quite likely that the oil has no particular significance. The idea is simply that the foolish take no oil because they are certain they know the day and hour of the bridegroom&rsquo;s coming; whereas the wise recognize that they do not know the exact day and hour, and therefore act accordingly by taking more oil in case there is a delay. This is exactly the point being made in the Lord&rsquo;s teaching at the end of chapter 24. Those who are convinced they know the day and hour, for whom the idea of flexibility or delay in the Lord&rsquo;s purpose is anathema, are in fact those who fall asleep and are caught unprepared.</p>