Lessons on the Temple
Lesson No. Eight

Temple Worship and the Parable of the Ten Virgins

President Russell M. Nelson has spoken about the importance of spiritual preparedness and consistent temple worship – “And to each of you who has made temple covenants, I plead with you to seek—prayerfully and consistently—to understand temple covenants and ordinances.  Spiritual doors will open. You will learn how to part the veil between heaven and earth, how to ask for God’s angels to attend you, and how better to receive direction from heaven. Your diligent efforts to do so will reinforce and strengthen your spiritual foundation.

“My dear brothers and sisters, when renovations on the Salt Lake Temple are completed, there will be no safer place during an earthquake in the Salt Lake Valley than inside that temple.

Likewise, whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants!

“Please believe me when I say that when your spiritual foundation is built solidly upon Jesus Christ, you have no need to fear. As you are true to your covenants made in the temple, you will be strengthened by His power. Then, when spiritual earthquakes occur, you will be able to stand strong because your spiritual foundation is solid and immovable” (The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation, October 2021 General Conference, emphasis added).

Latter day revelation uses the Parable of the Ten Virgins to teach preparedness – This magnificent parable speaks about the Second Coming of the Lord and teaches that we must always be prepared because we do not know when He will come, nor do we know how long we will live:  

  • The Lord will suddenly come to his temple. (See D&C 36:8)  “The Lord … shall suddenly come to his temple… Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom; behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh” (D&C 133:2, 10).  If we worthily and constantly worship at the temple we will be prepared to be with Him at His Second Coming.  

  • His Second Coming will be “in an hour when ye think not” (D&C 45:2).  Hence, the need to always be prepared.

  • We must “stand in holy places” (D&C 45:32).  The temple and our homes are holy places.  “Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness  (LDS Bible Dictionary, Temple).

  • The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) will be fulfilled.  (See D&C 45:56-57)  In the parable, only those with oil in their lamps were able to enter the house of the bridegroom. In modern times, only those who are temple worthy may enter the house of the Lord.  In the parable the Savior used a marriage ceremony in the Bridegroom’s home to teach about qualifying for the kingdom of heaven. In our day temple marriage, whether in this life or the next, is the qualifying ordinance for family life in the celestial kingdom (see D&C 131:1-3).

Latter day prophets have also used the Parable of the Ten Virgins to teach preparedness – This parable “represents those church members who are looking for the Bridegroom to come; and the oil-filled lamps are symbolic of the Holy Spirit which lights the way before the saints” (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:684-85).  Elder McConkie further explained that this parable is not about “good and bad, not righteous and wicked, but wise and foolish.  That is, all of them have accepted the invitation to meet the Bridegroom; all are members of the Church…but only five are valiant therein” (Ibid).  Only five are prepared.

In the parable only those with oil in their lamps were able to enter the house of the bridegroom – In our day only those who are temple worthy may enter the temple.  In the parable oil could not be loaned.  We cannot loan temple worthiness to someone else.  The Lord is the one who will symbolically be checking recommends at the door to the celestial kingdom.  Those who are worthy will “abide the day” and are promised eternal life.  (See D&C 45:58-59)  In biblical times constant effort was needed to ensure that an adequate amount of oil was maintained in lamps.  In our day we must exert constant effort to remain temple worthy.  In the parable the virgins were not able to enter the door without oil.  In our day we cannot enter the temple without a recommend.

Testimony – If we are temple worthy we will be prepared for the second coming. Then whether we are in this world or in the next at the time of the second coming “[we] shall come forth in the first resurrection… and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions…and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fullness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever” (D&C 132:19).