Then all those virgins woke up and put their lamps in order.
The sound of the cry awakens everyone, both the wise and the foolish. This word shows that at the moment of the Lord’s coming, all will awaken, whether believer or unbeliever. “They prepared their lamps” means that they try to restore the light of their faith, to be ready to go out and meet the Bridegroom. Yet at that moment it already becomes clear whose light is burning and whose has gone out. This is an image of the end, when, as we will see next, it is no longer possible to change a person’s spiritual condition: the hearts that are prepared will stand before the Lord with light, and the unprepared with darkness.