It is in conjunction with all of these ideas that the parable of the ten virgins is brought into play. The interpretation being that the five wise virgins represent the 'victorious church' whilst the foolish ones represent the 'slumbering church'. On the surface the partial rapture theory looks plausible but one soon finds that the theory is full of holes and doesn't tie in with other tenets of the faith. Let us firstly consider the parable of the virgins. It has to be said, first and foremost, that that it is a dangerous thing to try to build a doctrine from parables.
Parables are simple stories told usually to convey one simple truth.
To emphasise and spiritualise every detail in a parable can often lead to erroneous conclusions. Clearly the truth conveyed in the parable of the ten virgins is that of readiness - a tenet of the partial rapture theory. Beyond this any attempt to support the theory though the parable is questionable. It has to be said that there are a number of interpretations to the parable and its questionable whether it refers to the church, or to the Jews or to christendom in general. It is also arguable whether the virgins represent the church or if they are attendants at the marriage feast.