 The Millerites initially held that although the second coming of Christ had not occurred on October 22, the "close of probation" had occurred on that day.They based this belief on their understanding of the parable of the 10 virgins found in Matthew 25 in which the door of salvation is shut.They believed it was too late to be saved if one had not been through the Millerite experience, while they still anxiously expected that Jesus would return to Earth within their lifetimes.