A Study in God’s Plan for Mankind: Study 16: The Great Company

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The Gospel Age Part 6: “The Great Company”

During the period of time in God’s plan for mankind known as the Gospel Age, an extremely important facet of that plan was made known, albeit to a relatively small number of mankind. During his first advent, Jesus began preaching to the descendants of Israel of an invitation, a calling, to devote their lives to God in a fuller and more complete manner than attempting to keep the letter of the law given to their ancestors by God. Jesus described the requirements for this calling in a few simple, yet far-reaching sentences:

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Matthew 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Matthew 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Jesus knew that this would be a very difficult set of commandments for people to fully embrace and keep. He knew that the number who would answer such a call, to set all things aside as secondary in favor of a commitment to God, would be small. He referred to this choice in life as “the narrow way”:

Matthew 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Although the way would be require much sacrifice on the part of those who undertook it, the scriptures also assure those who undertake this way and are found worthy of their commitments that the reward for obedience will be great beyond imagining:

I Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The fact that Jesus referred to this calling as “a narrow way” indicates that only a small portion of mankind will understand the calling and respond to it. Those who are found worthy after responding to this call are referred to as “the little flock” or “the church class” or “the bride of Christ”, to name just a few titles. This class, who overcomes the temptations of the world in favor of service and faithfulness to God, will thus be even a smaller percentage of the already minority of mankind who will hear and answer the call to walk “the narrow way”:

Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

It is sadly true that some may, throughout the course of their lives, turn their backs on God altogether. Others may know something of God and His Son, to the point of worshiping God, perhaps even making some outward sign of their worship, such as baptism, yet not fully understand the requirements necessary to walk “the narrow way”. However, the scriptures also seem to indicate that a significant number of people will enter into a commitment with God to devote, or consecrate, their lives to his service (“many are called”), yet, for some reason or other, they will ultimately be judged unworthy of the commitment they had made (“few are chosen”). Where do these fall in God’s plan? If this number is a large number (“many are called”), does this mean that God does not have a place in His plan for a potentially “large number” of people who try to commit their lives to Him and fail? Who love and recognize Him, but ultimately not with sufficient zeal to fully meet the expectations of a consecrated life?

Before continuing forward, consider for a moment that by asking these questions, none of these words or questions imply any sort of unfairness on God’s part to mankind. God does call individuals to His service, but much like the Israelites of the Old Testament, God leaves the choice of whether to answer that call to the individual. The Israelites were given the choice of being God’s people, and accepted the call to be God’s people (Exodus 19:8). They were told, in no uncertain terms, that to accept that calling to be God’s people would require obedience to God, which would be rewarded (Deuteronomy 28:1). They were also clearly told that disobedience would result in punishment and disfavor (Deuteronomy 28:15).

Responding to participate in the “high calling” is no different. The reward for keeping one’s commitment to God in response to His calling is high; almost too high to comprehend. The reward is the divine nature and the ability to see and be with our glorified Lord Jesus for all eternity (I John 3:2). If one fails to keep that commitment, it would be perfectly fair for God to consider that individual unworthy of any reward, and end His relationship with them at that point. However, a study of the scriptures reveals another facet to God’s plan, specifically dealing with those who love Him enough to consecrate their lives to Him, who maintain love and respect for Him throughout their lives, but, in the end, do not end up to the standard necessary to be considered worthy of membership in the church class. Since God is identifying those individuals who will form the class of “the little flock” in the present Gospel Age, so to, by default, this class of “many” who will not be found worthy to be chosen, is also being identified during the present Gospel Age.

The scriptures leave no doubt that there is one call and one call only in this present age – the call to the “narrow way.” However, the scriptures reveal that God, in His infinite mercy, has made some provision even for those who fail to live up to the commitments they had made through a lack of faith and a lack of dedication. This study examines a few of references to this class, before examining a prophecy, given in Revelation, of a time yet to come, which more clearly delineates the separation between the the “little flock” (the “few”) and this more populous class (the “many”). To begin this study, consider a parable given by Jesus to his followers in the later days of his first advent.

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins

Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Matthew 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Matthew 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Matthew 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Matthew 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Matthew 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Matthew 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Matthew 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Matthew 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Matthew 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Matthew 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Matthew 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Matthew chapter 21 chronicles Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. This was a particularly momentous event for the Jewish people, because many understood that Jesus was fulfilling prophecies given to the Jewish people many years earlier (such as Zechariah 9:9 and Isaiah 62:10) which spoke of the Messiah who would oversee the restoration of Israel. As Jesus makes his way through Jerusalem, he and his followers visit the temple. This causes Jesus to remind his followers of the Old Testament prophecies that foretold the destruction of the temple. Hearing these words from the one they recognized to be their long-awaited Messiah may have prompted his disciples to later ask him about the signs of his “coming” and “the end of the world” (Matthew 24:1-3). Other translations of Matthew 24:3 refer to the questions as asking about the “signs of thy [his] presence,” as opposed to “coming” and the “end of the age” as opposed to “the end of the world.”.

The word translated as “world” in Matthew 24:3 in the King James version of the Bible, is Greek word 165 in Strong’s Concordance, which carries with it the thought of an age, or a period of time that can be considered delineated by some set of binding events. The word translated as “coming” in Matthew 24:3 in the King James version of the Bible is Strong’s Greek word 3952, “parousia”. Parousia carries the thought of presence. With these thoughts in mind, the disciples were asking Jesus, who had just reminded them about the destruction of the temple, to tell them how they would recognize his presence, perhaps because they were associating his presence at the end of the age with the time of Israel’s restoration, as described in the Old Testament prophecies.

These questions caused Jesus to launch in a lengthy mixture of prophecies, descriptions and parables, each of which would have applicability to the end of the age. The apostles at the time may not have realized that the “end of the age” which was being described would not arrive for many hundreds of years after their time; nevertheless, Jesus’ words would prove to be a blessing to those who are now privileged to understand them and to recognize that the end of the age has, at long last, arrived. Many of these signs and prophecies are outlined in Matthew chapter 24.

As Matthew chapter 25 opens, Jesus delivers a parable to his disciples regarding a group of ten virgins. The virgins are invited to a wedding to meet the bridegroom of the wedding. Each of the virgins take a lamp with them; however, only five of the virgins also took oil for their lamps when they went forth. The other five went forth with no oil. As they arrived at the destination, they began to wait for the bridegroom. The wait was so long that the virgins fell asleep. Some time later, a loud shout that the bridegroom was coming awoke them all, and they set about attempting to light their lamps. The virgins who had brought oil with them, who the parable describes as “the wise virgins”, had no trouble lighting their lamps, and in doing so, properly preparing themselves for the coming bridegroom. The other five, who did not take oil with them, were not able to light their lamps. The parable describes these five as “the foolish virgins”. Although they asked the wise virgins to give them some of their oil, the wise virgins declined, as giving up their own oil would cause them to likewise not be able to light their lamps and show themselves ready. While the foolish virgins rushed off in search of oil, the bridegroom came. The wise virgins were permitted into the wedding ceremony, and the door to ceremony was subsequently closed. When they foolish virgins returned to find the door shut, the bridegroom responded that he did not know them, and they were refused entry. Jesus ends the parable with the warning to “watch”, as the time of the bridegroom’s arrival was not known. Considering the virgins fell asleep during their wait, there is an implication that the wait was longer than they expected. Thus, Jesus was warning those who would wait for him to be vigilant and faithful during their wait.

The parable of the wise and foolish virgins clearly depicts two distinct groups, common in some ways, yet separate in other important ways.

  • Both groups of virgins, the wise and the foolish, were invited to meet the bridegroom. Thus, they both started with an equal chance to be admitted to the wedding. This implies that the virgin class starts out as the same group of people, each with the same invitation and the same requirements for entry into the wedding. Therefore, a reasonable interpretation of this parable is that it is not applicable to the world in general. Just as only a small group of ten virgins were called forth to meet the bridegroom, only a small group of mankind will be invited to meet the actual “bridegroom” represented in the parable.
  • There are many references to those who commit, or consecrate, their lives to God throughout the scriptures. This class of people is called “the little flock”, “the church”, and occasionally as “the bride of Christ”. This leads to the thought that the bridegroom depicted in the parable is Jesus, having returned at the end of the age (as, remember, Matthew chapters 24 and 25 record Jesus’ responses to his disciples questioning of the signs of the end of the age). Further, a reasonable interpretation, then, is that the virgins, both wise and foolish, represent those who respond to the call to leave their lives and journey forth to be considered for entry into the “the bride of Christ” or “the little flock”.
  • The separation of the two classes of virgins indicates that one class, the foolish virgins, will not be adequately prepared when the time comes for entry into the wedding, due to a lack of preparation. Only the wise virgins, who remain properly prepared, will be admitted to the wedding, to membership in “the bride of Christ”.
  • However, the foolish virgins were still recognized the call to come forth, still arrived at the wedding, and still recognized the bridegroom. Although due to a lapse in the responsibilities expected of them, they were found unworthy to enter into the wedding, the foolish virgins still represent a class who were called forth from the majority of mankind to prepare and go forth to wait for the bridegroom. What started out as one class thus became two classes; a class of faithful and dedicated, and a class of lax and foolish.

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares: A Different Lesson

To highlight the distinction of the class represented by the “foolish virgins” from other groups of mankind, consider, briefly, an earlier parable of Jesus from Matthew chapter 13. This parable is often referred to as “the parable of the wheat and the tares”:

Matthew 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Matthew 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Matthew 13:26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Matthew 13:27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Matthew 13:28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Matthew 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

At first reading, the parable of the wise and foolish virgins and the parable of the wheat and the tares seem to have much in common. Both parables describe two classes of individuals, with one class, the wheat class, clearly being more preferable than the other class, the tare class. Both parables also refer to something positive happening to one of the classes, and something negative happening to the other class. These similarities have led some to conclude that both parables teach the same lesson. However, a review of the details of the parable of the wheat and the tares suggest an interpretation different than the parable of the wise and foolish virgins.

  • In the parable of the wheat and the tares, Matthew 13:25 states that the sower’s “enemy” came into his field and sowed tares among the wheat. In verse 37, Jesus states that the sower is “the Son of man”, or Jesus himself; and in verse 39 Jesus further states that the “enemy” is “the devil”. Verse 38 also refers to the “field” as “the world”. These statements favor an interpretation of the parable that refers to a wider view of mankind than the small group of ten virgins in the Matthew chapter 25 parable. Specifically, there is a class that claims to have been called by God, and by outward appearances, to an extent, may even appear to have been so called. However, eventually, the truth of this class’s nature will be discerned.
  • Tares are fundamentally not wheat, although they resemble wheat, to a certain point. By definition, then, those of “the tare class” were never “wheat”. This implies that the two classes are fundamentally different; that they were never of the same type or class. The wise and foolish virgins, in contrast, started out to meet the bridegroom together. All ten responded to their invitation and had equal chance of entry to the wedding. Only a lack of preparation ultimately separated the wise from the foolish, not any kind of fundamental difference in type.

When viewed by these contrasts, the picture of a group of people who are called forth by God to participate in “the bride of Christ” class, yet, through a lack of preparation, do not achieve entry into the wedding, comes into sharper focus. The parable of the wheat and tares refers to two different classes, one which the “sower” never sowed, which are the tare class. These were never called forth by God, but only appeared to be, just as tares can represent wheat. From this perspective, it does not seem appropriate to equate the tare class with the foolish virgins. The lesson of the parable of the wheat and the tares is that there will be some who are falsely considered followers of Christ, or Christians, but in their hearts and in their actions, fundamentally are not. The lesson of the wise and foolish virgins, as interpreted previously, is quite different. The two virgin classes start off as the same, both called forth to the wedding, and their actions ultimately separate them into either groups of wise or foolish. The two classes depicted as wheat and tares are thus quite different than the classes depicted by the wise and foolish virgins.

The Goat and the Scapegoat

Leviticus 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Leviticus 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Leviticus 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Leviticus 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Leviticus 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

Leviticus 16:20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
Leviticus 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Leviticus 16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

Many scholars of the Old Testament have noted that the descriptions of the Tabernacle, and the sacrifices proscribed by God, actually depict various aspects to God’s plan for mankind. Leviticus, chapter 16 for example, describes a series of sacrifices dealing with animals; in particular, a bullock, and two goats. This bullock and these two goats, have a relationship to the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, in particular to the bridegroom, and the two classes of virgins.

  • Many interpretations of Leviticus 16 assign the picture of the bullock to Jesus. Jesus, remember, is generally thought to be depicted as the bridegroom in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins.
  • Leviticus chapter 16 describes two goats. One of these goats is assigned the title of “the Lord’s goat” (Leviticus 16:8). This goat, like the bullock, is offered before the Lord as a “sin offering” (Leviticus 16:11, referring to the bullock, and Leviticus 16:15, referring to the goat). This shows a special relationship between the bullock and the “Lord’s goat”. From this perspective, the “Lord’s goat” has an applicability to those of the “church class”; the wise virgin class in the parable of Matthew 25, who, like their Lord Jesus, sacrifice all that they have in their commitment to God.
  • In contrast, the scapegoat was not sacrificed in the manner of the bullock. Instead, the scapegoat was sent into the wilderness. This is reminiscent of what happened to the foolish virgins, who were shut out from the wedding after the wise virgins were admitted and the door was shut. Thus, both the pictures of the scapegoat and the foolish virgins point to a class that had an opportunity to be considered members of something greater, but in the end, failed to achieve that goal.

The Great Multitude

Revelation 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Revelation 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Revelation 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

The book of Revelation is widely accepted to be a book filled with prophecies and pictures of times in God’s plan that are yet to come. Revelation 19 describes the “marriage of the Lamb”. In particular, versus seven and eight harmonize with the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. The wise virgins, having prepared themselves to meet the bridegroom (Jesus, in his glorified state) are ready to become members of the “bride of Christ” class, also referred to in the scriptures as “the little flock” and the “church class”. This class, who have maintained their consecrations to God throughout their lives, are considered the “saints”, as referred to in verse 9. The word “saint” in verse 9 is translated from Strong’s Greek word 40, and carries with it the thought of “religious”, “blameless”, or “consecrated”. The Apostle Paul makes it clear throughout his writings that the members of the “little flock”, the “bride of Christ” class are categorized as “saints”. For example, in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul discusses how God had designated helpers who had a responsibility to develop the “body of Christ” class, also referred to as “the bride of Christ” class, and that members of this class were applied the label of “the saints”:

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

In Revelation chapter 19, we see a vision of this “bride” class finally completed. The vision also refers to a “great multitude” who are rejoicing in the completion of this class. This “great multitude” is clearly pictured as distinct from the bride class, yet are pictured as rejoicing at the marriage of the lamb. This is in line with a thought of a class that recognized God, but after failing to adequately keep their consecration vows, missed the opportunity to participate in the “bride” class, yet, through further trials and cleansing, eventually became acceptable to God in some respect.

This same “great multitude”, sometimes also referred to as a “great company”, is also referred to in Revelation chapter seven:

Revelation 7:4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Revelation 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

Revelation 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Revelation 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

Revelation 7:4 may be interpreted as referring to “the little flock”; the small number of those who are judged by God to have been faithful to their consecration vows. Starting in verse 9, however, a different class begins to be pictured. This class is referred to in verse 14 as having had a need to “wash their robes”, picturing a need for purification. Verse 14 also discusses how this class “came out of great tribulation”. Although it is true that those of “the little flock” will have experienced trials throughout their lives in pursuit of their faithfulness to God, the “great tribulation” of verse 14 refers to something different than the trials which God permits to fall upon the faithful, for purposes of developing their characters and faith. This difference will be examined much closer in upcoming studies focusing on the transition between the current Gospel Age of God’s plan, and the next age, which is soon coming. Note that in verse 15, this group is described as being “before the throne of God”. Combined with the picture described in Revelation 19, a reasonable interpretation then follows that this group, while not achieving the glory of the divine nature promised to “the little flock” will, through God’s mercy find a reward for their love and faithfulness, and still be allowed to “purify their robes”, or make their characters acceptable to God. This study only touches on this reward and the distinction from those of the “bride of Christ”, as future studies, specific to the next age, will examine the reward of “the bride of Christ” class and the lesser reward of “the great company” class in much more detail.

Through these pictures, as well as the scriptures considered over the last few studies, a hierarchy of mankind during the present Gospel Age begins to become clearer. There is the small remnant of mankind who consecrate their present lives to Him and are judged worthy of that consecration, who will eventually receive the glory of the divine nature and eternal fellowship with the glorified Lord Jesus. There are also those who recognize the call, but fall short of a lifetime of complete consecration. These will nonetheless, through God’s mercy, receive a reward; lesser, but still a reward. There are also be those in the present age who profess to follow Jesus and to love God, but do not recognize the need to make any type of actual consecration to God’s service during this present age. This is the majority of Christians, who love and remember God, who go to church on Sundays or throughout the week, but do not feel the call to enter into “the narrow way”. Lastly, there is the majority of mankind, who no little, or nothing, of God or of Jesus, and as such, currently do not have any kind of relationship, or justification, with God.

In our next study on the Gospel Age, a summary of the many significant events and changes in God’s plan for mankind the were revealed during the Gospel Age will be presented. We will return to the chart on which we have been tracking this plan, and update it with all of the many features and markers we have covered. Following that, we will investigate the next step in God’s plan as revealed by the scriptures, and find that a number of different threads from the Gospel Age are weaving together now, at the end of the age, in a second “harvest” period, reminiscent of the “harvest” period that marked the transition of the Jewish Age of God’s plan and the Gospel Age.

Further Readings and References

  • There are many other scriptures in the Bible that may be interpreted as relevant to the concept of the Great Company. For the sake of space, many of these scriptures were not covered in this study, but are listed here for those who may be interested:
  • Over the years, many Bible Students have researched the topic of the Great Company and its relationship to the church class. Some of these studies are available in audio format for those wishing further perspectives of this class:
    • The Tragedy of Not Quite (YouTube discourse): Rick Suraci discusses the need to maintain focus, diligence and faithfulness to the commitments that those who have consecrated their lives to God have made
    • The Doctrine of the Great Company (audio discourse): David Stein discusses the concept of the Great Company, and offers many scriptural proofs and references for this class of individuals for consideration
    • The Great Company parts one and two (audio discourses/studies): Allen Springer discusses, with a group of other Bible Students, scriptural references to the Great Company. Although these studies are audio only, those interested in the topic of the Great Company may be specially in the timeline of the Great Company that is developed during the course of the study
    • The Bible Resources website has many additional audio discourses on the topic of the Great Company given by different Bible Students throughout the years
  • Pastor Charles Russell discusses the concept of the Great Company, often in terms of this classes relationship with the church class, in several of his writings and studies. The following listing may be of interest to those who wish additional perspectives on the topic:
  • For more thoughts and insights into Revelation chapters 7 and 19, as well as all the books of Revelation, Notes on the Revelation of Jesus Christ may be of interest
  • (Please note that although some of the links above will take you to the Chicago Bible Students online bookstore, where physical copies of these books may be purchased, each of the books may also be downloaded from the store, free of charge, with no obligation to provide any personal information. Simply click under the description of each item to find the download link)

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