Four Classes
The Church, Great Company, Ancient Worthies, World of Mankind.
We read in the Bible that four classes of people will be rewarded with everlasting life In Jehovah’s Divine Plan of the Ages, made possible through the Ransom Sacrifice of His only begotten son, Christ Jesus. These four classes are represented in scriptural pictures, as follows.
- The Church of Christ, to receive the divine nature on the spiritual plane, are shown as “the Bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Revelation 21:9), as “the King’s daughter … all glorious within” (Psalms 45:13), and also pictured by the priests of the Old Testament.
- The Great Company, to receive a spirit nature on the spiritual plane, are shown as “the virgins … companions [of the bride class] that follow her” (Psalms 45:14). They are also pictured by the Levites who wash their garments and are presented as helpers to the priests (Numbers 8:5‑22).
- The Ancient Worthies, to be raised to perfect human life on the earthly plane, are to be made “Princes in all the earth” (Psalms 45:16), represented in Ezekiel’s vision of the temple as “Prince” class who will lead mankind to God in the Kingdom (Ezekiel 46:9, 10).
- The willing and obedient of mankind restored to perfect human life on the earthly plane during the Millennial Kingdom of Christ (Isaiah 35:10, Ezekiel 45:22, 46:9).
Of interest to us in this article are four passages of scripture in which all four classes are represented in one context.
(1) PSALM 45
This passage describes a royal marriage. In the immediate application it is likely that the passage refers to King Solomon. But in Hebrews, Paul recognizes that the passage refers prophetically to King Jesus (compare Psalms 45:6, Hebrews 1:8, 9). Verse 13 refers to the bride as a “king’s daughter,” and this august occasion was attended by royal visitors from Tyre (verse 12). For these reasons the passage may refer to the marriage of Solomon to the daughter of the King of Egypt (1 Kings 3:1, 7:8) – but prophetically to the marriage of Jesus to the Bride class, drawn out of the kingdoms of this world, pictured by “Egypt.”
In verses 13‑17, there are references to all four classes.
- Psalms 45:13,14. “The King’s daughter is all glorious within; Her clothing is interwoven with gold. She will be led to the King in embroidered work” (all quotations from the NASB). Here we see the Bride, the daughter of King Jehovah, the 144,000 church members developed by faith and their covenant of sacrifice during the Gospel Age. They will be rewarded with the same Divine Nature as her Bridegroom, shown in her bridal garments interwoven with gold.
- Psalms 45:14, 15. “The virgins, her companions who follow her, will be brought to You. They will be led forth with gladness and rejoicing; They will enter into the King’s palace.” In these verses the companions who follow the Bride are the Great Company class. In Matthew 25:2,3 they are depicted as “foolish virgins” and lose the chief reward promised to the Bride class. They would get nothing, if it were not for our Lord’s grace. Nevertheless, because of loyalty to him, he will have mercy on them and give them a resurrection to a spirit nature like the angels possess. These will follow the bride into the heavenly realm of their King and Heavenly Father.
- Psalms 45:16. “In place of your fathers will be your sons; You shall make them princes in all the earth.” Here we see the Ancient Worthies. They were forefathers of faith but now will be sons to the Second Adam and Second Eve. After the heavenly marriage of the Lamb and his bride, children will be “born” to them through the resurrection process.
The first to be raised from the grave on earth will be these Princes. Due to their faith and passing their tests of obedience in serving God before the Flood, and in the Patriarchal Age, and the Jewish Ages, they will be rewarded with perfect human life. These faithful men and women will be the visible spokesmen for the invisible spiritual Mediator of the Messianic Kingdom.
Abraham and Isaac, two of the Ancient Worthies
- Psalms 45:17. “I will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations; Therefore, the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever.” The people here represent the entire human family. They will be raised from the grave and then go through the process of reaching human perfection, walking the highway of holiness in Christ’s Kingdom. The willing and obedient will develop a character of divine love as shown in the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25).
These people also will have to pass a test of obedience. In the “little season” the Mediator will remove the covering over the people. Then Satan will be released to test whether they love the Lord God with all their hearts and minds. Those that follow Satan at that time will be destroyed in the Second Death. The obedient will gain perfect everlasting life on the restored earth, giving Jehovah thanks and praise forever and ever.
(2) 1 CHRONICLES 28:20-21
A second Scriptural portrayal of the 4 classes is found in 1 Chronicles 28:20‑21. David had collected all the materials for building God’s Temple and now encouraged his son to complete the Temple’s construction. In verse 20 King David told his son, “Be strong and courageous and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God my God is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the Lord is finished.”
The temple of God is His workmanship. During the Messianic Kingdom, the Spiritual Temple, Christ head and body, will be the means of blessing mankind and bringing them back into direct covenant relationship and everlasting life on earth that was lost in Adam.
Verse 21 says, “Now behold, there are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God, and every willing man of any skill will be with you in all the work for all kinds of service. The officials and all the people will be entirely at your command.” (a) The priests represent the Church, the bride of Christ. (b) The Levites represent the Great Company, the foolish virgins. (c) The officials represent the Princes, the Ancient Worthies. (d) The people represent all mankind who will be under the leadership of the spiritual Mediator, the Melchizedek priesthood, and the earthly visible spokesmen, the Ancient Worthies.
Priests and Levites represent the Church and Great Company.
(3) EZEKIEL 44
A third picture of the 4 classes to gain life in Jehovah’s Divine Plan is in Ezekiel’s Temple, found in Ezekiel 44. “Then He brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces the east; and it was shut. (2) The Lord said to me, ‘This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore, it shall be shut.’ (3) As for the prince, he shall sit in it as prince to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by way of the porch of the gate and shall go out by the same way” (Ezekiel 44:1‑3).
The temple door facing east is shut, meaning the door to the high calling at that time will be closed and the church class complete. (a) First, we see the Princes, the Ancient Worthies, who cannot enter by this east gate, because they will be earthly, and not heavenly. They will feed on the bread, the word of the Lord, in order to receive life and to dispense it to the people.
(b) Ezekiel 44:10. “But the Levites who went far from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, shall bear the punishment for their iniquity.” Here, second, we see the Great Company class shown as the once disobedient Levites. Verse 11 shows that they will serve “in my sanctuary” (heaven), assisting the work of blessing the people.
(c) Ezekiel 44:15. “But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer Me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord God.” Here, third, we see the Church, the priests who were faithful in discharging their service of sacrifice during their “day of salvation.”
(d) Ezekiel 44:19. “When they go out into the outer court, into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers; then they shall put on other garments so that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.” Here, fourth, we see the people representing all mankind that will be blessed by the Melchizedek priesthood.
(4) NEHEMIAH 9:38
The fourth example of the four classes to gain life is found in Nehemiah 9:38. Here we see the parties who will be involved in making the New Covenant between God and Israel / mankind. “Because of all this We are making an agreement in writing; And on the sealed document are the names of our leaders, our Levites and our priests.”
First, we see the leaders (princes in King James), representing the Ancient Worthies. Second are the Levites, who represent the Great Company who will assist the priests. Third are the priests, representing Christ head and body. This agreement is being signed by the three parties listed above for the benefit of the fourth class, being all the people.
The Melchizedek priesthood, Christ head and body, will be mediators of the New Covenant. The Great Company, the Ancient Worthies, and the people will all be helpmates and assistants in Jehovah’s great program to restore mankind back into direct covenant relationship as sons with the Heavenly Father, which was lost in Adam.
All four classes will have been tested and rewarded with everlasting life, either on the spiritual or earthly plane of existence. All four classes will praise their Heavenly Father for ever and ever in the Ages to Come.
— Br. Brad Sweeney