The Great Company, continued

In the tabernacle picture, “the scapegoat was charged with the iniquities of the children of Israel, but was not put to death, and the blood was not taken into the Most Holy. This shows that the scapegoat was not a sacrifice for sins. Instead, the scapegoat was taken into the wilderness, and left there. The members of the Great Company have no part in the sin offering. Instead they are delivered over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord (1 Cor 5:5, 1 Tim 1:20). Their sufferings are not willing, but forced; which is why they don’t deserve the reward promised to the faithful members of the Little Flock, which is the divine nature, immortality, a place on the throne with our Lord Jesus.”

The Great Company having failed to obtain the honor of SITTING on the throne (Rev 3:21) with their Lord instead will receive the lesser honor of STANDING before the throne (Rev 7:9, 14, 15). Instead of rulers in the kingdom they will serve as servants.

“The members of the Great Company will constitute the heavenly temple itself (1 Cor 3:16; Ezek 44:10-14). The Great Company in (or a part of) this temple will assist Christ and his Church in the work of the kingdom, like the Levites who served the priests in the Jewish Age. Nevertheless, even if their sufferings were unwilling, they will have some value in God’s eyes, since He will use them to compensate for the willful sins of humanity.

This is, undoubtedly, the merit of Christ that imputed to these members; give to their sufferings this compensating value.

THEIR DESTINY IS A HEAVENLY REWARD

Why is this you asked?

Because there was only one calling ever offered during this Gospel Age, and that was the call to sacrifice and to joint heirship with our Lord Jesus Christ. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling (one calling, one invitation); one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Eph 4:4, 5)

“Behold, now (during the Gospel Age) is the accepted (or receivable) time; behold, now is A day of salvation (a day, the day, the only day, the day in which “a new and living way” has been opened to us, a narrow way, a way of sacrifice). 2 Cor 6:2; Heb 10:20; Matt 7:14

There were not two separate callings one for the Little Flock and one for the Great Company with separate requirements and separate rewards being offered, the fact is there was no calling whatsoever for any Great Company class. There was only the one calling, a call to membership in the body of Christ. This one or singular calling was picture in the presentation of the two goats before the door of the tabernacle (Lev 16:7) the presentation of the two goats represents all those who coming from the world and accepting Jesus’ redemption have fully consecrate their lives even unto death to God’s service during this gospel age.

Now as there was no distinction was made between the two goats at the time of their presentation before the door of the tabernacle so too with respects to the consecrated no distinction is made between who will ultimately comprise the Little Flock and who the Great Company. In the type or tabernacle picture lots were casts for the two goats to determine which would be for the Lord and which for the scapegoat.

“The casting of lots to see which goat would be the ‘Lord’s Goat’, and which the ‘Scape Goat’, indicated that God had no choice (exercised no choice) as to which of those who present themselves shall win the prize. It shows that God does not arbitrarily determine which of the consecrated shall become partakers of the divine nature, and joint-heirs with Christ our Lord and which shall not. Those who suffer with him shall reign with him; those who succeed in avoiding the fiery trials by a compromising course miss also the joint-heirship in glory.” Rom 8:17 (T 59-61)

The Great Company like their brethren before them entered under the same contract or covenant of sacrifice (Psa 50:5; Rom 12:1) as did their more faithful brethren, the chief sacrifice of which was the sacrifice of their restituional or earthly life rights. When they first consecrated, hopefully after having first fully “counted the costs,” they fully agreed to all the terms indicated agreeing to offer up all in sacrifice. Understand that once an offering has been placed upon the LORD’s Altar it cannot be removed (rescinded), it remains until it is fully consumed, this whether the sacrifice (or sufferings) be willingly or unwillingly given.

Continued with next post.