In Exodus Chapter 12 we read of the institution of the Passover.

“The term Passover signifies to pass by or spare from an affliction. When the last plague was visited upon Egypt, the houses of the Israelite’s were all marked with the blood of a slain lamb, that the destroying angel might not cut off the first born of Israel with the first born of Egypt.

“Consecrate to me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is mine.” (Exod 13:2)

These first-born ones were afterward represented in the priestly tribe of Levi, to which Moses belonged, and through this priesthood all Israel was brought into covenant relationship with God.”

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Now behold, I myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore, the Levites shall be mine, because all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.” (Num 3:11-13)

“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord.” (Num 3: 44, 45)

The Gospel Church (NOT the professing church as a whole, but the true Church, the spirit begotten) are the antitype. These alone of all people are now in danger of everlasting death–the second death–because these only have the knowledge sufficient–if rejected or abused—to bring condemnation to the second death.

The first born of Israel represented those who now by faith abide in Christ, under “the blood of sprinkling“–the precious blood of Christ, our Passover lamb, slain for us. And these shall be delivered, spared, passed over, being counted worthy of life through the merit of the precious blood of Christ. But if any abide not under this covering, he must surely perish, as any of the first born of Israel would have perished had they ventured out, beyond the protection of the blood of the typical lamb. How forcibly does the type thus illustrate the value of the precious blood of Christ, our Passover Lamb!” (R 1657)

“The Scriptures clearly show that Jesus, “the Lamb of God,” was the antitype of the Passover lamb, viz., “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; therefore, let us keep the feast” (1 Cor 5:7), and that his death was as essential to the deliverance of the antitypical “Church of the first-born” from death, as was the death of the typical lamb to the first-born of Israel.”

“The tribe of Levi pictured the entire “Church of the First-born,” but it contained two classes of individuals the “little flock” of priests and the “great company” of Levites, the Bride class and the servant class, none of whom have any inheritance in the earth.”

Note the following text,

“The priests, the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—shall have neither part nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and His portion. Therefore, they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the Lord is their inheritance, as He said to them.” (Deut 18:1, 2)

Likewise note that when the Israelite’s entered the land of Canaan (typifying the heavenly Canaan, the Kingdom of God established on earth), the typical Levites received no inheritance in the land (Josh 13:14, 33)

“As the Levites were chosen instead of all the firstborn of Israel, and were given no inheritance in the land, this shows that the firstborn died to their earthly inheritance on the Passover night. They died in the Passover lamb, typifying how all the firstborn die to all their earthly rights when they come into Christ through consecration and begettal of the Spirit. Likewise, Isaac died to his earthly rights typically when he was offered on the altar. God did not take these rights away from the Church. They were freely offered and God gives them a better inheritance. “I am thy inheritance.”

“In the type of the Priesthood, and the Levites, Aaron and his sons constituted the Priesthood, and only these had to do with the offering on the Day of Atonement, and only these had special rights and privileges. Neither Priests nor Levites, however, had any inheritance in the land with the others.

Thus, again was shown the fact that this Great Company, represented by the Levites, as well as the Little Flock, represented by the Priests, will have no inheritance in the earthly promises, in the earthly possession, in the earthly restitution.

Their inheritance will be on the spirit plane, separate and distinct from all the remainder of the world, which will then come into blessing under the Royal Priesthood and this company of Levites or instructors. In the case of the Levites, we remember that they were set apart to serve the Tabernacle.

The Great Company are said to serve IN the Temple (naos)*, and the Priest Class, the Little Flock, we have said before, ARE the Temple. In other words, the Great Company class will be the servant-class on the spirit plane; so, it was in the type. The Lord said to Aaron that he had given all the Levites to be servants of the priests in their ministry; so, the two figures correspond.” (R4655)

*Naos Strong’s # 3485: properly, a sanctuary (divine dwelling-place); a temple (sacred abode), the place of divine manifestation. 3485 (naós) refers to the sanctuary (the Jewish Temple proper), i.e., with just its two inner compartments (rooms). These consisted of the Holy and the Most Holy. Thus, the Temple referred to here refers to “that part of the temple where God himself resides”.

“The difficulty with some of the dear friends seems to be their unsuccessful attempt to identify this great company with the typical Levites. Let us, therefore, examine this point. They query,

How can these, who have already made a sacrifice, (a covenant by sacrifice, Psa 50:5) be represented by the Levites who did not sacrifice?

We reply that the great company does not sacrifice. Their covenant, their agreement, was to sacrifice even unto death, and had they faithfully carried out that agreement they would not be of the great company but of the little flock, the over-comers, the Royal Priests. From God’s standpoint they never carried out their covenant (never sacrificed), and hence cannot be recognized as priests, and therefore, although for a time recognized as priests in a tentative way, their failure to perform the sacrifice hinders them from being ultimately received as actual priests–it separates them from their brethren and constitutes them a different class, a class who have consecrated (entered into contract) but who have not performed in harmony with that consecration (violated their contract).” R 3605 “The Great Company in the Court”

The Great Company is a consecrated class they entered into the same exact contract as did their brethren the “Little Flock” under the same exact terms. Remember when the two goats (representing all who fully consecrated themselves to the Lord) were brought before the tabernacle and bound at the door as was typified in (Lev 16:7) no decision, no lots had yet been cast as yet to determine as to which would be of the “Lords Goat” class and which the “Scapegoat”, thus was shown that all who have fully submitted themselves to the Lord entered under the same terms and conditions, the same calling with the same potential of loss and with the same hope of reward.

In our next post we hope to provide further insight on whom and whence comes this great company class.