Question: How many saved classes will there be from among mankind?

Answer: This question may be answered from different standpoints:

(1.) Broadly speaking, there will be two such classes – a heavenly class and an earthly class, one to have the glory of the celestial, the other terrestrial (1 Corinthians 15: 40, 48), otherwise called the elect and the non-elect. Our Lord speaks of these as being figurative sheep of two folds: sheep of the Gospel Age fold and the “other sheep” (the restitution sheep), “which are not of this [Gospel Age] fold,” but of the Millennial Age fold (John 10: 14-16). One class is selected in “this world,” the other in “the world to come” (Matthew 12: 32).

(2.) From another standpoint, there will be three such classes: the antitypical Priests, Levites and Israelites (pictured respectively in the Tabernacle, the Court and the Camp), namely, the Little Flock, the rest of the elect and the non-elect.

(3.) There are four such classes when we count the antitypical Priests and Levites, and the non-elect saved of mankind grouped in two classes, one the quasi-elect – the loyal Covenant believing Jews and the Gospel Age loyal faith-justified ones, and the other the non-elect – the rest of the Jews and Gentiles who will be saved.

(4.) They could be considered as consisting of five classes: the antitypical Priests, the three groups of antitypical Levites (the Ancient Worthies – the Kohathites, the Great Company – Merarites, and the Youthful Worthies – Gershonites), and the world of mankind (pictured in the Camp in the Tabernacle setting).

(5.) Joel 2: 28, 29 shows that there will be six classes: the Little Flock (servants), the Great Company (handmaids), the Ancient Worthies (old men), the Youthful Worthies (young men), and the quasi-elect (sons) and the non-elect (daughters). These six saved classes from among mankind together with the repentant fallen angels will make seven saved classes in all.

(6.) There will be seven saved classes among mankind if we divide the quasi-elect into two classes: those who do not consecrate until after the earthly phase of the Kingdom is set up and those – the Consecrated Epiphany Campers – who consecrate during the Epiphany after 1954, when the Epiphany began to lap into the Basileia and when no more could come into the Epiphany Court as candidates for Youthful Worthyship. These Consecrated Epiphany Campers are closely related to but are not a part of the Youthful Worthy class. They are pictured in the half tribe of Manasseh which had its inheritance west of the Jordan – the side typing the restitution salvation, as distinct from the Worthies, who are pictured by the half tribe with its inheritance east of the Jordan, the side typing the elective salvation. Therefore, these seven saved classes include the Little Flock, the Ancient Worthies, the Great Company, the Youthful Worthies, the Consecrated Epiphany Campers, the rest of the quasi-elect and the non-elect.

(7.) There are eight classes if we count the Little Flock, the Great Company and the six classes who will gain everlasting life under the New Covenant, pictured in the six sons of Keturah (see the article entitled “The Quasi-Elect – Part 2” on this website).

(8.) If we divide the Worthies (typed by Keturah’s son Jokshan) into their two classes, the Ancient and the Youthful Worthies (typed respectively by Jokshan’s two sons, Sheba and Dedan), and add the other seven classes mentioned in paragraph (7.), we have nine saved classes.

(9.) If we add to the antitypical Priests and the three groups of antitypical Levites the six classes who will gain life under antitypical Keturah, we have a total of ten classes.

(10.) If we add to the Church of the Firstborn the antitypical ten tribes (the half tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan standing for one of the ten tribes, the ten typing the entire restitution class), we have eleven classes.

(11.) If we divide the Gospel Age Church of the Firstborn into its two classes, the Little Flock and the Great Company, and add the other ten classes mentioned under (10.), we have a total of twelve classes.

(12.) If we take into account the three groups of the elect – the Little Flock, the Great Company and the Worthies – who will eventually be in heaven (pictured in Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan), and the ten groups of restitutionists (pictured in the 9 tribes west of the Jordan), we have a total of thirteen classes.

(13.) If we divide the Worthies into their two groups, the Ancient and the Youthful Worthies, and add the other twelve classes mentioned under (12.), we have fourteen saved classes.

We could go on dividing and subdividing and applying various Scriptures to show additional classes of saved ones among mankind, but the above are sufficient to show that the question can be answered from various standpoints in harmony with the Scriptures. How wonderful is the diversity of the Divine wisdom in respect to the number of saved classes!