The Youthful Worthies have been Gospel Age Gershonite Levites in the Transitional (Epiphany) period, and will be Gershonite Levites in the Millennium. The Gershonites had charge of all the curtains and coverings of the Tabernacle, except the second veil, and the curtains of the Court, with their cords (Numbers 3: 25-27; 4: 21-28). This seems to indicate that the Millennial ministry of the Youthful Worthies will be especially to teach and apply to the people the doctrines of Justification and Consecration and related truths.

Millennial Rewards of the Youthful Worthies

Their measure of the holy spirit will enable them to have special revelations in the form of visions (Joel 2: 28).

As part of the household of the faithful they will be honorably used, and will be next to the Ancient Worthies on earth (2 Timothy 2: 20).

With the Great Company, they will be Nobles in God’s Kingdom, wherein the Christ will be the Kings, and the Ancient Worthies will be the Princes (Psalm 72: 3).

They will receive perfect human nature, thus partaking in the “resurrection of the just” with the Little Flock, Great Company and Youthful Worthies (Luke 14: 14), and in the “better resurrection” with the Ancient Worthies (Hebrews 11: 35).

As a part of the Church of the Millennial, but not Gospel Age firstborns, they will be honored with the privilege of serving Christ and the Church in the interests of the world of mankind as teachers of the people (Numbers 3: 40-51) (Hebrews 12: 23).

As a part of antitypical Elisha they will be privileged to share in many restitution works (2 Kings 2: 9, 10).

Post-Millennial Rewards of the Youthful Worthies

But their full reward will come after the Millennial Age, when they and the Ancient Worthies will be made spirit beings. It is reasonable and Scriptural to expect that the Youthful Worthies will receive ultimately a higher reward than they could have on this earth, for if they were to remain on earth forever, they would be equal to the faithful restitutionists. But it would seem that the Divine Attributes would reward them far above the world of mankind for their Millennial and post-Millennial service and sufferings, and their faithfulness when Satan, sin, error and death has been in the ascendancy and domination among men.

The names (disposition and nature) of all the firstborns are written in heaven – all of them will finally develop spiritual dispositions, gain spiritual bodies, and thus have a spiritual inheritance as theirs (Hebrews 12: 23). The Gershonites, together with the Kohathites and Merarites, were taken for the firstborn of Israel; consequently the former, typing the Youthful Worthies, are included among the number of the Church of the Millennial firstborns whose names are written in heaven (Numbers 3: 40-51).

Neither the priests nor the Levites had any inheritance in the land. This, of course, included the Gershonites as well as the priests, Kohathites and Merarites. Not to have any inheritance in the land types that the antitypes of these four classes of Levi’s descendants would not have an earthly but a heavenly inheritance. Therefore the Youthful Worthies, as the antitypes of the Gershonites, will become spirit beings (Numbers 18: 20, 23, 24).

The location of the Gershonites, being separate and distinct from the locations of the twelve tribes of the “Israelites,” would type for the Youthful Worthies a spiritual inheritance; as the location of the Kohathites (Ancient Worthies), Merarites (Great Company) and the priests (Little Flock), all separate and distinct from the twelve tribes of the “Israelites” (the world), would type spiritual inheritances for these classes (Numbers 3: 23).

To give tithes symbolizes to acknowledge one’s inferiority and subjection to the one to whom one gives tithes (Hebrews 7: 1-10). Since the four distinct families of Levites represent the four elect classes, the type (Numbers 18: 21, 24) seems to prove that the world of mankind will be inferior and subject to the Ancient Worthies, Great Company and Youthful Worthies; and the type (Numbers 18: 25-32) seems to prove that these three classes in turn will be inferior and subject to the Little Flock. Inasmuch as the Youthful Worthies, as well as the others, will be receiving tithes forever from the saved world of mankind, it follows that the Youthful Worthies will have a higher than a human inheritance on the earth – a heavenly inheritance.

Revelation 20: 9: “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” The Youthful Worthies seem to be meant by the term, “camp of the saints” and Ancient Worthies by the term, “beloved city.” If the expression, “compassed the camp of the saints,” proves that the glorified Church cannot be meant by the “camp of the saints,” for the reason that human beings could not attack an unseen force of spirit beings, as the Church will then be, it follows for the same reason that by the expression, “compassed . . . the beloved city,” the glorified Church cannot be meant. Rather, it would seem that the Ancient Worthies, as the visible representatives of the invisible Beloved City are here meant by the expression the “beloved city.” If this is true, then the “camp of the saints” would be another class – the Youthful Worthies, against whose subordinate power the goat class will rebel after Satan is loosed. It would seem at that time, the end of the Little Season, that the Ancient and Youthful Worthies, separate and distinct from the world of mankind, will receive their heavenly reward.

(to be continued)