| Christian Life and Doctrine | August 1967 |
The Ancient Worthies
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.” “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not [the fulfillment of] the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” —Hebrews 11:1,2,39,40
IN THE eleventh chapter of Hebrews we have an account of the deeds of some of the heroes of faith who lived in past ages. Faith is the foundation requisite that leads to God. We know that “without faith it is impossible to please him” in any age. (Heb. 11:6) We know that no work unaccompanied by faith is acceptable to God. According to Scripture, between the time of man’s creation and the present time there have been two classes of men and women who have exercised supreme faith in God. One of them lived before Pentecost. Both have been well-pleasing to the Heavenly Father, and both will be highly rewarded for their faith and their faithfulness. The class that lived prior to Pentecost is known as the Ancient Worthies; the one since Pentecost is known as “the church of God.”—Acts 20:28
Professed Christians generally are quite unaware of the distinction which the Bible makes between these two classes, and the different manner in which they are rewarded in the resurrection. The subject of the Ancient Worthies can be appreciated only in the light of God’s great plan of salvation as centered in Jesus. An appreciation of the faith and the reward of the Ancient Worthies is peculiar to those who understand the important doctrine of the ransom and its philosophy.
The experiences and faith of these Ancient Worthies—the saints of the Old Testament who lived and died before the development of the spiritual “Seed” of Abraham—help us to appreciate the providences of God on our behalf. The first of the Ancient Worthies was Abel. The last, we think, was John the Baptist. Certainly John the Baptist was one of the Ancient Worthies, and Jesus said that “the Law and the prophets were until John.” (Luke 16:16) In Hebrews 11:32 the prophets are included among the Ancient Worthies.
Both Men and Women
The church is composed of both men and women, and so also is the Ancient Worthy class. Rahab, Sarah, the Shunamite woman, and Moses’ mother are some of the women making up this class. We read in Hebrews 11:23 that “by faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.” From this we feel sure that Moses’ mother and father were both of the Ancient Worthy class.
We also know that the prayers of the Ancient Worthies were heard by God. There were many believers in those ancient times. There are many believers now. There were a few faithful then, and there a few faithful today. We do not know how many were faithful to God during those ancient times, for their number has not been recorded. Hebrews, chapter 11, mentions from twenty to thirty persons, but the apostle explains that he did not have time to mention all of them, so we know that there were more than those whose experiences were briefly mentioned by the apostle. (Heb. 11:32-38; 12:1) In the Book of Acts from fifty to seventy-five members of the Early Church are mentioned, but this is only a few—mostly the prominent ones—of the church class at that time.
Since Hebrews 12:1 refers to the Ancient Worthies as a “cloud of witnesses,” we must conclude that the number of the faithful before the Christian era was large—certainly large enough to do the work to be assigned to them; namely, the administration of the New Covenant throughout all the earth, as the earthly representatives of the Mediator of the New Covenant. The kingdom work will be vast. The Ancient Worthies are to be “princes in all the earth,” and there will be millions of people to be dealt with all over the earth, so it seems that the Ancient Worthies will need to be a much larger group than mentioned in Hebrews 11.—Ps. 45:16
Their Reward
We can appreciate the reward of the Ancient Worthies through our understanding of other doctrines of the divine plan. The Master said that in his time “no man hath ascended up to heaven.” And no heavenly promises were ever made to the Ancient Worthies. Where, then, are these faithful ones? The Bible explains that they are asleep in death, and that in the resurrection God will awaken them from this “sleep” and reward them with perfect human life. The Bible refers to this great feature of the divine plan as “a better resurrection.”—Heb. 11:35
Some of the Ancient Worthies were tried more severely than we have ever been, but the Lord guided them and gave them strength to endure. This is a witness for us. He has promised to give us strength, and his arm is not shortened. His promises are as sure now as they were then, but faith is as necessary now to lay hold upon those promises as it was in the time of the Ancient Worthies. Without faith we cannot please God—cannot make our calling and election sure. We can hardly speak of faith without referring to those ancient examples of faith—and how stimulating to faith those examples are! Daniel is one of them. Do we “dare to be a Daniel”? His experiences should be a source of spiritual courage, and we constantly need courage.
Hebrews 12:1-3 reads, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” The knowledge of God’s dealings with the Ancient Worthies should be a real inspiration to us. Their lives exemplify faith in action. Psalm 22:4 reads, “Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.” May this assurance be ours today, for, as we have noted, the arm of the Lord is not shortened.
Pictures
There are many pictures in the Bible that suggest a close and beautiful association and communion between the church and the Ancient Worthies during the Millennial Age. One of these is Jacob’s dream of the ladder that was set up on earth, the top of which reached to heaven. We read in Genesis 28:10-15 of the dream and of the angels ascending and descending. It is one of the lovely stories of the Bible and shows beautifully the relationship and the communication between the heavenly and the earthly.
The veil that was over Moses’ face when he came down from the mount (Exod. 34:29-35) and spoke to the people might well illustrate that the antitypical Mediator, Christ, will not speak to the people directly, but through the Ancient Worthies. The close association of David and Jonathan may also suggest the close relationship between these two classes.
Isaiah 32:1 reads, “Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.” Here, evidently, the “King” who rules is The Christ, the great spiritual authority during the Millennium. The Ancient Worthies are the “princes,” those who, according to Psalm 45:16, will be made “princes in all the earth.” Here again, then, the close future relationship of these two ruling groups in the kingdom is indicated. Psalm 45:16 states that the “princes” will be the children of The Christ, which also shows a close relationship in the family of God.
A Justified Class
The Ancient Worthies are a class represented in the Bible as having pleased God. We read that “these all, having obtained [past tense] a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” (Heb. 11:39,40) These are “made perfect” in the “better resurrection.” (Heb. 11:35) In Hebrews 12:23 we have a text in which we believe the Ancient Worthies are referred to as “just men made perfect.” They were justified to friendship with God, and may therefore be described as “just men.” In Acts 24:15 we read of the “resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” The Ancient Worthies would be the “just” ones of that period in the divine plan.
In John 5:28,29 the “just” are referred to as “they that have done good” and the “unjust” as “they that have done evil”; and Jesus said that those who have done good shall come forth “unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment,” or trial, testing. (Revised Version) We see that those who have done good, who shall come forth “unto the resurrection of life”—that is, who will come forth in the resurrection fully alive—can refer only to overcoming classes, the church, the Ancient Worthies, and the Great Company. These alone can be said to have done well in the Lord’s estimation, to have received divine approval.
In the Kingdom
Luke 13:28,29 is another text pertaining to the Ancient Worthies. We quote, “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.” Matthew 8:11 reveals that the people of the world will “sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”
Thus it is indicated that in the kingdom the Ancient Worthies will occupy a special position, in that the world in general will “sit down” with them. The thought seemingly suggested here is that the Ancient Worthies will be looked up to as the teachers of the people, the ones through whom the Word of the Lord will go out from the divine Christ to all mankind. All will be in the kingdom—the world in general as subjects, and the Ancient Worthies as rulers, representing the spiritual rulership phase of the kingdom.
To Serve Under New Covenant
The reconciliation of fallen man with God during the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom is likened in the Scriptures to the making of a covenant with the people, a covenant in which the law of God will be written in the hearts of the people, and “in their inward parts.” (Jer. 31:31-34) The Law Covenant which God made with Israel at Sinai had Moses as its mediator. The New Covenant will also have a Mediator—The Christ, Jesus and his body members. The Ancient Worthies will have a part, in their capacity as teachers and “princes,” in bringing others into this covenant.
At the same time, the Ancient Worthies will be subject to the righteous requirements of the New Covenant and will serve under the direction of its Mediator. Having already proved their worthiness under most adverse conditions, they will be raised from the dead as perfect beings, so would not seem to need the mediating services of The Christ as will the fallen human race, who will reach full perfection only at the end of the Millennium, when all will be subject to a final test. Not until after the final testing period at the end of the Millennium will any, even though perfect men, have direct access to God.
Questions have been raised about the imperfections of some of the Ancient Worthy class. There was David, for example. But God referred to David as a man after his own heart. David won God’s approval upon the basis of his faith and loyalty of heart.
Then there was Samson, whom Paul named as among those who received God’s approval. We know that Samson was not perfect, but God dealt with him. For twenty years he served God as judge in Israel, and his very last act—the slaying of the idolatrous Philistines—was a service for God. Some have looked upon this as a great sin on Samson’s part, but the account reveals that God gave him the strength to accomplish it. It is well to remember that the Philistines were engaged in an orgy of idolatry to Dagon at the time and were making sport of one of God’s servants, one whom an inspired servant later indicated to be one of the Ancient Worthies.
Counselors
Isaiah 1:25,26 reads, “I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy [Israel’s and the world’s] dross, and take away all thy tin: and I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.” The judges whom the Lord raised up in Israel were deliverers and blessers of the people, and through Isaiah the Lord assures us that he will again raise up judges; and these, we believe, will be the resurrected Ancient Worthies.
“The city of righteousness” referred to in this prophecy is evidently the same city mentioned in Isaiah 2:2-4. In verse 3 we are told that “out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” “Zion” and “Jerusalem” here seem to symbolize the spiritual and earthly rulership phases of Messiah’s kingdom, and the Ancient Worthies will be the earthly part of this city-government arrangement. It is easy to see how these “princes in all the earth” will have their names remembered in all generations and why the people will praise them forever and ever.” as foretold in Psalm 45:16,17.
Life Under New Covenant
The Ancient Worthies will, we believe, receive life under the New Covenant. It is the only source of everlasting human life. This conclusion is supported by the text, “Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children.” They will be the children of The Christ and, therefore, the children of the New Covenant which The Christ will mediate. Certainly they did not expect a heavenly reward. Our Master said concerning John the Baptist, the last of the Ancient Worthy class, “He that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matt. 11:11) The reference here is to the heavenly phase of the kingdom. How long will this text remain true? Our Master gave it no time limit. Hebrews 11:9,10,13-16 is sometimes used to suggest that the Ancient Worthies will receive a heavenly reward. We quote, “By faith he [Abraham] sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”
The “city” for which Abraham looked was “the New Jerusalem,” that city which comes “down from God out of heaven”—sent and implemented by the God of heaven. (Rev. 21:2) Until The Christ class is complete, Abraham could not have the blessings of this “holy city,” the kingdom. Abraham and all the Ancient Worthies saw the fulfillment of the promises “afar off,” that is, beyond their lifetime. None of them were in harmony with the evil order in which they lived. They were pilgrims and strangers, “of whom the world was not worthy.” But they desired a country ruled from heaven. And God has promised that kingdom, through the heavenly mediatorial reign of Christ and the church.
Another interesting correlation of texts is I Peter 1:4, 10, and verse 12. Peter speaks of “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” (vs. 4) Verse 10 reads, “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you.” And then verse 12, “Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.” The prophets were desirous of knowing the meaning of their prophecies concerning “the great salvation” but could not; it was revealed that their application was not to them, but to God’s people of a future time.
The Ancient Worthies, like the remainder of perfect humanity, will doubtless be more than satisfied with their reward. And while the Scriptures give us no definite information concerning details of arrangements for mankind beyond the Millennium, the human race will need administrators; and who could better fill positions of this kind than the Ancient Worthies?
One of the important lessons for us in connection with the Ancient Worthies is their steadfast faithfulness under trial. Let us, then, consider these faithful ones and note how they demonstrated their loyalty, how they proved their devotion; for this will help us also to endure in faith and devotion. Thus we also will receive our reward and will rejoice in the privilege of having these human princes as our friends in the kingdom of God.