Least to Greatest

Who are the Least and Greatest in the context of judgment? Let's examine.

LEAST: ELECT BODY IN TRIBULATION?

Mt 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is LEAST in the kingdom of heaven is GREATER than he.

Lu 9:48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is LEAST among you all, the same shall be GREAT.

Mt 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall REVILE you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Mt 13:31-32 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:… Which indeed is the LEAST of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the GREATEST among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

LEAST: UNSAVED BODY IN JUDGMENT?

Mt 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the LEAST in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

1Co 6:3-4 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are LEAST esteemed in the church.

Jer 50:45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against BABYLON; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the LEAST of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.

LEAST TO GREATEST: THE WHOLE BODY IN TRIBULATION?

2Ch 36:18 And all the vessels of the house of God, GREAT and SMALL, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.

Jer 6:13 For from the LEAST of them even unto the GREATEST of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

Jer 8:10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the LEAST even unto the GREATEST is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

Jer 44:12 And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the LEAST even unto the GREATEST, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.

LEAST TO GREATEST: REDEMPTION OF THE ETERNAL BODY?

Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the LEAST of them unto the GREATEST of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Jer 42:1-3 Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the LEAST even unto the GREATEST, came near,… And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:… That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.

Jer 42:8-10 Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the LEAST even to the GREATEST,… And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;… If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.

Jon 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the GREATEST of them even to the LEAST of them.

Mt 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they REPENTED at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

Re 2:16 REPENT; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Mt 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called GREAT in the kingdom of heaven.

Ac 8:9-11 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:…To whom they all gave heed, from the LEAST to the GREATEST, saying, This man is the great power of God…. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.

Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for ALL shall know me, from the LEAST to the GREATEST.

GREAT: MEN OF RENOWN BABYLON WHO BECOME LEAST?

Re 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the GREAT men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

Re 18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that GREAT CITY BABYLON, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Re 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Eze 23:23 The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable young men, captains and rulers, GREAT LORDS and RENOWNED, all of them riding upon horses.

Nu 16:2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, FAMOUS in the congregation, MEN OF RENOWN:

SUMMARY CONCLUSION

Just like the First and Last, Least to Greatest appears to be referring to the whole body that starts out as LEAST because the pastors were not feeding the flock. But at the revelation of Christ those who were LEAST have become GREAT. And those who were supposedly GREAT (men of renown) end up LEAST under the wrath of God. Given the proper context, it can also be said that from the least to the greatest is pointing to the redeemed eternal church.