The phrase “less than overcomers” is not found in the Scriptures. We have heard the phrase “more than overcomers” used to describe the lives of the faithful followers of Jesus, referred to in scripture as the church, the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, and other names. The “more than overcomers” phrase is likely taken from Romans 8:37: “…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” The expression “more than conquerors” is from a Greek word meaning, “to gain a decisive victory; to vanquish” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #5245). It describes a faithful life lived in complete consecration to God.
In order for individuals to be accepted by God and enter into covenant relationship with Him, the merit of Christ must be applied for their justification (See Romans 5:9). As a result of having such faith, individuals can be begotten by the holy Spirit and become “new creatures” in Christ (See 2 Corinthians 5:17).
As with any challenging task, a life dedicated to following Jesus can result in different levels of success. We generally focus on the results of being faithful and receiving the highest reward of being with Jesus in heaven. However, in addition to the faithful church class, the Bible also refers to a second class in heaven called the “great company” or “great multitude.”
The great company is a class of Christians in covenant relationship with God. In Matthew 25, they are described in the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. There, Jesus mentions two classes of his followers. The wise virgins diligently study God’s word and are prepared for the Lord’s return. Their lamps are full of oil, allowing their flame to burn brightly. The foolish virgins however, do not have enough oil in their lamps and their flame burns out.
In both cases, the oil represents the holy spirit – God’s power and influence. The wise are alert and awake to what the Lord is doing. The foolish miss out on the Lord’s return and are not permitted into the marriage of the bridegroom. But the foolish virgins did have oil to begin with; they simply did not have enough.
Possessing enough of the holy spirit means to have a proper understanding of the plan of God and the responsibility it brings upon the individual. Recognizing this responsibility is manifested in various ways such as through character development, sacrificial service and other faithful acts. Because the foolish virgin class (representing the great company) has less oil, God’s influence is manifested in a lesser degree than in the wise virgin (representing the church) class.
As a result, the great company loses the privilege of being part of the bride of Christ. But the holy spirit still works in them. They are described in Revelation 7 as a “great multitude.” In verse 13, they are shown wearing white robes, a symbol of purity. In verse 14, they come out of great tribulation.
Jude 1:23 describes this class as ones whose “garments were spotted by the flesh.” In other words, this great company class allowed the spirit of the world to influence their lives and put spots on their robes. By eventually figuratively washing their robes in the blood of the Lamb, they came to a realization of their shortcomings and cleansed their robes by seeking forgiveness. Although tribulation was needed to wake them up, they eventually prove faithful. Finally in Revelation 7:15, they are seen “before the throne of God and serve Him day and night.”
This group is victorious and rewarded by serving before the throne of God but not on the throne. They remained under the blood and did not deny Christ. Therefore, they never lost the spirit of God, but were given a lesser spirit nature than the church, who receives the divine nature and is seated with God and Christ on their throne (See Revelation 3:21).