The Great Commission

The Great Commission.

I want you to understand that what I am telling you this morning is my opinion and nothing more.
I believe that what I am about to tell you is correct. Otherwise I would be wrong in telling you.

I have read the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation an average of seven times a year since 1997. If you’re not good at math then it adds up to roughly 70 times.
I’m not saying this to boast but by way of background.

What’s the difference between study and reading?
I think studying something, whether it is a subject, a character, or series of passages tends to give me a kind of tunnel vision of the subject.
Where-as reading the NT from beginning to end eventually gives the whole picture.
I believe that we should get the whole picture and not just parts of it.

In Matthew 28:16-20 we read about what has come to be known as “The great commission”.

Let’s look at what I believe the bible is saying about the “Great Commission”.

Matt 28:16, There were eleven disciples and they went where they were told to go.
17, Jesus meets them and they (the eleven) worship him but some doubted.
18, Jesus says “All Authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.”
19. “Go therefore…” “Baptizing them…”
20. This is an important passage. Teaching them… all things that I have commanded you…” “…I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Mark 16:14-20
14:Jesus appears to the eleven.
15 Go into all the world.
Let’s just stop there a minute and look at “Go into all the world.”
Could the disciples go into all the world in their lifetime?
Look at Colossians 1:6 “…as it has also in all the world.” And also 23: “…the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven…”
Colossians was written before 70 AD.

Vs 16 read
17, 18 And these signs will follow those who believe…
19. Jesus is received up to heaven.
20. The Lord working with them AND CONFIRMING THE WORD THROUGH THE ACCOMPANYING SIGNS. Amen

Turn in your bibles to John 15:26-16:16
The setting is that Jesus is talking to his disciples and only to his disciples. If we read from chpt 13 onward it is clear that those he is addressing are the select twelve that he chose.
Note verse 15:26 The helper is not the outpouring of the Spirit. He is the Comforter. He will testify of Jesus.
And then in verse 27: And you will bear witness of me (Jesus), BECAUSE you have been with me from the beginning.
Now 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come.
Now note “HE WILL LEAD YOU INTO ALL TRUTH… AND HE WILL TELL YOU THINGS TO COME”

Matthew tells me that the Disciples Jesus chose were the ones who had Authority to teach the great commission, because, the authority was given them by Jesus.

Mark tells me that there were certain things that would happen or accompany those who had been given the task of the great commission.

John tells me that those who went out were given a comforter and the Spirit of truth (not the indwelling spirit) who would tell them what to say.

Before I move on, let me just say this:
Those who think that they are responsible for telling the world about Jesus need to have the following:
1 They need to be chosen by Jesus. So, they will be Apostles.
2 They need to be sent by Jesus. So, they need to have authority
3 They need to possess at least one of the signs that would accompany them on their mission to confirm that word.
4 They need to be a recipient of the Comforter because He, the Comforter, would testify about Jesus
5 They need to have been with Jesus from the beginning And
6 They need to be the recipient of the Spirit of truth because he would lead them into all truth and tell them things to come.

So, that being said. Why can’t we go out into all the world and preach the gospel?
Don’t the people of the world need to know about Jesus?
Maybe we don’t have those gifts like picking up snakes and drinking poisons but we can still go out into all the world and preach the gospel.

So, why can’t we preach the gospel to all the world.
When I ask the question. “What is the gospel?” The answer usually comes back something along the lines of:
It’s the good news of Jesus.
Or
It’s the good news that Jesus died for us
Or
It’s the good news of reconciliation
Or…
Well, which is it?
Is it the good news of Jesus?
Is it the good news that Jesus died for us?
Is it the good news that we have now been reconciled to God?
Is it about the kingdom?
Or
Is it a combination of all?

The truth is we don’t know.
We are not privy to what Jesus taught the disciples about anything other than what he taught them about the coming vengeance upon the Jews (Luke 21:22)
In Matt 5:5-7 the disciples are sent out only to the lost sheep of Israel.
They are told not to go to the Gentiles nor the Samaritans.
What were they to preach?
The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.
And in Verse 23 in the second half of the scripture we read: “…you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the son of man comes”.
You might say that this wasn’t the great commission. You are right, it’s not the great commission.
It’s Jesus saying I came only to the Jews.
Jesus confirms this in Matt 15:24 Where he says:”…I was not sent but to the lost sheep of Israel”

Why can’t we just go out and preach the gospel?
a. Jesus gave the disciples authority to preach. Who gave you the authority?
b. The signs that accompanied them confirmed the word. What will confirm the words that you speak?
c. The disciples were given the Spirit of Truth that lead them into all truth and told them what to say. What are you going to say?




Matt 15:24 says that Jesus was sent only to the lost house of Israel.
Luke 21:22 “For these are the days of vengeance, that “all things which are written may be fulfilled.”

Revelation (The book of)

The book of Revelation has been an enigma to me since I first became a Christian in 1972. I was never able to understand it. I once taught an adult class on the book of Revelation but taught it from a book I was reading at the time. My reason for teaching the class was that I thought that we should be able to understand Revelation. After teaching this group I was still no closer to understanding it than I was before I started teaching.

Up until 2004 I read Revelation in my reading schedule, but read it out of obligation to the schedule rather than to understand it.

I am not claiming that now, by some miraculous intervention, I understand Revelation. What I am saying is that maybe I have been looking at Revelation from the wrong perspective. Praise God for his understanding and patience.

Important note!
This is not a comparison of the many different opinions of Revelation. It is, however my opinion on how I believe Revelation fits into a different time frame than I originally thought. I hope that for some, it will take away some of the myths and fables that have grown up around Revelation through the years. It may even serve as a launch pad for your own review of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. I certainly hope so.

Please read the Scriptures quoted and check the ones I type. Read them in context, not just a verse or two before and after but until you are sure you understand the context. The ideal is to read the whole book or letter for context but this is not always possible. Please don't assume that you know what the verse says without reading it. I believe one way of reading context is to ask “What did the original reader understand from what was written”.

It’s my opinion that the Revelation of Jesus Christ was written for a period contained within the lifetime of the Apostles. Chapter 1:4 tells us to whom it is written. “To the seven churches in the province of Asia:” In chapter 22:16 nothing has changed; “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning star.”

I believe that alone should convince us when it was written and to whom.

Another reason I think the Revelation was written for the time of the disciples is contained in the book of Daniel.

Daniel is a prophetic book. In Daniel 8:1 - 14 we read a prophecy. In Daniel 8:15 – 27 we are told what that prophecy means. History tells us that the fulfilment of that prophecy occurred some 200 years after Daniel wrote it. The messenger, Gabriel says in Daniel 8:26; “The visions of the evenings and the mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”

Daniel was told to seal up the vision because it concerned the distant future. We now know that it was about 200 years distant.

Revelation 22:10 “Then he told me, ‘”Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near…”’ (underline mine TP)

If Daniel had to seal up the prophecy because it concerned the distant future, and we know this to be approximately 200 years. How long would the “…time is near…” be?

John was told not to seal up the prophecy because the time was near.

I stated earlier that we should ask; “What did the original reader understand from what was written”?

It’s important to read scripture in this way because the originals were written to people living in the 1^st century. I understand that we like to apply some principles to us in the 21^st century but primarily the message was written to the early church not to us in the 21st century.

What would the 1^st century reader have understood John to be saying when he wrote John 11:29; “When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.”

The word “quickly” implies that it didn’t take Mary very long to respond to Martha’s (Vs 23-28) statement that “The Teacher is here”. The scripture says that she “got up quickly”.

The same word is used in the “Revelation” and I don’t believe that it changes its meaning.

This message is to the Church in Pergamum. Revelation 2:16 “Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you…” I believe that the church in Pergamum understood that if they did not repent then Jesus would “soon come”. “Soon” meaning shortly or quickly.

Revelation 3:11 was written to the church in Philadelphia “I am coming soon…” Did the Philadelphia congregation understand Jesus to be “coming soon” or in the year 2006 or later?

It might be argued that Jesus was indeed coming to the seven churches in the first three chapters of Revelation and later he is speaking of the future.

Is that possible? I don’t think so.

Revelation 4:1b “…’Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this’.”

John is told by “a voice” that some things were going to take place after the letters to the churches.

The question is How far into the future is “after this”?

Let’s let the bible answer.

Revelation 11:14 “The second woe has past; the third woe is coming soon.” What would the readers of the revelation understand by “the third woe is coming soon”? I believe that they would have been expecting the third woe to be coming shortly.

The next time we see this word which means “Quickly” is in Revelation 22 where it is used three times.

Rev. 22:7 reads: “Behold I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.”

Vs 12 reads “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”

Vs 20 reads “He who testifies to these things says, “’Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come Lord Jesus.’”

These passages make it clear that Jesus intended to return “soon”, not some unspecified time in the future.

All the things written in the book of Revelation would come to pass before or around the time of the destruction of Jerusalem.
How can I be so sure? It makes sense, if you read the Revelation of Jesus Christ from beginning to end without stopping. And if you read the Revelation of Jesus Christ with a different mindset, that is, that instead of thinking of Revelation being future, (Our future) think of it as already in our past, but in their near future
But, I hear some people saying. "You're telling people to have a bias." No, I'm telling people to look at the revelation from another point of view. A bias always leans to one side. If you have 2 bias' to look at then there is balance.

When you read about the new heaven and the new earth, try to look at it as if we are living in Eden, because we are now reconciled to God. Just like Adam was originally.

When you read of the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven in Chapter 21 and being adorned as a bride is dressed for her husband. Think of the fact that the church is the bride of Christ. Revelation 21:9, 10, says that John was shown “the bride, the wife of the Lamb…and (he) showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.”

Try not to think of the “harvest” as being the judgement of all humankind but of those who saw the destruction of Jerusalem.

Try to get away from thinking that Revelation is about the last days of the earth but rather think of it as judgement on or the last days of Jerusalem or Israel. Read Luke 21:20 – 24.

Some questions and no answers

Sometimes I wonder if God thinks of ending the whole earth thing. I mean, We all live on this planet spinning around the sun. We have nowhere else to go as yet. We are stuck on this planet whether we like it or not. We fight constantly, neighbour with neighbour, friend with friend, nation with nation, religion with religion and on and on it goes. So I wonder: Below are 10 questions that I found I needed to get straight in my head before I could move on. Maybe you won't have the same need. Look at the questions and see if you have any need to answer them.

1. Does God look at us and say to his armies in the other realm. Go down and wipe them off the face of the earth? He hasn't done it yet so I guess He's a very patient God. Would you wipe us off the earth if you had the power?

2. Do you believe the Bible (New Testament) to be the words of God written down by the ispired Apostles?
If yes. Do you read it all the time? Do you follow the commands found in it?
What proof do you have that it is the words of God? Luke and Mark weren't Apostles so were they inspired?

3. Who decided what books went into what we know today as the Bible? Were they infallible Christians?

4. Matthew 28:16-20 has a heading put there by the translators of the New Testament that states that it is "the Great Commission". And those who preach from the puplit and elsewhere say that it is a command from Jesus to us (Christians). If that is the case. Why does Matthew say that Jesus was speaking to the eleven? If the great Commission is intended for us to follow, why then do we not have the gifts that were given to those who would be doing that task? (see 18:20)

5. If the Great Commission is intended for us to carry out then why did Jesus spend three years teaching the disciples about his work and then give them "another Counselor" (John 14:16) one that the world could not accept (17)? The Counselor would "teach them all things" (26) would remind them of "All things" that Jesus had said to them (26). Then in verse 31 was Jesus speaking to us or his disciples when he says "come now let us leave"?

6. If Jesus took all that trouble making sure that the disciples had all the help they would need to make sure that they had the message right ie: Giving them gifts to prove that what they were teaching was from God (Matthew 28:16-20) and giving them "Another Counselor" who would give them reminders of what they should say (John 14 15 - 31) and note that "the world couldn't accept him (John 14:17), so we couldn't and still can't accept him. Then why do we think that God would send us out without Gifts and and the Counselor?

7. If prophecy is still to be fulfilled then what did Jesus mean when he said in Matthew 5:17, 18 that he had come to fulfill the law and the prophets?

8. What did Jesus mean when in Matthew 15:24 he's says "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel"?

9. Are we of the lost sheep of Israel? If not, then why do we follow those commands that were given only to the lost sheep.

10. What did God mean when he said in Hebrews 8:8-13 "I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts" and "No longer will a man teach his neighbour or a man his brother saying know the Lord..."

The 10 questions above are a few of the questions I had to answer for myself before I could move on in my belief or spiritual walk. Of course there were a lot more than 10 questions and I'll add some more next time. If you decide to look at the questions then I ask that you try to clear your mind of any doctrine that you now hold and answer without trying to justify anything.