To
Whom Was The Great Commission Given?
Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15 applied only to
the apostles and that we are no longer under obligation to take the gospel to
the whole world. I would like to make a rather detailed study of this matter.
As we study the Great
Commission in Matthew and Mark, the context shows that these commands were indeed directed to the apostles.
"Afterward He
appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief
and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him
after He had risen. And He said to them,
'Go into all the world ...'" (Mark 16:14-15).
"Then the eleven
disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. And
when they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came and
spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth. Go therefore ...'" (Matthew 28:16-19).
He also told them:
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of
the earth"
(Acts 1:8).
It was the purpose of
Jesus to have twelve witnesses whom He called apostles. So we read:
"Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the
Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that
day when He was taken up from us, one of
these must become a witness with us of His resurrection. ... And they cast
their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven
apostles" (Acts 1:21,22,26).
A witness can testify to
what he has seen, heard or touched. This was the basis of John's teaching:
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have
seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled,
concerning the Word of life - the life was manifested, and we have seen,
and bear witness, and declare to you
that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us - that which we have seen and heard we
declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our
fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things
we write to you that your joy may be full" (1 John 1:1-4).
The twelve apostles were
the witnesses of the resurrection. Although Paul saw Jesus on the way to Damascus, he acknowledges that the twelve
were the witnesses. In his sermon at Antioch of Pisidia he says: "But God
raised Him from the dead. He was seen for many days by those who came up with
Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people" (Acts 13:30,31). Peter explains further:
"Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the
people, but to witnesses chosen before
by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And
He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was
ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead" (Acts 10:40-42).
At first some of the
apostles doubted (Matthew 28:17; Mark 16:14). Thomas was among them. He was
not present one evening for the meeting when Jesus came to them (John 20:19,20,24). The other disciples told
him of Jesus' appearance. "But he said to them, 'Unless I see in His hands
the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe"
(John 20:25). He was asking for the evidence of sight and touch.
The apostles were
assembled again a week later. This time Thomas was there. Jesus, knowing in His
divine wisdom what Thomas had said, told him: "'Reach your finger here,
and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not
be unbelieving, but believing.' And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord
and my God!'" (John 20:27,28).
Jesus said men must
believe the gospel in order to be saved (Mark 16:16). Paul said that the gospel is
the power of God unto salvation to the believer (Romans 1:16). Paul said that the gospel is
the death, burial and resurrection of Christ attested by faithful witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). Jesus
said that we are to become believers by the words of these chosen men: "I
do not pray for these alone [the apostles], but also for those who will believe
in Me through their word: that they
all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be
one is Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17:20,21).
We are saved by faith in that gospel which was made known by the apostles.
We can have a blessing
the apostles could never have. Thomas, after seeing the risen Lord, said:
"My Lord and My God!" (John 20:28). How precious to each of us are
the following words of Jesus: "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have
believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John
20:29).
Those of us who are
saints have read what these Apostles said and did, then with the spirit and
power of the Father through Jesus were taught the truth.
When we accept the
evidence of the chosen witnesses we are blessed according to the promise of
Christ. We are to be believers in the written word. "And truly
Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not
written in this book; but these are
written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that
believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:30,31).
We have learned what the
gospel is. Men are to be saved by that gospel. The gospel was to be preached by
the apostles. Their witness of the resurrection is to be believed. A great
blessing is ours when we accept the written word.
This gospel was never to
be changed. We read: "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him
who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not
another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of
Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you
than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before,
so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you
have received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:6-9).
I want to emphasize one
thing in the gospel. Jesus said after He arose from the dead: "All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). By
the power of the Holy Spirit Paul said that Christ was "declared to be the
Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection
from the dead" (Romans 1:4). Jesus saves those who obey (Hebrews 5:9). We
are not to go beyond the things that are written (1 Corinthians 4:6;
2 John 9).
Finally we want to go
back to the Great Commission. We have learned that the gospel was given to the
apostles. The message they proclaimed is never to be altered. It is only by their
word that men become disciples of Christ being baptized into the name of the
Son. These baptized believers are to receive further instruction:
"teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you"
(Matthew 28:20). What had Jesus commanded the apostles? Among other things He
commanded them to preach the gospel to the whole creation! So this command of
Jesus to the apostles is ongoing today through the words in scripture; remember
John 17; "I do not pray for these alone [the apostles], but also for those
who will believe in Me through their
word:”
The Holy Spirit of the
FATHER is the power that can teach the truth of the gospel to those the FATHER
calls. The Holy Spirit of the FATHER is
the Elijah to come.
And Jesus answered and said unto
them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
John the Baptist was a
type of Elijah the prophet who came in spirit and power; this Spirit was of the
FATHER as was the power. No man will glory, only the FATHER will glory.
This is John the Baptist prepared the way of
the first advent.
Isaiah 40:3
The voice of him that crieth in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a
highway for our God.
Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and
he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly
come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in:
behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
This is the Elijah to come before the
second advent.
Malachi 4:5-6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he
shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the
children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
In each
case the spirit and power of Elijah was not of a man named Elijah but was the
spirit of the FATHER.
John 1:19-22
19 And
this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from
Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
20 And
he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
21 And
they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou
that prophet? And he answered, No.
22 Then
said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent
us. What sayest thou of thyself?
23 He
said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the
way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
Paul
by the power of the Holy Spirit said to Timothy: "And the things that you
have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men
who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2).
After
the command, Jesus also gave a promise: "and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). The Great Commission,
originally given to the apostles, is to echo through the ages until the end of
time. Amen.
Now
we live in what is near to the time of the end of this age. Circumstances and
people have changed to be what Jesus, the prophets and Apostles warned
about. It is like the days of Noah. The
people have their minds seared with a hot iron and despise the gospel message.
Certain ungodly men have crept in unaware and have corrupted and perverted the
message of the gospel resulting in many false gospels that hold the place of
the majority in this evil world. Much truth has been lost and needs restored. We are not to cast pearls before swine or
give what is holy unto dogs. Among ourselves, that is the saints, we can share
with each other the things we receive by inspiration through the spirit of the
FATHER through Jesus. This is how the
sheep are fed today. It is a John said:
But the anointing which ye have received of him
abideth in you, and ye need not that
any man teach you: but as the
same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and
even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
Spiritual
understanding of the truth of the FATHER always comes from the FATHER through
Jesus to us. Even when saints “teach”
each other the understanding is made possible by divine inspiration. What John wrote above is the same thing Jesus
told us:
John 14:26-
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom
the Father will send in my name, he shall
teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever
I have said unto you.
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send
unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the
Father, he shall testify of me:
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient
for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto
you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for
he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he
speak: and he will shew you things to
come.
This
comforter is the Elijah to come who will restore all things, testify of Jesus
Christ and show us things to come. The comforter is the Holy Spirit of the
FATHER.
At
this time the FATHER is not saving the world but only a small flock called the
first fruits, the elect, and these people are personally chosen by the FATHER.
Today and since the Apostle Paul’s work it is primarily gentiles being chosen
and grafted into the church to replace the unbelieving Israelites. The ancient
church before Jesus, of Hebrews 11, is the church that was in the wilderness
and they are part of the 144000. The church today, mostly gentile, will finish
out the 144000. When the last of the elect is chosen the times of the gentiles
will end and all the elect saints will be sealed weather alive or dead.