Jesus Christ Has Been Given All Authority in Heaven and on Earth
You do believe it, right?
After Jesus was brutally ridiculed, tortured, crucified, and buried, and after His resurrection, He appeared to his followers, several times.
Jesus instructed His eleven disciples to meet with Him one last time, at a mountaintop in Galilee, where He gave them some final instructions before ascending into Heaven where He was seated at the right hand of the Father. Jesus said to them:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV).
Because all authority has been granted to Him by the Father, Christ’s true followers are to make disciples of the nations. Our job, as Christians, is to convert nations. Jesus did not say “Go and do your best to make some converts out there.”
We are to work, with the enabling of the Holy Spirit, until the world is submitted willingly to Christ; until there are so many believers in every nation, tribe, language, and people (Revelation 14:6) that their governments reflect the perfect law of Christ’s kingdom.
Why? Because Jesus has all authority. A double-L, all.
I despise it when preachers say that Satan is the ruler of the earth. It irks me when Christians seem to rejoice when the culture descends into darkness, when every newscast might as well start out with the headline “The events of today prove that the world is going to hell in a handbasket.”
Our world looks the way it does because it needs to be converted. Instead of wringing their hands and praying for the rapture, Christians should be saying “The fields are ripe unto harvest. Let’s get out there and make some hay! Our Lord told us to!”
Why? Because Jesus has all authority. A double-L, all.
You may say “But look how bad things are! Isn’t this proof that Jesus’ return is near?” One informed glance through church history reveals many, many horrible times and scenarios when believers have cried “It’s so bad. Jesus must be coming soon!”
But so far, every time in the past 2,000 years a self-appointed prophet has predicted a specific date for Christ’s return, that prophet has been wrong. Every time. You’d think the church would learn.
Things are “bad” because God is allowing His enemies to bear the brunt of their disobedience.
Read Romans 1:18–32. When people ignore God, when they do not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, their thinking becomes futile and their hearts become darkened. God “gives them up” to their passions.
He judges them by letting them go their own way. Perhaps some will turn and acknowledge Jesus as Lord when they’ve had enough of their own foolishness. Others will crash and burn. They destroy themselves in their rebellion.
Why? Because Jesus has all authority. A double-L, all.
Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will stay there until all His enemies are defeated. The verse in the Old Testament most often quoted by the New Testament authors is Psalm 110:1:
“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’” (Psalm 110:1, ESV).
This verse might not fit your view of the end times. But the Holy Spirit inspired the authors of the New Testament to reference it more than any other Old Testament verse.
Don’t ignore the message of Psalm 110:1. Jesus Christ is putting His enemies under His feet while He is seated at the Father’s right hand. The last enemy to be defeated is death itself, and it will be destroyed at Christ’s coming:
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet.’” (1 Corinthians 15:22–27, ESV).
Why? Because Jesus has all authority. A double-L, all.
Do not wish for a future date when, finally, Jesus will have all authority. Resist the temptation to give Satan more power than he has. Satan has been defeated.
On the cross, Jesus “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:15, ESV).
God uses Satan for His purposes. Satan is like a dog on a leash. He is under Christ’s authority because he has been defeated and disarmed. He can only do what Christ, in God, permits him to do.
Why? Because Jesus has all authority. A double-L, all.
You do believe it, right?
