The Christian’s Commission

by Jeff Curtis

On occasion, Jesus would compare Himself to a bridegroom (Matt. 9:15; 25:1; John 3:29). If we look at ourselves as His attendants, what task have we been commissioned to perform as we await His arrival? In the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25, we can get some idea of our task and fulfill it with love, obedience and faithfulness.

Jesus’ commission to Christians is one of priority. Nothing can equal or transcend it. As He poured out His life and blood into creation of the gospel, we are able to give ourselves to the spreading of it. Jesus engaged in benevolence, but this was not the main purpose of His mission. He came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Jesus’ commission to Christians is one of practicality. His Word outlines how He wants us to fulfill the Great Commission. We are to (1) evangelize “all the nations” (Matt. 28:19), (2) edify new converts by “teaching them to observe all that [Jesus] commanded” (Matt. 28:20), and (3) equip leaders for every congregation of the Lord’s people. Acts says nothing about the church buildings or paid local preachers, but it does talk about the appointing of elders in every church (Acts 14:23), cultivating “Timothys” (Acts 13:1-3).

Jesus’ commission to Christians is one of perfection. No one can improve upon it. Jesus’ plan was perfect for His church when He gave it, and it will be perfect for His followers throughout the Christian age. Jesus’ Great Commission contains everything needed by any minister of the gospel, at least in seed form. We need to take up the mission that Jesus started and passed on to us. If we implement His plan, He will give the increase to our words and actions.

Jesus’ commission to Christians is one of perpetuity. His plan is in place for all remaining earthly time. Jesus said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Until He returns, let us continue His work of spreading the gospel, nurturing converts, and equipping the faithful followers to join in the gospel work in this world.

Jesus is Returning!

by Jeff Curtis

The “battle of Armageddon”, “The Rapture”, The “Thousand Year Reign of Christ on earth”

As many hear the end of time, they hear about…

The Battle of Armageddon. The final battle depicted in Revelation is a spiritual one, not a physical conflict. The enemies of Christ have no power against Him. They cannot be victorious against Christ and His mighty angels (Rev. 19). The word “Armageddon” has become a name like “Waterloo” and
Pearl Harbor,” representing far more than a place. “Armageddon” is associated with the final and ultimate overthrow of evil; but in Revelation it represents the overthrow of the great persecutor of the church in the first century, the Roman Empire.

The Rapture. As for the rapture of the church, nothing in the Bible is like what the premillennialists describe. In 1Thessalonians 4:14-16, Paul was giving to the Christians in Thessalonica who feared that their loved ones would miss the Lord’s return. Theses souls would not be forgotten, but would be raised with imperishable bodies to meet the Lord in the air.

The Thousand Year Reign. What about the thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth? Notice what the passage from Revelation 20:4-6 does not say. It does not mention Christ’s reigning on earth, on the throne of David, or in Jerusalem; and it does not tell when His reign was to begin or end. It is describing the reign of the martyrs who died in the Roman persecution of the church; “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4). Where is this taking place? In heaven (Rev. 20:1).

The end of the world is coming, but “of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Matt. 24:36). Christ will return “like a thief” (2Peter 3:10). When He returns in the clouds of heaven (He will never set foot on earth again), this world will be completely destroyed (2Peter 3:10-12). These events will happen one day. The important thing for us is to “keep watching and praying” (Matt.26:41) and be ready for the Lord to come.

What does the Bible say about a physical battle of Armageddon, the rapture, and the thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth? The answer is “NOTHING!” The Bible does mention a battle at Armageddon, but it not like the one described by the would-be prophets (Rev. 16:16; 19:11-21). People will be “caught up” to meet the Lord in the clouds of heaven – but this is not a rapturing of the church before some “great tribulation” (1Thessalonians 4:13-18). The idea pf an earthly thousand-year reign by Christ is based on an incorrect interpretation of Revelation 20:4-6.