Mat 28:18-20
“Then Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to
Me in heaven and on earth. (19) 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, (20) teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And
remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
It is
important to observe a time line when examining scripture. It is also important
to understand who the intended readers were. Let me present a gospel timeline. The
gospels have a specific timeline that really makes a lot of difference in understanding
what is written. The timeline can be best illustrated here by events. First you
have the forerunner, John the Baptist, the last Old Covenant Prophet who’s
mission was strictly to Jews under the Old Covenant. Then you have the ministry
of Jesus, Prophet, Priest and King who is the Messiah of the Jews which they
were expecting at that time in history according to the prophecy of scripture.
All of Jesus mission on earth up until the cross event was to the Jews under
the Old Covenant. Next, you have the cross event, the death burial and
resurrection of Jesus, which instated the New Covenant (Matt 26:28.) Finally,
in the gospels you have the risen Lord with instructions for the new covenant
era, after the end of the age of the mosaic covenant. Whenever you see the end
of the age in the New Testament you can rest assured that the end of the Mosaic
age was meant. The end of the Mosaic age would also be the beginning of the
Messianic age.
The above
passage of scripture from Matthew 28 was given, spoken by Jesus after the cross
event in a time when the New Covenant was instated. Prior to this, there was an
authority of Moses known as *Moses Seat.* Jesus said prior to the cross event,
as he was still in the Old Covenant aspect of His ministry, that the “scribes
and Pharisees sit in Moses Seat so observe and do all that they say” (Matt 23:1.)
During the Old Covenant, Moses was the authority. What that really meant was
the Torah or Pentateuch which was written by Moses was the authority.
However, in
the above passage from Matthew 28 we have Jesus stating that all AUTHORITY has
been given to Him by virtue of His resurrection. There was a new power
structure; authority had changed hands. Jesus authority is legitimate authority
from on high. By contrast, now that He had risen and was about to be seated on
the right hand of the Father in heavenly places the Pharisees had become an
illegitimate authority.
ProphetRuss Walden, over at Father’s Heart Ministries has a daily email ministry
called “The Father Says Today.” He has written several prophecies where he
mentions illegitimate authority. What I believe he is referring to is authority
that stems from the leaven of the Pharisees and the *strong delusion.* It is
the illegitimate authority that the Reformation came against. It is the power
of the Pope to speak for God. When people use illegitimate authority to control
others it is the “Pope Spirit.* It is interesting that so many pastors and
leaders today act as though they are little Popes, sovereign over their
congregations. This is illegitimate authority in its most pernicious form.
As the
church faces the fork in the road, this illegitimate authority will be done
away with over time. The government of the kingdom of God comes from gifts…
gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers that have
legitimate authority to represent God. They will not be OVERLORDS. They will be
servant leaders! … More to come
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