The Finished Word

Jesus calls us to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every nation and inhabited part of the Earth . The Message proclaimed by Jesus Christ is not about reforming civil society or governments. He summons all men to repent and join a radically new social order and a very different political reality, namely, the  Kingdom of God . His message is contrary to the political ideologies of this world. We must respond positively to his invitation since the end of the age is approaching when the existing order will disappear forever.

The outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost fulfilled what the Feast symbolized and marked the start of the Final Harvest . On the Day of Pentecost, what was foreshadowed by the ancient feast day began to receive its true substance. The bestowal of the Gift of the Spirit was the pivotal that event marked the start of the  final end-time harvest . What Jesus initiated began in earnest:

Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to his people, empowering them to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to the Nations of the Earth . The Messiah is identified in the Second Psalm as the Son and King destined to reign over the nations. In the New Testament, he is anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism, equipping him to proclaim the “ Kingdom of God ” to Israel. He gave his disciples the Gift of the Spirit to enable them to announce his message and sovereignty to all the nations and peoples of the Earth.

The Spirit equips and emboldens the Church to bear witness to Jesus, especially concerning his sacrificial death and resurrection from the dead . At the start of the Book of Acts , Jesus told disciples they would be “ baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence ,” and they would “ receive power ” enabling them to become “ My Witnesses to the uttermost parts of the Earth .” Receiving the Spirit equipped his saints to proclaim his message and empowered them to bear witness “ with boldness ” despite opposition.

The description of the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost stresses the theme of fulfillment. On that day, what was foreshadowed by the ancient feast began to receive its promised substance. The bestowal of the Spirit was an epochal event that marked the start of the Age of the Spirit, and the Gift of the Spirit fulfilled what the annual Levitical feast symbolized.

Peter summoned his audience in Jerusalem to repent and be baptized “ in the name of Jesus Christ .” He concluded his sermon on a note of  fulfillment  and with a  foretaste of things to come . Peter began with a citation from the  Book of Joel , and he finished his message with a clause from the same passage, thus neatly bracketing his sermon.

After healing a lame man, Peter and John were confronted by the priestly authorities. They were disturbed because the Apostles were “ proclaiming the resurrection ,” and the Sadducees among the priests rejected the resurrection of the dead. The Apostles claimed that the final resurrection began “ in Jesus ,” a teaching that made its doctrine distinct and placed the resurrection in the center of the Gospel.

The “ Son ” portrayed in the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation is the Messianic figure of the Second Psalm destined by God to “ Shepherd the Nations .” Following his enthronement, Heaven declared, “ Now is come the Kingdom of God and the authority of His Messiah .” His reign began following his “ faithful testimony ” in death and his victory through resurrection, the “ firstborn of the dead .”

Jesus has reigned as Sovereign over the Earth since his Death and Resurrection, already he is seated on the Messianic Throne. Because of his obedience, he is the “ Ruler of the Kings of the Earth .” Before his Ascension, he declared that God had bestowed all authority on him - “ In Heaven and on Earth .” Thus, his authority is without limits and a present reality.

According to Jesus, the End will not come until the Gospel of the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed to all nations  – Matthew 24:14. When the subject of the Second Coming is raised, the question of what sign will precede it is asked. Invariably, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, and similar catastrophes are offered as harbingers of that final day. Yet Jesus gave the definitive answer to this question - the completion of the Church’s mission to proclaim his salvation and lordship to all nations.

The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom to all nations until the moment Jesus arrives  – Matthew 24:14. Jesus commanded his true followers to announce the same message that he preached, which he summarized as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” His Church would spread this message  to all nations without exception  and in unexpected and paradoxical ways. Christ’s sovereignty over humanity must be established! Until his return, we are commanded to proclaim his Gospel to the “ ends of the Earth .”

The Lamb’s reign commenced following his Death and Resurrection. Since then, he has been shepherding the nations toward New Jerusalem . The Book of Revelation  assures the beleaguered congregations of Asia that Jesus reigns and has events firmly in hand despite appearances. His sovereignty is based on his past Death and Resurrection. It is absolute, extending even over “ Death and Hades .” His Resurrection from the dead marked the start of his reign from the Messianic Throne.

The  Book of Acts  begins  IN JERUSALEM  with the ascension of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit. It concludes with Paul preaching the Gospel in the heart of the  World Empire , the city of Rome. Following his resurrection, Jesus ascended to reign “ at the right hand of God .” He then bestowed the Gift of the Spirit on his Assembly to empower them to proclaim his Gospel to all nations.