The Prophetic Authority of the Resurrected Word
David W Palmer
(Matthew 24:14 NKJV) “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
As a prelude to his full commissioning of his apprentices, who were almost ready to graduate, Jesus spoke this prophetic declaration: the gospel of God’s kingdom “will be preached in all the world.” Jesus’s vision is vast and astounding, and his faith in it is amazing. He believed that by speaking this prophetic vision to twelve ordinary blokes—Pete, Jim, Jack, Andy, Bart, Matt, and Jude, etc.—the prophetic power of this simple statement would propel them; it would empower them, and countless of those discipled by them, to fulfill the dream of worldwide awakening to God’s kingdom. Will you allow his words, spoken so long ago but still alive today, to dominate your vision?
After Jesus’s resurrection, Matthew testifies to the commission he heard from his Lord and Master:
(Matthew 28:18–20 NKJV) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. {19} Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Our Lord is amazing; into one crisp paragraph, he has loaded so much power, vision, and revelation that it has kept his disciples busy and on target ever since.
Again, with absolute faith in the prophetic power and authority of God’s living words spoken through him, Jesus declared: “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” Wow! Can you feel the eternal authority of those words—spoken by the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ?
Jesus is Lord! He has all the authority there is, and …
He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. (1 Corinthians 15:25 NKJV)
Our wonderful Savior Jesus died in our place, but at his resurrection, he was crowned …
The blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15 NKJV)
When this passage says he is the “only Potentate,” it means that he is officially the “only” one with the right to rule; he is the only legitimate monarch, ruler, leader, emperor, sovereign, czar, chief, or king.
Jesus is absolutely supreme in authority. The great news for us in this includes the truth that he is the Living Word of God. This is another way of saying that when God’s word comes alive in us, there is no authority higher or able to withstand his rule.
Knowing what he said about his living word and him now having all authority, our precious Lord immediately said:
(Matthew 28:19–20 NKJV) “Go therefore and make disciples … teaching them.”
Jesus wanted his disciples to make other disciples. How? The same way he did, by “teaching them.” Teaching them what? The Living Word of God! That word has “all authority.” Any new convert—who is born again, who draws near to God, and who worshipfully surrenders to him—who hears God’s living words, will receive the same gracious effects as the original twelve. This includes you—in both making disciples of others, and in being discipled.
In other words, because Jesus the Living Word of God has all authority, our Lord is instructing us to go and teach the word, preach the word, train with the word, live by the word, etc. Those words, when anointed by the Holy Spirit, are where the power is; no one has, or ever will have, more authority than the words you hear in your spirit from God as you listen, read, study, meditate in God’s word, worship, praise, pray, and commune with Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Let’s now preview Jesus’s commission as recorded by Mark:
(Mark 16:15, 20 NKJV) And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ... {20} And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
In the original Greek language, the italicized word, “them,” is not present in the second last line. Without it, the passage reads: “The Lord working with and confirming the word.” Jesus’s commission is that we preach living word; when we do, we release the “all authority” of Jesus—the Living Word of God; this is what produces the results.
After all, God’s living word carries not only all authority, but also:
Today, I encourage you to put your faith in the authority and prophetic power of God’s living word like Jesus did. Hear it by revelation from heaven, and then speak it forth by faith. Whether you are speaking it in prayer, praise, prophecy, preaching, commanding, striking the enemy, or in teaching new disciples, trust in the absolute power and durability of that word. Those who hear you may crucify the Living Word occasionally in the “place of the skull,” but he has resurrection power. The words you hear by revelation, and then speak under God’s anointing, are eternal and incorruptible:
(1 Peter 1:23 NKJV) Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.
Remember, through his authoritative life-giving word, your Lord Jesus is with you always.
