Here is Jesus’s civil mandate (Matt. 28:18-20:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This Scripture is often referred to as Jesus’s Great Commission. These verses are usually quoted for going to share the gospel to the world. There are verses that tell us to do that, but these verses do NOT say that. The “gospel” is nowhere mentioned in these verses.

Jesus’s Great Commission is actually Jesus’s Civil Mandate for us today!

Look closely at the Great Commission:

* “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”

It’s interesting to note that when most Christians quote Jesus’s Great Commission they usually never quote this sentance - Jesus’s first sentence. But this is the premise for Jesus’s whole Great Commission.

Christians assume Jesus has all authority in heaven. But how many assume that Jesus has the same authority - all authority - on earth right now! Therefore, that means - Jesus has all civil authority on earth - “of all nations.”

This means there is no legitimate civil authority on earth unless Jesus has delegated that authority to them, defined as legitimate per Romans 13:3-4:

“For the [legitimate] authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong… Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good… They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.”

Moreover, Jesus’s civil authority is NOT just for the purpose of some future millennial reign. Jesus said, “it has been given to Me.” Jesus has all authority now. Jesus is to be honored NOW by ALL - as the nation’s KING of kings.

Jesus told us to pray specifically for this when He told His disciples for what to pray (Matt. 6:9-10):

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name… your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Jesus’s prayer is also NOT for some future millennial time but obviously for today. What Jesus told us to pray is revolutionary! In essence, Jesus is telling us that it is HIS WILL that He be Head of State in all nations right today.

* “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.”

Because Jesus has all authority on earth, which includes all civil authority, that is why Jesus said “Therefore go…” Jesus did NOT say go disciple the church or go disciple other Christians but rather go disciple the NATION. As nations defined - they are NOT just individuals or even a people group of individuals.

A nation defined: a people group with civil government - civil rulers and civil laws. Discipling people without discipling civil rulers to be under King Jesus in obeying all His commands (God’s civil Law) - is NOT fulfilling Jesus’s Great Commission - to go disciple a nation!

Jesus said, go and “make” that happen. It is an imperative. It is a command. Christians should be no less committed to Jesus’s Great Commission - to disciple a nation in making it a Christian nation - than Communists are to making Marxist Socialist nations.

First, we must understand what Jesus’s Great Commission really is. Second, we must believe it can happen. Would Jesus ever command something today that we cannot do and that He would not expect us to do, especially with His help?

In the 16th century, many European Christian Reformers took over many cities and nations putting in place God’s Law. Early Christian Americans formed virtually every American colony and town as a Christian town putting in place God’s Law.

During the last century Marxist Communists started taking over many nations putting in place Marxist socialist laws. Starting about 30 years ago, the Marxist’s Left began taking over cities in America putting in place Marxist socialistic laws and calling them “Sanctuary Cities.” Muslims now control Dearborn, Michigan, and are in pursuit of taking over more cities. Mormons have controlled Salt Lake City and Utah.

Muslims, Mormons, and Leftists are all taking over cities in America today. If they are able to do that - where are the Christian cities? Where is even ONE Christian city? Can’t Christians take over even one small town for King Jesus and put in place God’s Law? Does Satan empower his agents more than Jesus empowers Christians? I thought God said, “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.”

Does any Christian think that Jesus is happy that Muslims, Mormons, and Communists are more dedicated to taking over cities for their “kingdom of darkness” than Christians are for the “Kingdom of God?” Really? Especially when Jesus said He has “all authority on earth,” which can also be translated “all power on earth!”

* “Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

The word “baptize” in Greek is “baptizō.” This word occurs 86 times in 65 verses in the New Testament. The Greek lexicon defines this word used in different ways: “to immerse, to submerge, to cleanse, to wash, to clean, to bathe, to overwhelm.”

Today when we hear the word “baptize,” we’re programed to only think of it in reference to water baptism of believers. But most of the time in the New Testament the word “baptize” was NEVER used in reference to believer’s baptism. Believer’s baptism was used only once in the thirteen different ways the word was used in the New Testament:

* Matt. 3:6 Pre-Pentecost baptism

* Matt. 3:11 Holy Spirit baptism

* Matt. 3:11 Fire baptism

* Matt. 20:22 Suffering baptism

* Matt. 28:19 Nation baptism

* Mark 7:4 Food baptism

* Luke 11:38 Hand’s baptism

* Acts 2:38 Believer’s baptism

* Rom. 6:3 Christ’s Death baptism

* 1 Cor. 10:2 Moses’ cloud baptism

* 1 Cor. 12:13 One-body baptism

* 1 Cor. 15:29 For dead baptism

* Gal. 3:27 Into Christ baptism

Additionally, when Believers were “water baptized” in the book of Acts, they were NEVER baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

The following verses are ALL the verses where it specifically tells what they said when believers were baptized:

* Acts 2:38: “baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”

* Acts 8:16: “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

* Acts 10:48: “baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”

* Acts 19:5: “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

When the word “baptizing” is used in the Great Commission, as in most other places in the New Testament, it is NOT talking about water baptism but rather baptizing “nations,” as the verse says. Moreover, “baptizing them,” in context, the pronoun “them” is not referring to “disciples,” because that Greek word is used as a “verb,” literally “to disciple”, or as the King James correctly translates it, to “Go… and teach all nations.” The only noun in the previous sentence is “nations.” Therefore, the pronoun “them” can only mean “nations” - “Baptizing [nations] in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

So we don’t obviously water baptize governments or nations, but we can “cleanse or overwhelm” nations “in the name [authority] of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Moreover, Jesus proceeded to tell us exactly how to “baptize” the nations in His name / authority - “teaching them [nations] to obey everything Jesus commanded.”

* “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Jesus did not say, “teaching them to know…” A pastor might teach his congregation to know God’s Word. But when it comes to teaching a nation - rulers and God’s civil Law - we must be “teaching them to obey.”

Everything Jesus commanded He summarized in reference to God and others (Matt. 22:37-40):

“Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Jesus’s two commands were taken straight from God’s Law (Deut. 6:5 & Lev. 19:18). In fact, everything Jesus commanded was from God’s Law (Matt. 5:17-19):

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s Law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Jesus followed these verses in saying HOW to keep God’s Law, NOT to displace God’s Law, as some wrongly teach today. Otherwise, Jesus would be contradicting Himself in His same sermon. In brief, what followed is Jesus explaining HOW to avoid disobeying His Law, it comes from the heart. Here are His first two examples:

* To avoid murder - don’t get angry and call someone a fool, rather go and get reconciled with them (Matt. 5:21-26).

* To avoid adultery - don’t look at a woman to lust after her (Matt. 5:27-30).

Jesus was not annulling the Law to replace it with what we say or think. If that were the case it would be alright to murder, just don’t get angry or call them a bad name. Or, it would be alright to commit adultery, just don’t lust. No, Jesus’s Great Commission is a civil mandate to teach nations to obey God’s civil Law.

* “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This is the only place Jesus said this. Why do you think He said it here? He just gave His Great Commission. The literal meaning of His Great Commission is so enormous that the only way anyone could possible think of fulfilling it would be with the power and presence of Jesus.

But Jesus said, I’m with you, so you can do this! And He said, to the end of the age. That means this Great Commission can and must be done in our nation TODAY.

Jesus also said (Luke 18:27):

“What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

Think how Moses felt when God told him, only one man, - go start a whole new nation with slaves, taking them out from under the most powerful Empire in the world. Do you think that seemed a little impossible to Moses (Ex. 3:10-12)?

“So now, go… But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ And God said, ‘I will be with you!’”

Moses would never have seen the miracles of God had he feared and not gone to the Ruler. Every time Moses went to Pharaoh, only then did God demonstrate His power through Moses. Had Moses not gone to the Red Sea, he would never have seen the Red Sea open up for him.

No one will ever see the greatness of God until they GO. No one will ever walk on water until they get out of the boat. Eleven men stayed in the boat, only one got out… and he walked on water.

Jesus said (Mark 5:36):

“Fear not, only believe.”

Jesus said (Matt. 17:20):

“You don’t have enough faith. I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

God said (Heb. 11:33):

“And by faith men conquered nations!”

Is God honored when men by faith conquer nations for His glory? The Christian Reformers conquered nations by faith for His glory. The early Christian Americans conquered land and established Christian towns by faith all over north America.

Jesus said (Luke 6:46):

“So why do you keep calling Me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?”

Jesus made it clear what we are to do (Matt. 6:33):

“Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God.”

The Kingdom of God is a nation ruled by King Jesus and His Law.

Church is important. But if we don’t seek FIRST the Kingdom of God, church may be losing much of Jesus’s priority!

Moses was only armed with a Shepherd’s staff. We are armed with “the Word of God which is living and powerful!” (Heb. 4:12).

The Apostle Paul said (2 Cor. 10:3-6):

“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.”

Now, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations!”

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