Wynn Alan Bruce lit himself on fire to stop climate change. Supposedly there is a new condition called “climate anxiety.”

While people tend to think reducing emissions involves shutting down coal plants, driving more electric vehicles, and relying more on solar and wind power—each of which comes with environmental and economic costs—these are not the only policies on the table.

Increasingly governments are targeting a different emission source: food (livestock specifically). The reasons for this are not hard to find.

Many people, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, have argued nations have a responsibility to transition off beef for environmental reasons.

“I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef,” Gates remarked in an interview with MIT Technology Review last year. “You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time.”

Gates doesn’t really explain how this transition should occur, but we’re beginning to see.

All famines are man-made. What FDR did was nothing compared with Mao. They have plans for you, and no, this is not the generation that is finally smart enough to get socialism right. Read the article.

“11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” – Luke 8:11-14 (If need be, start back in verse 5 of luke 8 to get the full context of this parable.)

We don’t know why these stay in the Churches. The Churches are full of them. In verses 13 and 14, they fall away, but nobody holds them to account, and there are so many of them their excuses become a kindred fellowship one with another. Deceiving themselves (James 1:22), they failed to withstand the tests and trials of this world; having only a form of godliness (2 Timothy 3:5), they do none of the word of God. How can they sit in Churches for years and do nothing the Bible instructs?

Maybe they stay because they like that Church. A terrible situation across America and quite a mess indeed; whether you like a church or not shouldn’t even be a secondary issue but perhaps tertiary, if at all. Almost 100 percent of Americans will tell you that they chose their Church based on “liking” it or something very similar. They say things like; it’s a great place for the kids. Goats have kids! They hear not God; they seek not the will of the Father in all things. Verse 14 points to them all; barren and fruitless. They give themselves away because they say things, subtle things, denying the power of God (2 Timothy 3:5). Beware of these; take heed, brothers, and sisters.

Refusing to bear fruit or even to have their boughs purged (John 15:2), they will be cast; root, trunk, branch, and leaf into the fire!

“Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.” – Matthew 7:17

The fruit of the American Churches is evil; those with a good heart are leaving. The problem with those on their own is that they may know Jesus but have no teacher, no instruction. They sense that what the Churches have become is not what the Bible says, but without leadership, they wander. This was one of the laments of Jesus (Matthew 9:36), that the religious administration was the blind leading the blind (Matthew 15:12-14); those that hear the Master’s voice have no shepherd. They may claim Christ as their shepherd, but they have no iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 17:17). The Churches in America are fake, even their pastors realize it, and there’s no secret whatsoever kept from God Almighty.

Nobody preaches on this parable, ever. It would empty the Churches; then, how would they keep 501(c)3 status and pay their millions of dollars mortgage to the Global Banking Cartel?

In the DoD, they have an expression; 90 percent of the work is done by the top ten percent of the people, and ninety percent of the problems are caused by the bottom ten percent. It seems fitting to consider with this parable of Jesus, and perhaps the leaders of these corporations are at the root of the real problem. The Churches are full of fakers and phonies, almost all of whom have some personal agenda found nowhere in the beloved instruction given us in the Holy Bible.

The Church leaders even use the Wheat and Tares parable (Matthew 13:24-30) as an excuse to allow unbelievers to overpopulate the congregation. That parable is not an instruction for church foundation, framing, or function; it’s about the Kingdom of Heaven, where lamentably, there are fakers and phonies all around. That parable doesn’t say to hang out with the lost and turn Christ’s church a social club full of goats and tares; in fact, God has commanded: from such turn away, for they deny the power of God (2 Timothy 3:5).

“15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” – Luke 8:15

Via PJM.

See also Townhall.

See also Daily Wire.

I suspect the leak was from a clerk of one of the communist justices, and perhaps by a clerk for Roberts.  I also expect Roberts to side with the communists.

The intent, of course, is to pressure the court to change, and/or to pressure Congress for a law in order to render the decision moot.

If the Congress becomes involved, I expect some states will ignore Congress and do what they want.  Then I expect Congress to withhold funds for all sorts of things, after which those states will further separate from FedGov.

Some states will keep it, of course, and some states will legalize worship services to Baal on the steps of their capitols while they kill babies in vats of boiling oil.

The Balkanization of America will continue apace, and issues such as gun rights, abortion and taxes will continue to render decisions made in Washington less relevant.  You get to pick your state.

If the majority stands strong, this isn’t a huge win on the national level, but it is for states who will now determine what sort of society they want to live in.

The difficulty here is that a Balkanized America isn’t separated by geography so much. The admixture is ready-made and tailored for conflict, I’m afraid, with neighbors and cities right down the road from each other finding themselves on far different sides of all of these issues.

Be careful. This is a setup for the country to tire of the conflict and demand for a strong man (or a stronger centralized government) to step in and bring peace on earth and global income for all men.

Read Isaiah 24:21-25:9

You can’t understand the book of Revelation because, perhaps, you started in the last book of the Bible expecting to need no prior knowledge and background to understand this final apocalyptic writing in scripture. So, most then look for some man’s opinion about what all of the imagery means.

Revelation is not about a dragon, a giant woman, bowls of wrath, or locusts with tails of scorpions although those things are in the book. The Revelation is about Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1)! Reducing Revelation to anything other than the conquest of Christ over His enemies and the curse of sin from the fall is to miss God’s purposes completely.

To understand the book of Revelation, you must study the entire Bible. There are many ongoing revelations in God’s broader redemptive plan, in choosing a people to be His, in grace and mercy unto salvation, instruction in righteousness, and yes, judgment.

Apocalyptic Judgments in the Holy Bible appear from the start. It would help if you started by understanding the magnitude of the fall (Genesis 3); the entire earth is cursed, and everything is dying. There are many separate curses and consequent judgments pronounced by Holy God at the fall; the woman is cursed, satan is cursed, and the man is cursed, and with him, the very ground you walk on is cursed. As can be pretty typical of Apocalyptic writing throughout the Scripture, each of these curses has four parts. Keep that in mind when reading the prophetic portions of scripture; often, judgment comes in fours.

An example seems necessary. Most straightforward to see is the four upon the woman.

“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” Genesis 3:16:

1 Great sorrow

2 Pain and distress in conception and childbirth

3 In yearning for and need of a provider/protector husband

4 And made subject to that man

In God’s ongoing redemptive plan, every aspect of the sin curse in Genesis 3 is being addressed. Matthew 22:30 is one of the many verses that convince us amillennialism is flawed. All of it is ended by the close of history, the Kingdom of God now being a picture. God brought and is bringing judgment to every man, for all have sinned, but He is the God of mercies, grace abounding unto redemption; at the close of history, all those blood-bought faithful will be redeemed with no more curse (Revelation 22:3). Though we live by faith now in a type of the final kingdom, in the end, we hold out our hope by faith toward the God that restores for perfect (complete) restoration.

We reject the notion that Jesus Christ was tortured to death for an allegory. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” – Romans 5:12. Sin is real, the consequences of which can be devastating to not only individuals but to nations. There is no more thoroughly documented occurrence in antiquity than the resurrection of Christ. Almighty God, the creator of the heaven and the earth, reached across the expanse of His creation and through time eternal to personally contact you, offering salvation, a glimpse of the final Kingdom, and a knowledge of Him that only His own can receive. Is your salvation an allegory? You know better! Those claiming such things read the Bible as mere literature but having been brought to new life in Christ, His word is revealed, we know that the Bible is the words of life. There are just too many verses that point to an end state with God, not just spiritually now, but free from all corruption. Don’t doubt His power to have a people that live in fellowship and truth and worship with Him at the end.

Within this section of Isaiah (Chapters 24 through 27), we’ll narrow our study to some verses from 24 and 25 that can help build your knowledge of the apocalyptic type of language. Also, see Matthew 24, Part Four, Definition of Terms Primer.

The specific target of the judgments rendered in our verses is not given. Isaiah, in general, is the judgment of Israel using Babylon as His instrument, and then, as is also God’s typical manner, those used in judgment against God’s own are also judged; this too can help you understand the prophetic books. But we can’t miss the language, as many of these verses seem to point to a distant future yet unknown to the people then living.

God is not hiding what He is doing; He reveals it; scripture always answers scripture. In the book of Revelation, you must understand the language of prophecy. You must study God’s purposes in judgment, His means, and the modalities of bringing judgment, which is by human instrumentation with a few exceptions.

The addressees of Revelation, seven first-century churches, would have had some knowledge of what that book spoke about when using those apocalyptic images. Those that were Jews, notably, would have been very familiar with the meanings, types, symbols, and language in Revelation. But today, Gentiles are not raised from their youth in the knowledge of the Tora. Keeping in mind that the New Testament interprets the Old Testament to understand Revelation, you must study apocalyptic forms and language from Genesis onward, especially the prophetic books.

Holy God uses language throughout the Old Testament that is brought forward to Revelation. It’s NOT some new thing mystically veiled by God to keep us in ignorance.

“21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.” – Isaiah 24:21-23

[ And “In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.” Isaiah 27:1 ]

We see war in Heaven and judgments on the earth (verse 21) with similar apocalyptic imagery and symbols of serpents and “the Dragon” destined for the pit (27:1 above. See Revelation 20:2-3) and ultimately to be no more (Revelation 20:10). See also Daniel Ten about war in Heaven come to earth, against the kingdoms of this world, on behalf of just men.

Verses in Revelation to consider here include 12:7-12, and Chapter 20, especially verses 1-3, 7, 10.

No moon, no sun shall compare to the Glory of Christ, who shall be the light of the city. Compare verse 23 (above) with Revelation 21:23 and Revelation 22:5.

And compare verse 23 (above) with Revelation 4:4, the Lord on His throne surrounded by the “ancients” or “four and twenty elders.”

Know that God’s angels would make war in Heaven and earth for you who cry out to Him day and night that He would avenge His own elect. (Deuteronomy 32:35, Luke 18:7, Romans 12:19/Hebrews 10:30)

“O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” Isaiah 25:1

This verse seems to point to a soon-coming day of victory by God, knowing full well that Christ is triumphant.

Verses in Revelation to consider here include; Revelation 19:1-3.

“2 For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. 3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.” Isaiah 25:2-3

Many apocalyptic verses and some parables come to mind but immediately, Luke 19:41-44 and Mark 13:2. This language is striking. Perhaps Isaiah points to Babylon (see Revelation 16:19, a type). Still, it’s impossible to miss that God may be reaching across a span of many centuries pointing to the true Israel of God, that would worship Him in spirit and in truth when the “strangers” who knew Him not would reject the cornerstone (Luke 20:17-19) of the building, God creating much greater worship; “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” – 1 Corinthians 3:16. These verses are about a city run by God’s enemies, standing in the way of the new heavenly city, and the vengeance of God for His faithful (strong followers, Philippians 4:13).

“4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

5 Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.

6 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.

8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”  – Isaiah 25:4-9

The needy, the poor, and those in distress remind us of Luke 4:17-21. Imagine being there; “And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.” Wonder not at how many misunderstood or questioned but marvel in His sight that you, of all creatures, would be made aware.

We see salvation in verses 4-9, where this prophecy of Isaiah turns beautifully messianic. The veil is rent in verse 7 (Matthew 27:51), the heathen may have their faces uncovered (eyes opened), salvation has come to all people (Revelation 12:10), who shall live in the love and knowledge of our Lord, the great Redeemer, Creator and merciful giver of the breath of new life into His reborn creatures, salvation in Christ is at hand!

By the time we reach verse 8, what else could we have but the Revelation of God Almighty in final victory; all tears are wiped away (Revelation 21:4). The ending of the curse of sin and the last enemy death, is roundly defeated (1 Corinthians 15:26), for God is life, and to His own, He brings life eternal. The strong city, the heavenly Jerusalem, is born. The enemies of Holy Father God shall be tread upon by Christ’s hosts (Revelation 11:2) as Babylon the Harlot (Revelation 17:5) falls not only to physical destruction (Matthew 24) but into ruinous darkness (Romans 11:7). Christ has left the old temple desolate (Luke 13:35, Matthew 23:38).

“1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” – Revelation 21:1-7

In the judgments of God, the Bible shows us how God made them to war against each other, took their ability to sustain themselves, and brought diseases and famines. To understand Revelation, you must pursue prophetic language from Genesis onward.  To understand the freight-train-load of trouble coming at America, you must understand why God brings judgment and the means and modalities of destruction for those who hate Him.

And again, though full of typology and symbols, we reject the notion that all is an allegory and that the Kingdom of God now is the end. Christ is coming again for those that are His and His final estate with Him; there shall be no defiled thing, watch, therefore, keep your garments spotless, and be ready for no man knows the hour.

Edit: We should have noted that the concept for this post and some of the reference verses came from M. S. Terry.

News your betters aren’t even trying to hide any more.

Many people are still blissfully unaware of what has happened, but the global food supply has been largely taken over by the oligarchs, including financial giants BlackRock and Vanguard.

It turns out that BlackRock and Vanguard have been gradually gobbling up ownership of the means of production, and now intend to lord it over the masses by centralizing all food production technologies in the United States and enslaving everyone under their control.

The top three shareholders of CD Industries Holdings, the world’s largest fertilizer company, include both BlackRock and Vanguard. BlackRock and Vanguard are also the top shareholders in Union Pacific, the railroad giant that moves fertilizer and other agriculture inputs all across the country.

The world’s top 10 food companies are also largely owned by both BlackRock and Vanguard. These include Nestlé, PepsiCo, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Associated British Foods, Mondel?z, Mars, Danone, Unilever, and Coca-Cola.

“What happens when they control all of the seeds, produce, and meat too?” asks Corey’s Digs.

“What happens when produce and meat are all grown inside secured facilities after a gene splice or inside a petri dish, and farmland becomes dormant due to overreaching regulations, lack of supplies, and manufactured inflation?”

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink says “it’s time to force people’s behavior to change.”

BlackRock and Vanguard’s influence over CF Industries Holdings and T. Rowe Price Associates is having a major and direct impact on farming in the Midwest. It is also important to note that Union Pacific recently began mandating railroad shipping reductions of 20 percent, further impacting American agriculture.

“This will directly impact key agricultural areas such as Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, and California,” Corey’s Digs adds. “This will ultimately affect food supply and pricing. CF Industries is only one of 30 companies dealing with these restrictions.”

That isn’t all.  They’re after homes as well.

Blackrock is buying every single family house they can find, paying 20-50% above asking price and outbidding normal home buyers. Why are corporations, pension funds and property investment groups buying entire neighborhoods out from under the middle class? Lets take a look. Homes are popping up on MLS and going under contract within a few hours. Blackrock, among others, are buying up thousands of new homes and entire neighborhoods.

Read the entire thread.  We already knew this because of friends in the real estate market.  Don’t believe for a second that housing prices are simply this high because of natural demand.  The demand is artificial, created by gigantic corporations out to destroy the middle class.

You see, when the middle class can no longer afford homes, they must rent.  If they rent, they don’t improve their property.  No one spends money to improve property they don’t own.

This turns large swathes of middle class neighborhoods into middle class ghettos.

They want people to live where they tell them to, never own, and eat what they tell them to.

This is all by design.  This is warfare as surely as artillery strikes.

At Shooting Illustrated.

Peruse them as you wish.  I’ll make several remarks.

First, I’m not a fan of the skeletonized stocks.  I think they look strange and incomplete, and they’re simply not something I consider to be heirloom quality firearms.

Second, I and readers have remarks before on how the transition away from fine Walnut stocks has change the face of long guns, and not for the better.

Finally, I’m astounded at some of the prices.  And you can’t convince me that these prices are necessary for the gun to shoot 1 MOA or better, even much better.

Maybe this is just a fad.

News from Ohio.

PIQUA — Three Piqua police officers were hospitalized and later treated and released after a gun unintentionally fired inside the police station Tuesday afternoon.

The incident involved officers who had returned to the police station after a day of shooting range training. The officers involved were in the process of cleaning their weapons after the range training when a pistol unintentionally discharged, sending a single bullet into a concrete floor, Piqua police Deputy Chief Martin Grove said in a statement to News Center 7.

Funny, that.  If someone other than a cop has a negligent discharge, using the defense in court that the pistol “unintentionally discharged” wouldn’t work.

You know that this phrasing is being fed to the reporters for rote repeating.  And you also know that most reporters are too stupid to know better.

David Codrea.

“Donald Trump Jr. launches gun rights group, vows to fight Democratic gun control proposals,” Fox News reports. “The Second Amendment Task Force plans to build its operation around Trump’s high social media visibility and following, as well as his national media appearances.”

“The Second Amendment Task Force is the first advocacy group that Trump has launched and been directly involved with,” the report elaborates. “The group plans to make a push in the upcoming midterm elections this year, especially in the voter registration sphere.”

Except it’s not the first. Remember that “Second Amendment Coalition” his father announced and made him chairman of back in 2016?  The one he co-chaired with fired NRA-ILA honcho and bump stock “regulator” Chris Cox? If you don’t recall that group, it’s probably because it didn’t actually do much of anything and the webpage was taken down a half-a-year later.

As for “plans to make a push,” it’s fair to ask for whom. His father’s Mehmet Oz pick comes to mind. Are there any other candidates gun owners may have concerns about?

[ … ]

It would be greater to see him using his New York City concealed carry permit as a springboard to highlight how unjust and un-American it is to limit such permits to the sell-connected elites and to lead the charge for demanding change. For someone presuming to be a leadership voice for gun owners, it would be not just appropriate, but crucial for Trump Jr. to also explain in principle and detail:

• If he agrees his father has been flat-out wrong on bump stocks;

• Where he agrees with his father on which gun laws should be enforced;

• Why he didn’t weigh in on “red flag laws” when his father said “Take the guns first, due process second”;

• If he agrees with his father on raising the gun purchase age to 21; and

• How he differs from his father’s White House position on where the right to bear arms comes from (see photo, above).

David goes on to say, “The object here is not to attack him or start a feud with dad.”

I don’t mind doing so.  Trump will always trumpet his permit as something glorious, when the rest of the peasants who can’t afford highly paid lawyers in NY are left with nothing.

He should be ashamed at heralding his permit as something to be proud of rather than an example of something that should be changed.  Far from being a sign of support for gun rights, it’s a sign that he has no idea what gun rights means.

I don’t mind saying it at all.  I don’t trust anything Trump is involved with pertaining to 2A rights.

He can go pound sand.

He does a rundown of Maryland’s argument on why the Supreme Court should not take up this case, but rather, allow the ban to stay in place.

Frankly, I’m tired of hearing the so-called “common use” argument.  That has nothing to do with anything and certainly wasn’t in the minds of the founder when they told the FedGov to stay out of the business of regulating weapons.  Common use is entirely a fabricated phrase to assist the controllers.

Second, I’m tired to death of hearing the phrase “assault weapons” (which is also a fabricated phrase) and the routine response by gun rights advocates that “assault weapons” don’t meet the three rules for considering them an “assault rifle” (which based on DoD definition, includes (1) intermediate cartridge, (2) select fire capable, and (3) mild recoil).

It doesn’t matter since in order to make that argument, gun rights advocates stipulate up front that civilians have no right to own such a firearm (e.g., select fire).  In other words, it makes no sense to contrast “assault weapon” and the formal definition of “assault rifle” unless you admit at the outset that the very difference itself is justification for being able to own a semi-automatic version of the same weapon, which in fact, I don’t admit at all and thus do not use that argument.

Eh, whatever.  I really don’t care whether the SCOTUS takes this case up or not.  If they do and come to a good decision, states like Maryland and New York will have to allow the firearms to be owned, but it won’t change the fundamental nature of the state.  If they SCOTUS makes a bad decision, it won’t change the fact that these weapons will still be legal in S.C., N.C., Ga., Miss., La, Tenn, W.V., and on and on the list could go.

In other words, this is all a continuation of the Balkanization of America, with some states racing left, while others pass constitutional carry.

It isn’t policy on firearms that is ripping America apart at the seams.  Firearms is just a symptom, not the cause.

Daniel saw the vision of the Ancient of days commissioning the church, handing it to the Son of man with His army of witnesses, His Christian Soldiers, to conquer the world that all people should serve Him.

“13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” – Daniel 7:13-14

From the moment the church was birthed, Jesus declares that through His death, burial, and resurrection, He has been given the keys to bind hell and death.

“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” – Revelation 1:18

Satan is a defeated foe; Christ binds evil that the world will be overflooded with the knowledge of the glory of God (Habakkuk 2:14) by the spreading of the Gospel (Acts 1:8) that all people should serve Him (Daniel 7:14).

All people are subject to Christ, but some, a precious too few, are citizens of the Kingdom of God, building His domain that all enemies be made His footstool. When you got saved, you were to have abandoned your pagan kings and kingdoms; EVERYTHING about you should have changed; do you not hear Him calling His sheep, feeling the gentle pressure of the drawing and calling to serve your new High King? This is hard for folks saved in their youth, with so many years of cultural Churchianity ingrained in them. You must fight to overcome the world for Jesus Christ that you might be a son of God (Revelation 21:7).

There is nothing defensive about the Great Commission. Its offense, all the time, taking the field in the name of our High King and attacking the gates of hell relentlessly (Matthew 16:18), submitting yourself to the will of God (James 4:7).

Jesus has provided the practical instruction for His followers to carry out this deputation.

“14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” – Mark 16:14-16

“18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” – Matthew 28:18-20

The Great Commission is relatively simple.

1. You tell lost people about Jesus.
2. You teach converts all that He commands (the Word of God).

Both distinct missions seek the growth of the body of Christ. Soul-winning aims to grow the number of true converts, while discipleship seeks the development of individual believers in their depth and breadth of maturity in Christ. You are supposed to be on the battlefield taking the world one new convert at a time, teaching the nations all that Christ commands.

Standing Orders are those given to soldiers in the absence of their commander. They are what you are supposed to do until you receive new orders. The Great Commission is our standing order; it’s the church’s mission. It’s what you are commanded to accomplish by the Captain of your salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, until His return. With Acts 1:8, these are the last words of our Lord Jesus, and these are His standing orders.

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

We assure you that if you set about to accomplish this, the Lord will immediately and miraculously bless, prepare, and anoint your efforts! All of you who are saved were saved through the hearing of the Gospel under this commission. If any of you claim salvation and don’t continue in the work of carrying out this commission, you fail your brothers, and you fail Christ.

Acts 1:8 does not directly cross-reference the Great Commission verses in the Gospels, but it’s Jesus telling His disciples that the start of the mission is nigh, and the Holy Spirit’s arrival is imminent. They were to start witnessing right away after Pentecost, and they did. God added to the groups of believers popping up in and around Jerusalem as they spread the good news. And then the Gentile (Roman Soldier) Cornelius and his house got saved (acts 10), and the Gospel took off. After that, the disciples began to teach the converts and start communities of believers while seeking to expand the reach of the Gospel to the entire Roman Empire. God created new groups of believers who were instructed to change everything about their lives away from their pagan historical past, following after Christ being salt and light and righteousness. They turned the world upside down, and that’s what we’re supposed to be doing, changing whole civilizations by making them Christian.

“Matt. 28:19 – μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη (NA28 – Nestle-Aland, 28th Edition Greek New Testament). The first word here, μαθητεύσατε, means “make a disciple of or a follower, which involves instruction or teaching.” The last word is ἔθνος ethnos (from which we derive our English word “ethnic”) and can mean multitude, company, people, but in the broader application, as here, means all nations or peoples. Jesus wanted (and still wants) the gospel to be taken to the entire world and “every creature” (Mark 16:15).” – Roger L. Leonard.

Literal translation: disciple-make all the people/nations

Go and make disciples of all the people of the nations (every creature) that Christ may subjugate every man to His kingdom. The job is to conquer the world in the name and power of Jesus Christ. Nobody is coming to save us. Our Lord commands His disciples to overthrow the world by the power of God, the Holy Spirit in us, wielding His sword, which is the word of God through proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not hyperbole; it is your God-ordained duty in service of the One who saved you from the wrath and death and hell you deserve and has given you eternal life. Acts 1:8 and Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:16-20 are clear enough; these are our Standing Orders.

We are all made witnesses for Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. This mission is unto the ends of the earth. This is put forth to instruct us what our job is in the Kingdom of God while we work toward His return. Conquer the world because He’s coming back, not despite His coming back. Every soul on earth must needs hear the Gospel. It is not a limited ministry in any sense. Father God wants us to tell all people the Gospel of the finished work of His Son on the cross, making and training converts.

Once you believe, you become a witness for Jesus Christ, the witness being a legal term for which you will be held to account at the Judgment. If you know that you are supposed to tell people about Jesus, and you are, then failing to do is a sin.

A witness is someone that testifies as to the veracity of the facts. A witness for Jesus Christ testifies of Him. Discuss with every creature the atoning death, the resurrection, how He saved and changed you and has blessed you, how He is the Son of God, the only way to the Father (John 14:6) that sinners may be forgiven entering into eternal life.

Acts 1:8 with Mark 16:15 are the commands of God that make us the tip of the sword of the Gospel we are to wield at every soul on earth, giving them a stark choice under the threat of wrath and death and hell, or salvation unto eternal life in heaven with Christ Jesus. This is their choice, and telling them is the duty of every Christian; showing every soul, whosoever, and howsoever you may meet them, that our King saves.

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15

We are to show by opening the Scriptures that Christ died shedding His blood to cover the sins of the lost sinner, that He was buried, and that he rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Although not called to be a Preacher proper as from the pulpit, every believer is called to share the Gospel and win souls to Christ. The Holy Spirit of God convicts and saves the lost sinner; you are His witnesses, His messengers of the good news of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Don’t confuse the Gospel of Peace with anything other than peace in Christ Jesus. It’s not a feeling or how to get along with the lost world. The glad tidings are the resurrection of Jesus Christ fulfilling the promise of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world that salvation by faith in Holy God through the cross and the blessing of eternal life in His Son had come to all who would only believe. That’s the good news.

Simple does not mean easy. Jesus trained His disciples for years and gave them the Holy Spirit. Nobody but God will be on your side if you decide to take this on unless you are blessed to be around a very mature and seasoned (well-salted) group of believers. This is why most Christians shy away. They don’t feel supported; there is no sense of having a team to carry out the mission of Christ with singleness of purpose.

We put some thought into structuring a group of believers for this two-part commission; reaching the lost and building whole communities centered around Christ. Seeing the fruit of the American Churches, they are lost in a sea of endless activity to no avail. They leave a wide wake of a form of godliness, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory while losing ground to the workers of iniquity year after year.

Suppose you have the rare and distinct blessing of being in a mission (not missions) oriented group of believers with regular purposeful soul winning and training that grows the believers. In that case, it’s your duty to replicate this effort. Under this commission, use all resources directly to support this tip of this spear mission ordained by Christ Jesus. All believers must share the Gospel and help the soldiers returning from battle by uplifting them and encouraging them while ministering among the saints. Tell every soul the Gospel; this is a direct order of Holy God, and teach each other how to be Christ-like!

If only the Churches were places to get instructed, uplifted, encouraged, and prepared. Suppose churches were a place to share battlefield tactics, prayer, and partnering for practical strategies; other serious men and women would want to be part of the success. People love to win. We should prepare each other to re-enter the battlefield for another round of wielding the Gospel at the sons of men who are living in the kingdom of death and hell in this world.

It is your duty to make men and women competent Christians. The greatness of the Great Commission is also not to be reduced or watered down. Teaching converts is the natural follow-on conclusion to winning the lost sinner to God, as it was always God’s plan to have fellowship with them. Even if the new converts are not the ones you are teaching, both jobs need to be done. Sometimes you win a soul to Christ and never see them again, but that’s no excuse for not doing this work. Sometimes you teach an infant, and as they grow, they move away to follow God’s plan for them. You’ve done your part. It’s work; although a blessing to fellowship, it’s not a social hour. The great commission is the work in support of making yet more converts to the way, the truth, and the life of Jesus Christ by training up the young, not of age but spirit, in the way that they should go (Proverbs 22:6) so that they too can share the Gospel of Jesus Christ while living and growing in ever-expanding and multiplying Christian communities forsaking sin and rebuking the workers of hell.

The hard part is building the communities of believers. The Covid shutdowns proved that. We can count on very few people, but this is very likely due to the lack of a team approach. Christianity in America is hyper-personalized with no sense of a larger mission or single team. The Great Commission is that mission; to tell every creature of Christ in a way that they may choose to live or die while we build centers of support for new, growing, and seasoned Christian men, women, and families.

We are not to be snatching brands from the fire when we make believers; we are supposed to be making a new soldier; all power and authority having been given to Jesus Christ on earth for the discipleship of all nations. The command is that we, faithful followers of the way, take every aspect of society and claim it in the name of our King, including recreation, social, corporate, government, trade, etc. Adding by the will of Holy God; Peoples, Nations, Countries, and Kingdoms, making them all, every last one, disciples of Jesus Christ is what God has intended by this commission.

“Teach all nations – The word rendered “teach,” here, is not the one that is usually so translated in the New Testament. This word properly means “to disciple, or to make disciples of.” This was to be done, however, by teaching, and by administering baptism…Jesus broke down the partition wall, and commissioned his disciples to go everywhere, and bring the “world” to the knowledge of himself.” – Albert Barnes.

“As the numbers of converts increase, this providentially leads to the subsuming under the authority of Christ whole institutions, cultures, societies, and governments.” – Ken Gentry.

“Christianity should be twisted in with national constitutions…the kingdoms of the world should become Christ’s kingdoms, and their kings the church’s nursing fathers…do your utmost to make the nations Christian nations…Christ the Mediator is setting up a kingdom in the world, bring the nations to be His subjects.” – Matthew Henry.

It’s on the test, folks!

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” – 1 Peter 3:15

“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 10:32-33

Who do you love, Jesus or your lost friends? Jesus or your lost social media buddies? Jesus or your lost family? Who do you love, Jesus or your lost Churchianity?