Kingdom Disciples

In his Letter to the Galatians , the Apostle Paul portrays the Mosaic Law as the “ pedagogue ” that supervised Israel “ until the seed came ,” and that “ seed ” is Jesus. In Greco-Roman society, the “ pedagogue ” was the slave with custodial and disciplinary authority over an underage child until he reached maturity, even though the custodian was often himself a slave. The child’s minority status and the custodian’s authority were temporary.

The Apostle Paul was adamant. “ In Christ Jesus ,” no longer is there “ Jew or Gentile .” By his shed blood, the Nazarene “ dismantled the middle wall of partition ” that separated Jews and Gentiles, “ that he might reconcile them both in one body for God through the cross .” Having voided the “ law of the commands in ordinances ” that divided them, ever since he has been “ creating in himself One New Man .”

Jesus began his ‘ Olivet Discourse ’ with an ominous warning about coming deceivers who will claim his authority and spread rumors about wars and other calamities, thereby setting false expectations about the “ end .” In this way, “ many ” individuals will be deceived. He repeated this warning at pivotal points in the Discourse. For example, prior to the “ arrival of the Son of Man on the clouds, MANY false prophets will arise and deceive many .”

The Book of Revelation uses “ war ” and related terms to illustrate Satan’s attacks against the followers of the “ Lamb .” The Book shows little to no interest in conventional or nuclear warfare between nation-states. Instead, the “ Dragon ” strives mightily to annihilate the saints before his allotted time expires. To do so, he employs deception, compromise, and on occasion, outright persecution. The target of his hostility is the Church of Jesus Christ.

Our natural tendency is to avoid conflict. Understandably, we prefer our daily lives to be characterized by peace, acceptance, and prosperity, a life devoid of difficulties and afflictions. Moreover, the New Testament does promise believers peace now and everlasting life later. Nevertheless, it also exhorts the assembly of God to expect afflictions and even persecution in this life on account of its witness in a sin-darkened world.

At times, there may be so many “ trees ” that we fail to see the “ forest ,” details that distract us from seeing the obvious. This is often the case when dealing with the visions of the Book of Revelation . According to its very first verse, it is intended to “ reveal what things must come to pass ,” not to conceal them. An example is the “ war ” waged by the “ Great Red Dragon .” Too often in popular preaching, his earthly agent, the “ Beast from the Sea ,” becomes a global political leader who wages war against any nation that resists his will.