When studying the death of Jesus of Nazareth it is common for Bible students to focus on the Words He uttered while His life slowly left Him: “IT IS FINISHED.” This is understandable when considering what His death did for the world. However, Christ’s death, as eternally important as it was, constituted only one third of Christ’s assigned ministry. Without parts one and three, part two (His death) would have had no meaning and no effect on the lives and future lives of mankind. As we will see in this teaching, part one of His ministry (His life) laid the foundation for part two (His death) which, for mankind, made parts one and three (His life and resurrection) necessary in order to maximize the result of part two.

We are introduced to part one of Christ’s commission from the Father in the Gospel of John chapter 17, verses one through four where we find Jesus praying to the Father concerning part one–His ministry which was coming to an end. In verse four we find Him saying Words that, in my opinion, do not receive nearly enough attention from church leaders. Part one involved his message–the part that the majority of churchites reject. Here Jesus says to the Father: “… I HAVE FINISHED THE WORK YOU GAVE ME TO DO.” Notice that those divine Words were spoken before His arrest, before His trial and before His crucifixion. The Savior was referring to part one of His assigned ministry which involved His final 3 1/2 years of life as a human being among His fellow human beings. During that short time element He worked every waking hour at fulfilling the commission His Father had assigned Him.

For 29 years Jesus of Nazareth lived unnoticed among His fellow citizens. As a lowly carpenter He received little, if any, attention in that carpenters were among the lowest of society’s classes. Recall that when He later read from the Scriptures in the synagogue, people who knew Him wondered how this was possible in that people of His social status were normally illiterate–unable to read or write. It was only after His baptism and 40-day fast (Mk. 1:12,13) that His ministry began (vs 15). Here we are introduced to the focal point of His ministry: “PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” We are told in Luke 3:3 that His first words of ministry involved telling people to repent for breaking God’s Law (Lk. 9:6), which one must do in order to enter the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached for the next 3 1/2 years of His life. Another part of His ministry consisted of healing the sick and casting out devils. Preaching the kingdom message, healing the sick and casting out demons was His commission from God throughout the remainder of His life. As the New Testament tells us, He fulfilled His commission perfectly. When He said to the Father that He had “… finished the work you gave me to do” He was announcing that part one of His commission had been completed.

Jesus spent 3 1/2 years, night and day fulfilling part one–preaching the Gospel of God’s kingdom and performing miracles, all the while fulfilling another, equally important aspect of part one–teaching His disciples, who would become apostles (“sent ones”), how to carry on God’s assigned ministry following Christ’s exit from the earth. Knowing that His time was short, He expected them to be fast and sure learners. Recall that He grew angry when they failed to perform miracles early on in their training period (Mat. 8:23-26; 17:14–21). He expected them to do what He had told them to do and demonstrated how to do. This teaching process, along with His preaching of the Kingdom of God, which they were to preach, constituted part one of Christ’s commission from the Heavenly Father. Without His pre-death ministry, His death would have been in vain in that it would have ended at that point.

Part two of Christ’s commission was itself a two-part ordeal for this One Who, though He had never failed the Father, would take upon Himself the sins of all other human beings, all of whom would fail Him. So completely did He fulfill part two that He took upon Himself the sins of the entire world as He hung on the cross. So horrific was the sight that God, Who cannot look upon sin, turned His back to Him, causing Jesus to cry out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” (Mat. 27:46). It was at the end of His life that Jesus said, “IT IS FINISHED.” What God had commissioned Him to do while living as a man among men He had completed perfectly. He had taught and lived the kingdom life before men. He had taught His apostles (“sent ones”) to go into all the world and reach, teach, heal, deliver, etc., Himself being their perfect example. His fulfillment of part two was equally as perfect as part one had been. However, without part three of His commission, parts one and two would have been for naught.

Among the Jews were many who did not believe that there would be another life following their physical death. They “knew” that death brought the end of everything. Their one-life theology was “known” to be God’s Truth. In Ephesians 4:8 one-lifers are described as those who, all of their lives, had been held “captive” by their fear that death meant the end of everything. It is written of Jesus that upon His resurrection He “took captivity (the “captives”) captive (Eph. 4:8), meaning that He “captured” them with the Truth about the resurrection and a future life in paradise for those who believed and obeyed God in this life. It is also noted that, upon leaving this earth, He placed selected men in places of spiritual authority within His church (Eph. 4:8,11-16). His purpose in doing so was to bring about the perfecting of the saints until all in His church would come together as one entity under one God and one Christ, having one faith and one body with Jesus Christ as its Head (4-6). You will notice that the hundreds-strong “church” now in existence bears no resemblance to the church God commands. That church exists today. However, it is so tiny and so obscure that most churchites cannot name one member of God’s true body which numbers only a few thousand globally. Truly God’s mustard seed – church has remained tiny. Now back to part three.

Simply speaking, if there was to be no resurrection–Christ’s resurrection being the example–then there would be no reason for His life, work and death. Men would have no reason to obey the Lord, other than their pure love for Him, for which the reward would be the grave, which would be the same outcome as that of mass murderers, prostitutes, queers, thieves, blasphemers, etc.

Many people confuse the resurrection of God’s Very Elect with the so-called “Rapture.” This error is explained in the series using the word Rapture as the key.

Within the Catholic/Protestant Religious System (“the church”) there is a tiny remnant who believe what Is written in the Holy Bible and obey it. The other 99% believe what Satan-led men have convinced them is the actual truth. As was the case in Eden, the vast majority within professing Christendom believe the serpent’s “You shall not surely die” for breaking God’s Law and reject the Lord’s command to the contrary. The Lord arranged for me to watch and hear a famous church pastor confirm what I just wrote. He said: “In order to get to heaven you must obey church doctrine”– not God’s Word, but Satan’s word about God’s Word that religious man has embraced. That false prophet confessed what the church believes. For this reason true God seekers must do what the Apostle Paul tells them to do in Second Corinthians 6:17-7:1–“COME OUT OF HER AND BE SEPARATE; DO NOT TOUCH THAT UNCLEAN THING ….” Be prepared to pay a price for doing so, but the price is well worth paying. Read Matthew chapter 10. The time Jesus describes for His true saints is just ahead of us. Some will give up their lives for obeying Him. All will be persecuted as promised in First Timothy 3:12 where we are told that “ALL who will live GODLY in Christ Jesus WILL SUFFER PERSECUTION.” Notice verse 22. Notice that salvation comes for those who maintain their righteousness will be saved at the END of this world, not now L.J.