Jesus was crucified and buried and had risen. Then the disciples met Him in Galilee, and Jesus says, “All power is given: Matthew 28:18.”

After Mary Magdalene and the other Mary had followed Jesus’ rich disciple, Joseph of Arimathea to lay Jesus in his tomb. The distraught women continued sitting against the tomb after Joseph rolled the stone against the opening and left.

But, at the beginning of dawn on the first morning of the week, the women returned to find the angel sitting on top of the stone amidst the petrified soldiers lying on the ground. The angel informed the women, “Jesus has risen; tell the brothers that you will see Jesus in Galilee.”

Jesus told them that He had all power in heaven and earth given to Him. Didn’t they know? They followed Him for three years! They had watched strong men just fall down when Jesus simply said, “I am.” Wasn’t that power? If Jesus is God manifest in the flesh, didn’t He already have all the power? Then again, why: All power is given: Matthew 28:18?

Jesus is God

The Gospel of John begins with “In the beginning” just like Genesis does. We find out that Jesus is the Word. He was also present in the beginning with God. That explains “our image.” He is God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among man. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the express image of God’s person. Jesus told Philip, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” According to these and many other Bible verses, Jesus is God.

Why Does God Himself Need to be Given Power?

Luke starts off his Gospel saying that Jesus was full of the Holy Ghost! Okay, why does God the Father manifest in the flesh, need to be filled with God, the Holy Spirit?

Jesus Being Full of the Holy Ghost?

It can be difficult to understand that God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three Persons in One. The more I get to know Him, the more this just becomes a reality in my understanding. This is God’s will for us: All throughout the Bible, God promises that if we will seek Him, we will find Him.

Back to Luke and the Power

We all know that the devil is a liar, but let’s find out what Luke records the devil saying while he was trying to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, and more importantly how Jesus responds:

And the devil said to Him, “All this power I will give You, and the glory of them, for it has been delivered unto me, and I give it to whomsoever I want.

“Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.”

Luke 4:6-7

Who on earth would give the devil any power? God? You? Me?

Jesus didn’t say, “Satan, you don’t have the power.”

He resisted that devil! Jesus said, “It is written!”

The Bible calls Satan “the god of this world,” who has blinded the minds of the lost, those who don’t believe. How did Satan get the power to be called “the god of this world?” Who delivered it to him in the first place?

Let Us Make Man in Our Image

During creation, God said, “Let the waters bring forth abundantly…” and “Let the earth bring forth…,” but only about man did He say:

‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over… all the earth…’

So God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over...every living thing that moves upon the earth.’

Genesis 1:26-28

The above verses describe God’s will for mankind from the very beginning, and this is still God’s will for us now. “Let us,” God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, make man in our image, after our likeness. “Male and female He created them” and made no distinction between male and female when blessing them and giving them power before sin and death came into the world.

Back to the first chapter of the Gospel of John. In verse 12, John tells us that “as many as received Him,” to them God gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Sons of God

In Psalm 8:5, King David says that God made man a little lower than “ELOHIYM,” or God and crowned man with glory and majesty! He goes on to say in verse 6, “You have him rule over the works of Your hands; You have put everything under his feet…LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth! (NASB20 8:6,9)” Psalm 115:16 says, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth has He given to the children of men.”

Jesus Took Back The Power!

“Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.'” God gave dominion or power to man. The serpent deceived Adam and Eve into delivering their power right over to Satan in the garden. Jesus came to defeat the devil and to deliver His children from a life of bondage to sin which leads to death.

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Hebrews 2:14-15

When Jesus died, He descended into hell (Acts 2:31) and took back the keys of hell and of death (Revelation 1:18). God already had all power, except what He had given to man in the beginning. Only a perfect, sinless man could restore that power to man. God became that perfect, sinless man through the virgin birth of Jesus. Now, God once again has all power in heaven and earth. People now have the choice to submit to God and His righteousness and partake in “kingdom living” here on earth or to continue to submit to sin and death. The only power Satan has now over anyone is deception:

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.

And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

The Bible begins by revealing God’s perfect plan at the time of creation and progresses until finally ending with the full revelation of Jesus Christ. Why would we, now having the full revelation of Jesus, base any of our doctrine on something contrary to what that revelation says about Him?

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

John 10:10

The true nature and character of God is revealed in Jesus. He went around preaching and teaching that the kingdom of God is near and healing ALL that would believe!

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Acts 10:38

God was with Jesus, and now God, the Holy Spirit, is in us! That is the mystery that has been revealed!

“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

Luke 24:49

Power Transfer

God had always had the power. He limited Himself and became a man so that He could destroy the power of death that entered the world at the fall. We didn’t have the power, and the only way it could be restored or taken back from the thief, was for God Himself to become a perfect, sinless, man and take it! Jesus is that man.

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Colossians 1:13

I’ve Got The Power!!

Jesus restored our power and has already translated us into His kingdom, right now, here on earth! You hear people say things like “pie in the sky by and by” and I even heard one person say, “that sky daddy crap.” Unfortunately, the church is not being discipled as Jesus told us to do in Matthew 28:19-20, right after, “All power is given: Matthew 28:18.” The church is more confused than Job was, and Job had an excuse! Jesus restored our power and gives us steak on the plate while we wait!

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

John 14:12

Hallelujah! All Power is Given: Matthew 28:18

If you want to see these words of Jesus come to pass in your own life, please take advantage of the free discipleship material I have links to on my Discipleship/Evangelism page and posts. I am a living testimony to the truths contained in these materials! Ask God to reveal this to you. His greatest desire for you is to know Him, life eternal! He wants your life here on earth to be a living testimony of His goodness! The more abundant and fruitful you become, the more YouWillWantTo!