Authority in the Bible
Summary: In the church, there is no authority other than the authority of Jesus Christ as the Head of the church. Every member serves one another as servants, with no human authority of one over another.
Call to action: By His grace, let us remain faithful in serving the church without usurping the authority of the Holy Spirit over the church. At His coming, we will share in the authority of Jesus Christ to restore all things.
Our theme this time is authority in the Bible. The Greek term most often used to explain authority is EXOUSIA, which appears 102 times in the New Testament. This term refers to authority that is based on office or position, not authority derived from physical strength or spiritual power. Perhaps the following example can explain ‘exousia’ clearly.
For instance, a man with a muscular build is driving a large truck on the highway, but he is stopped by a police officer of ordinary build. Nevertheless, the truck driver stops and steps down to show respect to the officer. The officer then asks for the driver’s license and vehicle registration, and the truck driver complies and hands over what is requested. Why? Because the police officer has authority that comes from his office as a police officer. Of course, he must wear a police uniform as a sign of that authority.
Let us begin our discussion by looking at Hebrews 2:6–9, which says:
“… ‘What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor; You put everything under his feet.’ For in subjecting everything to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subjected to him. But we do see Jesus, who was made for a little while lower than the angels ….”
Hebrews 2:6–9 is a quotation from Psalm 8:5–7. When we read Psalm 8:5–7, we understand that God made mankind to have dominion over His creation. “Yet at present we do not see everything subjected to him” (Hebrews 2:8). In the Indonesian LAI version, the suffix ‘him’ is written with a capital letter (‘Nya’), as if verse 8 refers to Jesus. However, verse 8 actually refers to mankind, not to Jesus. Therefore, the correct translation is: “Yet at present we do not see everything subjected to him.”
Indeed, at present not everything has been subjected to humanity, because mankind has fallen into the realm of death as the wages of sin. But Hebrews 2:9 affirms that Jesus has been crowned with glory and honor and has authority in heaven and on earth. And Jesus tasted death (as the wages of sin) for all humanity (v. 9). This passage emphasizes that Jesus is the One who first possesses authority over God’s creation, and then He will lead all humanity into salvation, and in the end all humanity will have dominion over God’s creation.
What we have discussed above aligns with the Father’s original plan in creating mankind. Genesis 1:26 states: “Then Elohim said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them have dominion … over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’” (ILT).
We know that when God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden, the Father’s plan had not yet been fulfilled. Adam and Eve had not yet ruled over the whole earth. They had not yet multiplied and filled the earth. They had not yet known good and evil. Thus, the Father’s plan to create mankind in His image and likeness and to rule over the whole earth had not yet been fulfilled. Humanity needed to undergo a long process (through the two trees in the Garden of Eden), and then, according to Hebrews 2:6–9, humanity would finally have authority over God’s creation. Thus, the Father’s plan would be fulfilled.
We have discussed, based on Hebrews 2:6–9 and Genesis 1:26–28, that the Father’s plan for humanity (all mankind) is to have dominion (authority) over all His creation. But humanity must undergo a long process through the two trees in the Garden of Eden in order to become like Him and to exercise authority over His creation. Now we will discuss a type of authority, namely human authority over other humans, because humanity has fallen into the realm of death (vanity), symbolized by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The types of authority meant here are the authority of men (husbands) over women (wives) and the authority of governments over their people. This type of human authority over other humans is only temporary, according to God’s arrangement. For the Father’s plan is that humanity (all mankind) together will rule (exercise authority) over His creation. Therefore, this kind of authority is only temporary, established by God while humanity undergoes His process.
Let us begin with the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:16 records: “… yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” After humanity fell into the realm of death, God disciplined Eve by declaring that her husband (Adam) would rule over her. Many people assume that the authority of the husband (man) over the wife (woman) is eternal, because even in the church God commands, “Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). However, let us look at how humanity (Adam and Eve) was created.
The creation of humanity in Genesis 1:27 and the formation of humanity in Genesis 2:7 are very different. Humanity (male and female) in Genesis 1:27 came purely from Elohim and was spiritual humanity, for what is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6). As spiritual beings, Adam and Eve were in perfect unity. They were planned together to have dominion or authority over God’s creation.
Then Elohim processed humanity and formed it so that humanity became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). Elohim then took Eve out of Adam (taking Adam’s “womb”) and built her into a “womb-man” (woman = womb man). Thus Adam and Eve became the first couple in the Garden of Eden. Later, we know that Eve ate the forbidden fruit first and received discipline from God that her husband would rule over her.
Therefore, the authority of the husband over the wife was not the Father’s original plan. Indeed, as long as humanity is still in the process of overcoming the realm of death as the wages of sin, God establishes the rule of the husband as the head of the household. But if we understand the Father’s original plan for husband and wife, then in family life we, as husbands, should not emphasize the submission of our wives. Rather, we should emphasize unity in our household. We
should strive to be one with our wives. If we are in unity with our wives, there is no need for submission. If we are already one, what else needs to be subjected?
Thus we know that human authority over other humans—in this case, the husband over the wife—is not eternal. The authority of the husband over the wife exists only as long as the realm of death has not been fully subdued. In the end, when Jesus, who has conquered death, leads all humanity into the freedom of His life, there will no longer be human authority over other humans. Humanity, together in unity, will rule over God’s creation.
We have discussed human authority over other humans in the relationship between husband and wife, noting that the authority of the husband over the wife exists only while the realm of death has not yet been fully subdued. Since the Father’s plan is that humanity (all mankind) together will rule (exercise authority) over His creation, we now continue our discussion of human authority over other humans, namely the authority of government over its people.
Let us look at Genesis 9:5–6: “But for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting; from every animal I will demand it, and from each human being too I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed ….”
Many people believe that this passage explains that God establishes human authority over other humans, because it states that whoever sheds human blood, by humans their blood will be shed. This means that humans are given authority to repay evil. We know that governments bear the sword to punish wrongdoing (Romans 13:4). Thus, God establishes the authority of governments over their people to punish evil deeds.
And as servants of God, we must submit to our government (Romans 13:1). Whoever resists the authorities resists what God has instituted and will bring judgment upon themselves. That is why we are commanded to offer intercessory prayers “for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:2).
There is one more matter we must discuss regarding human government. After God established human authority over other humans in Genesis chapter 9, in the next chapters there appears a man named ‘Nimrod’, who built his own kingdom (chapters 10 and 11). Nimrod is described as the first to be a mighty ruler on the earth (Genesis 10:8). Many people think that Nimrod served and lived before the Lord (Genesis 10:9). However, Strong’s Concordance reveals that the Hebrew term translated ‘before’ has a wide range of meanings. In Genesis 10:9, as in Numbers 16:2, the same Hebrew term can literally mean ‘in rebellion against’. The Jewish Encyclopedia states that the name Nimrod means “one who causes all people to rebel against God.” The ILT Bible includes a footnote for the word ‘before’, rendering it as ‘defiantly opposed’.
Thus, Nimrod was a rebellious man who defiantly opposed God. He established his own kingdom and his own authority. One of his kingdoms was Babylon. We mention Nimrod briefly because in the book of Revelation, one of the cities built by Nimrod—Babylon—is used as a symbol for the church (Revelation 17–18). We will not discuss this in detail now, but it is sufficient to understand that the ‘spirit of Nimrod’ in establishing one’s own authority can and has entered the church.
The question for us now is whether human authority over other humans—specifically, the authority of governments over their people—will continue forever. Let us read Revelation 11:15: “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign for ever and ever.’”
We know that Jesus will establish His kingdom on earth together with His saints at His coming. When the seventh angel sounds the trumpet, human authority over other humans will come to an end. The Lord Jesus and His saints will take over the government of this world. But before the Lord’s coming, we must submit to our government.
We have discussed human authority over other humans, namely the authority of the husband as the head of the household and the authority of government over the people. We also know that this human authority is established by God only temporarily. While humanity is still in the process of the realm of death, God indeed establishes human authority over other humans. But in due time, God Himself will abolish human authority over other humans when the realm of death has been fully subdued. For the Father’s plan is that humanity (all mankind) together will rule (exercise authority) over His creation.
Now let us discuss authority among God’s people. To discuss authority among God’s people, we must clearly distinguish between authority in the Old Testament context (Israel) and authority in the New Testament context (the church). If we do not clearly distinguish between the two, we inadvertently support the fragmentation of the church into thousands of denominations, because denominations mix Old Testament authority with New Testament authority, as we will see.
Therefore, let us begin with Matthew 23:1–12, where Jesus clearly distinguishes the authority of ‘Moses’ seat’ from the authority that applies in His church. The context of Matthew 23 is when Jesus speaks to the crowds—who were under the leadership of the Pharisees and teachers of the law—and also to His disciples (v. 1). To the crowds, Jesus tells them to obey and do everything taught by the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, because they sit in Moses’ seat. By Moses’ seat, Jesus refers to authority in the Old Testament context (Israel). The authority of Moses’ seat is authority derived from office. Whether a person has good character or not, if they hold the office of a leader, they possess authority. In the case of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, their conduct was not right. That is why Jesus said, “So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach” (v. 3).
In verse 8, Jesus begins to speak to His disciples: “But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.” From verses 8 to 12, Jesus addresses His disciples. In these verses, Jesus firmly says that no one should be called Rabbi or teacher, no one should be called father, and no one should be called leader, because there is only one Leader, the Messiah. Did Jesus mean that there should be no teachers, no spiritual fathers, or no leaders in the church? Not at all. What Jesus meant, in the context of Matthew 23, is that ‘there is no authority of “Moses’ seat” in the church’.
The church certainly has teachers, spiritual fathers, and leaders, but they do not possess positional authority, because in the church there are no offices. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are all functions in the church to equip the saints to build up the body of Christ. In the church, ‘you are all brothers’ (Matthew 23:8).
We have discussed that in the church there is no authority of “Moses’ seat.” The authority of Moses’ seat refers to authority obtained through ‘office’, such as that held by the teachers of the law and the Pharisees in the Jewish Sanhedrin. In the Old Testament context, there were offices such as king, prophet, priest, and positions in the Temple. But in the church, there are no offices. From Matthew 23, it is clear that Jesus forbade His disciples from being called leader, father, or rabbi. This means that in the church there are no offices of leader, father, or rabbi, because in the church ‘there is no authority of Moses’ seat’. In the church, all are brothers.
So then, what authority exists in the church? Before answering that, let us reflect on the following facts. First, when Jesus said, “I will build My church,” and also told His disciples, “Let no one among you be called leader, father, or rabbi,” what Jesus meant was that He alone would build His church. Only I have authority over My church. Only I will directly govern every member of My church. I have never delegated My authority to anyone among the members of the church, because every member is a fellow brother. No member may be called a leader in the sense of possessing authority within the church. There is no authority of one member over another within the church. Jesus directly directs every movement of the members of His church. Jesus directly exercises authority over every member of His church.
Second, when Jesus said, “I will build My church,” how does Jesus build His church? Jesus’ words to the Jewish leaders, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” explain how He builds His church. What Jesus meant by “the temple” was His own body—the body of Christ, that is, the church. Thus, Jesus builds His church through His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, and through the coming down of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who gives life. Jesus imparted His life to 120 people on the day of Pentecost, and the church was born.
Third, we have discussed that human authority over other humans applies only temporarily, as long as humanity remains in the process of the realm of death because of eating from the tree of knowledge. This applies to the husband–wife relationship and the relationship between governments and their people, which we discussed earlier. But the church is something Jesus Himself established. The church comes from the tree of Life, because the tree of Life truly represents Jesus Himself. Jesus said, “Whoever eats Me has life in himself” (John 6). Everything that comes from the tree of death (the tree of knowledge) is not the church. The church comes from the tree of Life, which is Jesus as Life. Human authority over other humans, which is
temporary in the process of the realm of death, cannot be brought into the church. Within the church, there is no human authority over other humans.
By considering these three facts, we can conclude that the authority of the church is the authority of Life. The authority that operates within the church is the authority of Jesus as the Life of the church. The church is people; the church is an organism; the church exists in the realm of the tree of Life, or the realm of Life. Therefore, within the church there must not be anyone—whoever he may be—who possesses authority over other members. All are brothers. All members of the church must submit to the authority of Life.
Therefore, the church is a community of ‘one another’. One another admonishing, one another correcting, one another washing one another’s feet, one another building up, and so forth—but above all, “…submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of Elohim” (Ephesians 5:21, ILT). Why must we submit to one another? Because there is no member who has authority over another member within the church.
We have seen that the church is a community of ‘one another’. One another admonishing, one another correcting, one another washing one another’s feet, one another building up, and so forth—but above all, “…submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of Elohim” (Ephesians 5:21, ILT). Why must we submit to one another? Because there is no member who has authority over another member within the church. If so, how then do leaders function within a ‘one another’ community—this community that is an organism?
In Colossians 2:19, it is written about the function of “ligaments” and “joints,” which illustrates the function of leaders within an organism. Let us consider Colossians 2:19: “…and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, supported and knit together by ligaments and joints, receives its growth from God.” The Greek expression ‘auxanō ho auxēsis ho theos’, translated as ‘receives its growth from God’, should actually be translated as ‘grows with the growth of Elohim’. This means that the whole body will grow in the growth of Life (Elohim is Life—“I am the Life”) if the ligaments and joints function as those who support and knit together, so that the body is not divided. The whole body (the organism) will receive the growth of Elohim if the ligaments and joints within the body function properly—that is, supporting and binding the body together. Here we see the very important role of the leaders of this organism. These leaders truly submit to the authority of Life that operates within the body. The leaders of the organism, and indeed all members of the body, submit to one another. There is no member of the body who steps forward to “subdue” other members and exalts himself as a leader. This clearly violates the command of Jesus who said, “Do not let anyone among you be called a leader.”
Let us look further at the role of these leaders of the organism. In Ephesians 4:11–13 it is written: “And He Himself (JESUS) gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, until we all … the fullness of Christ.” Pay attention to these verses. We see that the function of leaders (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers) is only TO EQUIP the saints. The ILT version translates it as FOR THE PERFECTING of the saints. Thus, the leaders of the organism only equip or perfect the saints; they do not DRAW DISCIPLES TO THEMSELVES, as we will later discuss in Acts 20:30. The act of leaders drawing disciples to themselves is called the usurpation of Jesus’ authority over His body, which we will discuss later when we touch on the teaching of Jezebel. In the Christian world, the teaching of Jezebel has already been justified, accepted, and taught as truth.
For now, it is sufficient to know that the leaders of the organism truly function as servants of the church—servants in the sense of ‘doulos’ (slaves). They have no authority, no rights, let alone the right to take the money of the congregation, whether through teachings on tithes, firstfruits (money), faith pledges, and the like. Denominational leaders are not servants of the church, because they possess authority over the congregation and even feel entitled to the congregation’s money because they consider themselves “the tribe of Levi.”
We have seen how the leaders of the organism function within the church. In Colossians 2:19, they are seen functioning as “ligaments” and “joints” that bind and unite the body. In Ephesians 4:12, the leaders of the organism only equip or perfect the saints for the building up of the body of Christ. It is clear that these leaders submit to the authority of Life, while as fellow members of the body, all submit to one another. When the church had not yet split into thousands of denominations, the authority of Life was clearly at work. The growth of the church was the growth of the Life of Christ. But toward the end of Paul’s ministry, the seeds of division had begun to appear.
The occurrence of church division was nothing other than the entry of the human authority of leaders into the church, resulting in a shift away from the authority of Life. Let us look at Acts 20:30: “Even from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.” In the preceding verse, Paul firmly stated that after his departure, savage wolves would attack the leaders, causing the leaders to teach false doctrines with the intention of drawing disciples to themselves. By drawing disciples to themselves, these leaders actually established their own authority over the disciples. These leaders deliberately inserted their own authority over the disciples and displaced the authority of Life over the body of Christ. This act of leaders drawing disciples is called the work of “Nicolaitans” in Revelation 2:6. But as it developed, this practice/work of the Nicolaitans became a doctrine—the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:15).
What is the meaning of “Nicolaitans”? Because the book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ and His church using symbolic language, the meaning of “Nicolaitans” is as follows. “Nicolaitans” in Greek comes from two words: nikaō, meaning ‘to conquer’, and laos, meaning ‘the common people’ or ‘the laity’. Thus, “Nicolaitans” means ‘to conquer the laity’. Here, leaders subdue the laity so that the church is divided into two parts: “the clergy” and “the laity” in Catholicism; and in Protestantism, “pastors” and “congregations.” This is not merely a division of the church, but a displacement of the authority of Life by leaders inserting their own human authority into the church. For “the clergy” have authority over “the laity” in Catholicism, just as “pastors” have authority over “the congregation.” Today, however, in the Christian world, this work of the Nicolaitans has become a doctrine; therefore it has been justified and even taught in theological schools.
The work and teaching of the Nicolaitans align with “the woman Jezebel” in Revelation 2:20. Jezebel here is a symbol, and this symbol is applied to a woman (the church). What does this mean? We know that Jezebel wrote letters in the name of Ahab, her husband, sealing them with the king’s seal in the case of Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:8). This means that Jezebel usurped Ahab’s authority. Even though Jezebel’s purpose was to fulfill Ahab’s desire, it was still an act of usurpation. Therefore, “the woman Jezebel” means a church in which authority is usurped—the authority of Jesus (as the Bridegroom) is taken by the church (the bride).
In conclusion, it is the church leaders who have displaced the authority of Life and established their own authority over God’s people. These church leaders have also changed the essence of the church, which was originally organic, into thousands of organizations through the introduction of hierarchy (levels of authority).
We have seen that it is the church leaders who have displaced the authority of Life and established their own authority over God’s people. These church leaders have also changed the essence of the church, which was originally organic (a body), into thousands of organizations because of the introduction of hierarchy (levels of authority). The actions of these church leaders are described in Revelation 2–3 as the teachings of the Nicolaitans and Jezebel. What, then, is God’s next program after the church has been divided into thousands of denominations? This is what we will now discuss.
The Father’s plan for humanity cannot fail. The Father planned for humanity to have authority over the whole earth, even over all His creation. Indeed, the primary task of the church is to manifest the kingdom of heaven on earth, to establish God’s authority on earth, and with God’s authority, the church can subdue all things under its feet. But now the church has been divided because its leaders did not uphold the authority of the Lord Jesus as the Life of the church; instead, they upheld their own authority over God’s people. Therefore, God’s next program is to call His overcomers in every age.
The Father in heaven does not restore the church that has become thousands of denominational “fragments” back into the early church as an organism; rather, the Father calls His overcomers in every age to represent His church. In Revelation 2–3, we can see how the Lord calls His overcomers in each of the seven church ages. These overcomers are not great people in the sense of holding positions within organizational hierarchies—indeed, it is precisely these hierarchies that caused the church to fragment into thousands of denominations. These overcomers are simple people who, by the grace of God, did not partake in the fall of the church. Revelation 2–3 explains three false teachings that prevail in the church that has fragmented into thousands of denominations. These three teachings are Jezebel, the Nicolaitans, and Balaam. The teaching of Jezebel justifies the usurpation of the authority of Life by leaders and justifies hierarchy within the church. The teaching of the Nicolaitans includes false submission (not mutual submission), the teaching of “spiritual covering,” and the like—all of which essentially strengthen the authority of leaders over God’s people. And of course, the teaching of Balaam, in which leaders profit from ministry by engaging in trade.
Thus, these overcomers are people who receive God’s grace so that they do not partake in the teachings of Jezebel, the Nicolaitans, and Balaam. These overcomers are not only called, but by grace are chosen and faithful. These overcomers, who have been appointed as the firstfruits of His creation, will reign with the Lord Jesus on the earth (James 1:18; Revelation 14:1–5).
In His time, this group of firstfruits will be entrusted to exercise God’s authority on the earth, together with the Lord Jesus Christ. This group of firstfruits has no authority whatsoever in today’s Christian world. This group of firstfruits is not bound by and is free from the snares of the teachings of Jezebel, the Nicolaitans, and Balaam. That is why this group of firstfruits can follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Revelation 14:4).
Thus, the Father’s plan for humanity to reign on the earth continues, but the Father uses this group of firstfruits. And eventually, through this group of firstfruits, all of the Father’s plans will be fulfilled.
We have seen that the authority of the church that Jesus established is the authority of Life. But the church has been divided into thousands of denominations by the actions of its leaders, who displaced the authority of Life and inserted their own authority. In this condition of a church fragmented into thousands of denominations, God calls His overcomers who do not partake in the church’s fall. These overcomers, whom we call the firstfruits, are simple people who by God’s grace do not take any advantage from the Christian world—whether money, position, or human glory. This group of firstfruits has no authority whatsoever in the deviated Christian world. Nevertheless, the Father’s plan for the next age resides within this group of firstfruits—His overcomers.
We know that the Lord Jesus will return to establish His kingdom on the earth through and within His overcomers. One of the promises to His overcomers in the book of Revelation is to sit with the Lord Jesus on His throne (Revelation 3:21). These overcomers are given authority to reign. Revelation 20:4 affirms that the time when these overcomers reign with the Lord Jesus is the period or age of the millennial kingdom.
These overcomers, or this group of firstfruits, are given authority by the Lord Jesus to judge (Revelation 20:4). We should not understand judgment merely as punishment, although indeed what a person sows, that he will also reap. Judgment also has a positive aspect, namely restoration. Isaiah 26:9 records, “…when Your judgments come upon the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” Thus, the overcomers (the group of firstfruits) who are given authority to execute His judgments do so with the purpose of restoring the inhabitants of the earth.
This aligns with what is written in Romans 8:19–21, ILT: “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of Elohim, because the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of Elohim …”. It is affirmed here that the children of Elohim will set creation free from its bondage to decay and bring it into the freedom of the glory of the children of Elohim.
If we want to understand who the children of Elohim are in Romans 8:19–21, then we must look at the entire context of chapter 8, namely ‘glorification by faith’. In the previous chapters, Paul has explained ‘justification by faith’ and ‘sanctification by faith’. But in chapter 8, Paul speaks about the time when Christ Jesus will be glorified, that is, when He reveals Himself at the end of the age at His coming. And we (the children of Elohim), who suffer together with Him, will also be glorified together with Him (Romans 8:17). One meaning of the expression “suffer together with Him” is to experience suffering ‘similar to’ that which Jesus experienced. We know that Jesus suffered at the hands of the religious world of His time (Judaism), and was even killed. The children of Elohim will also suffer at the hands of the religious world of their time. Of course, we are not killed by the Christian world today, but at the very least, we do not take any benefit from the Christian world—whether money, position, or human glory—and we may even be ostracized. Therefore, His overcomers, or this group of the firstfruits, will be entrusted with authority to judge in the age to come for the restoration of all things.
We will conclude our brief discussion on authority by explaining the authority of the Lamb that will be exercised by the group of the firstfruits in the ages to come. We have seen how this group of the firstfruits follows the Lamb wherever He goes. They are described as those who have not defiled themselves with women, and it is said that they are pure like virgins (Revelation 14:4). What does the phrase “have not defiled themselves with women” in Revelation 14:4 mean?
We know that the book of Revelation presents the revelation of Jesus Christ and His church in symbolic language (Revelation 1:1). The Greek term ‘semaino’, translated as ‘made it known’ (LAI version) and ‘signified’ or ‘made known’ (ILT version), comes from the root word ‘sema’, which means ‘a sign’ or ‘a symbol’. Thus, the revelation of Jesus Christ and His church that was given to the apostle John is conveyed using symbolic language or signs. Therefore, the expression “have not defiled themselves with women” in Revelation 14:4 should not be understood to mean that the group of the firstfruits are people who have not defiled themselves with prostitutes in the literal sense. The women here are symbols. And in the book of Revelation, there are two women with very different characteristics.
First, the woman described in Revelation 12, who gives birth to a male child who will rule all nations with a rod of iron (receiving authority over all nations). Second, the women (plural—Revelation 17:5) described in chapters 17 and 18, who will ultimately experience the judgment of Elohim. We know that these women are a symbol of the “prostitute” church because it receives the seed of the word of God, but also receives the seed of the teachings of “Jezebel,” “the Nicolaitans,” and “Balaam,” just as a prostitute receives seed from many men.
The group of the firstfruits does not defile itself with churches that justify the teaching of ‘seizing authority’, namely the teachings of Jezebel and the Nicolaitans. The group of the firstfruits also does not defile itself with churches that justify the commercial teaching of Balaam. This group of the firstfruits is PURE, not because they are great or famous people in this distorted Christian world, but PURE because they DO NOT TAKE PART IN THE TEACHINGS OF JEZEBEL, THE NICOLAITANS, AND BALAAM, which have generally been accepted in the Christian world.
Indeed, this group of the firstfruits is symbolized by the woman in chapter 12, who will ultimately receive authority to shepherd all nations. At present, in this age, the group of the firstfruits has absolutely no authority in the Christian world. They do not seize the authority of Life (the authority of Christ) over His church. In this age, the group of the firstfruits truly becomes servants who minister to His church—servants in the true sense. They have no authority over God’s people. They do not draw disciples to themselves, nor do they draw money from God’s people, whether through teachings on tithing, firstfruits, faith pledges, sowing seeds, and so on.
But praise the Lord… in the age to come, this group of the firstfruits will be entrusted to exercise the authority of the Lamb to shepherd ALL NATIONS. Through the authority given to this group of the firstfruits, the Father’s original plan will be fulfilled. The Father’s plan written in Genesis 1:26–28, in which He intended that humanity would have authority over all things, will surely be accomplished through the ministry of the firstfruits.
Likewise, in Hebrews 2:6–9, which is a quotation from Psalm 8:5–7, we have discussed that God made man (humankind) to have dominion over His creation. “Yet at present we do not see everything subjected to him (MAN)” (Hebrews 2:8, LAI version). However, through the ministry of the group of the firstfruits, all humanity will obtain authority over His creation, in accordance with the Father’s original plan. Amen.