Daniel 11:3-4 English Standard Version

3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. 4 And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

One definition of posterity is succeeding generations. Posterity ends when generations fail. Another way of saying that is to the victor goes the spoils. History is rewritten by the winners to tell their stories the way they want to be remembered.

The Pharaohs had their tombs lined with ancient hieroglyphics that told archeologists only what the Pharaohs wanted history to hear. That does not mean everything written is true. Unraveling  lies is extremely difficult so for the sake of posterity let us ask the only pertinent question, where is the succeeding generation of the Pharaohs? They are gone, their posterity is lost and all we have to know of them is an image of what they thought of themselves.

Here are the words of Joseph, son of Jacob also called Israel.

Genesis 45:6-8 English Standard Version

6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Isaiah 10:20The Remnant of Israel Will Return

In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him w ho struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

Jeremiah 23:3 Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.

Micah 2:12 I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob; I will gather the remnant of Israel; I will set them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture, a noisy multitude of men.

Zechariah 8:11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts.

Romans 11:5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.

While our fate is tied to Israel, we are the Chosen, chosen by grace.

Mark 6:7

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

Luke 9:1

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,

Luke 10:1

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.

The seventy-two were sent out after the twelve on separate missions. So why is that important?

Luke 10:9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

These were not apostles. Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ may be told to heal the sick and told to spread the gospel when doing it. It is not limited to only apostles.

There are always hints in the bible about this relationship we have with God and what we are called to do. Many feel limited, as if they have not been given gifts. I would encourage everyone to stop thinking that God is limited in how He can enact His will.

If we are looking for differences in instructions we will see many similarities in Mark 6, Luke 9 and Luke 10. What is different is seen in Luke 10 is that Jesus was going to show up later in those places the seventy-two were sent.

What is more important, being given gifts or Jesus showing up?

We want to be seen as serving God but the purpose of our faithful service has to be that Jesus shows up and makes Himself known. It isn’t about us or even the sick, it is about Jesus.

Many get so focused on the work they lose sight of what is really important. God’s will be done, no matter how it gets done or who does it.

The first time I raised my hand was at an altar call and that was the only time it really mattered.

Jesus isn’t asking for volunteers because He is Lord of all.