Joshua’s conquest of Canaan is a foreshadowing of the great commission, the call to the church to go out into the world and bring it into submission to the King. God gave Joshua the authority of Moses and told him – go in, take the land that I have promised to give you, be careful to do all that is written in the book of the law, and the Lord is with you wherever you go.
This also goes back to the garden, to the cultural mandate given to Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it, and to have dominion over every living thing. This has been the plan of God from the beginning, that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
John sees the great commission being carried out in Revelation 19. He sees Christ crowned as king riding to war on a white horse, and the saints, like their king, on white horses riding with Him. The Son of God goes forth to war and He conquers His enemies, trampling them under His feet and ruling them with a rod of iron.
This is holy war. We conquer by the sword, but it is not the sword of Islam. We fight with the word that proceeds from the mouth of Christ, which is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. We put our enemies to death by the gospel, and by baptizing them into the death and resurrection of Christ. This gospel is a mighty weapon; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. This is why it is so important to know the scripture, to read it, and to read it out loud. This is why we sing psalms and hymns – to proclaim the kingship and sovereignty of God over all things. This is why we pray – so that through our words we can tear down every stronghold, every argument and lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God.
