NT Text: Matthew 28:18
OT Source(s):
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Promise-Fulfillment + Typology (Direct Type, Forward-Looking)
Anchor Text: Dan 7:13-14 — The Son of Man Receiving Dominion
Significance: The Great Commission opens with Jesus's declaration: "All authority (exousia) in heaven and on earth has been given to me." This claim directly echoes the throne scene of Daniel 7:14, where the one like a Son of Man is brought before the Ancient of Days and given "dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him." The parallels are structural: in both texts a divine investiture follows a crisis, universal authority is conferred, and the commission to extend that authority over all nations follows. Matthew's placement of this declaration in the resurrection context indicates that the exaltation of the risen Christ — his ascent to the right hand of the Father — is the fulfillment of Daniel's vision. The Son of Man has now received the dominion Daniel prophesied, and the Great Commission flows directly from that: the disciples are sent because their Lord has been given authority over every nation and every corner of creation.