“The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it” (Psalm 68:11).

The 68th Psalm prophesies the ascension of Christ. “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them” (v.18). This verse is quoted in Ephesians 4:8, applying it not only to Christ’s ascension, but also to the sending forth of the gifts of the Spirit to redeemed men.

Before He ascended, however, He gave the word—that is, the Great Commission—to His disciples. With that word began the greatest publishing enterprise of all history. The Commission included not only preaching the gospel of salvation and baptizing believers, but also dissemination and indoctrination of all the Scriptures—“teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20).

The “all things” included many things—verbal inerrancy of the Scriptures, special creation, the worldwide flood, His atoning death and bodily resurrection, the second coming, and, in reality, everything in the Bible!

Soon thereafter, beginning at Jerusalem, then in all Judaea and Samaria, and eventually to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8), the wonderful word of God began to be published by a great and invincible company of witnesses. The Scriptures have, to date, been published at least in part in over a thousand languages, and have been read by more people than any other book ever written.

The psalmist David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, prophesied 3,000 years ago the amazing worldwide spread of the message of the coming Savior. “Blessed be the LORD, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah” (Psalm 68:19). HMM