We have seen that man is the center of God's creation and that the
human life is the highest created life. We should never forget the nine items
of life mentioned in Genesis chapter one: the grass, the herbs, the trees, the
fish, the birds, the cattle, the beasts, the creeping things, and man. Man is
the highest created life. According to the record of Genesis 1, when God
reached the point of creating man, He held a conference. This conference among
the Godhead was very impressive. God said, "Let us..." This is quite
meaningful. The three Persons of the Godhead were needed for the creation of
man. The subsequent books of the whole Bible develop the subject of the work of
the Triune God upon man. God said, "Let us make man in our image, after
our likeness." Then God said, "Let them." God did not say men;
He said man. Man is a singular noun, but them is a plural pronoun. "Let us
make man...let them..." Was there one God or many? Was there one man or
many? Our God is One, but triune. Man is one, but corporate. Hallelujah! Never
forget the two "lets" in Genesis 1:26. God said, "Let us"
and God said, "let them." The word "us" reveals that the
one God is triune; the word "them" reveals that the one man is
corporate. The Triune God created a corporate man.
2) To Have Man to Exercise God's Dominion
God said, "Let us make man in our image..and let them have
dominion..." God created a corporate man to exercise His dominion (Gen.
1:26-28). The word dominion includes more than just authority. Dominion means
having authority to rule and to form a kingdom. Dominion means having a kingdom
as a sphere in which to exercise authority. If I have authority, but no sphere
over which to rule, I have no dominion. God said, "Let man have
dominion." Man was given dominion over all things. Keep the words image
and dominion in mind and underline them in your Bible.
Very few Christians pay attention to the word dominion when they
read Genesis 1. We need to consider the words image and dominion a little more.
An image is an expression. God created man in His image with the intention that
man might express Him. The invisible God desires to be expressed. He needs an
expression. Dominion means kingdom, authority. Man was made in God's image to
express God and was given authority to represent God and to have dominion. We
are God's expression and we are God's representative. The young people
especially need to lay hold of these two words with these two basic
revelations: image and dominion. The purpose of God's restoration and further
creation was twofold: to have a corporate man to express God and to have a
corporate man to exercise His dominion.
a) Sphere
This matter of dominion includes a sphere or a realm. There are
three points related to this sphere:
(1) Over All Things in the Seas
Man must have dominion over the seas. The seas are the lodging
place of the demons (Matt. 8:32; 12:43). Thus, the sphere of God's dominion
must include the seas.
(2) Over All Things in the Air
Man must have dominion over all things in the air, which is the
place where Satan and his angels are (Eph. 2:2; 6:12). There are evil powers in
the air with Satan as their head. Ephesians 2:2 describes Satan as the prince
of the power of the air.
(3) Over All Things on the Earth
Man must have dominion over all things on the earth, the field of
Satan's activities. Satan is very active on the earth (Luke 4:5-6). So, here in
Genesis 1:26 it especially says that man may have the dominion "over all
the earth." The earth has been usurped by Satan. Thus, it needs to be
ruled over by man, God's representative.
Remember that the sphere of God's dominion which He committed to
man includes three sections: the seas, the dwelling place of the demons; the
air, the place where Satan and his angels are; the earth, the field of Satan's
activities.
When the Lord Jesus was on this earth, He had to deal with Satan,
fallen angels, or demons wherever He went. That was why the Lord Jesus rebuked
the wind and the waves during a storm. The wind came from the fallen angels in
the air and the waves came from the demons in the water. The Lord told the
wind, "Stop" and the waves, "Be calm." Immediately the wind
ceased and the waves were calm. The fallen angels and the demons were subdued
and overruled by the Lord Jesus. If we know how to read the Bible, we will see
in the four Gospels that the Lord Jesus exercised God's authority over the
seas, the air, and the earth. This is the sphere of God's dominion which He
committed to man.
b) Intention
God's dominion not only has a sphere; it also has an intention.
What was God's intention in giving man dominion?
(1) To Deal with God's Enemy
The first aspect of God's intention is to deal with His enemy, to
deal with Satan typified by the creeping things (Gen. 1:26). In the Bible, the
creeping things are demonic, devilish, and Satanic. In the last message, we
pointed out that only four living creatures, representing all creation, are
present before the throne of God—the eagle, the ox, the lion, and the man. No
creeping things such as serpents or scorpions are represented before God. In the
Bible, Satan is typified by the serpent (Gen. 3:1). In Revelation 12:9 Satan is
called the "ancient serpent." He has become old since the time he
first appeared in Genesis 3.
In God's original creation, He had only one purpose—to express
Himself. Due to Satan's rebellion, God now has another purpose—to deal with His
enemy. When God created man, He had both of these purposes. Therefore, He
created man in His own image that man might express Him and He gave him
dominion that man might deal with His enemy. Both of these things must be
accomplished. We need the image of God in order to express God and we need the
dominion of God in order to subdue the enemy.
We need to express God and to deal with Satan in our home life.
Many times the husband comes home and immediately the wife does not express
God. She expresses the serpent. The wife's face has the appearance of a subtle
serpent. Many times the husband also expresses the serpent. I have learned this
by experience. Sometimes, when I saw Satan expressed in the members of my
family, I didn't say a word. I went to my bedroom, knelt down, and prayed,
"Lord, bind the serpent." A number of times I realized that I myself
was expressing the serpent. Again I ran away to pray, "O Lord, forgive me.
Bind the serpent." On many occasions, the divine authority of God is not
exercised. The evil power of Satan is expressed instead. Recently, I learned
that many young brothers are living in the brothers' houses. However, I am
fearful that even in the brothers' house there is still the possibility that
Satan's image, not God's, will be expressed, that the evil power, not God's
authority, will be exercised. We all must realize that today God has this
double goal to accomplish—to express Himself and to deal with His enemy. It is not
really your husband who loses his temper. It is the serpent. It is not really
your wife who says something to provoke your temper. It is the serpent. Don't
deal with the husband and don't deal with the wife. It is not their fault. We
must deal with the serpent that is behind them. Exchanging words can never deal
with Satan. The more we argue, the more Satan gains ground. The only way to
deal with Satan is to go on our knees, pray, call on the name of Jesus, and ask
Him to bind the serpent.
(2) To Recover the Earth
The second aspect of God's intention in giving man dominion is to
recover the earth (Gen. 1:26-28). Man is to have dominion over the earth, to
subdue it, and to conquer it. To conquer the earth means that the enemy is
there already, that a war is raging. Therefore, we must fight and conquer.
The young people who are preparing to enter into marriage must
realize that marriage is a battle. Many of us know this by experience. Even
when we were on our honeymoon, we were on the battlefield, fighting with our
husband or wife. If we did not fight outwardly, we fought inwardly. Every area
of life—school life, work life, family life—is a battlefield. The enemy never
sleeps. All day long he is on the alert, not only in the family life, but also
in the church life. Even in the church life, Satan and all his messengers are
busy. On the earth a warfare is raging. God's intention is to recover the
earth.
The earth was and still is usurped by Satan. Look at today's
society. Look how the enemy is still usurping the whole earth.
God wants to regain the earth. The earth has become a crucial
place, a place that Satan wants to hold and a place that God wants to regain.
The battle is over the earth. Whoever gains the earth is the winner. If Satan
can keep the earth under his hand, he has the victory. If God can regain the
earth, He will have the victory. The Lord Jesus has not returned because the
earth is still so much under Satan's usurping. This is why God needs the
church. The church must fight the battle to regain the earth, if not the whole
earth, at least some stepping stones, some outpost for the Lord Jesus to put
His feet upon. The earth is crucial.
This point has been fully proved by Psalm 8. Psalm 8 begins by
saying, "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the
earth!" It also ends the same way. There is no doubt that the Lord's name
is excellent in the heavens, but, in a sense, the name of the Lord is not
excellent on this earth. His name is not excellent among so many of the fallen
people. We need to pray, "Your name be sanctified" (Matt. 6:9). Oh,
the Lord's name must be sanctified on this earth. The problem is not in the
heavens; the problem is here on earth.
God desires that His kingdom come to this earth and that His will
be done on earth (Matt. 6:10). Now we can understand the prayer which the Lord
Jesus established. He said, "Let Your name be sanctified; let Your kingdom
come." Certainly this means to come from the heavens to the earth. The
prayer continues, "Let Your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth."
God's will is now being done in heaven. But on the earth there are many
frustrations, hindering God's will from being done. We must pray, "Let
Your name be sanctified; let Your kingdom come; let Your will be done, as in
heaven, so on earth." We must fight to recover the earth.
At the time of the millennium, the earth will become the kingdom of God. This is revealed in Revelation
11:15. When the Lord Jesus comes to inaugurate the millennium, the whole earth
will become the kingdom
of God. Then the earth
will be regained by God.
In eternity, God's habitation will come down from heaven to the
new earth (Rev. 21:1-2). Many Christians dream of going to heaven. That is a
good dream and, undoubtedly, all of us will be there. However, God desires to come
down to earth. We like the heavens, but God likes the earth. We are going up,
and He is coming down. Hallelujah! Let me tell you the truth: when we get to
heaven, the Lord will say, "Children, let us go down. Let us go down to
take over the earth." In eternity, the heavens will not be God's
habitation. God's habitation will be the New Jerusalem, and the New Jerusalem
will come down from the heavens to the new earth. This proves that God's desire
is to possess the earth.
Satan, the usurping one, will not only be cast out of the air, but
also cast out of the earth. According to Revelation 12:9, Satan will first be
cast down from the air to the earth. Then Satan will be bound and cast out of
the earth into the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:2-3). There will be no more
spiritual smog. We will have fresh air, and the earth will be cleansed of all
defilement. That will be during the millennium. At the end of the millennium,
Satan will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10). After the millennium, we
will have eternity in which God's eternal habitation will be on the new earth.
God wants the earth.
(3) To Bring in God's Authority
The third aspect of God's intention in giving man dominion is to
bring in God's authority, to exercise God's authority over the earth. Man must
exercise God's authority in order that the kingdom of God
may come to earth, that the will of God may be done on earth, and that the
glory of God may be manifested on earth. All of this will be on the earth. God
will never be satisfied to have His kingdom only in the heavens. Neither will
He be happy to have His will done only in the heavens nor to see His glory
expressed only in the heavens. He wants all these things to happen on the
earth. This is the responsibility of the church today. In the church we have
the kingdom of God. In the church the will of God is
done. In the church the glory of God is expressed. Hallelujah! We have a
foretaste. Now we can see why God gave man dominion over everything in the
seas, in the air, and on the earth. God's intention is to eliminate the enemy,
regain the earth, and manifest His glory.
(4) The Fulfillment
Has this been accomplished? Certainly not. Yet, God created man
with this intention. Satan knows this much better than we do. The Bible tells
us that immediately after the creation of man, Satan came in to damage the man
whom God had created for His purpose. Man fell. However, God did not give man
up. God Himself became a man. He came that He might get into man and make
Himself one with man. He came to be the second man called Jesus (1 Cor. 15:47).
The first man didn't fulfill God's purpose; the second man did. The first man
was a corporate man, and the second man is also a corporate man. Adam was the
head of the first corporate man, and Christ is the Head of the second man.
God's purpose is fulfilled by the second man.
(a) With Christ
The fulfillment of God's purpose in giving man dominion started
with Christ.
aa. When Christ Came, the Kingdom of God Came
The preaching in the New Testament begins in a peculiar way, in a
way that is contrary to our concept. It says, "Repent, for the kingdom of
the heavens has drawn near" (Matt. 4:17). The words "has drawn
near" mean is come. When Christ came, the kingdom of God
came. Christ brought in the kingdom. The little man Jesus was the kingdom of God. Many Christians think that the
kingdom did not come when Jesus came. According to their concept, when the
Jewish people rejected Jesus with the kingdom, the kingdom was suspended and
the church age began. They think that the church is not the kingdom, that after
the church age the kingdom will be established by the return of Jesus. In the
Bible, there is some ground to say this and, in a sense, it is right, but just
partially right. Romans 14:17 tells us that the church today is the kingdom.
The church life is the kingdom. In a sense, the Jewish people rejected the
kingdom. In another sense, the Lord established the kingdom by establishing the
church. We can never separate the church from the kingdom. In Matthew 16:18, the
Lord Jesus told Peter, "Peter, you are a stone and I will build the church
upon Myself as the rock. The gates of Hades shall not prevail against this
church." Immediately after this (v. 19), the Lord Jesus said, "I will
give to you the keys of the kingdom." On the day of Pentecost and in the
house of Cornelius Peter established the church by using the keys of the
kingdom to open the door for both Jews and Gentiles to enter into the kingdom.
Thus, when the church started, the kingdom was there. The church is the
kingdom. No doubt there will be a full manifestation of the kingdom in the
future. But the reality of the kingdom is here today. That is the church life.
bb. Christ Cast Out Demonsto Bring in the Kingdom of God
The four gospels tell us that Jesus encountered demons wherever He
went. Jesus could never tolerate demons and He immediately cast them out. In
Matthew 12:28 Jesus tells us that His casting out the demons was the coming of
the kingdom. That was the dominion of God. Adam had failed to bring in the
kingdom, but when Jesus came He brought in the kingdom by casting out demons.
To cast out demons means to bring in the kingdom of God.
cc. Christ Gave His Disciples Authority over the Power of the Enemy
Christ also gave His disciples authority over all the power of
Satan. In Luke 10:19, the Lord Jesus said, "Behold I have given you the
authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the
enemy." Both serpents and scorpions are in plural, indicating that they
are many. In verse 18 of the same chapter we see Satan. In verse 20 we have the
spirits, that is the demons. The "serpents" means the satanic power,
and "scorpions" means the demonic power. Satan, the serpents, and the
scorpions have power, but we have authority. Our authority exceeds their power.
There are many powerful cars on the streets. However, the little policeman has
authority. When he says, "Stop," you stop. The cars have power; the
policeman has authority. Satan and his demons have power, but we are God's
policemen. We must give Satan the commandment, "Stop!" When Jesus
gave this authority to His disciples and they exercised it to cast out demons,
they were excited. However, the Lord Jesus told them, "Don't rejoice in
this. You must rejoice in something better—that your names are written in
heaven." When Jesus came, the kingdom came. When Jesus cast out demons, He
brought in the kingdom
of God. Also, Jesus did
this by and through His disciples. He gave them authority to cast out demons,
and they did.
dd. Christ Received All Authority
After His resurrection, Christ received all the authority in
heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18). As the Lord God He had authority before His
resurrection. As a man named Jesus of Nazareth, He was commissioned with all
authority in heaven and on earth after His resurrection. Jesus is the real
Adam. He has been committed with God's dominion.
(b) With the Church, Including the Saints:
aa. The Gates of Hades Cannot Prevail against the Church
The fulfillment of God's intention in giving man dominion involves
Christ as the Head and the church, including all the saints, as the Body. The
fulfillment of God's intention is not only with the Head, but also with the
Body. The gates of Hades cannot prevail against the church (Matt. 16:18). The
Bible does not say the gates of Hades (meaning the power of Satan) cannot
prevail against the saints. They can prevail against the saints if the saints
are separate or individualistic. You need to be built into the church. The Body
which is built up with Christ can never be defeated by Satan. Satan can never
prevail against the builded church.
bb. The Saints Have Been Given Authority to Bind the Enemy
The saints have been given authority to bind the enemy (Matt.
16:19; 18:18). The word in Matthew 16:19 was spoken to Peter; the word in
Matthew 18:18 was spoken to every believer. The Catholic Church claims that
Peter had the authority to represent Christ. They base this on Matthew 16:19.
However, we must tell them that we also have Matthew 18:18. Not only has Peter
been given authority to bind and loose, but we also. Every believer has been
given the authority to bind and to loose. Today, the church with all the saints
has the authority to bind and loose. Many times, we should not simply pray; we
should bind and loose.
cc. God Will Crush Satan under the Feet of the Saints
Romans 16:20 says, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan
under your feet." Paul said, "soon." I don't know how Paul felt
when he said this nineteen hundred years ago. It may seem to us that a long
time has passed. But, we believe, it has not been too long. Shortly, Satan will
be crushed. The word crush not only means to bruise or break, but also to
subdue. Satan must be under our feet. In your home life Satan must be under
your feet. In your married life Satan must be under your feet. In your church
life Satan must be under your feet. You have to tell him, "Satan, your
position is under my feet." Here and now Satan must be under our feet.
dd. The Saints Have to Fight against the Enemy
Second Corinthians 10:3-5 and Ephesians 6:11-13 tell us that we
must fight against the enemy. We not only fight, we wrestle. Wrestling is more
difficult than fighting. We must wrestle with the evil powers in the air.
ee. The Overcoming Saints Will Have Authority over the Nations
The overcoming saints will have authority over the nations (Rev.
2:26-27) and in the millennium they will be kings reigning with Christ over the
whole earth (Rev. 20:4, 6). By that time, God will fully have His dominion on
this earth. That will be the fulfillment of what God desired to have in Genesis
1.
ff. All the Saints Will Reign for Eternity
Eventually, all the saints will reign as kings over the earth for
eternity in the New Jerusalem. At that time, Satan, the evil angels in the air,
and the sea with all the demons will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10,
13-14; Matt. 25:41). All the pollution will be cleared away. The air, the
water, and the earth have been polluted. When eternity comes, all the pollution
will disappear. Everything will be clear, and God's dominion will be there.
God's authority will be exercised on the earth. In that realm and in that
sphere God's image will be fully expressed and God's glory will be fully
manifested. That will be the eternal kingdom, the dominion of God.
Genesis 1 is a nursery. All the seeds of the truth were sown
there. We have seen that the word light was sown in Genesis 1 and developed
through all the Bible until Revelation 22 where there is no need for the sun,
the moon, or any lamp. God Himself is the light. Likewise, the word image first
appears in Genesis 1 and is developed throughout the entire Bible until we see
the New Jerusalem bearing the image of God, expressing God. In the same
principle, the word dominion also needs the whole Bible to explain it. We go
from the single word dominion in Genesis 1 to Revelation 22:5 where we see that
all the saints will reign with God for eternity. That will be the ultimate
fulfillment of God's dominion.
Man was made in God's image to express God and was given God's
dominion to represent God and to deal with His enemy. Today, the church is the
great part of the second man. The church's responsibility and duty is
positively to express God and negatively to subdue God's enemy. This is our
duty. We must bear this responsibility.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar