In our last issue we saw that God's original intent for mankind was to rule over the earth and over every living thing.
Genesis 1:27-28 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28And God blessed them, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air. and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
We also saw that Adam lost his God-given right to rule when he gave his authority to the adversary. He did this by sin. How true the scripture is, for in Romans 6, I am reminded of this.
Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death...
The story of mankind doesn't end here, actually it really just begins. The words king, kingdom, sovereignty, majesty have for the most part been removed from our Western based thinking. We have associated these words for the most part with other countries. I believe this is one of the reasons we know so little about the Kingdom of God.
The word kingdom is defined by Webster's Unabridged Dictionary as "a politically organized community, or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or queen." God, throughout the scriptures, is described by many names. He is described as being Spirit, Holy, Love, Light, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Righteous, True, and Faithful. He is also called a father, judge, the Lord, creator, healer and sovereign, or a King. God is frequently described through the scriptures as a King. And it is in this understanding of God, as the great king of the universe, that we can begin to see his kingdom unfolded to us in the scriptures. Everything belongs to God. He created it. It's only by his grace and mercy that anyone gets to be part of HIS creation, HIS KINGDOM.
Deuteronomy 10:14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORDS thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. Chronicles 29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.Psalm 10:16a The LORD is King forever and ever...
Among the titles given to God such as, Father, Judge, and Creator; God is also referred to as a King. And as the Great king, he rules over the entire world! So, everything belongs to God.
He is God and he will do whatever he pleases. Because of his great love, he desires to have a family. He made man and woman. And, he made a place for his children to live and gave it to them.
Psalm 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.Psalm 8:4-6 4What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5For thou hast made him a little lower ;than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. 6Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
In the beginning, God formed, made and created man to have dominion over part of his creation.
Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
The word, dominion, means 'to rule'. God entrusted man to have dominion - or rule - over part of his creation. His kingdom, the earth. This makes perfect sense. Who is the heir in a kingdom? The king's son, right? And as the great king's son, Adam was given power and authority to rule over God's Earth. So, right from the very beginning, we see God's descending order of authority. God who is the great kin, formed, made, and created man, who he gave power and authority to rule over part of God's creation, the earth.
This was God's original intent from the beginning... God would be first... then man would be his under ruler here on the earth.
We saw that because of the adversary's deception, man lost his dominion. He gave it to the devil when he sinned. Adam did not give the devil his power. Adam gave the devil his authority to rule.
The devil was created with a certain amount of power from the beginning. This, he still retains, he never lost it in his rebellion against God.
What he lost was his right to rule in God's kingdom, He lost … or better yet … his authority was stripped from him and he was cast out of heaven.
There are different powers and authorities delegated to man and spirit. I believe Adam was formed with a body because of his realm of authority... the earth. God is the king over all. His kingdom is forever and ever. He rules over the earth.
Psalm 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.Psalm 10:16a The LORD is King forever and ever: …
In Genesis 3:15 we have the promises of a coming seed (a coming ruler, a King) who will bruise the head of the serpent.
Now, from this point on clear through the book of Revelation, God begins to reveal the plan of salvation and unfolding of the Kingdom of God.
The adversary now has the rule that was intended for Adam. Do you think God just walked away?
Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but, it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
What about God's Word? Will it not come to pass? … Will it return void? … Is the devil stronger than God? The answer is obvious. NO!
God still worked with men and women who loved and served Him. Men like Abel. It's recorded that Enoch walked with God and that Noah found grace in the sight of God. In Genesis Chapter 12, we have such a man: Abram.
Genesis 12:1-4 1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great;, and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
There are seven points I'd like to bring to your attention. God told Abram:
1. He would make of him a great nation. 2. He would bless him.3. He would make his name great.4. That Abram would be a blessing.5. He would bless anyone who blessed Abram.6. He would curse anyone who cursed Abram.7. In Abram, all the families of the earth would be blessed.
So, Abram leaves his homeland and goes to the land of Canaan where God appears to him and gives him a promise. There, Abram builds an altar to God. But, Abram didn't fully obey God, because he took his nephew Lot with him.
Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:
He continues to travel and winds up between Bethel and Ai where he builds another altar and calls on the name of the Lord. Then, Abram set out and continued by stages toward the Negev, the semi desert land of southern Palestine.
When Abram arrives, there is a famine in the land, so he decides to go down to Egypt. He then tells Sarai his wife that if anyone should ask her who she is, she is to tell them that she is his sister so they won't kill him.
Well, the Egyptians do see her, and because of her beauty, she is captured and brought into the Pharaoh's house. Pharaoh gives Abram sheep and ox and asses and camel, plus men and women servants for her.
Then the Word says that God intervenes and plagues Pharaoh's house. Abram gets his wife back and guess where they end up? Back at the very first place they started.
Genesis 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there built he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
Over a period of time, strife develops between Lot's herdsmen and Abram's, so they split up and Lot goes to Sodom.
Genesis 13:14-17 14And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where, thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. 16And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
Here God tells Abram to walk through the land.
As for Lot, he gets himself captured. Abram finds out, frees him, but refuses to take a gift from the King of Sodom. Abram then gives tithes to Melchizedek, King of Salem, the priest of the most high God.
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.Genesis 15:6-8 6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. 7And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur, of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 8And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?Genesis 15:18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river, of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
Now, remember, Abram as of yet, has no children. God now defines the boundaries of the land.
"Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
To be continued …ÿ