Son of Man - Part two
For
as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have
life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also,
because he is the Son of man. John 5:26,27
Man in God's image, man in Christ at the right hand of God, is God's government in the Kingdom of God. This magnificent purpose burned in the heart of the heavenly Father when on the sixth creative day He proclaimed the wonderful decree: "Let us make man in our image...and LET THEM HAVE DOMINION over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" Genesis 1:26.
Far away in the depths of my spirit I am convinced that within this shadowy type we behold a vivid portrait of God's purpose for man, that when man comes fully into GOD'S IMAGE he shall be, first, the ruler of things beneath, the lowest realms of the bottomless, typified by the fish swarming in the depths of the seas, and the creeping things; next, the things upon the earth, typified by the cattle, and all the earth; and finally, the things of the heavens also, typified by the fowl of the air. One may find it difficult to embrace so great a truth from so small and insignificant a type, but did not our Lord Jesus employ many of these same analogies when He said things like, "Ye shall tread on serpents, and on scorpions...I give you power over all the power of the enemy." Spake He of creeping creatures slithering through the grass? Certainly not! He spoke of spiritual realities represented by the orders of things in the natural. The natural world is but the type, symbol and shadow of the heavenly.
Was it not upon this very Edenic type that the writer to the Hebrews enlarged when by the Spirit he wrote, "For unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What IS man, that Thou art mindful of him? Thou madest him a little lower that Elohim (Psalms 8:5); Thou CROWNEST HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR, and didst set him OVER THE WORKS OF THY HANDS: Thou hast put A-L-L T-H-I-N-G-S in subjection under his feet. For in that He put ALL in subjection under him, He left N-O-T-H-I-N-G that is NOT put under him!" Hebrews 2:5-8
You won't quite grasp that at first. It's too overwhelming! To be CROWNED means to be given KINGLY RULE. To be crowned with GLORY and HONOR is to be given such rule as Jesus Christ has now, and of that rule we read, "Wherefore God also hath HIGHLY EXALTED Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue (in all those three realms) should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" Philippians 2:9-11
We have already stated that man in God's image, man in Christ at the right hand of God is God's government in the Kingdom of God.
Paul said it this way, "Who (Jesus) IS THE IMAGE of the invisible God...by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers...and ye are complete IN HIM WHICH IS THE HEAD OF A-L-L PRINCIPALITY AND POWER" Colossians 1:15-17; 2:9-10
Have you noticed that the rule the firstborn Son of God now has is the very same rule over the identical THREE REALMS of heaven, the earth, and the abyss, which God delegated to Adam, the man in God's image, in Genesis 1:26! This is the dominion reserved for all of God's sons! What a hope! What a calling! How much better, how much higher and more meaningful is this than harps and fluttering wings and white night gowns!
A kingdom denotes rulership and advancement of all kinds. It means work and responsibility and a place of ministry and authority to bless. All who in Christ come to God's image are destined to share that awesome dominion, seated together with Him, far above all principality and power. The reason so many people fail to attain to the great heights of the Spirit is because they are unable to see God's purposes, and therefore they have no particular incentive to seek the great heights that are IN HIM. So many Christians are far too taken up with carnal ideas and childish notions about mansions in the skies and harps and wings and sitting on clouds eating pork chops with nothing to do and all eternity to do it in, to be able to see the true purposes of God at HIS RIGHT HAND. Simply speaking, the purpose of God is that we might reign with Him, and to reign is to exercise authority for God -- to rule all things. Paul tells us that we are to seek those things which are above -- where Christ sits at the right hand of God.
This means that we are to SEEK THE THINGS OF THE RIGHT HAND! Reigning with Christ must become one of the great goals in the life of every man and woman who has received the call to sonship.
When our Lord Jesus said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," He spoke of that true church which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. It should be abundantly clear that He spoke of His "many brethren" who would be conformed to His image, matured in His life, and perfected in His wisdom, power, and dominion. The sad truth is that for nearly two thousand years the gates of hell have prevailed against those systems which call themselves the church, and every foul and unclean spirit has overrun them and sits enthroned in their creeds, liturgies, ceremonies, rituals, and ecclesiastical orders.
The Greek word for church is ECCLESIA. We all think we know the meaning of this word, for we hear it so often. Ecclesia means "called out," it's a chosen, separated people. That is true. But ECCLESIA means much more than that! The word ECCLESIA is a special word, with a particular usage in the Greek in which our New Testament is written.
It is a word that denotes a legislative body.
In New Testament times when they wanted to gather people together for various purposes they had different words for different gatherings. For instance, the word SUNAGOGE (synagogue) means a gathering of people for the purpose of worship. In every Jewish community there was the synagogue, the gathering of people to worship the God of Israel. But whenever they wanted to gather together the ruling class, the legislative body -- the mayor, the senate, the pro-consul, etc. -- they would announce the gathering of the ecclesia. It was a ruling class of people with power to legislate, to make laws, to initiate governmental actions, to control events within the nation.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD -Part 55 - THE INCREASE OF THE KINGDOM by J. Preston Eby (continued)
Man in God's image, man in Christ at the right hand of God, is God's government in the Kingdom of God. This magnificent purpose burned in the heart of the heavenly Father when on the sixth creative day He proclaimed the wonderful decree: "Let us make man in our image...and LET THEM HAVE DOMINION over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" Genesis 1:26.
Far away in the depths of my spirit I am convinced that within this shadowy type we behold a vivid portrait of God's purpose for man, that when man comes fully into GOD'S IMAGE he shall be, first, the ruler of things beneath, the lowest realms of the bottomless, typified by the fish swarming in the depths of the seas, and the creeping things; next, the things upon the earth, typified by the cattle, and all the earth; and finally, the things of the heavens also, typified by the fowl of the air. One may find it difficult to embrace so great a truth from so small and insignificant a type, but did not our Lord Jesus employ many of these same analogies when He said things like, "Ye shall tread on serpents, and on scorpions...I give you power over all the power of the enemy." Spake He of creeping creatures slithering through the grass? Certainly not! He spoke of spiritual realities represented by the orders of things in the natural. The natural world is but the type, symbol and shadow of the heavenly.
Was it not upon this very Edenic type that the writer to the Hebrews enlarged when by the Spirit he wrote, "For unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What IS man, that Thou art mindful of him? Thou madest him a little lower that Elohim (Psalms 8:5); Thou CROWNEST HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR, and didst set him OVER THE WORKS OF THY HANDS: Thou hast put A-L-L T-H-I-N-G-S in subjection under his feet. For in that He put ALL in subjection under him, He left N-O-T-H-I-N-G that is NOT put under him!" Hebrews 2:5-8
You won't quite grasp that at first. It's too overwhelming! To be CROWNED means to be given KINGLY RULE. To be crowned with GLORY and HONOR is to be given such rule as Jesus Christ has now, and of that rule we read, "Wherefore God also hath HIGHLY EXALTED Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue (in all those three realms) should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" Philippians 2:9-11
We have already stated that man in God's image, man in Christ at the right hand of God is God's government in the Kingdom of God.
Paul said it this way, "Who (Jesus) IS THE IMAGE of the invisible God...by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers...and ye are complete IN HIM WHICH IS THE HEAD OF A-L-L PRINCIPALITY AND POWER" Colossians 1:15-17; 2:9-10
Have you noticed that the rule the firstborn Son of God now has is the very same rule over the identical THREE REALMS of heaven, the earth, and the abyss, which God delegated to Adam, the man in God's image, in Genesis 1:26! This is the dominion reserved for all of God's sons! What a hope! What a calling! How much better, how much higher and more meaningful is this than harps and fluttering wings and white night gowns!
A kingdom denotes rulership and advancement of all kinds. It means work and responsibility and a place of ministry and authority to bless. All who in Christ come to God's image are destined to share that awesome dominion, seated together with Him, far above all principality and power. The reason so many people fail to attain to the great heights of the Spirit is because they are unable to see God's purposes, and therefore they have no particular incentive to seek the great heights that are IN HIM. So many Christians are far too taken up with carnal ideas and childish notions about mansions in the skies and harps and wings and sitting on clouds eating pork chops with nothing to do and all eternity to do it in, to be able to see the true purposes of God at HIS RIGHT HAND. Simply speaking, the purpose of God is that we might reign with Him, and to reign is to exercise authority for God -- to rule all things. Paul tells us that we are to seek those things which are above -- where Christ sits at the right hand of God.
This means that we are to SEEK THE THINGS OF THE RIGHT HAND! Reigning with Christ must become one of the great goals in the life of every man and woman who has received the call to sonship.
When our Lord Jesus said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," He spoke of that true church which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. It should be abundantly clear that He spoke of His "many brethren" who would be conformed to His image, matured in His life, and perfected in His wisdom, power, and dominion. The sad truth is that for nearly two thousand years the gates of hell have prevailed against those systems which call themselves the church, and every foul and unclean spirit has overrun them and sits enthroned in their creeds, liturgies, ceremonies, rituals, and ecclesiastical orders.
The Greek word for church is ECCLESIA. We all think we know the meaning of this word, for we hear it so often. Ecclesia means "called out," it's a chosen, separated people. That is true. But ECCLESIA means much more than that! The word ECCLESIA is a special word, with a particular usage in the Greek in which our New Testament is written.
It is a word that denotes a legislative body.
In New Testament times when they wanted to gather people together for various purposes they had different words for different gatherings. For instance, the word SUNAGOGE (synagogue) means a gathering of people for the purpose of worship. In every Jewish community there was the synagogue, the gathering of people to worship the God of Israel. But whenever they wanted to gather together the ruling class, the legislative body -- the mayor, the senate, the pro-consul, etc. -- they would announce the gathering of the ecclesia. It was a ruling class of people with power to legislate, to make laws, to initiate governmental actions, to control events within the nation.
That is what the church is intended to be!
What today is called the church is not the church at all! The gatherings are not gatherings of rulers, but gatherings of babes seeking blessings and spiritual thrills. The church has become a spiritual kindergarten where people go to be entertained and taught and taught and taught again, those things which are but the elementary principles of the doctrine of Christ. These so-called church systems are decaying before our eyes and nothing can save them. They are not at all what Jesus had in mind when He said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The imperfect things that have been used of God in an imperfect age are vanishing away with the age itself, for "when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part (imperfect) shall be done away."
KINGDOM DOMINION
Dominion means to live in authority, to reign in life by one, Christ Jesus. God is teaching His sons in this hour to live victoriously! With the pen of inspiration Daniel wrote of this Kingdom-Dominion: "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before Him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: and his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" Daniel 7:13-14
Daniel said that he saw something in the night visions. He saw one like unto the Son of man. There was given unto Him dominion, glory, and a kingdom. These were given Him for the purpose that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. It describes His dominion as an enduring dominion, an invincible dominion that shall not pass away and a kingdom that cannot be overcome or overthrown.
KINGDOM DOMINION!
The terminology that Daniel used is that the dominion and the kingdom are given to God's Christ, Head and body, and it is an enduring dominion and an indestructible kingdom. That is powerful! The kingdoms of men crumble very quickly, all the vaunted empires of history lie in ruin in the dust of the ages. The rise of any earthly empire is but the early proclamation of its fall. The Roman empire, apparently invincible, exists today only in the crumbling ruins of buildings, roads, and aqueducts. All of man's systems are doomed -- the short span of the twentieth century saw the decline of the British empire, the meteoric rise and fall of the Third Reich, and the emergence and collapse of Russian communism. If this is the "American Age," then nothing is more certain than the fact that our greatness, too, shall pass away. The kings of the earth have dominion one day, and lose it the next.
But when you connect with God's Kingdom, you connect with an enduring dominion and an indestructible kingdom. The dominion that you receive from God and His Kingdom will not only last forever in your life, but it can never be defeated. The victory of Christ is being raised up within every son of God that will triumph and remain -- it cannot be affected by anything within or without or diminished in any degree. You, my beloved, have omnipotent potential in Christ! What we are walking in as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven is an everlasting, continual, full and indestructible Kingdom!
One cannot talk about Kingdom dominion without recognizing the King of the Kingdom.
Jesus Christ is the King of the ages. It is Jesus who now reigns and shall rule for all the ages. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has been given power, authority, influence, and control over the spiritual heavens, over the universe, over the earth, over humanity, and within your heart. Matters not what demons, devils, men, or any other creature says, those called to sonship to God have received the spirit of kingship -- the Lord of glory sits in royal majesty upon the throne of our lives and all power in heaven and in earth is given unto us.
"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him" Daniel 7:27
"Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Lk. 12:32).
The power of the Kingdom of God begins to have dominion first within our individual lives. The beginning of the Kingdom dominion of God is right there in your heart today. When the world looks at us -- or when we look at ourselves -- there doesn't seem to be much potential in us for sonship. We have little natural ability that God can anoint and use for His Kingdom. Fortunately, the reality of our sonship doesn't depend upon any potential we have in our natural constitution -- all the potential comes from God! It is the potential of the Christ who has come within! Our potential is not limited by our own resources but, instead, is limitless because of Christ's infinite resources!
Jesus Christ did not come to earth to win the world by political action or military rule. He didn't come to set up a police state. "My kingdom is not of this world (system)," Jesus said. Some of the Jews came to forcefully make Him a king and what did He do? The scripture says that He escaped away from them, He walked right out of their midst and vanished. He came representing and manifesting the spiritual rule of God, the invincible heavenly dominion, which is destined to consume all the visible kingdoms of this world and raise them up into the realm of the Kingdom of God. That's exactly what Jesus came here to do -- to consume the visible kingdoms, the existing ones, until the words of the prophet are truly fulfilled: "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign to the ages of the ages" Revelation 11:15
The rule of God on earth begins to become a reality when the dominion of the Spirit is established in the minds, hearts, and lives of God's elect.
When the Kingdom of God is fully established in God's elect, then God begins to take hold of the kingdoms of the world. It is just as simple and effective and powerful as that! God doesn't take the kingdoms from the top down, He takes them from the bottom up. He starts at the grass-roots level. Every time a man or woman is born again into the Kingdom of God there is the increase of His government and peace. There is the increase of Kingdom dominion in the earth as He forms His Kingdom in His sons and daughters.
"And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve" Luke 4:1, 2, 5-8
"All you've got to do is worship me, and all will be yours." Well, it is true that all the kingdoms of the world, their glory, their power, their beauty and their splendor were delivered into the hands of the devil through the transgression of Adam.
Have we considered that the apostle John knew what he was talking about when he wrote, "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the wicked one" I John 5:19 That's the very reason Jesus came -- to take the dominion back and give it to the sons of the Most High. It is delivered into the hands of God's elect! Notice the testimony of God: "The Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom...the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end" Daniel 7:22,26
Can you imagine what was going through the mind of the firstborn Son of God when Satan offered Him all the kingdoms and dominion of the world if He would fall down and worship him? By revelation of the Spirit Jesus could say, "You don't give me anything -- I've come to take it! Just stick around, devil, you're going to lose it, but not because you gave it to me. I've come here to take the dominion from you, and all power in heaven and in earth shall be given unto me and to the sons of the Most High God. You're not offering me anything. I'm about to subdue you!"
Jesus came into the world to transfer the power and the dominion to the sons of God. He came as a Son of God, He came by divine force, by might, by strength, by ability, by God's potential in man. Within Himself He entered into the adversary's dominion, to his throne room, to the seat and stronghold of his kingdom and wrested from him the power and the dominion. He came upon him abruptly, suddenly, powerfully, seized him and took his dominion from him, left him humiliated, stripped of all his power and dumbfounded at the swiftness and magnitude of his defeat. Jesus accomplished all of this within Himself, and now His victory is given to us to accomplish within ourselves.
Sons of God! The spirit of sonship is within us!
That's what Jesus came to do: to destroy, render impotent, make of none effect the devil and bring to nought all his works. This power and authority is within the Christ, and ye are the body of Christ. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and it is He who lives within us. The Life He lives is nothing less than the Life He is. Within His Life is all His love, grace, wisdom, ability, power and authority. Don't let anybody tell you the devil is after you, the devil is fighting you, hindering you, tripping you up, defeating you or thwarting God's purpose in your life. Oh, no! "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth," says Christ the Head. "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth," must be the testimony of every member of Christ the body.
All power is all power.
For those who stand in God's Christ no power belongs to the devil anymore! For these blessed ones the devil's kingdom has come to an end! His rule is terminated! His dominion is over! His power has been stripped, his authority revoked! And now the sons of God are "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son" Colossians 1:12, 13
Therefore may I boldly say, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom -- its righteousness, its joy, its peace, its incorruptible life, its power, its authority, its dominion, its wisdom, its knowledge, its anointing, its blessing, its potential, its fullness, its riches and its treasures!" It is the Father's good pleasure, it pleases Him to make you the sons of God with power. It pleases Him to give you life more abundantly. It pleases Him to raise you up into the fullness of His Christ and send you forth as deliverers of creation. Jesus took it all -- all power -- and raises it up within the sons of God. The hour has now come for this to be realized, personified, and consummated in the many brethren of our Lord.
Men of God throughout the church age have tasted the earnest and firstfruits of this Kingdom dominion, but just as the seed planted eventually produces a harvest of many seeds in which the life settles, reproducing in form, quality, and power the original seed, so now the life of the all-triumphant Jesus is settling in fullness of form, quality, and power within the sons of God. We who have received the call to sonship are learning, growing, developing and maturing into His dominion within ourselves, the rule of His Kingdom raised up within us. We can never understand the deep mystery of Kingdom dominion until we clearly see that Jesus does not now enforce His victory over satan and His acquisition of All Power on behalf of all creation. If He did, there would be no sin, no darkness, no sickness, no sorrow, and no death anywhere! Though Jesus has all power in heaven and in earth, and has fully and forever overcome sin, satan and death, men continue to be ravaged by fear, carnality, sin and death.
It is like a boxer who fights the world champion boxer and defeats him. HE has defeated him for himself, but no one else has defeated him. Now suppose that the new champion trains every other man to box as he does, and one by one they are developed into world-class boxers and enter into a match with the former world champion and each in turn defeats him. The new world champion's ability has thus been transferred, conveyed, and imparted to all men, making them champions. This is the law of Kingdom dominion! We do not merely glorify the victory, power and authority of the man Jesus two thousand years ago, but through His Spirit we are brought into the same relationship with God that He knew. Then by the gracious ministry of the sons of God all men shall be ushered experientially into the same victory!
How awesome is this Day!
Paul Mueller has ably written, "David expressed the magnificent wonder of man having the glory of the Lord. 'When I see Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast formed; what is man that Thou shouldest think of him, and the son of man that Thou shouldest care for him? Yet Thou has made him but little lower than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor! Thou madest him ruler over the works of Thy hands, Thou hast put all things under his feet; all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field; the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, that traverse the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is Thy name in all the earth!' Psalm 8:3-9, Smith-Goodspeed.
"This is a Psalm showing the authority God has given man over His creation. It presents a picture of man as he is now, and as we shall be when redemption is complete. During this and previous ages, man was given dominion over all God's vast creation (Genesis 1:26-28). The earth and all things of it have been given to man to manage and to govern according to his ability. But man has not done a very good job of managing the Lord's creation. We have polluted the earth and its environment. Man has not judged the world in justice and righteousness, nor has man handled the economic affairs of this world with equity. And man has certainly not represented the Lord and His kingdom very well. Man has had the God-given authority and dominion of the earth, according to the Lord's plan and purpose, yet he has done a miserable job managing the Lord's wonderful creation.
"Why is this true?
What is lacking in man that makes him such a poor administrator of God's creation? Those who managed the creation did poorly because they were not yet in God's image and likeness, nor were they crowned with glory and honor. The glory and honor of the Lord was lacking! The likeness of Christ also was lacking! And unless man is transformed into the image of God, and crowned with glory and honor, he cannot possibly take the dominion of the creation and govern it in righteousness. The whole fallen, corrupt order of man is in the debased condition it is because man has ruled in his fallen state. And the Lord has ordained that it should be this way for an appointed time. But in the age to come, a corporate man shall come forth in God's image and shall be crowned with glory and honor. They shall then administer His kingdom with justice, equity, peace and righteousness just as the Lord intended it to be.
"The glory of the Lord now rests upon the sons of God who make up the true church, the body of Christ. God's glory is not now, nor has it ever been, on a denomination or a building of man's design. His glory is the glory of Christ, which is His splendor in the realm of the Spirit. The glory of the Lord is that holy and awesome presence of the Lord that is miraculous, marvelous and beyond the feeble words of man to tell. That glory belongs to the Christ body. And the hour is upon us when we shall be anointed, empowered and crowned with the fulness of the wondrous, majestic, and awesome glory and honor of the Lord. Then we shall be qualified by the authority He has given us to have dominion over His creation. Then it shall truly be said by many, 'O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is Thy name in all the earth!' When the Christ body is complete and united in one, we shall all be changed into His likeness and crowned with glory and honor. We shall then have dominion over the whole creation in that wonderful, resurrected, new creation state.
"The writer to the Hebrews also proclaimed the truth of the creation of a new heavens and earth.
'And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish, but Thou remainest; and they shall all wax old as does a garment; and as a vesture Thou shalt fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail' Hebrews 1:10-12
One aspect of the vision the elect shall have in this hour is the vision of a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). We shall not forever rule and reign over an earth that has been worn out and destroyed by the effects of man's sin, perversion and darkness, and by Satan's dominion. We shall eventually reign over a restored universe.
"The earth, as we see it now, is slowly wearing out and its resources are diminishing. It is all waxing old as doth a garment, just like the word of God says it will. To those without a vision, it appears that we will not have enough water, oil, gas, trees, rain forests, vegetation, spotted owls, birds, beasts, creeping things, insects, fish, and sea mammals. Environmentalists are trying to stifle agriculture and industry, for they think that we are at the end of earth's resources. There are many unbelievers and skeptics who are far from God and have no vision. They are worshipping the creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25), putting the creation before man. But man was given this dominion (Genesis 1:26-30). God and man must always come before the creation. That is the divine order! Many millions of those in darkness have no vision of God's power of restoration! Though mankind has done a terrible job of managing our resources, there will be enough of everything to the end of this age. Then the whole creation shall be made new again. And the reason we are running out of the earth's resources is because we are at the end of the ages of man's dominion.
"By the inspiration of the Spirit, the writer to the Hebrews prophesied that both the heavens and the earth would 'perish,' and would 'wax old as doth a garment.' Thank God he didn't end his dire prediction there, but went on to declare, 'And as a vesture (garment or mantle) shalt Thou fold them up, and they (the heavens and the earth) shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.' The entire universe is in God's sight as a vesture, as a mere piece of cloth or garment that the Lord shall pick up and turn over in His hands, thus making it all new again. With the ease and simplicity of someone changing garments the Lord will restore the whole creation. The restoration of the earth is to the Lord as if He would remove an old coat from the mantle of the earth and put on a new one. That is the truth of God's word which is presented in Hebrews chapter two, in Peter's epistle, and in Old Testament prophecies (Psalm 102:25-28, Isiah 66:22).
"The heavens and the earth will be changed and restored by the same power that is changing us. The whole creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of the sons of God (Romans 8:19-22). When the Lord has completed His work of restoring the earth, there will not be one needy, starving, famine-ravaged person anywhere on earth. Then every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree; and none shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it (Micah 4:4, Zechariah 3:10). Only our omnipotent God could make such a promise as this, and back it up with His glory and honor. And He alone is worthy to be adored, revered and worshipped by all. The restored heavens and earth will not be under the dominion of angels, but will be given to the saints of the most High. Let this be our vision, and the daily struggles and conflicts of this life will be seen as nothing when compared to the greater plan and purpose of our omnipotent Father that is now coming into view" -- end quote.
What today is called the church is not the church at all! The gatherings are not gatherings of rulers, but gatherings of babes seeking blessings and spiritual thrills. The church has become a spiritual kindergarten where people go to be entertained and taught and taught and taught again, those things which are but the elementary principles of the doctrine of Christ. These so-called church systems are decaying before our eyes and nothing can save them. They are not at all what Jesus had in mind when He said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The imperfect things that have been used of God in an imperfect age are vanishing away with the age itself, for "when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part (imperfect) shall be done away."
KINGDOM DOMINION
Dominion means to live in authority, to reign in life by one, Christ Jesus. God is teaching His sons in this hour to live victoriously! With the pen of inspiration Daniel wrote of this Kingdom-Dominion: "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before Him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: and his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" Daniel 7:13-14
Daniel said that he saw something in the night visions. He saw one like unto the Son of man. There was given unto Him dominion, glory, and a kingdom. These were given Him for the purpose that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. It describes His dominion as an enduring dominion, an invincible dominion that shall not pass away and a kingdom that cannot be overcome or overthrown.
KINGDOM DOMINION!
The terminology that Daniel used is that the dominion and the kingdom are given to God's Christ, Head and body, and it is an enduring dominion and an indestructible kingdom. That is powerful! The kingdoms of men crumble very quickly, all the vaunted empires of history lie in ruin in the dust of the ages. The rise of any earthly empire is but the early proclamation of its fall. The Roman empire, apparently invincible, exists today only in the crumbling ruins of buildings, roads, and aqueducts. All of man's systems are doomed -- the short span of the twentieth century saw the decline of the British empire, the meteoric rise and fall of the Third Reich, and the emergence and collapse of Russian communism. If this is the "American Age," then nothing is more certain than the fact that our greatness, too, shall pass away. The kings of the earth have dominion one day, and lose it the next.
But when you connect with God's Kingdom, you connect with an enduring dominion and an indestructible kingdom. The dominion that you receive from God and His Kingdom will not only last forever in your life, but it can never be defeated. The victory of Christ is being raised up within every son of God that will triumph and remain -- it cannot be affected by anything within or without or diminished in any degree. You, my beloved, have omnipotent potential in Christ! What we are walking in as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven is an everlasting, continual, full and indestructible Kingdom!
One cannot talk about Kingdom dominion without recognizing the King of the Kingdom.
Jesus Christ is the King of the ages. It is Jesus who now reigns and shall rule for all the ages. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has been given power, authority, influence, and control over the spiritual heavens, over the universe, over the earth, over humanity, and within your heart. Matters not what demons, devils, men, or any other creature says, those called to sonship to God have received the spirit of kingship -- the Lord of glory sits in royal majesty upon the throne of our lives and all power in heaven and in earth is given unto us.
"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him" Daniel 7:27
"Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Lk. 12:32).
The power of the Kingdom of God begins to have dominion first within our individual lives. The beginning of the Kingdom dominion of God is right there in your heart today. When the world looks at us -- or when we look at ourselves -- there doesn't seem to be much potential in us for sonship. We have little natural ability that God can anoint and use for His Kingdom. Fortunately, the reality of our sonship doesn't depend upon any potential we have in our natural constitution -- all the potential comes from God! It is the potential of the Christ who has come within! Our potential is not limited by our own resources but, instead, is limitless because of Christ's infinite resources!
Jesus Christ did not come to earth to win the world by political action or military rule. He didn't come to set up a police state. "My kingdom is not of this world (system)," Jesus said. Some of the Jews came to forcefully make Him a king and what did He do? The scripture says that He escaped away from them, He walked right out of their midst and vanished. He came representing and manifesting the spiritual rule of God, the invincible heavenly dominion, which is destined to consume all the visible kingdoms of this world and raise them up into the realm of the Kingdom of God. That's exactly what Jesus came here to do -- to consume the visible kingdoms, the existing ones, until the words of the prophet are truly fulfilled: "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign to the ages of the ages" Revelation 11:15
The rule of God on earth begins to become a reality when the dominion of the Spirit is established in the minds, hearts, and lives of God's elect.
When the Kingdom of God is fully established in God's elect, then God begins to take hold of the kingdoms of the world. It is just as simple and effective and powerful as that! God doesn't take the kingdoms from the top down, He takes them from the bottom up. He starts at the grass-roots level. Every time a man or woman is born again into the Kingdom of God there is the increase of His government and peace. There is the increase of Kingdom dominion in the earth as He forms His Kingdom in His sons and daughters.
"And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve" Luke 4:1, 2, 5-8
"All you've got to do is worship me, and all will be yours." Well, it is true that all the kingdoms of the world, their glory, their power, their beauty and their splendor were delivered into the hands of the devil through the transgression of Adam.
Have we considered that the apostle John knew what he was talking about when he wrote, "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the wicked one" I John 5:19 That's the very reason Jesus came -- to take the dominion back and give it to the sons of the Most High. It is delivered into the hands of God's elect! Notice the testimony of God: "The Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom...the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end" Daniel 7:22,26
Can you imagine what was going through the mind of the firstborn Son of God when Satan offered Him all the kingdoms and dominion of the world if He would fall down and worship him? By revelation of the Spirit Jesus could say, "You don't give me anything -- I've come to take it! Just stick around, devil, you're going to lose it, but not because you gave it to me. I've come here to take the dominion from you, and all power in heaven and in earth shall be given unto me and to the sons of the Most High God. You're not offering me anything. I'm about to subdue you!"
Jesus came into the world to transfer the power and the dominion to the sons of God. He came as a Son of God, He came by divine force, by might, by strength, by ability, by God's potential in man. Within Himself He entered into the adversary's dominion, to his throne room, to the seat and stronghold of his kingdom and wrested from him the power and the dominion. He came upon him abruptly, suddenly, powerfully, seized him and took his dominion from him, left him humiliated, stripped of all his power and dumbfounded at the swiftness and magnitude of his defeat. Jesus accomplished all of this within Himself, and now His victory is given to us to accomplish within ourselves.
Sons of God! The spirit of sonship is within us!
That's what Jesus came to do: to destroy, render impotent, make of none effect the devil and bring to nought all his works. This power and authority is within the Christ, and ye are the body of Christ. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and it is He who lives within us. The Life He lives is nothing less than the Life He is. Within His Life is all His love, grace, wisdom, ability, power and authority. Don't let anybody tell you the devil is after you, the devil is fighting you, hindering you, tripping you up, defeating you or thwarting God's purpose in your life. Oh, no! "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth," says Christ the Head. "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth," must be the testimony of every member of Christ the body.
All power is all power.
For those who stand in God's Christ no power belongs to the devil anymore! For these blessed ones the devil's kingdom has come to an end! His rule is terminated! His dominion is over! His power has been stripped, his authority revoked! And now the sons of God are "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son" Colossians 1:12, 13
Therefore may I boldly say, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom -- its righteousness, its joy, its peace, its incorruptible life, its power, its authority, its dominion, its wisdom, its knowledge, its anointing, its blessing, its potential, its fullness, its riches and its treasures!" It is the Father's good pleasure, it pleases Him to make you the sons of God with power. It pleases Him to give you life more abundantly. It pleases Him to raise you up into the fullness of His Christ and send you forth as deliverers of creation. Jesus took it all -- all power -- and raises it up within the sons of God. The hour has now come for this to be realized, personified, and consummated in the many brethren of our Lord.
Men of God throughout the church age have tasted the earnest and firstfruits of this Kingdom dominion, but just as the seed planted eventually produces a harvest of many seeds in which the life settles, reproducing in form, quality, and power the original seed, so now the life of the all-triumphant Jesus is settling in fullness of form, quality, and power within the sons of God. We who have received the call to sonship are learning, growing, developing and maturing into His dominion within ourselves, the rule of His Kingdom raised up within us. We can never understand the deep mystery of Kingdom dominion until we clearly see that Jesus does not now enforce His victory over satan and His acquisition of All Power on behalf of all creation. If He did, there would be no sin, no darkness, no sickness, no sorrow, and no death anywhere! Though Jesus has all power in heaven and in earth, and has fully and forever overcome sin, satan and death, men continue to be ravaged by fear, carnality, sin and death.
It is like a boxer who fights the world champion boxer and defeats him. HE has defeated him for himself, but no one else has defeated him. Now suppose that the new champion trains every other man to box as he does, and one by one they are developed into world-class boxers and enter into a match with the former world champion and each in turn defeats him. The new world champion's ability has thus been transferred, conveyed, and imparted to all men, making them champions. This is the law of Kingdom dominion! We do not merely glorify the victory, power and authority of the man Jesus two thousand years ago, but through His Spirit we are brought into the same relationship with God that He knew. Then by the gracious ministry of the sons of God all men shall be ushered experientially into the same victory!
How awesome is this Day!
Paul Mueller has ably written, "David expressed the magnificent wonder of man having the glory of the Lord. 'When I see Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast formed; what is man that Thou shouldest think of him, and the son of man that Thou shouldest care for him? Yet Thou has made him but little lower than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor! Thou madest him ruler over the works of Thy hands, Thou hast put all things under his feet; all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field; the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, that traverse the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is Thy name in all the earth!' Psalm 8:3-9, Smith-Goodspeed.
"This is a Psalm showing the authority God has given man over His creation. It presents a picture of man as he is now, and as we shall be when redemption is complete. During this and previous ages, man was given dominion over all God's vast creation (Genesis 1:26-28). The earth and all things of it have been given to man to manage and to govern according to his ability. But man has not done a very good job of managing the Lord's creation. We have polluted the earth and its environment. Man has not judged the world in justice and righteousness, nor has man handled the economic affairs of this world with equity. And man has certainly not represented the Lord and His kingdom very well. Man has had the God-given authority and dominion of the earth, according to the Lord's plan and purpose, yet he has done a miserable job managing the Lord's wonderful creation.
"Why is this true?
What is lacking in man that makes him such a poor administrator of God's creation? Those who managed the creation did poorly because they were not yet in God's image and likeness, nor were they crowned with glory and honor. The glory and honor of the Lord was lacking! The likeness of Christ also was lacking! And unless man is transformed into the image of God, and crowned with glory and honor, he cannot possibly take the dominion of the creation and govern it in righteousness. The whole fallen, corrupt order of man is in the debased condition it is because man has ruled in his fallen state. And the Lord has ordained that it should be this way for an appointed time. But in the age to come, a corporate man shall come forth in God's image and shall be crowned with glory and honor. They shall then administer His kingdom with justice, equity, peace and righteousness just as the Lord intended it to be.
"The glory of the Lord now rests upon the sons of God who make up the true church, the body of Christ. God's glory is not now, nor has it ever been, on a denomination or a building of man's design. His glory is the glory of Christ, which is His splendor in the realm of the Spirit. The glory of the Lord is that holy and awesome presence of the Lord that is miraculous, marvelous and beyond the feeble words of man to tell. That glory belongs to the Christ body. And the hour is upon us when we shall be anointed, empowered and crowned with the fulness of the wondrous, majestic, and awesome glory and honor of the Lord. Then we shall be qualified by the authority He has given us to have dominion over His creation. Then it shall truly be said by many, 'O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is Thy name in all the earth!' When the Christ body is complete and united in one, we shall all be changed into His likeness and crowned with glory and honor. We shall then have dominion over the whole creation in that wonderful, resurrected, new creation state.
"The writer to the Hebrews also proclaimed the truth of the creation of a new heavens and earth.
'And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish, but Thou remainest; and they shall all wax old as does a garment; and as a vesture Thou shalt fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail' Hebrews 1:10-12
One aspect of the vision the elect shall have in this hour is the vision of a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). We shall not forever rule and reign over an earth that has been worn out and destroyed by the effects of man's sin, perversion and darkness, and by Satan's dominion. We shall eventually reign over a restored universe.
"The earth, as we see it now, is slowly wearing out and its resources are diminishing. It is all waxing old as doth a garment, just like the word of God says it will. To those without a vision, it appears that we will not have enough water, oil, gas, trees, rain forests, vegetation, spotted owls, birds, beasts, creeping things, insects, fish, and sea mammals. Environmentalists are trying to stifle agriculture and industry, for they think that we are at the end of earth's resources. There are many unbelievers and skeptics who are far from God and have no vision. They are worshipping the creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25), putting the creation before man. But man was given this dominion (Genesis 1:26-30). God and man must always come before the creation. That is the divine order! Many millions of those in darkness have no vision of God's power of restoration! Though mankind has done a terrible job of managing our resources, there will be enough of everything to the end of this age. Then the whole creation shall be made new again. And the reason we are running out of the earth's resources is because we are at the end of the ages of man's dominion.
"By the inspiration of the Spirit, the writer to the Hebrews prophesied that both the heavens and the earth would 'perish,' and would 'wax old as doth a garment.' Thank God he didn't end his dire prediction there, but went on to declare, 'And as a vesture (garment or mantle) shalt Thou fold them up, and they (the heavens and the earth) shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.' The entire universe is in God's sight as a vesture, as a mere piece of cloth or garment that the Lord shall pick up and turn over in His hands, thus making it all new again. With the ease and simplicity of someone changing garments the Lord will restore the whole creation. The restoration of the earth is to the Lord as if He would remove an old coat from the mantle of the earth and put on a new one. That is the truth of God's word which is presented in Hebrews chapter two, in Peter's epistle, and in Old Testament prophecies (Psalm 102:25-28, Isiah 66:22).
"The heavens and the earth will be changed and restored by the same power that is changing us. The whole creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of the sons of God (Romans 8:19-22). When the Lord has completed His work of restoring the earth, there will not be one needy, starving, famine-ravaged person anywhere on earth. Then every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree; and none shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it (Micah 4:4, Zechariah 3:10). Only our omnipotent God could make such a promise as this, and back it up with His glory and honor. And He alone is worthy to be adored, revered and worshipped by all. The restored heavens and earth will not be under the dominion of angels, but will be given to the saints of the most High. Let this be our vision, and the daily struggles and conflicts of this life will be seen as nothing when compared to the greater plan and purpose of our omnipotent Father that is now coming into view" -- end quote.
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