Dominion
Dominion
What is man that You are mindful of Him?—that You visit him?
Man is created to be the throne of almighty God.
Man is destined to be the ruler over all the works of God’s hands. We still are under tutors and governors but the hour will come when the Kingdom is given to us. First, however, we must be in the image of God, we must be in union with the Lord Jesus Christ, and we must be bearing fruit. To bear fruit in the Kingdom of God is to produce righteousness and praise, to bring about the performing of God’s will in the earth.
The Lord Jesus is what God means by "man." Jesus is in the image of God. He is in absolute union with God. He is bringing about righteousness and praise, the performing of God’s will, in the earth (as well as in the heavenlies). Therefore the Lord Jesus has received all authority and all power in Heaven and on the earth. Jesus sits on the highest throne of the universe.
We have been called to that same throne, to the place of dominion over all the works of God’s hands.
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Revelation 3:21)
Revelation 3:21 (above) reveals that the saints are called to the position of supreme power over the works of God’s hands. The power of Christ’s throne is beyond imagination. It is to this supreme majesty that we have been assigned by the Lord. Whether or not we attain such a high mark depends on our willingness to lay aside all else and follow Jesus to complete victory over all that would compete for our worship and service.
People are not rulers today. We are ruled by the world, by the lusts of our flesh, by Satan and his demons, and by our self-love. Men and women in the so-called "free" nations enjoy thinking they are free, but they are not. Whoever commits sin is the slave of sin.
When an individual believes in Christ and attempts to cease sinning he discovers quickly that he is not in control of his own personality. His imaginations, motives, words, and deeds are being directed by forces that have become deeply entrenched in him. He may know what is the godly thing to think and to do, but the performing of righteousness, the doing of God’s will, is difficult—sometimes extremely difficult.
We are the slaves of the world, of Satan, of sin, and of self-love.
When we believe in Christ and are baptized in water we are given by the Lord the authority to serve righteousness. Because of Calvary we are legally free from servitude to the kingdom of darkness. From this point forward we must continue choosing to serve righteousness. But it requires the help of the grace of God if we are to live righteously in obedience to the will of God.
The receiving of our inheritance in the Kingdom of God depends on our success in overcoming the forces arrayed against us. We canovercome if we place our complete confidence in the Lord Jesus and seek His wisdom and power in every detail of our life.
The elements of the great design were present in the original creation. Man was placed in a beautiful environment and assigned a delightful task to perform. God came down to walk on the earth in fellowship with His children.
Then the eternal declaration was pronounced: let us make man in our image; let us make man male and female; man is to be fruitful, filling the earth with his image; man is to rule the works of God’s hands.
This was an elementary step toward the stupendous program that is in the mind of God.
Man has been called to be perfectly in the image of God. If we are willing and obedient we can make progress toward this image while yet in our fleshly existence. It will require an eternity of eternities before we approach maturity as God’s sons in His image.
Man has been called to union with Christ and union with others of his kind. This union does not consist merely of an agreement in which all work toward the same goal, such as in the building of the Tower of Babel. Rather, the union is identical with that which is true of the Godhead. We have been called to be one in Christ as Christ is One with the Father.
Man has been called to a degree of fruitfulness comparable to that of Abraham. As soon as God’s image has been perfected in us we shall multiply that image throughout eternity—wherever God brings new creations into existence.
Man has been called to govern all the works of God’s hands.
Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. (Hebrews 2:8)
"All things"! Christ-filled man is to be the lord of the creation.
God has not placed the world under the rule of angels but under the rule of man (Hebrews 2:5).
The current understanding, that we receive Christ in order to go to Heaven when we die, there to live in ornate "mansions" and do nothing, is not the Divine design. This vision is based on the traditions of men and the desires of the adamic flesh and soul.
The true vision is that of the Kingdom of God coming to the earth. The elect have been called to serve God now and in the new world that is coming. We must enter the four aspects of the Divine declaration before we are eligible to participate in the roles and tasks assigned to the Seed of Abraham, to the members of the Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 42:1).
It is one thing to be saved from the wrath of God and brought over into the new heaven and earth reign of Christ. It is another matter to participate in the roles and tasks delegated to the overcomers. They, being God’s sons, have inherited all things (Revelation 21:7).
Some of the roles and tasks that have been assigned to the members of the true Church, the Wife of the Lamb, the Body of Christ, are as follows:
To bear witness of God’s Person, will, and ways to the nations of the earth.
To be the eternal House of God, the Temple of God, the place of God’s rest.
To be the Wife of the Lamb.
To be the sons of God.
To be the brothers of Christ.
To be God’s heirs.
To be God’s rulers under Christ.
To be God’s priests.
To be the Body, the fullness, of Christ.
To be God’s judges of men and angels.
To execute the Divine vengeance on sinners and their sin.
To be God’s deliverers.
To bring justice to the nations of the earth.
To teach the nations of the earth.
To be the eternal servants of the Lord God of Heaven.
To be trees of life.
To be the Presence of God throughout His creation.
We are entering some of these roles and tasks today. We are being given some small responsibilities in the Kingdom of God. If we are faithful in our present assignments, two things take place: (1) we ourselves grow in the four aspects of the Divine declaration; and (2) God finds us worthy of His gifts. We will receive many additional gifts and will be assigned a much greater place of service when the Lord returns from Heaven.
If we are not faithful in our present assignment (and every believer has been given a task in the Body of Christ), we will not grow in the four aspects of the Divine declaration and our gifts will be taken from us and given to another. We will not be given a place of responsibility in the Kingdom of God.
We, because of tradition, may be concerned about going to Heaven when we die. God is concerned about our bearing fruit. If we do not bear fruit we will be cut out of the Vine. Our goal is to be a branch in the Vine that is destined to fill the creation of God.
To be an eternal member of the Seed of Abraham, of the elect of God, is the highest calling that can rest on any creature of God. To abide in Christ requires our attention and dedication. Because of the current limited understanding of salvation, multitudes of Christian believers receive Christ and then continue to live in the world in the same manner as before. This is not appropriate because of the Divine expectations concerning every member of the Body of Christ.
To be a Christian is, by definition, to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus. In order for any person to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus, being led into full development in the four aspects of the Divine declaration (image, union, fruitfulness, and dominion), the things of God must receive the greatest concentration and effort of which he or she is capable.
Nothing—absolutely nothing—must be allowed to divide his attention. His eye must be single, the will of Christ being the one goal on which all his decisions are based. His work in the world is not his calling. His daily occupation must never be allowed to become more than his "tentmaking"—that which provides food for himself and for those for whom he is responsible.
To go through life without making progress in eternal image, eternal union, eternal fruitfulness, and eternal dominion, is not to become "man."