| Restoration of Dominion
Wade E Taylor
The
Word tells us that Jesus was slain before he
foundation of the world (Revelation
13:8). Thus, the transgression and failure of
Adam did not take God by surprise, as the Lord had a purpose in
mind when He created man.
In the beginning, God ... (Genesis 1:1a). Before anything was created, God already
existed. It is very
difficult for us to comprehend that God is without
a beginning. Also,
the vastness of the universe is incomprehensible.
I have wondered why such a vast universe was brought into
being. When I ask, the Lord always responds with
the following understanding:
Because God is a social being (we
are created in His likeness),
He has, from eternity, desired fellowship
with a satisfaction gained from that communion. Thus, God created the universe, seeking,
but never finding, that which He desired.
He returned from searching the universe, to a small planet
called earth and created a man in His image
and likeness, and placed him in a desirable environment. Then, He came to fellowship with this
man.
And they heard the voice of the
Lord God walking in the garden, in the cool of the day ... and the Lord God called to Adam, and said
to him, where are you?
Genesis 3:8-9
Adam
hid from the presence of the Lord because he had transgressed the
word of the Lord to him. The
Lord asked this question, not because He did not know where Adam
was hiding, but rather, to expose the condition of his heart in
order to restore fellowship with him. Any counselor knows that to be successful,
he must come to the root of the problem. Here, man is hiding, but the Lord is seeking
restored fellowship. We
should be encouraged in knowing that our Lord takes the initiative
in seeking fellowship with us.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Genesis 1:26a
Let us
This speaks of the totality of God having
a part in our Creation. Image has to do with the fact that God
has shape and form. He
sits on a throne. He
is Spirit, but He has shape and form.
He fills heaven and earth, and yet has a localized Presence.
Jesus answered and said to him,
If a man love Me, he will keep My words:
and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our
abode with him. John 14:23
Likeness has to do with our personality being
like His. He, unlimited, but we, limited. As we desire to be loved and have fellowship
with others, so also, God has these desires. Likeness also has to do with our moral
character, meaning we have the ability to think, to choose, and
to act.
Man
was formed to have fellowship with God, but there is a further purpose
- Let them have dominion
(Genesis
1:26b). This speaks of man being given an authority
over his environment, the climate, the weather, and over all that
was created. If this
dominion were active today, as originally
given and intended, there would be none of the tornadoes, hurricanes,
or the devastating storms that we experience. We would have the authority to speak to,
and calm these storms, just as Jesus did.
It
was never the Lords intention that these storms exist as they presently
do. Many say, If there is a God, why does He permit these
destructive storms? The
answer is that man chose the
tree of knowledge, to go his own way and rule himself, apart
from God. He forfeited the dominion that had been given him in his
creation, and we bear the consequences of Adams failure and the
judgment that came on him.
But
there is more. In redemption,
we become a new creation and all that Adam lost is restored to us. This is a progressive restoration, and
we must learn to act on all that we have received. I had a home in Florida and some time ago,
was told that a tornado was headed directly toward this property. I earnestly prayed that this storm would
turn northward in the Atlantic ocean and never touch land. This unexpectedly happened, and I thanked
our Lord for this experience in dominion.
God
created man in His image
and likeness. This
speaks of a potential which must be acted on. There is a present working of the dominion that we gained in our redemption.
It is very possible that we can turn a hurricane, a tornado,
or a bad storm, if we will believe and speak forth the authority
we received in our redemption. At least twice recently, I have heard
of areas where there had been no rain for a prolonged time, and
a person who is walking close to the Lord prayed, and soon it rained.
Satan
deceived Adam and Eve, and robbed them of the authority they had
been given. But when
they hid from the presence of the Lord, it was the Lord who sought
to restore that which had been lost.
Our salvation is the beginning point of this
restoration, and has two purposes.
The first is to prepare us for eternity, which is much emphasized. But there is a present restoration of
all that Adam lost, which is much neglected.
God
created the earth, and placed man on it with a purpose. He came in the cool of the evening, during which
there was a special atmosphere, in order to walk and fellowship
with man. He found
pleasure in doing this. A
desirable atmosphere is very important, especially in a church service. Some time ago, I spoke in a meeting, and
the person that introduced me told several jokes, which made everyone
laugh, and then turned it over to me.
I struggled, and had a hard time speaking.
Several months later, I spoke again in the same place. This time the person who introduced me,
acknowledged and made room for the presence of the Lord. This time, the word of the Lord easily
flowed out from me.
And the Lord took the man, and
put him in the garden of Eden to dress
it and keep it. Genesis 2:15
That
which the Lord had created was perfect in every way. But Adam was to change, or improve what
God had created, and during the day, he did this very thing. Then in the evening, during the cool of the day, God came to see
what Adam had accomplished, or changed, in the garden during the
day. He rearranged and improved what God had
created.
Then
in the evening, the Lord came and said, Adam, I would like to go for a walk with you,
to see what you did in the garden today. And Adam said, Lord, I trimmed this, and then, I moved it
to a different place.
And God found pleasure in the fact that He had created a
man with a freedom of will and ability.
Although the Lord had created innumerable angels, he never
found this level of pleasure and satisfaction in them.
But,
an enemy came and marred it by destroying the place of dependence
and intimate relationship that Adam had with his creator. Now, by sweat amongst thorns, he would
function, and life has become very difficult for all of us. This is the result of sin. Nevertheless, the Lords intention is
to bring a restoration of the dominion that Adam forfeited. All that was lost is to be restored before
there is any return of our Lord.
Dominion has to do with authority. In past times, the Lord has given a measure
of authority to those He called into places of responsibility. At times, this authority was misused,
in the building of human kingdoms.
The government, the place of authority, is to rest on His
shoulders.
For to us a child is born, to us
a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder. Isaiah 9:6a
We
are the body of Christ. The
government that which comes from the
Head, is to rest on the shoulders.
Therefore, the outworking of this government is dependent
on the body functioning under the head in total obedience.
This obedience must be tested and established.
Only then will we become the overcomer that the Lord desires,
for the outworking of His purposes in the earth.
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
Adam
was placed in the garden, in a perfect environment, but there was
a point of testing. He
was to remain dependent on the tree
of life. But the tree of (self) knowledge was very attractive and
in time, Adam and Eve partook, and failed. The tree of life is the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is our Head, and
to whom we are to be totally submitted.
Our mind and ways must be committed to the cross.
The
tree of the knowledge of good and evil appears to be very attractive, but it
represents our choosing apart from God, and becoming independent
of His government and provision.
Because of this choice, mankind came from under the place
of divine provision and protection, and became subject to all the
forces of nature, apart from God. We are still paying the price for Adam
choosing to go his own way.
For
us to come back into the original intention of the Lord, the first
step is for us to give up the right to our self-life, and submit
the totality of our being to His dominion and authority.
We are to become subject to His government and submissive
to His will. We do this by establishing the preeminence
of the Lord over every aspect of our lives, and walk as the Lord
directs.
May
each of us come to the place where we are fully submitted to the
headship of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only then will we be able to function
in the spiritual authority that He gained for us through His death
on the cross. Our lives,
and all that pertains to us, will be brought into divine order and
purpose, and we will be able to affect the environment in which
we live.
Then,
the Lord will come in the
cool of the evening so we can share with Him the victories
we have gained. And, the purpose for which we were created
will find its full outworking, as we fellowship with our creator.
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