THE AUTHORITY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: Part 6 of 6: God Designed Man to Rule Over His Creation

Click here for the hub containing a link to the audio teachings for this series.

Addressing the Salient Points From Parts 1-5

GOD DESIGNED MAN TO RULE OVER HIS CREATION:

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: 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 animal that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said to 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 animal that moveth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28 WEBSTER)

• “have dominion” means to rule, subjugate, have dominion, dominate, tread down.
  
• “subdue it” means to tread upon, make subservient, to force or dominate, to subdue.
  
• The word “over” used eight times, according to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, means: “Above in place or position; opposed to below”; “Above, denoting superiority in excellence, dignity or value; as the advantages which the Christian world has over the heathen”. Above in authority, implying the right or power of superintending or governing; opposed to under. "Thou shalt be over my house." (Genesis 41:40) and "I will make thee ruler over many things."’ (Matthew 25:21)

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HAS AUTHORTY, POWER AND DOMINION OVER ALL THINGS:

• “3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man (Christ), that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him but little lower than God, And crownest him with glory and honor. 6 Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet:” (Psalms 8:3-6 ASV)
  
• “2 For to the angels he hath not put in subjection the world to come, concerning which we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy 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 made subject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to him.” (Hebrews 2:5-8 WEBSTER)
  
• Jesus said, “all authority is given unto me in heaven and upon earth.” (Matthew 28:18)
  
• “Everything the Father has is Mine. This is why I told you that He takes from what is Mine and will declare it to you.” (John 16:15 HCSB)
  
• “That God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the devil; for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38)
  

JESUS CHRIST DELEGATED HIS AUTHORITY TO HIS FOLLOWERS:

• “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19 EMTV)
  
• “For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29, HCSB)
  
• “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18a ASV)
  
• “The disciple is not above [his] teacher, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he should be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord:” (Matthew 10:24-25a WEBSTER)
  

AN EXPANDED TRANSLATION OF Ephesians 1:18 to 2:7:

"1:18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened for you to perceive the hope to which he has invited us, and the richness of his glorious inheritance in the saints (us), 19 and the far surpassing greatness of his potential power toward us who believe, demonstrated in the rendering of his powerful ability 20 which he displayed in Christ in raising him out from among the dead, and having made him sit in his own right hand (the governmental seat of highest power and authority) in the realms of the heavens, 21 in rank and authority over every one of the higher governing positions, over every executive authority, over every spiritual and physical power, over every governing power, and over every aspect of every one and every thing having a name, not limited to this age only but also in the age which is on the verge of coming. 22 and he has arranged all things in subjection under his feet and has made him to be the supreme head over all things in the church 23 which is his body, the fullness of him (Col. 2:9-10) who is continually filling to capacity all things in everyone. 2:1 And you too were in a state of being absent from God (dead) due to continually falling aside from what is right and deviating from God’s standard. 2 You use to conduct yourself accordingly during times past, by the standards of this worldly age, according to governing authorities causing their effects everywhere yet almost undetectably. It is the evil spirits that are continually operating in those who are obstinate to God’s desire of the ages, which is that all things are being brought in submission to Christ. To you God has given LIFE. 3 We all use to live according to the old standard, governed by the lusts of our own flesh, ignorantly carrying out our godless desires, whether of the body (sex, food and drink lusts, drugs and alcohol, sensuality, etc.) or of the mind (greed, envy, selfishness, higher rank, recognition, control of others, etc.). We were then subjecting ourselves to the just consequences thereof, even as anyone who is absent from the life of God. 4 But God, being abundantly wealthy in compassion (clearly seeing our destitute state), out from the source of his plentiful love with which he loved even us unreservedly. 5 We also, being absent from God through sins, were made to have life together with Christ (by grace you were rescued FROM every aspect of the absence of the life of God INTO the wholeness of God and his presence) 6 and he raised us up together with Christ and governmentally seated us together with Christ in the heavenly realms in oneness with all that is in Christ Jesus (See Ephesians 1:19-23), 7 in order that throughout all the ages (which are on the cusp of arriving) he might display the majesty of his eternal purpose in Christ Jesus in all of its exceeding abundant wealth which he has graced us with through his kindness toward us in the category of Christ."

AS GOVERNORS WE USE WORDS TO GOVERN:

• “12 Then spake Joshua to Jehovah in the day when Jehovah delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon. 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. 14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of a man: for Jehovah fought for Israel.” (Joshua 10:12-14 ASV)
  
• “11 And the next day when they came out from Bethania, he was hungry. 13 And when he had seen afar off a fig tree having leaves, he came, if perhaps he might find any thing on it. And when he was come to it, he found nothing but leaves. For it was not the time for figs. 14 And answering he said to it: May no man hereafter eat fruit of thee any more for ever! And his disciples heard it.” “20 And when they passed by in the morning they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter remembering, said to him: Rabbi, behold the fig tree which thou didst curse is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering, saith to them: Have the faith of God. 23 Amen I say to you that whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed and be cast into the sea, and shall not stagger in his heart, but be believing that whatsoever he saith shall be done; it shall be done unto him. 24 Therefore I say unto you, all things, whatsoever you ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive: and they shall come unto you.” (Mark 11:12-14, and 11:20-24 Douay)
  
• “That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.” (Matthew 8:16 RSV)
  
• “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” (Proverbs 18:21 RSV)
  
• “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” (Revelation 19:15 AV)
  
• “And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” (Revelation 19:21 AV)
  
• “And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming.” (2Thessalonians 2:8 RSV)
  
• “but with righteousness he (the Christ) shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.” (Isaiah 11:4 RSV)
  
• “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” (Ephesians 6:17 ASV)
  
• “He whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” (Nu 22:6b RSV)
  

CREATED IN CHRIST TO REIGN IN LIFE/ ONE WITH THE FATHER:

• “For if by one man’s offense death reigned through that one, to a much greater degree will those who continue to receive the overflow of His unmerited favor and His gift of right standing with Himself, reign in real life through One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17 Williams)
  
• “And yet in all these things we keep on gloriously conquering through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37 Williams)
  
• “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent (noble, great, glorious, mighty, principal, majestic) ones, in whom is all my delight.” (Psalms 16:3 ESV)
  
• “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels?” (1Corinthians 6:2a-3a RSV)
  
• “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10 AV)
  
• “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1Peter 2:9 RSV)
  
• “20 And I do not demand for these only, but also for those who believe on me through their word; 21 that they may be all one, as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou hast given me I have given them, that they may be one, as we are one; 23 I in them and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one [and] that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and [that] thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me. 24 Father, [as to] those whom thou hast given me, I desire that where I am they also may be with me, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me, for thou lovedst me before [the] foundation of [the] world. 25 Righteous Father, —and the world has not known thee, but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have made known to them thy name, and will make [it] known; that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them.” (John 17:20-26 Darby)
  

JESUS CHRIST – GOVERNOR OVER ALL FOR ALL OF ETERNITY:

• “9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11 ASV)
  
• “6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God (God is mighty), Everlasting Father (our Father is everlasting), Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7 ASV)
  
• “And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” (Daniel 7:27 ASV)
  
• “24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 "For God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "All things are put in subjection under him," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one.” (1Corinthians 15:24-28 RSV)
  

CONCLUSION:

God originally designed man to have dominion over all the earth. Jesus Christ walked in this dominion. God gave him all authority in heaven and upon earth. Jesus Christ has delegated this authority in his name to the Church. We govern in behalf of our Lord as he governed and will govern with the “sword of his mouth.” Our teaching and training is right now! Ultimately, our Lord Jesus Christ will govern everyone for all of eternity.

JESUS CHRIST IS LORD OVER ALL