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What Is the Dominion Mandate Given to Adam and Eve?

 

What is the nature and characteristics of mankind’s dominion over the earth?  How does that relate to the coming kingdom of God after Jesus’ return?  Ultimately, the kingdom of God will restore what was lost physically and surpass spiritually what Adam and Eve had in the Garden of Eden.

 

The dominion mandate that God gave to Adam and Eve doesn’t mean that they would necessarily have physical prosperity or good health.  This mandate simply told them to reproduce and have control over the earth physically, including over the animals and plants.  Let’s look at the actual wording (Genesis 1:28):  “And God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  So there’s no promise here about humanity in general gaining great physical wealth or always avoiding sickness.  The dominion mandate gives humanity authority over God’s creation with His permission.  Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden didn’t cancel this mandate:  God still wants people to have children and to exercise control over His physical creation in order to prepare their characters for life in the kingdom of God.

 

Now eventually Jesus will return again in order to restore the pre-Edenic conditions to the world.  For example, animals will no longer attack and eat each other after Jesus returns (Isaiah 11:6-7):  “And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them.  And the cow and the bear will graze; their young will lie down together; and the lion will eat straw like the ox.”  Even the nature of animals, not just people, will change after the Kingdom of God rules over this earth after Jesus’ return.  However, for the time being, we have to wait until Jesus comes back to undo the curses placed on Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:16-19), which affected the earth as well.  Notice what Peter said about what Jesus would do after Jesus comes back (Acts 3:20-21):  “He may send Jesus the Christ appointed by you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouths of the holy prophets from ancient time.”  So until Jesus returns, such problems as poverty, crime, and bad health will affect many people.

 

So then, we pray for God’s kingdom to come when we model our prayers upon Jesus’ words in Matt. 6:9-13, which is traditionally called “The Lord’s prayer.”  When we say (in so many words), “Thy kingdom come,” we’re asking God to send His Son in order to clean up the mess of the world that humanity, Satan, and the demons have made of this earth.  One day Jesus will return to earth (Zechariah 14:3-4) and His saints will rule with him over this earth (Revelation 5:10):  “And thou has made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”  God’s kingdom will be a literal kingdom with police powers to rule and punish people, just like the governments created by people today can reward and punish both good and bad behavior.  Notice that the rock that hits the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon saw in his dream represented God’s kingdom and Jesus’ return to earth to rule it (Daniel 2:44-45).  It will not be something abstract without clear consequences for disobedience to its commands at that time.  Furthermore, God’s truth will fill the earth spiritually at that time (Isaiah 2:3):  “And many people’s will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.’  For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

 

Here above the nature of the dominion mandate and God’s kingdom has been explained briefly.  The dominion mandate doesn’t promise physical prosperity to people, but does give the authority to rule over nature and to multiply in numbers.  God’s kingdom will be a literal government that will eventually replace all human governments after Jesus’ return to this physical earth. 

 

Eric V. Snow

www.lionofjudah1.org

 

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Why does God Allow Evil? Click here: /Apologeticshtml/Why Does God Allow Evil 0908.htm

May Christians work on Saturdays? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Protestant Rhetoric vs Sabbath Refuted.htm

Should Christians obey the Old Testament law? /doctrinalhtml/Does the New Covenant Abolish the OT Law.htm

Do you have an immortal soul? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Here and Hereafter.htm

Does the ministry have authority? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Is There an Ordained Ministry vs Edwards.html

Is the United States the Beast? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Are We the Beast vs Collins.htm

Should you give 10% of your income to your church? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Does the Argument from Silence Abolish the Old Testament Law of Tithing 0205 Mokarow rebuttal.htm

Is Jesus God? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Is Jesus God.htm

Will there be a third resurrection? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Will There Be a Third Resurrection.htm

 

 

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