1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:17,640 Welcome friends and family to the Methodist Voice. Just to be clear, the podcast is called 2 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:24,560 the Methodist Voice. This particular series is called Primeval. So that's what we're 3 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:30,840 going to be continuing today. Genesis chapter 1. We're going to try and wind up Genesis 4 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:39,120 chapter 1 today. We're still on Genesis 1.26, but this is a rich passage of scripture. It 5 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:47,320 is foundational to the rest of the entire Bible. So we're going to not leave any stone 6 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:54,600 left unturned. And we're going to continue reading from Genesis 1.26. We will try and 7 00:00:54,600 --> 00:01:01,960 turn the page next week to Genesis chapter 2 and start digging into the details of that 8 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:09,640 story. But just to kind of kick off today's podcast, let's look at Genesis chapter 1 9 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:13,600 starting in verse 26. And we're going to go ahead and read out the rest of the chapter 10 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:21,200 and just try and button this up. So Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, the title of this particular 11 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:25,920 episode is called the Dominion Mandate. We've covered a lot of things from these verses. 12 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:30,480 We have not yet covered the topic of dominion. So that's what we're going to talk about today. 13 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:38,120 The Dominion Mandate, and here it is, the beginning of the message of the Kingdom of 14 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:45,360 God. Now I don't have to tell you that's a huge topic in scripture. It is the focus 15 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:53,040 of Jesus' ministry. And so understanding what God has in mind is critical to understanding 16 00:01:53,040 --> 00:02:02,040 that message. So let's dig in Genesis chapter 1 verse 26. Then God said, let us make man 17 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:11,720 in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion. Now dominion means to rule. 18 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:19,520 It means to govern. It means to manage, to be a steward of and let them have dominion 19 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:25,800 over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the heavens. So everything that's on land, 20 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:36,120 everything that's in the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over every creeping 21 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:42,080 thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image. In the image of God 22 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:49,320 he created him, male and female he created them. And God blessed them and said to them, 23 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:54,140 be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. I'll talk about man woman 24 00:02:54,140 --> 00:03:00,560 issues probably when we get to Genesis chapter 3, but this is a significant thing to remember. 25 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:06,500 Human beings were originally created as equal partners and they were both given the mandate 26 00:03:06,500 --> 00:03:11,800 to rule. It wasn't just the man, it was the man and the woman functioning as partners 27 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:18,180 side by side underneath God's sovereign leadership. So let's continue in verse 28. And have dominion 28 00:03:18,180 --> 00:03:21,240 over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing 29 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:27,360 that moves on the earth. Verse 29 and God said, behold, I have given you every plant 30 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:34,440 yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth and every tree with its seed and its 31 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:41,180 fruit. You shall have them for food and to every beast on the earth and to every bird 32 00:03:41,180 --> 00:03:45,060 of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath 33 00:03:45,060 --> 00:03:51,340 of life. I've given every green plant for food and it was so and God saw everything 34 00:03:51,340 --> 00:03:55,720 that he had made and behold, it was very good and there was evening and there was morning 35 00:03:55,720 --> 00:04:04,280 the sixth day. Now it's interesting to note on this passage, just a side note that it 36 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:12,000 was plants that were given to human beings and to animals as food. It does not say anything 37 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:18,440 about eating meat in that passage, which is a point you want to remember because when 38 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:24,320 we get later on after the flood of Noah is the first instance where God says, I now give 39 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:32,160 you meat to eat. So that's not today's topic, just a little heads up that's coming down 40 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:44,080 the pike a little while later. Now in regards to this topic of dominion being a function 41 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:50,600 of image bearers, we're created in the image and likeness of God. Dominion is a function 42 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:58,400 of being an image bearer. I'm going to cite professor David Kleins who is a biblical studies 43 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:07,480 professor at the University of Sheffield across the pond over there. Here's what he says, 44 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:17,720 what makes man the image of God is not that corporeal or embodied man stands as an analogy 45 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:26,600 of a corporeal God. That's not the point. For the image does not primarily mean similarity 46 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:33,120 in a physical nature, although it might imply that not necessarily or primarily he says 47 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:40,200 continuing on, but the representation of the one who is imaged in a place where he is 48 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:54,800 not. So human beings are placed on the earth to represent God when he is absent. Now that 49 00:05:54,800 --> 00:06:01,600 gets into, well isn't God omnipresent? Well yes, but he isn't always equally present. 50 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:06,280 So there's the manifest presence of God and there's the omnipresence of God, two different 51 00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:11,300 things. When God is present amongst the people of Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and 52 00:06:11,300 --> 00:06:18,960 a pillar of fire by night, he's present differently than he is in other places of scripture where 53 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:25,000 it's not obvious that he's there. So there's these stories in the Old Testament where the 54 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:31,360 tabernacle is set up and there comes a point where this cloud of glory manifests in the 55 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:37,680 tabernacle. God is always present in the tabernacle, but he's present in a different way, a more 56 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:43,040 tangible way when the cloud appears. God's always present on the earth. Whenever he comes 57 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:47,600 in the form of a man of Jesus Christ, he's present on the earth in a different way than 58 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:58,320 he is when he's omnipresent. So that's all to say God can appear that it's not, or it 59 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:03,320 can be where it's not obvious that God is present to human beings who are on the earth. 60 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:09,560 That's just a clumsy way of what I'm trying to say there. Continuing on with David Klein's, 61 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:17,640 going to Genesis 1 26, man is set on earth in order to be the representative there of 62 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:25,800 the absent God who is nevertheless present by his image. So one of the ways that God 63 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:32,280 chooses to be present on the earth is through his image bearers. And that's talking about 64 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:42,240 you and me. That's our responsibility as image bearers to be filled with the Holy Spirit 65 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:49,680 and to give expression to the energies and the life and the gifts that he works on the 66 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:57,440 inside of us. So here's the question we're going to try and address today. We're representatives 67 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:08,680 of God on the earth unto what? In what way are we representing God? What does that mean? 68 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:15,240 And so let's talk a little bit about this plan. Now I've talked extensively about this 69 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:23,080 plan in other places. I've got a lot of content out there about this. I will link to a good 70 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:29,400 deal of it in the notes of this podcast. So I would refer you to those. I'll try and give 71 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:38,040 you a summary. This is God's plan for humankind. And we're seeing this expressed here in Genesis 72 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:50,160 chapter one. God's plan for humankind is to live in bodies on the earth in this beautiful 73 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:56,000 environment that God has created that really is God's home at the end of the day. We're 74 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:02,200 going to learn from chapter two, God places human beings in this garden where he lives 75 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:09,600 with them and his intent is that they would manage the garden. But ultimately, as the 76 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:18,320 text says, fill the earth and subdue it so that it becomes like God's home. God wants 77 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:26,560 the entire earth to be his home, not just a part of it. So that's plan A. And I want 78 00:09:26,560 --> 00:09:34,080 to remind you some of the attributes of God. First of all, God is omniscient. That means 79 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:41,960 God knows everything there is to know. There are no questions left unanswered for an omniscient 80 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:50,320 God. I'll cite first John chapter three, verse 20 is a scripture that describes that. 81 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:57,240 So if God knows everything, if that's true, then he has eliminated every other possible 82 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:04,480 plan and God has determined that this plan he's articulated in Genesis chapters one and 83 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:14,760 two is perfect. There is no other plan. And so this is important because God living with 84 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:23,800 human beings who are without sin, who have access to eternal life on the earth embodies 85 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:29,440 God living with them on the earth while they're embodies in this environment that he's created 86 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:35,320 with the intent that they will manage that environment and then they will take that environment 87 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:42,080 and populate the entire planet, not only with people, but with the same quality that he 88 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:48,240 has established in the Garden of Eden. That's the plan. The rest of scripture I'm going 89 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:56,920 to argue is about God's working to execute that plan. So the second thing we know about 90 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:03,360 God is that God is omnipotent. That means he's all powerful. Here's a verse you can 91 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:13,320 look up to cite that job 42 chapter job chapter 42 verse two. This implies that God has more 92 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:20,640 than sufficient ability to ensure that plan a is going to work. When God initiated the 93 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:27,320 plan from Genesis chapter one here, there is no escape hatch built in. God's going to 94 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:33,560 see plan a through to its fulfillment and its fulfillment is guaranteed based upon God's 95 00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:42,040 unlimited ability and knowledge working together. That is this plan that God is executing cannot 96 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:49,240 fail. It's going to succeed. And so lastly, the other attribute of God we need to keep 97 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:54,560 in mind is that God is omnipresent. Like we've spoke about earlier, he's fully present not 98 00:11:54,560 --> 00:12:01,520 only at all places, but just as importantly, also in all of time. An example of that is 99 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:12,560 Psalm 46 one Isaiah 57 15. God is personally present in all places and at all times overseeing 100 00:12:12,560 --> 00:12:17,800 the advancement of plan a he's recruiting human beings to cooperate and partner with 101 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:24,160 him. He's personally involved in its progress, which further ensures its fulfillment. Plan 102 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:32,000 a is going to work. Plan B does not exist. And we all need to keep that in mind in regards 103 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:40,040 to our calling here on the earth right now. So when we get to the message of the gospel, 104 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:45,160 the gospel of the kingdom, the message of the kingdom of God, this is what it's about. 105 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:51,080 It's about human beings managing the good environment that God creates, the good ideas 106 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:55,840 that God has. Human beings are in charge of managing those plans that are in existence 107 00:12:55,840 --> 00:13:03,680 and executing the plans that God wants to expand. And we're to do that in resurrected 108 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:10,160 bodies on the earth forever because that was the original intent. Human beings were going 109 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:21,360 to live in the garden on the earth in bodies with God forever. That's the plan. So we're 110 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:25,800 going to, we're going to kind of give you the overview of this plan. It's kind of fast 111 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:30,200 forwarding. We haven't gotten to the fall of human beings yet, but everybody knows that's 112 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:34,840 coming. You know, Eve and Adam are going to eat the apple. They're going to get kicked 113 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:44,000 out of the garden, but that doesn't mean the plan has failed. So the entire story of scripture 114 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:50,480 is about God rebooting this plan and helping it to take steps forward. Even if it's clumsy, 115 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:55,240 even if it's, you know, three steps forward, two steps back, God is constantly recruiting 116 00:13:55,240 --> 00:14:03,880 human beings to help him execute this plan. Starting with Abraham, Genesis 12 one, God 117 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:13,400 promises Abraham in the Abrahamic covenant for critical promises. Number one, the promise 118 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:21,160 of land to possess and inhabit. Does that sound familiar? It's the garden of Eden reboot 119 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:28,160 Genesis 12 one, a specific piece of land, just like Eden was with dimensions specified 120 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:34,440 in Genesis 15 verses 18 through 21. So God calls Abraham, Abraham to a specific piece 121 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:38,400 of land, just like Adam and Eve were placed in a specific piece of land, piece of land 122 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:46,080 that was distinct from the rest of the earth, the garden of Eden, the same thing with Abraham, 123 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:51,520 the promise of many descendants. This is God's reboot of his commission to Adam and Eve, 124 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:57,840 be fruitful and multiply. So God promises Abraham Genesis 12 two, that the number of 125 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:04,440 his descendants would rival that of the dust of the earth, Genesis 15 16. Then there's 126 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:13,240 the promise that nations and kings would proceed from Abraham, your offspring, Genesis 17 six, 127 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:19,880 your offspring would be nations and kings. And then lastly, the promise to be a blessing 128 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:24,660 and to provide redemption for all nations. Abraham, through your offspring, we're going 129 00:15:24,660 --> 00:15:30,280 to create the earth as an environment that everyone can live a blessed and happy life 130 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:38,240 in Genesis 12 three. It's just a reboot of the garden of Eden, the call of Abraham. It 131 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:43,160 says in Genesis 13 verses 14 through 16, lift up your eyes and look forward from the place 132 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:49,440 where you are northward and southward and eastward and westward for all the land that 133 00:15:49,440 --> 00:16:01,680 you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever. There is no plan B. I will make your 134 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:04,900 offspring is the dust of the earth so that if one could count the dust of the earth, 135 00:16:04,900 --> 00:16:11,360 your offspring could also be counted. Later, God advances the plan by making another promise 136 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:17,380 to a king in the Old Testament who was a descendant of Abraham named David. So there's a partial 137 00:16:17,380 --> 00:16:23,680 fulfillment of that promise from Abraham comes a king, a literal king on the earth. We call 138 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:28,760 the promise God makes to King David, the Davidic covenant. Here's what the scripture records 139 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:33,400 about this promise. First Chronicles seven 11, when your days are fulfilled to walk with 140 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:39,660 your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons and I will 141 00:16:39,660 --> 00:16:47,240 establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me. I will establish his throne forever. 142 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:53,560 I will be to him a father. He shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love 143 00:16:53,560 --> 00:17:00,620 from him as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and 144 00:17:00,620 --> 00:17:09,560 in my kingdom forever and his throne shall be established forever. So these two promises 145 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:17,580 together comprise the message of the kingdom of God. It is nothing more than the advancement 146 00:17:17,580 --> 00:17:23,260 of God's commission to Adam and Eve in the garden. So at the coming of Jesus into the 147 00:17:23,260 --> 00:17:28,940 world, these were the two promises the Jewish people were waiting expectantly to be fulfilled. 148 00:17:28,940 --> 00:17:35,140 That is why the very first words of the very first book of the New Testament, the gospel 149 00:17:35,140 --> 00:17:42,820 of Matthew states the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son 150 00:17:42,820 --> 00:17:49,300 of Abraham. Those are the two specific people highlighted before the long list of genealogy 151 00:17:49,300 --> 00:17:55,500 listed there in Matthew chapter one, which is indicates to us that Jesus came to fulfill 152 00:17:55,500 --> 00:18:03,900 these two great promises of God to the Jewish people. And ultimately Jesus came to complete 153 00:18:03,900 --> 00:18:10,940 as a human being, Jesus came to complete God's original commission to Adam in the garden. 154 00:18:10,940 --> 00:18:16,780 The gospel is the message that Jesus Christ is going to fulfill both of these promises, 155 00:18:16,780 --> 00:18:23,420 but first he must make a way so that everyone can be included. This was Paul's message to 156 00:18:23,420 --> 00:18:29,700 the people who weren't descendants of Abraham, the Gentiles, that everyone was included regardless 157 00:18:29,700 --> 00:18:36,020 of who you were or where you came from. Galatians 3 7, know then that it is those of faith who 158 00:18:36,020 --> 00:18:41,380 are the descendants of Abraham. So that's how we're connected to the kingdom plans and purposes 159 00:18:41,380 --> 00:18:48,540 of God, not through a literal physical genealogy, but through choosing to embrace a posture 160 00:18:48,540 --> 00:18:55,540 of faith towards the message of Jesus Christ and ultimately the plans and purposes of God. 161 00:18:55,540 --> 00:19:02,780 It's faith or confidence in the truthfulness of the message of Jesus Christ that connects 162 00:19:02,780 --> 00:19:10,660 us to these promises. Everyone who believes the message gets to play a part in this plan, 163 00:19:10,660 --> 00:19:18,900 the plan to rule the planet as steward kings over all the earth underneath the sovereign 164 00:19:18,900 --> 00:19:27,120 oversight of a good and holy God. The plans for an earthly kingdom or government led by 165 00:19:27,120 --> 00:19:36,420 Jesus as King, the second Adam he's referred to in first Corinthians 15 verses 45 through 166 00:19:36,420 --> 00:19:45,120 49. It's a clear comparison. Jesus to Adam. Jesus is the second Adam who came to fulfill 167 00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:51,500 the original mandate God gave him in Genesis 1 26. The plan is for an earthly kingdom or 168 00:19:51,500 --> 00:19:58,180 government led by Jesus as King as God promised to David centered in the land promised to 169 00:19:58,180 --> 00:20:04,860 Abraham with a multitude of roles given to resurrected believers to execute the government 170 00:20:04,860 --> 00:20:11,940 to fulfill the plan, which is precisely what Isaiah says in the book of Isaiah chapter 171 00:20:11,940 --> 00:20:21,220 29 verse six for unto us a child is born to us a son is given and the government you could 172 00:20:21,220 --> 00:20:29,060 also say dominion shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful counselor 173 00:20:29,060 --> 00:20:37,020 mighty God everlasting father Prince of peace verse seven and of the increase of his government 174 00:20:37,020 --> 00:20:49,100 or you could say dominion and of peace there will be no end. There is no plan B. Plan A 175 00:20:49,100 --> 00:20:56,140 is the plan and plan A is going to work. God has ensured that it's going to work by choosing 176 00:20:56,140 --> 00:21:02,860 to become a human being, choosing to enter into our humanity and ultimately provide us 177 00:21:02,860 --> 00:21:12,860 with an unmistakable example and by that example he is going to through his character through 178 00:21:12,860 --> 00:21:21,140 his power through his love and through his wisdom. He is going to execute the plan in 179 00:21:21,140 --> 00:21:25,800 the last book of the New Testament. The book of Revelation is says in chapter five verses 180 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:32,100 nine through 10. This is still the plan and here's what it says and they sang a new song 181 00:21:32,100 --> 00:21:37,460 saying worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals. Now the scroll is the title 182 00:21:37,460 --> 00:21:43,100 deed of planet earth. The seals are the things that keep that scroll the plan on that scroll 183 00:21:43,100 --> 00:21:47,700 from being executed. So it's handed to Jesus. He's going to take ownership of the title 184 00:21:47,700 --> 00:21:52,780 deed of planet earth. He's going to rip every hindrance that keeps that plan from happening. 185 00:21:52,780 --> 00:21:58,920 Here's what it says for you were slain and by your blood you ransomed people for God 186 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:06,260 from every tribe and language and people and nation and you have made them a kingdom and 187 00:22:06,260 --> 00:22:19,340 priests to our God and they shall reign where? On the earth. It's the plan from Genesis chapter 188 00:22:19,340 --> 00:22:26,240 one coming to fruition. Revelation is painting a picture of how that original plan is going 189 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:33,900 to come to fruition and that is precisely why Genesis 21 and 22 is a reboot or reimagining 190 00:22:33,900 --> 00:22:40,300 of the Garden of Eden. It is very clearly and unmistakably the Garden of Eden all over 191 00:22:40,300 --> 00:22:48,220 again. This story gives us insight as the church and specifically what we're to be in 192 00:22:48,220 --> 00:22:54,100 training to do. We're training in light of this story and this original mandate. We're 193 00:22:54,100 --> 00:22:59,900 training to assume a role in ruling the world with Jesus at his return to earth and at the 194 00:22:59,900 --> 00:23:05,620 resurrection from the dead. Another way of saying that is we are in training for greatness 195 00:23:05,620 --> 00:23:11,700 says unmistakably in Matthew chapter five verse 19. Whoever relaxes one of the least 196 00:23:11,700 --> 00:23:16,160 of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom 197 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:23,760 of heaven. Whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 198 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:30,460 Just like we learned about in the angelic host, God's heavenly council, there is a hierarchy 199 00:23:30,460 --> 00:23:35,100 through which he rules. There are higher ranking angels and lower ranking angels in God's kingdom 200 00:23:35,100 --> 00:23:41,620 on the earth. It's going to be the same way. It will be a kingdom that isn't based upon 201 00:23:41,620 --> 00:23:46,820 intelligence or inherited privilege or any of the things that characterize the rulers 202 00:23:46,820 --> 00:23:54,100 of this world. It will be a kingdom that is characterized by virtue. The people who are 203 00:23:54,100 --> 00:23:58,400 put in charge and who are put in authority are going to be put there because they've 204 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:04,700 lived a life that has provided evidence that they're going to choose a virtue, virtue relating 205 00:24:04,700 --> 00:24:14,180 to others and stewarding God's resources from a posture of virtue, goodness, kindness, gentleness, 206 00:24:14,180 --> 00:24:20,500 purity, self-control, these types of things. Yes, they've developed skills as well. They've 207 00:24:20,500 --> 00:24:25,420 also developed skills. They're not just good, they're competent. Whenever you're in training 208 00:24:25,420 --> 00:24:28,540 for godliness, you're not only going to train your character, you're going to train your 209 00:24:28,540 --> 00:24:35,100 mind and you're going to develop power to wield. Those are all things that God clearly 210 00:24:35,100 --> 00:24:43,020 expects from us in the discipleship that he provides his followers. We're in training 211 00:24:43,020 --> 00:24:50,620 for greatness. Jesus further instructs his disciples that it is this message, this is 212 00:24:50,620 --> 00:24:56,820 the message of the kingdom. This is the gospel. It is this message that must be preached to 213 00:24:56,820 --> 00:25:04,180 the ends of the earth before the end comes. This is in Matthew 24 verse 14. And this gospel 214 00:25:04,180 --> 00:25:10,860 of the kingdom, the good news of the kingdom of God will be proclaimed throughout the whole 215 00:25:10,860 --> 00:25:19,540 world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come. I want to read to you what 216 00:25:19,540 --> 00:25:27,700 Dr. Heiser says in his book, again, The Unseen Realm. It is an amazing book. I cite from 217 00:25:27,700 --> 00:25:33,020 it a lot in this series because I haven't seen anything like it as far as insights into 218 00:25:33,020 --> 00:25:38,220 God's plans and purposes, not only in these original stories but in the entire Bible. 219 00:25:38,220 --> 00:25:46,960 So this is from Dr. Heiser's book, The Unseen Realm. There's a distinction clearly made 220 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:56,340 in the text between the earth and the garden. And so this distinction helps us to see that 221 00:25:56,340 --> 00:26:03,360 the original task of humanity was to make the entire earth like Eden. Adam and Eve lived 222 00:26:03,360 --> 00:26:11,020 in the garden. They cared for it. But the rest of the earth needed subduing. It wasn't 223 00:26:11,020 --> 00:26:19,180 awful. In fact, Genesis 1 tells us that it was habitable. But it wasn't quite what Eden 224 00:26:19,180 --> 00:26:26,300 was. The whole world needs to be like God's home. That is a place where God can live and 225 00:26:26,300 --> 00:26:33,260 fully manifest himself. He could do the job himself, but he chose to create human imagers 226 00:26:33,260 --> 00:26:40,200 to do it for him. As his imagers, his representatives, they were charged with the responsibility 227 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:49,460 of executing his plan. So continuing on, he issued the decree, they were supposed to make 228 00:26:49,460 --> 00:26:57,000 it happen. They were to do that by multiplying and following God's direction. Eden is where 229 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:01,800 the idea of the Kingdom of God begins. And it's no coincidence that the Bible ends with 230 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:08,580 the vision of the new Edenic earth, again, Revelation 21 and 22. Now, I would make the 231 00:27:08,580 --> 00:27:13,900 case that the rest of the Bible is about God's working to help humans fulfill this plan. 232 00:27:13,900 --> 00:27:23,500 The future and the next age called the millennium in the Bible is about God working to complete 233 00:27:23,500 --> 00:27:32,940 this plan. So even at the return of Jesus Christ, there will be a continuation of this 234 00:27:32,940 --> 00:27:39,900 plan until it is completed. And then Revelation 21, that's when the new heaven or the new 235 00:27:39,900 --> 00:27:44,900 Jerusalem that city with the pearly gates and all that comes down out of heaven to the 236 00:27:44,900 --> 00:27:49,460 earth because God isn't going to come to the earth and fully manifest himself until 237 00:27:49,460 --> 00:27:55,260 it is habitable. Jesus is going to lead the nations in making the entire planet like the 238 00:27:55,260 --> 00:28:01,260 garden of Eden. Once that project is completed, the new Jerusalem comes down to earth. God 239 00:28:01,260 --> 00:28:07,340 wants the entire earth to be made into a place that is fit for him to make himself home and 240 00:28:07,340 --> 00:28:16,820 to fully and openly manifest himself in all of his glory. Now, that is what I've just 241 00:28:16,820 --> 00:28:23,900 described to you is an end times point of view called historic premillennialism. I'm 242 00:28:23,900 --> 00:28:31,820 going to cite articles in the comments of this podcast that demonstrate that point of 243 00:28:31,820 --> 00:28:39,900 view is the oldest point of view. There was a man who is discipled directly by the apostle 244 00:28:39,900 --> 00:28:49,740 John himself, who clearly articulates a premillennial understanding of God's end time plan. The 245 00:28:49,740 --> 00:28:58,580 man that he directly discipled, a man by the name of Irenaeus, clearly articulates a premillennial 246 00:28:58,580 --> 00:29:03,820 view of God's end time plan. The title of the article is the apple doesn't fall far 247 00:29:03,820 --> 00:29:09,140 from the tree. If these men were so closely associated with the apostle John, and that's 248 00:29:09,140 --> 00:29:14,820 how the apostle John understood God's plans and purposes for the next stage, then that's 249 00:29:14,820 --> 00:29:19,340 probably the point of view we ought to take unless we think that we know better and we 250 00:29:19,340 --> 00:29:29,620 know more than the apostle John himself. Please. So that's why we dig in so deeply to Genesis 251 00:29:29,620 --> 00:29:35,100 because if we don't know God's original plan, we cannot know where things are going. And 252 00:29:35,100 --> 00:29:39,140 we can be confident that the original plan has not changed because we know the type of 253 00:29:39,140 --> 00:29:45,940 God that came up with the plan in the first place. And so I encourage you to revisit some 254 00:29:45,940 --> 00:29:51,580 of the articles and some of the other information that I've listed. I'm going to provide a link 255 00:29:51,580 --> 00:29:58,940 to an entire series of videos that I did on eschatology, biblical eschatology, articulating 256 00:29:58,940 --> 00:30:02,980 what the scripture teaches about God's plan for the next stage and for the future. These 257 00:30:02,980 --> 00:30:06,820 are important things to keep in mind because it helps us to know what we need to be about 258 00:30:06,820 --> 00:30:13,060 here and now. How am I going to be spending my best time and my best energy here now? 259 00:30:13,060 --> 00:30:17,940 Because the scripture instructs us to set your mind on heavenly things where Christ 260 00:30:17,940 --> 00:30:21,980 is seated at the right hand of God, not on earthly things. We need to have our minds 261 00:30:21,980 --> 00:30:26,380 and our hearts set on God's plans and purposes that he wants to manifest at some point in 262 00:30:26,380 --> 00:30:32,900 the future, not just our pleasures and comforts here and now. That is a waste of time, ultimately. 263 00:30:32,900 --> 00:30:41,380 And a foolish thing to do. So I think that's going to wind up Genesis chapter 1. Well, 264 00:30:41,380 --> 00:30:45,260 you know, it's going to bleed over into Genesis chapter 2 because those chapter divisions 265 00:30:45,260 --> 00:30:49,740 are artificial. But I think we'll be able to start on Genesis chapter 2 with the next 266 00:30:49,740 --> 00:30:58,420 week's podcast. And that sets us up for really going forward not only with Genesis 1 through 267 00:30:58,420 --> 00:31:03,180 Genesis 1, but the entire Bible, like I say. If you don't understand this part of scripture, 268 00:31:03,180 --> 00:31:09,580 you're going to miss most of the big picture things that are happening in the rest of the 269 00:31:09,580 --> 00:31:14,940 Bible. So I hope that helps you and I hope you have a blessed week this week. We'll come 270 00:31:14,940 --> 00:31:21,140 together again next week and start on Genesis chapter 2. Alright, have a great week. Be 271 00:31:21,140 --> 00:31:28,140 blessed. Bye.