DISCOVERING THE ORIGIN AND PURPOSE OF MAN PART 2

Exodus chapter 20




Today we are walking in: Discovering the Origin And Purpose Of Man PART 2




Today we look to the word-DOMINION- H7287 radah--to rule, have dominion, dominate, to cause to dominate









The Torah testifies.........……



Genesis 1:28



And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion H7287 over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.





The prophets proclaim..................

Nehemiah 9:28



But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion H7287 over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;





The writings bear witness............



Judges 5:13



Then he made him that remaineth have dominion H7287 over the nobles among the people: the LORD made me have dominion H7287 over the mighty.





WHAT IS DOMINION?




In the art of human communication it is understood that successful communication is only possible when the terms and the concepts used between the subject and object of that communication are the same.

Therefore, before we proceed any further in this most important discussion and exploration of the Kingdom concept, it is necessary for us to have a fundamental understanding of the root of this concept of “dominion” as it pertains to the Kingdom concept.




The Creator’s first declaration of man’s purpose for creation is hidden in this word dominion; and for man to understand himself and his purpose, it is imperative that this word be thoroughly understood.




The words dominion or rule are synonymous and derive their meanings from the same root words. The Hebrew words from which the concept of kingdom dominion comes are rendered mashal, mamlakah, malkut; and the Greek derivative is the word basileia. The definition of these words include “to rule,” “sovereignty,” “to reign,” “kingdom,” “to master,” “to be king,” “royal rule,” and “kingly.” The term mamlakah also signifies the area and the people that constitute a “kingdom.” It is important to note that the concept of “king” was also considered the embodiment of kingdom. The king was viewed as the “symbol” of the kingdom proper and personified the glory of the kingdom.

Therefore the definition of dominion can be crafted in the following way:

To be given dominion means to be established as a sovereign, kingly ruler, master, governor, responsible for reigning over a designated territory, with the inherent authority to represent and embody as a symbol, the territory, resources and all that constitutes that kingdom.




This definition should be memorized, understood and embraced by the spirit of every man if we are to understand the original purpose and will of The Most High Yah our Creator for our existence. With that understanding, we can appreciate the gravity of the first proclamation of The Most High Yah, the Creator, concerning mankind. Man was created with a dominion mandate over earth, giving him responsibility for representing the kingdom government of The Most High Yah on earth. Mankind is heaven’s earthly agency for kingdom rulership influence. Mankind is intended to embody the nature of The Most High Yah on earth and serve as His divine representative in the physical world. The creation and commissioning of man was the first introduction and establishment of the Kingdom of heaven on earth.




KINGDOM OF KINGS




It is also vital to apprehend that The Most High Yah’s design for heaven’s earthly kingdom is totally distinct from the structure and ideology of earthly kingdoms established by men. The proclamation by the Creator in Genesis 1:26, for man to have dominion over all the earth, was given to the entire species of mankind, both male and female. This is a fundamental precept as it renders all mankind “rulers” or kings in the earth. In fact, this mandate further establishes the Creator’s intent for mankind to rule not over one another, but to exercise their royal sovereignty as a “corporate kingship,” responsible to master, govern, rule, control and manage the earth and its resources. Therefore all mankind is created rulers and kings; mankind is a kingdom of kings. Perhaps this is why, as we will discuss later in this series, Yahashua is designated “King of kings” in the culmination of His redemptive work.




This concept is also echoed in the word of The Most High Yah to the entire nation of Israel through Moses when they were released from the oppression of the kingdom of Egypt under Pharaoh.




“Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is Mine, you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites (Exod. 19:5-6).




THE INTENT OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM




The intent of the establishment of The Most High Yah’s original kingdom of kings was to extend His rulership, will and nature from heaven to earth. His desire was to manifest His glorious character, wisdom, righteous judgments and purposes in the earth realm through the administrative leadership of mankind on earth. Man was created with the gifts and divine nature to execute The Most High Yah’s will in the earth. The ultimate goal of The Most High Yah the Creator was to colonize earth with heaven and establish it as a visible territory of an invisible world. His purpose was to have His will done and the heavenly kingdom come on earth just at it is in heaven.




THE LOSS OF A KINGDOM




When The Most High Yah created man, please note that the first thing He gave him was His image and likeness, but the first mandate and assignment He gave man was “dominion.”




Let’s carefully consider the nature of this dominion mandate as recorded in Genesis 1:26-28 and its implications as to what man’s original rulership did and did not involve.




• The Most High Yah gave man dominion over earth.

• The Most High Yah gave man dominion over creation and earth, not other men.

• The Most High Yah never gave man dominion over heaven.

• The Most High Yah never gave man a religion, but a relationship.

• The Most High Yah never promised man heaven, but earth.




To understand the loss of the Adamic Kingdom mandate, it is important to realize you cannot lose what you never had. Adam, the first royal representative of heaven’s kingdom on earth, was delegated the responsibility of serving as heaven’s earthly ambassador. An ambassadorial representative is only as viable and legal as his relationship with his government. Therefore, the most important relationship the first man, Adam, had on earth was with heaven. This is why the Holy Spirit of The Most High Yah was intimate with mankind from the beginning. His indwelling presence guaranteed constant communication and fellowship with the will, mind, intent, and purposes of The Most High Yah and heaven so that He could execute His government’s will on earth. This relationship made the Holy Spirit of The Most High Yah the most important Person on earth and established Him as the key component of the Kingdom of heaven on earth. The loss or separation of man from the Holy Spirit of The Most High Yah would render mankind a disqualified envoy of heaven on earth, for he would not know the will or mind of the government of heaven for earth.




As we read the Genesis record of the encounter of mankind with the adversary, the devil, in further teachings, we see that the goal of the attack was to drive man from the garden of relationship with The Most High Yah and heaven, resulting in the loss of the Kingdom of heaven on earth.




AN ACT OF TREASON




Perhaps the greatest crime committed in any kingdom or nation, ancient or modern, is the crime of treason. As a matter of fact, it is the only crime to which there is no question of receiving the death penalty. It is the ultimate act of betrayal.




When a government confers on any citizen the authority and right to represent its interests, it has given the greatest form of trust possible and should be esteemed as the highest of honors. The higher the representation, the greater the responsibility and trust, and thus, the greater the influence one can have in one’s nation or kingdom. This is especially critical in the context of kingdoms, where the king not only represents himself, but embodies and symbolizes the entire kingdom and all it constitutes. Adam, in essence, embodied heaven’s government on earth.




Therefore, the fall of man was not just a personal act of disobedience, but was essentially an act of treason. Adam and his descendants committed the ultimate act of betrayal, deserving the penalty of death. In effect, Adam declared independence from his kingdom government, the empire of heaven, and in so doing severed his relationship with the King of heaven, abandoned his position as ambassador, and lost his dominion over earth. Through abdication of his responsibility as king over earth, Adam lost the most important relationship of all— the Holy Spirit. Through violation of The Most High Yah’s word, mankind was rendered a disqualified representative of heaven on earth. When Adam fell through this act of treason, he did not only lose his personal relationship with his heavenly Father, but he lost a kingdom. Adam became an ambassador without portfolio, an envoy without official status, a citizen without a country, a king without a kingdom, a ruler without a domain.




A KINGDOM PROMISED




In understanding kingdoms and the concept of colonization, the success of colonization depends on the direct and uninterrupted relationship with and the submission of the colony to the imperial kingdom. The loss of the Kingdom of heaven on earth was considered rebellion against the eternal imperial Kingdom of heaven and the creating of a vagabond state. Earth became a territory under an illegal government. While Adam committed high treason, the instigator and adversary, the evil one, executed an earthly coup. Remember, Adam did not lose heaven when he fell; rather, he lost earth and dominion over earth. He lost legal representation of heaven on earth. Adam defected.

This is what The Most High Yah meant when he said in Genesis 2:17:

but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.




This death was not referring primarily to physical death, though that would be the ultimate result, but rather to man’s spiritual disconnection from his source and kingdom. This is evidenced by the fact that Adam lived 930 years after the act of disobedience. Therefore, death to the Creator was disconnection and independence from The Most High Yah and the Kingdom of heaven. Adam lost the kingdom. The consequences of this rebellion were numerous:




• Loss of position and disposition;

• Transfer of responsibility;

• Self-consciousness and shame;

• Fear and intimidation of authority;

• The loss of domination over nature;

• Frustrated toil and hatred of labor;

• Pain and discomfort; and,

• The need for human accountability.




However, The Most High Yah’s most significant response to this defection and treacherous act was His promise to the adversary recorded in Genesis 3:15-16:

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

The heart of this promise is the coming of an “offspring” through a woman who would break the power of the adversary over mankind and regain the authority and dominion Adam once held, and through a process of conflict, restore the Kingdom back to mankind. This was the first promise of a messiah-king and the return of the Kingdom. Therefore, the greatest need of man was identified by what he lost; he did not lose a religion or heaven, but rather a kingdom. In The Most High Yah’s restoration and redemptive program, heaven would not be His primary focus or goal for man, but rather the redemption, restoration and re-establishment of His Kingdom on earth. This would be the principle purpose and assignment of the promised Messiah.




Ever since this tragic cosmic calamity of man’s rebellion against his heavenly kingdom government, religion has been his vain attempt to return to The Most High Yah’s presence or to compensate for the loss. Therefore, religion represents every activity of mankind in its self-centered search for The Most High Yah and the kingdom, whether through Scientology, Bahai, Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Shintoism, animism, Unitarianism, atheism, or any other “ism” or philosophy. The principle motivation is to rediscover and receive what he lost, the Kingdom of The Most High Yah. No matter what name they bear, all religions are an exercise in futility because they express man vain frustrating pursuit to recover what he lost.




Humanity faced an insoluble dilemma: no matter how hard we tried, we could never find an infinite The Most High Yah by using finite human resources called religion. Fortunately for us, The Most High Yah solved the problem Himself, because He is the only one who could. Mankind’s problem did not take The Most High Yah by surprise. In His omniscience—His all-knowing nature —The Most High Yah knew before time began that we would never find Him without His help. Therefore, The Most High Yah launched a journey. He set out to find us. The Most High Yah is the chaser and we are the pursued. Instead of allowing us to expend our lives in continual frustration trying to reach up and touch Him, He came down to take hold of us. His desire and purpose were to bring us back into relationship with Himself and return to us the lost Kingdom.

Religion, therefore, is simply man’s search for The Most High Yah. No matter how committed, dedicated, loyal, faithful, zealous, active or complex our religious pursuit may be, as long as man is still searching, dissatisfied and desirous for more, he has not yet found the Kingdom. He is like a fish out of water. No matter what he does, there is only one solution to his problem. This emptiness cannot be substituted with oil, gasoline, orange juice, milk or alcohol. Religion is man’s substitute for the Kingdom and that is why it cannot and will never satisfy him. Only the Kingdom can solve man’s eternal problem.