God created man in His image after His likeness and appointed man as ruler on the earth to have dominion over the earth (Gen 1:26-28). Man was a son of God and walked with God and lived in peace with Him. Man represented His Kingdom on earth. Everything was perfect until the devil entered the serpent and tempted man with his lies, which caused man to become disobedient to God and fell from his position. Jesus came to the earth and restored the position of fallen man.
Man appointed as ruler on the earth
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 thing 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 unto 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 thing that moves upon the earth (Gen 1:26-28)
Lucifer was created by God and appointed as archangel upon the holy mountain of God in the heavenly garden of Eden. He served God and walked perfectly before God until iniquity was found in him. Through his disobedience to God, he fell from his position as archangel of God, together with the angels, who followed him.
Lucifer and his angels fell from their position in heaven and were cast on the earth and became adversaries of God. They had no dominion in heaven, nor on earth (Ezk 28:12-17, Isa 14:12-16)
But the devil didn’t give up his mission to be like the most High and ascend into heaven above the heights of the clouds and exalt his throne above the stars of God.
Now the devil shaw how God created man and made man ruler on the earth. He saw the position of man and the dominion (the government) that God had given to man on earth.
Therefore, he devised a plan that would cause man to fall from his position, so that he could take over his position and the government that God had given to man.
The only way to make man fall from his position was through disobedience to the words of God and obedience to the words of the devil (the adversary of God).
If man would listen to the words of the devil and obey his words, then man would submit himself to him and belong to him. Man would be put under the devil and the devil would become the ruler over man.
Man fell from his position
The devil, who entered the serpent and approached the woman had no authority on earth. The serpent was placed below man. Despite the fact, that the serpent was placed below man, that didn’t stop him to attain his goal. He approached the woman and tempted her by speaking partial truths and tempted man to become like God.
The man, who was put in position above the serpent had the authority to silence the serpent. If man had obeyed the words of God and taken authority over the serpent instead of listening to the serpent and obeying the serpent, nothing would have happened. But man didn’t do that.
The woman listened to the words of the serpent and began to doubt the words of God. The man listened to the words of the woman and also began to doubt the words of God. They both listened to the devil and believed his words above the words of God. They became disobedient to God and man fell from his position and the devil took over the position of man on earth.
Man was put below the devil and the angels
From the moment that man fell from his position and the devil took man’s place, man was put below the devil and the angels. The devil had the authority and dominion on earth. The devil became the god and ruler of the earth and the fallen man was placed below him.
From that moment, the devil became the ruler of the earth and established his kingdom on the earth and death reigned on earth. The spirit in man died and man became a living soul. Man was led by his flesh, in which the nature of the devil and sin and death was present and reigned as king.
Man had fallen from his position and had lost his dominion and became poor.
But God had already a plan to restore the position of fallen man, namely by sending Jesus Christ; the Word to the earth. Through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ Jesus not only reconciled man back to God the Father and restored their relationship, but Jesus also restored the position of fallen man on earth and gave back the dominion to the new man.
Jesus took on the form of mankind
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage (Heb 2:14-15)
Jesus was fully Human, but since He was not born of the seed of man and didn’t walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit in obedience to God, the devil didn’t reign over Him.
Jesus was a new Creation; a new species, Who was born in the flesh but born of the Seed of God and He walked on the earth in the authority of God.
The devil did everything he could to break the relationship between God and Jesus. He tried to tempt Jesus in the flesh by twisting the words of God and use them to fulfill the lusts and desires of His flesh. But despite all the temptations of the devil in the flesh, Jesus stayed obedient to God.
Jesus stayed obedient to His Father and walked after the Spirit in His authority. He called the people to repentance and He represented and brought the Kingdom of God to God’s people (Mat 9:13, Mar 1:15; 2:17, Act 10:38).
Jesus was made a little lower than the angels
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man (Heb 2:9)
Since man was fallen from his position as son of God and was made a little lower than the angels, and Jesus had to identify Himself with mankind, so that He could take the place of fallen man and bear the punishment of fallen man, which was death, upon Himself, Jesus had to be made a little lower than the angels (Ps 8:5, Heb 2:7-10).
And that happened at the cross when God put the sin of the world upon Him. Sin broke the communion with God and God left Jesus for a while.
Jesus was made a little lower than the angels and through sin, death entered and took dominion over His life and death reigned as king (a.o. Isa 53:4-12, Mat 27:45-50, Mar 15:33-37).
Jesus entered hell and stayed there for three days (a.o. Mat 12:40, Mar 14:58, Jn 2:19, Rom 10:7, Heb 2:7-9;14-18, Eph 4:9).
But death was not strong enough to keep Him in hell. The power of God was stronger than death.
God kept His promise and by His power, Jesus was raised from the dead as a Victor and led captivity captive (Act 2:31-32, Rom 10:9, 1 Cor 15:3-4, Eph 4:8).
Jesus exalted and placed above the angels
Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things (Eph 4:9-10)
Jesus had legally taken back the authority of the devil; the keys of hell and death and ascended up far above all heavens. God crowned Jesus with glory and honor and set Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, power, might, and dominion, and every name that is named and put everything under His feet.
This means, that Jesus has the highest authority in the heavens and on earth and God has given Him the authority and dominion over all His works (Eph 1:19-23; 4:9-10, Phil 2:9)
Thou madest Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under His feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! (Ps 8:6-9)
Jesus, Who came as an Apostle to the earth took on the form of mankind and became equal to man and was made a little lower than the angels, was exalted by God and crowned as King of the Kingdom of Heavens and appointed as High Priest of the New Covenant.
Jesus Christ restored the position of fallen man on earth
God had fulfilled His promise and Jesus had made a way for fallen man to be delivered from the power of the devil, sin, and death. The generation of fallen man, who originally was a son of God, but through disobedience to God and obedience to the devil became a son of the devil, was given the ability through faith in Jesus Christ to become born again in Him and be restored in his position as son of God and have dominion on earth.
The generation of the new man belongs to the Kingdom of God and shall represent and establish His Kingdom on earth, just as God had intended when He created man and made man ruler of the earth and gave man dominion over the earth.
Everyone, who is born again in Him and belongs to His Body; the Church is put above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, including the devil, the god of this world, and his fallen angels (Eph 1:22-23).
Sin and death reign in fallen man
When you were born on this earth, you belonged to the generation of fallen man, who was put below the angels. The devil and death reigned as king in your flesh.
The death kept you in bondage through sin. Sin was your master and you were a slave of sin and obeyed sin by doing what your flesh commanded you to do. Therefore you produced the fruit of death (Rom 6:16-23).
Righteousness and life reign in the new man
For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ (Rom 5:17)
Through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and His blood, you are redeemed from the power of the devil and sin and death, who reigned as king in your life. You are no longer a slave of the devil, which means that you are no longer a sinner.
Through Jesus Christ and His redemptive work you have become a new creation; a new man.
You are anointed in Him, which means that you are put in the position as son of God (Read also: ‘What does the Word say about the anointing?’).
In Him, you have been made holy and righteous. Because of that God has given you, through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit lives inside of you and therefore you have received God’s nature. You shall walk after the Spirit in obedience to Him and do His will.
You shall no longer obey and serve death through sin, who was your master and reigned as king in your life. But you shall obey and serve Jesus Christ and keep His commandments. Together with Him, you shall live as priest and reign as king over the kingdom of darkness, including sin and death and establish God’s Kingdom on earth.
The new creation is seated in Jesus Christ and put above the angels
When you are seated in Jesus Christ, you are seated in Him above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, including the devil, sin and death. But although they don’t have any authority over your life anymore, they still have the ability to attack you and tempt you in the flesh to make you sin and become disobedient to God.
Therefore you decide, if you believe God and His Word and take your authority and dominion and rule over them or not (Read also: ‘The dominion, God gave to the new creation’).
As long as you stay in Jesus Christ and stay loyal to His words and therefore do what He says, you have the power in Him to rule over the kingdom of darkness and destroy the works of the devil and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Because you are protected in Him. That’s your new position as son of God. That’s the position and the dominion that Jesus restored for the new man. So that the new man would walk in the authority of Jesus Christ in His Name and do what He has commanded to do and represent and establish the Kingdom of God on earth.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
