Our Dominion in Christ

The sovereignty of God is manifested through those who believe the Gospel and let Jesus in them exercise dominion over this fallen creation. Some say that Jesus had dominion because He was the Son of God; therefore we cannot hope to do the same. That is not what Jesus said. It is true that Jesus was the Son of God (the spiritual man) dwelling in and empowering the son of man (the natural man, as in Rom.1:3). Jesus usually called Himself “the son of man.” They did not have the New Testament when Jesus was administering God’s salvation; they had the Old Testament. Jesus always did things to fulfill the Old Testament so “the scripture might be fulfilled.” He called Himself “the son of man.”

I am sure that the Jews caught on to what He was saying. They had heard that phrase, “the son of man,” in the Old Testament. Jesus said of Himself, and he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man (Joh.5:27). Jesus did not have authority to execute judgment because He was the Son of God, but because He was a son of man. This authority was given to man. Adam and his children were given this authority, but he gave it up through sin. (Gen.1:26) 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 birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (27) And God created man in his own image… (28)… God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it… Meaning to have dominion over it.

Adam was created in the image of God, which included having dominion. Adam and his children were to have dominion over all the earth. Adam lost that dominion for himself and his children. He actually gave it away. (Rom.6:16) Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourself [as] servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey? Adam, through Eve, obeyed the devil and gave to him his own dominion. Adam obeyed and became the servant of sin and the devil. The devil ruled over him, the curse ruled over him, and the devil, through the curse, ruled over him. But the first Adam failed when tempted, and the last one did not.

Speaking of Jesus, Paul said, The last Adam [became] a life-giving spirit (1Co.15:45). Jesus said, “The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life.” His words recreate His spirit in us who believe them. Jesus, Who is called the last Adam, is the spiritual father of the spiritual man creation. The last Adam did not fall when tempted of the devil and so took back dominion for Himself and His children.

(Heb.2:5) For not unto angels did he subject the world to come (Greek: “inhabited earth”) … (6)…What is man, that thou art mindful of him? He did not put the inhabited earth under the authority of the angels, but man. Jesus came down here and took on the likeness of sinful flesh. Any angel had power and ability unlimited by flesh. Jesus was limited by flesh. The Bible says that He got tired, He hungered, and He thirsted. He was “in all points tempted like as [we]” but did not give in to sin. One reason that Jesus had to come in the likeness of sinful flesh and become a man is that God wanted Him to have this dominion and pass it on to His spiritual children. (Psa.115:16) The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; But the earth hath he given to the children of men.

(1Co.15:22)… As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. When Adam died, all the seed of mankind was in his loins; and they died, too. When the last Adam died and was resurrected, all the seed of the sons of God were in Him because He is the Word of God, the seed (Greek: sperma) that the sower went forth and sowed. So the seed of all His children was in Him when He was resurrected. Everyone who abides in Christ, or the Word, is resurrected above sin and the curse. What we are finding out through tribulation is who among the many called were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.

His children are His seed, the Word. They are the Word in flesh. (Rom.5:17) For if, by the trespass of the one (Adam), death reigned through the one; much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, [even] Jesus Christ (last Adam). Adam put us under the dominion of death and the curse, but Jesus restored us. Those who have the gift of grace and righteousness are to “reign in life” through Christ.

(Heb.2:6) (Quoting Psalm 8) … one hath somewhere testified saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him? When Jesus kept relating to the Jews that He was the son of man, a few of them had to catch on that He was applying Psalm 8 to Himself. This was spoken to both Adams and those who were in them. God gave authority to Adam and to his children. Man and the son of man are mentioned here. (Gen.1:26) … Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion… Adam lost it for himself and for his children when he fell under the dominion of the devil. The last Adam overcame and took back dominion. Jesus passed on His same authority to His disciples, who were sons of man and sons of God. They were not born sons of God; they had to be reborn sons of God through receiving the living Word. The Son of God was living in and empowering the sons of men.

(Heb.2:7) (Quoting Psalm 8) 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: (8) Thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet… This clearly means that man was meant to be a prince on this earth and rule for God over His creation. This address is to the Hebrew Christians, children of the new creation Adam. The works of God’s hands here mean the elements, not just things that occur in nature. Even the things that man makes are made of God’s elements. By God’s grace, I have commanded cars, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, microwaves, boat motors, lawnmowers, pumps, motors, and many other things to be repaired and seen it happen. Yet it was “not I, but Christ” (KJV) living in me through the Word. The reason that many do without this dominion is that they refuse to accept the Word.

Proof, that the authority, that the last Adam had was passed on to His children is seen in such statements as the following: “As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you”; “what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”; “I have given you authority… over all the power of the enemy”; “All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive”; and “Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart… he shall have it.” This is the kind of authority that Jesus passed on to all of His disciples until this day.

(Heb.2:8) Thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet. (Everything was put under the feet of Jesus and His body, for we are in Him.) For in that, he subjected all things unto him, he left nothing that is not subject to him… This statement puts all things under the dominion of “man” and “the son of man” in Hebrews 2:6. Compare this statement, that all is under His feet, with another witness given in Ephesians. Jesus was promoted in (Eph.1:21) Far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: (22) and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Notice that Jesus is the head of the body, the Church; but God put all things under the feet of the body. We can see that even if we are the lowest members of the body, the feet, we have dominion over all things. This dominion is ours when we are abiding in the body, submitted to the head. (Joh.15:7) If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (8) Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and [so] shall ye be my disciples. Disciples are those who bear fruit through answered prayer because the Word abides in them. Christians who do not abide in the body in this way, and the lost who have not yet come into the body of the resurrected Christ, lost their dominion when the first Adam lost his. We have this dominion only because we abide in Him and His Word lives in us.

Again in (Eph.1:22) And he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Not only is everything put under the authority of the lowest member of the body, the feet, but also there is a historic view to this verse. In Daniel 2:31-45, we see a vision of the antichrist kingdom from the time of Daniel to today. This image was of a man whose head, breast and arms, belly, thighs, legs, and feet represented different world-ruling empires. The head was said to be the Babylonian Empire in (verses 37-38) of Daniel’s day. The feet represent the last world empire of antichrist in our day. The feet of Christ or “historic view” also represent the end-time body of Christ. In other words, the feet of antichrist will do battle in these days with the feet of Christ.

What Daniel knew, but most do not, is that we win! (Dan.2:34) Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them in pieces. (45) Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands…The mountain here is the kingdom of God. The stone made of it is Christ in His end time faithful remnant, which is not made with hands, meaning they are not the work of men or religion but God. This stone will smite the end-time antichrist body or feet and destroy it.

Daniel declares this to be true in another vision of the end-time antichrist system. (Dan.7:26) But the judgment shall be set, and they (end-time saints) shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. (27) 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…The kingdom of antichrist was destroyed in Egypt in order to bring God’s people out of that type of the world. Pharaoh was told, Knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? (Exo.10:7) The same judgments are spoken in Revelation for the same reason. As always, these judgments are spoken through the saints.

Returning to Hebrews: (Heb.2:8) Thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he subjected all things unto him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to him. All things have now been made subject, though we do not see this authority manifested except in small ways in a few who believe the Word in this regard. Soon, because of the latter rain and because their lives will depend upon it, saints will begin to stretch forth their faith for signs and wonders. Soon a wilderness experience is going to thrust many into a position of need where they are going to be fellowshipping with disciples with different revelations and experiences.

God is going to destroy man-made religion by bringing His people into fellowship with others who have exercised their faith in these areas. Dominion will come forth because the need will be so great, God will pour out His Spirit. The saints (sanctified ones) are going to believe the Word. However, we do not have to wait because God said that He did not leave anything that was not subject to the lowest member of the body now. We can be among God’s first fruits like Moses, Aaron, Joseph, Elijah, Jesus, or the man-child and saints of the end time in Revelation 12.

(Joh.15:7) If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Many believe we cannot act in faith when we do not know the Will of God. If the Word is in us and we abide in Christ through faith, then “ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done.” God’s Word is His Will. When the Word is in us, we know His Will and should act on it. God gave us this dominion to use it to glorify Him. (8) Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and [so] shall ye be my disciples. Answered prayer, signs and wonders, healings, deliverances, and provisions all glorify God; this is how we are disciples (Greek: “learners and followers”) of Jesus.

Those who exercise this dominion over their flesh and the world are perfect by faith. We walk by faith in Jesus and are counted righteous. We are sons of God through Jesus and sons of man through Adam. We have no authority outside of God but through believing Jesus Christ. (Joh.14:12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. (13) And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. True believers do the works of Jesus according to His Word. The condition to exercise dominion over everything is faith, not maturity. Baby Christians have simple yet powerful faith.

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it (Mar.11:23). The word “whosoever” includes you and me. We are called to exercise dominion through the spoken word of faith. When we exercise dominion in ministry, it is by command as Jesus and His disciples did.

Did you ever notice that when they ministered to others, they did not ask God to heal, deliver, or provide for them? They commanded these things because they knew that God already guaranteed them to His covenant people. (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. They saw these things as already accomplished at the cross and God’s promises as our authority to minister them. (2Pe.1:3) Seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; (4) whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature…

The Lord still reigns through those who have renewed their minds with the Word. (Rev.5:9)… Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood [men] of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, (10) and madest them [to be] unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon the earth. Before the judgment seals of the Tribulation are opened, the saints of God are said to be reigning on earth. We have the authority to reign as Jesus reigned because He lives in us through the Word that we put in our hearts. The more of His Word we accept, the more He can live through us because He is the Word. He says, “They reign upon the earth.” Jesus gave us an example of the dominion that the Son of God could manifest through the son of man. He gave us an example of what man was sent to do with God’s Word and Spirit in him. Then He equipped the early disciples with these and sent them out to repeat this process.

(Mat.28:19) Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations… (20) teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. The apostles were to make disciples and give them the same authority and commands that they had received, and in turn, those disciples were to do the same right on down to us. We all should have received from our teachers the same authority, commands, and gifts given to the first disciples. What happened? The apostate religious traditions of men happened! Obedience to Jesus’ command would have made a geometric progression from His day to our day that would have shaken the world. Jesus said that He would be with the disciples in this endeavor “unto the end of the world.” Since the first disciples were not around that long, He, obviously, was talking to us, also.

Jesus commanded us to walk in His steps. (Joh.20:21)… As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you. (Mat.10:8) Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons, freely ye received, freely give. We have received the same authority as Jesus and the early disciples to do the same work. (Joh.14:12) He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. Those who believe will be vessels of God’s sovereign dominion in the earth. We have to obey all these commands that Jesus gave them.

The great commission has been passed on to us from the Lord. When we make disciples, we must also pass on the command to do these things. (Mar.16:15) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. Again, this could not have been spoken to only the first disciples because they neither went into the entire world nor preached to the whole creation. Disciples will finish this work in our day.

Please notice that in the following verse Jesus is telling His apostles how to identify those who believed their Gospel. (16) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. (17) And these signs shall accompany them that believe (believers have signs): in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; (18) they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

These signs were not spoken of the first disciples but of those who came after and believed their Gospel. So the doctrine that all these signs passed away with the apostles is clearly a lie that has made many of God’s people powerless against the devil and the curse. (2Ti.3:1) But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. (2) For men shall be… (5) holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away. We are commanded to leave the powerless, unscriptural, religious institutions of men.

Some think that these things only happen for people with gifts of healings or miracles, or faith. Jesus said in (Mar.11:23) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. Whosoever commands without doubt shall have it. This obviously includes every believer in the true Gospel. The apostle Paul said that he preached in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Holy Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and round about even unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ (Rom.15:19). Fully preaching the Gospel is demonstrating its power to deliver from the curse. The world is tired of hearing that Jesus saves. They want to see it.

Some think that these things only happen for the super mature saints. Maturity is to become as a child, simply accepting the Word of our Father. Young faith is powerful. (Psa.8:2) Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established strength, Because of thine adversaries, That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. God uses the spoken words of babes to still His enemies and ours. Both spiritual and physical little children with a little knowledge will see signs and wonders and put the principalities and powers in their place. Jesus told His grown disciples, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Mat.18:3-4).

Only the childlike will enter and partake of the kingdom, but what is the kingdom? The kingdom is where God’s will is perfectly done and there is no curse. (Mat.6:10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. He uses our prayers to bring the kingdom of heaven on earth. There is no curse in heaven. (Mat.10:7) And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand (Greek: “near”). (8) Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give. So we see that being near those who exercise dominion over the curse, we are near the kingdom. (Luk.11:20) But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. The Kingdom is where God rules, even through His people. Having been delivered from the curse, the kingdom has come upon us and we can partake of the kingdom, passing it on to others who believe.

Once my wife complained to me that the washer had stopped working. I turned to my children and told them to go lay their hands on it and command it to run. They obeyed with childlike faith and immediately it started. Several times, while driving in a rainstorm, I told them to point their fingers at the sky and command the rain to stop. Children are not proud and do not mind looking foolish to others. They commanded, God honored their faith and the rain stopped, sometimes immediately.

When we first moved to Florida, my children found a squirrel in the road with a broken back. They came to me wanting to keep it and take care of it. I told them that we were not going to mess with that squirrel; they should just go command it to be healed. They did, and it ran up a tree. A couple of years later, they did the same thing for another squirrel that had fallen from an oak tree in our yard. They prayed for Mary and me many times with power.

One hot day, I got the mower out to cut the grass. I pulled and pulled trying to start it until I was sweating profusely. Then I checked the spark and found none. I did not feel up to looking for the problem, so I called my boys over to agree with me. We commanded the mower to run. I do not know if that mower ever got any spark, but it did run to cut the grass.

Once, when I noticed a lone shoe on my front porch, I called the children together to scold them. I said, “I told you not to leave your shoes on the porch because a dog can pack one of them off and the other one won’t be worth anything.” I realized later that I got exactly what I had loosed with my tongue. The children and I scoured the yard and the neighbor’s yard with no success. I said, “Let’s pray and agree that God will put it in that dog to bring the shoe back.” Children always have faith so easily. So we joined hands and agreed. The next day, we were looking out of the picture window, and what do you think we saw? A stray dog came across the yard with that shoe in his mouth and dropped it right in front of the porch. Hallelujah! Teach your children simple faith, and do not let any theologians around them.

In spite of our own failures and weaknesses, we should receive this authority from our Lord like little children. Only by the grace of God, I have commanded eyes restored, bones mended, cancers gone, diseases gone, bleeding stopped, blood pressure normal, demons out, dead resurrected, those in comas to come out, water pumps to stop leaking, alternators to have new bearings, smoking engines to stop using oil, hurricanes to stop or change directions, property protected, storms to stop and back up, moles to get out of my yard, mole crickets to die, gas in my tank, engines to start, to name a few. None of the above was without witnesses. Yet it was “not I, but Christ” (KJV) living in me through the Word. God has not left us without help. We have left Him without help. He desires to use us as vessels to do His work. (Php.4:13) I can do all things in Him that strengtheneth me.

We need to know the effect imagination has on our faith. Real faith is acted upon by the whole man. (Rom.10:10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. It is fruitless for the heart to believe and the body to not react or for the body to act and the heart to not believe. The part of man that God designed to effectually connect the heart of man with his actions is the imagination. Our imagination should be renewed so that faith may have unhindered flow through us. Evil imaginations must be cast down if we want to win our battle with the flesh, and the devil, and to do the works of Jesus.

(2Co.10:4) For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds, (5) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Cast down imaginations must be replaced with Biblical ones. For instance: (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory… Notice that this renewed imagination of seeing Jesus in the mirror completes our faith, enabling us to come into His image and to do His works.

This is the same faithful imagination that Paul had. (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me… We are to believe, imagine and confess that Jesus lives in us. Jesus said that if we believe, we will do His works and greater. (Joh.14:12)… He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father.

After teaching on imagination once, we were given the opportunity to put this to work. At the very next Bible study, Pauline asked for prayer for Jacqui, whom she said would not be coming because her whole face was swollen with an abscessed tooth. My suggestion was that we would see Jacqui’s swollen face in our imagination. Then we would speak to it, commanding her tooth to be healed and the swelling to go down. Then we would imagine her face returning to normal with a smile. With everyone’s agreement, we proceeded to act on this suggestion, and I vocalized our common command for her healing.

This was a Biblical imagination because Jesus lives in Jacqui, and He is not abscessed or swollen. We are to accept the resurrected life of Christ. (1Jn.4:17)… As he is, even so are we in this world. The Lord taught us to pray thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth (Mat.6:10). There is no sickness in God’s kingdom. Jacqui was healed by the stripes of Jesus 2,000 years ago. The next morning, Jacqui called me and gave me the good report. She said that the night before, at about the time when we normally pray, the swelling suddenly went out of her face and her tooth was healed. We rejoiced and thanked the Lord together.

God quickly gave us several more opportunities to exercise our faith in this way. In a following Bible study, Bob Aicardi related that the water level in his swimming pool was dropping at about four to five inches a week. He inspected the liner and tested the plumbing for leaks and found none. The water bill was sizable. In frustration, Bob cried out to God, “Lord, there is no reason for this to be happening to this pool or to me. I belong to you, and I am not under the curse.” When Bob asked for the prayer of agreement. I told Bob to put a mark where the water was presently so he did.

We then visualized the pool leaking and commanded it to stop. I said, “I command you pool not to leak one more drop in the name of Jesus.” We then visualized the pool as repaired. The next day Bob watched the water level, expecting God to act on his behalf, and noticed that the leak had completely stopped. Then a pool man came to look at Bob’s pump and asked him, “Did you know there is a hole in your liner behind the pool ladder?” Sure enough there was about a one inch hole where the ladder brace pad had punched a hole in it and get this: It hadn’t leaked for many days since we commanded it to stop! Isn’t God awesome?

Bob then brought another prayer request to the study. He related that when he first moved into his house, he walked around the property and asked God to put a hedge around it and his family. For 3½ years there had been no roaches, bugs, or rodents. Now he faced mole crickets marching across his front lawn, devouring the roots of his grass. You could see clearly where they were because the grass was dead and it was spongy when you walked on it. His neighbor was worried that they would get their lawn, too, so they suggested Bob use some poison. Bob wanted to exercise his faith instead, but he knew something had to happen quickly. When Bob asked for prayer, we visualized his lawn from his front porch with the mole crickets wiping it out. Bob prayed, “They would be turned into fertilizer.” I commanded them to die and not take one more inch of that property in Jesus’ name.

In our various ways, we then visualized the crickets as dead. I suggested to Bob that he get a point of reference on his porch so that he could tell where the mole crickets were. They were wiping it out from right to left and were about fifteen feet into the yard. Bob reported back later at a later study that he had done that, and not only had they not taken another inch, but not even a sign of a single living mole cricket remained. They were all fertilizer. Glory to God! He gives authority to believers, and He wants to use us to continue to destroy the curse for His glory. Bob’s place turned into a great testimony. He later had a problem with red ant piles, and every time he commanded a pile to die, it did. We were all doing this.

I suggest you think on these verses that show our dominion to get it down in your soul.

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