How to Quit Losing & Start Winning
By A.L. Gill
Lesson Two: Authority on Earth
EARTH CREATED
By God
In Genesis we are told that God created the earth.
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Satan Came to Earth
Rev 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Try to imagine Satan as he was cast to this earth. He had held one of the highest positions in heaven. He had beauty beyond description. He was a reflector of the glory of God. However in his rebellion, he desired even more. He desired to rule in heaven.
There was a battle. He and the angels following him were cast to earth. Everywhere Satan looked he was reminded of the Creator God whom he now hated so much. He was reminded of all that he had lost by his rebellion.
“Then God Said”
The earth was created through spoken words…
Gen 1:2 Then God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.
11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.”
In this lesson, it is important to understand that man, created in God’s image, was given absolute authority and dominion on this earth. It is also important to understand that this is the reason why Satan hates mankind so much.
AUTHORITY GIVEN TO MANKIND
Created in God’s Image
After God had created the earth, He created man and woman in His image. Then He gave them authority over all that was living on the face of the earth.
Let Them Have Dominion
In Genesis one, we are told that mankind was created in the image of God. In Genesis nine, we are told the same thing again.
Gen 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Gen 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
Knowing that men and women were created in the image of God is important to the understanding of this subject because God’s image is one of authority.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Given God’s Life
God formed the body of man from the dust of the ground with His hands, and then He breathed into him the very breath of God. God breathed into mankind His very nature.
He gave us His life. The life of God is in us!
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Authority over Satan
After the war in heaven, Satan had been cast to earth. Can you imagine his horror as he watched God create mankind, breathe into him the very life of God, and then give to this new creation rule and dominion over every living thing on the face of the earth?
Satan was living on the earth! The dominion given to man included authority over Satan and his followers.
Authority Given to Both
God formed Eve and together with Adam, they had authority and dominion over all the things of the earth.
In Genesis 2 we have the story of Eve’s creation.
Gen 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Not Just to Adam
From the first mention of mankind, God said, “Let them have dominion.” He did not say “Let him have dominion.”
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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 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 moveth upon the earth.
Man is not to exercise dominion over woman, nor woman over man, but as one-flesh, they are to walk together in dominion and authority on this earth.
Together, they were given authority over:
- The fish of the sea
- The birds of the air
- The livestock
- All the earth
- Every living thing
Not over Other Men
Man was not to have authority over his fellow man. He was given authority over all of God’s creation on this earth and over Satan and his demons.
God now had absolute authority and dominion in all the universe except on planet Earth. Here He had given His authority to these new God-like creatures called man and woman.
Man Given Free Will
Volition
God gave Adam a free will. He had the power to choose between obeying and disobeying God. Mankind was given volition, a choice, a free will.
Man’s volition was to be tested in the Garden between obedience and disobedience, between eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, or not eating of it. Mankind still has a free will.
Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
SATAN HATES MANKIND
Satan hated Adam and Eve because they were created in God’s image. At the moment of their creation, they were given everything he had tried to take by force.
- They looked like God.
- They talked like God.
- They walked like God.
They had been given dominion over all the things on the earth and that included Satan. That included everything he had dominion over. That included all of “his” kingdom.
Satan’s Great Fear
Satan knows our authority. He knows what God has said and done.
It is extremely important to him that we do not know our authority – that we do not discover and begin to walk in our God-given authority and dominion. Satan has reason to fear men and women who walk in their God-given authority.
“I Wills” of Satan
Remember the “I wills” of Satan given in Isaiah.
Isa 14:13-15 For thou hast said in thine heart,
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most High.
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Everything Given to Man
Everything Satan willed to be in his rebellion, God created man to be!
- Satan said, “I will ascend into heaven.”
Mankind was created to have fellowship with God. We were created to walk and talk with the God of this universe! We were created to reign with him.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
- Satan said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.”
The stars of God refer to angels. Satan desired to be above the angels in importance.
The apostle Paul wrote that one day we would judge the angels.
1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
- Satan said, “I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north.”
We are seated in the heavenly realms in Jesus.
Eph 2:5 .. and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
- Satan said, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds”
We will meet Jesus in the air – in the clouds.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
- Satan said, “I will be like the Most High.”
Man was created in the image of God. Do you still wonder why Satan hates mankind?
We have been created to:
- Look like God
- Talk like God
- Walk like God and
- Rule with God
How humiliating it must be to Satan that we have been given everything he tried to take in his rebellion.
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW
- Explain in your own words the origin of earth, Satan’s fall and the resulting judgment of the earth.
- Describe how God functioned in authority and dominion as He recreated the earth.
- Explain why Satan hates you. What have you done to cause that hatred?