What is that purpose? We find some keys to understanding it in Ezekiel 28:13-19. There we see Lucifer in the Garden of Eden long before the creation of Adam as a beautiful creature and described as “the anointed cherub that covereth.”
He was created to rule over a part of God’s creation. Now we know from reading Isaiah 14:12-17 that he was corrupted by pride and led a rebellion against God. We’re told God cast that rebellious host back into the earth.
We learn some more about the results of this cataclysmic event in Jeremiah 4:23-28. This passage says that as a result of a great judgment, the earth became “without form and void.” Notice that these are the same words as those used in the Genesis 1:2 account of creation! It even uses the same Hebrew word tohu in both passages.
The King James Version of Genesis 1:2 says, “The earth was without form and void” but the Hebrew word translated “was” is hayah and 500 other times in the Old Testament hayah is translated “became.” Therefore, verse two should read, “The earth became without form and void.”
This is further supported in Isaiah 45:18 where God says that He did not create the earth “in vain” (also tohu or without form and void”). You see, there must be a gap of time between verse Genesis 1:1 and verse two when the earth was destroyed during Lucifer’s rebellion. This allows the Big Bang universe to be billions of years old and the recreated earth to be only 6000 years old.
In Genesis 1:2 God is starting the process of re-creation. That’s why He told Adam and Eve to “replenish” the earth (Gen. 1:28). You can’t “replenish” something that never before had life in it.
What I’m suggesting is God desired administrative help governing His creation and when the angelic host charged with that responsibility rebelled, God created man in His own image (Gen. 1:26) and gave him dominion over the whole earth.
Why do you suppose He did that? To give us an environment in which we can learn the lessons of stewardship administrating God’s kingdom on His behalf, so that we will ultimately be able to do what Jesus calls “rule and reign” with Him for eternity! (Rev. 2:26-27, 20:6, 2 Tim. 2:12).
Friend, your eternal destiny is to rule and administrate, on the Lord’s behalf, over the vastness of this still expanding universe. But the extent of our rulership depends upon our faithfulness to be God’s stewards in this earth.
How do we know that? Well, in Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus gives us the parable of the talents. It tells of two faithful servants who did right with their master’s goods while he was away. Upon his return, their master said, “Well done my good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over much.” Clearly, God is preparing an eternal destiny for us that is as grand as we choose to make it.
It is God’s intention to return to us the dominion Adam had before he sinned and lost everything! Now let’s bring all we’ve seen down to a personal level.
Does God Care?
Does God know and care about you personally? To answer that, think for a moment about the things you care a great deal about in this world. Take a hobby, for example. Is it not true that the more you care about something, the more you seek to know about it?
Well the Bible says God has numbered the hairs on your head (Matt. 10:30). God knows more about you than you do because He cares for you. As Peter says in 1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
However, that illustration pales in comparison to the love He demonstrated for us when He laid down the Majesty, the Power, and the Glory of that eternal realm, took on human flesh and suffered the indignity of a death that none of us can even imagine to enable you and me to experience restored dominion and the eternity that I’ve just described.
God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to pay the price for man’s disobedience. And yet many still reject that wonderful gift. The gift of salvation is available to everyone. Jesus explained it to Nicodemus in John 3:3, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
To receive this wonderful gift, pray the following prayer:
God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I confess I’ve not lived my life for you but I’m glad to know I can change that.
I’ve decided to believe Jesus is your Son, that He died for me and rose again from the dead, that I might have eternal life and the blessings of life now. Jesus come into my heart. Be my Lord and Savior. To the best of my ability and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I’ll live my life for you.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Welcome, my friend, to the eternal kingdom of God. Now go tell somebody, “Jesus is my Lord.”
Summary Points:
- We have been given this environment so we can learn the lessons of stewardship so we can help administer God’s kingdom on His behalf.
- Our ultimate destiny is to “rule and reign” with the Lord for eternity.
- Your eternal destiny is to rule and administrate, on the Lord’s behalf.
Source: "Let's Be Reasonable" by Mac Hammond
Excerpt permission granted by Mac Hammond Ministries
Mac Hammond is the senior pastor of Living Word, a large and growing church in Brooklyn Park (a suburb of Minneapolis), Minnesota. He is the host of the Winner’s Minute, which is seen locally in the Minneapolis area on KMSP Channel 9 at 6:44 a.m. and 11:11 a.m. He is also the host of the Winner's Way broadcast and author of several internationally distributed books. Mac is broadly acclaimed for his ability to apply the principles of the Bible to practical situations and the challenges of daily living.
