Let us turn to the book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:9-10:
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him,
unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times,
to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in Him, I say.
Let us have a simple word of prayer.
Lord, we want to thank You because You are a God who speaks. You have gathered us together at this time to speak to us.
We thank You, Lord, that Your word does not lack even in these times. We thank You, Lord, that even today You have spoken to us throughout the day.
May the Holy Spirit do a work of translation, that we might understand through the Holy Spirit what the brothers have expressed.
We know the words that You speak to us are the most important. So, we want to commit tonight’s words into Your hands. You are the Alpha; You are the Omega.
Because You have begun this good work, we know that You will bring it to completion. We come before You and throw ourselves at Your feet.
Lord, do give us an open heaven, so that we can, in a deeper way, see Your face. Listen to our prayer.
In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
So we know that the theme of this conference is summing up all things in Christ. We know that this theme is according to the verses we have read, Ephesians 1:9-10.
Here it says that, according to His good pleasure which He had purposed in Himself, we may know the mystery of His will. We know that this will is an eternal will.
When we speak of the eternal purpose of God, there are three places that speak of it most clearly: Ephesians 1, Ephesians 3, and Romans 8. If we collect these three places together, we can see very clearly what God’s will is.
What is this will? Verse 10 tells us that, in the dispensation of the fulness of the times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both those in heaven and those on earth.
Here we speak specifically, because of the theme, of gathering together in one all things in Christ. But if you read this verse carefully, you see a matter of time: the fulness of times. We have to ask, “Is the time full?”
We also see “all things,” both those in heaven and those on earth. All things here refer to the entire universe. So all things in the universe will be gathered together in one. When does this happen? It happens in the fulness of time.
We pray that the Lord will clearly show this verse to us, so that we may know His will. May He use this time of conference so that we can know the mystery of His will.
Because this is a conference on service, all those attending have a heart to serve. Even though we speak of the eternal will of God, we see that it is closely related to our service.
All those who serve God are servants of God. If we are to serve Him today, if we are to accomplish the mission that God has entrusted to us, the first question is not, “How should we do it?” The question is not, “Where is our way?”
If we are to serve God today, the first question we must ask is, “What is His will?” If He entrusts something to us, what does He want to accomplish? It is not merely what He says; it is what He thinks. It is how He has designed it.
By the Lord’s grace, we can then see His purposes realized. To serve God, we need to learn a basic lesson.
Many times, a master has foolish servants, and the master suffers much. But often the master suffers most with those servants who are very intelligent, because they are too smart. They think, “Oh, the master should do it this way,” or, “The master should do it that way.”
They are very capable, and that is true. But what they accomplish is what they want to do. They do what they think their master wants.
Once the thing is accomplished, on the one hand the master has to be thankful, because they have done so much. But on the other hand, the master cannot smile, because the master has one purpose and the servant has another.
That is our service today. So many times we have done so much for the Lord. We have shed our sweat; we have shed our tears; and some have even shed their blood. We have done so much.
We indeed should be faithful servants. God should be satisfied. But why, many times, can He not be satisfied? There is a very basic reason: we do not know what His will is.
When we read some of His words, we think that is His purpose. We know that we are saved by grace, that we will go to heaven, and that we do not want to go to hell. So we think that His purpose must be that He does not want people to go to hell, but to go to heaven.
This is not incorrect. But God’s work is a complete work. When He wants to accomplish a work, He has His plan and His wisdom. When His work is accomplished, there is not one person who can say, “I accomplished it.” Only God can accomplish it.
If we are to serve God, sooner or later He will bring us to this point. Maybe we have capability. Maybe we are very zealous and diligent. But can God be satisfied with our service?
The highest goal that we have to reach is that God is satisfied. When He is satisfied, then He will rest. But today God does not rest. He has myriads of people serving Him.
Did they not say, “In Your name we have cast out demons; in Your name we have healed”? But the Lord said, “I never knew you.” Brothers and sisters, what is this?
The Lord Himself told us that only those who do the will of God can enter in. They said, “Lord, Lord.” Is it not correct that they cast out demons and healed? Yet the Lord said, “I never knew you.”
What is the reason? It is because we do not know God’s will.
When we speak of gathering together in one all things in Christ, we must return to God’s word. What is God’s eternal purpose? Before the foundation of the world, what was in God’s heart?
What was in God’s heart that He wanted one day to materialize? At the very end of Revelation, we see that it does materialize. When you see the new heaven and the new earth, you see that God’s will is accomplished. He has accomplished His purpose.
God’s eternal purpose is so important. Yet because this is such a great matter, we may speak of it in such a lofty way that we cannot reach it. But we pray that the Lord would open our eyes.
We believe that His word is simple. Just as Moody said, when we preach the gospel, it is like giving a child a cookie. You must put it in the right place. If it is too high, the child cannot reach it; if it is too low, it is too easy to get. We need to know where to put the cookie.
Thank the Lord, when we read His word and speak of the eternal purpose of God, it is not merely a subject for philosophers. Philosophers ask, “Where does man come from? Where is man going? Why does man live? Why is there a universe?”
All those who ask these questions want to know God’s eternal purpose, though they may not know it. They do not know why man lives.
There was a philosopher who went into the marketplace with a lantern. People asked him, “What are you looking for?” He said, “I am looking for man.” Man has fallen. If we go back to the Bible, we see that man has fallen.
Once man sinned, God asked him, “Where art thou?” To speak of God’s eternal purpose may seem very high, as though only philosophers ask such questions. But no. This is a question that every servant of God needs to ask.
“I have served so much. I have paid such a great price. I indeed have served God. Thank the Lord, He gave me grace. For so many years I have served Him. But we have done so much, and we have borne so much fruit: is God satisfied?”
Did we ever ask God, “If we do it this way, are You satisfied?” When can God be satisfied? It is when we serve Him in a way that fulfills what is on His heart.
For this reason, a servant needs to understand God’s purpose. We are not going to see the eternal purpose of God merely from the perspective of the universe, or through the eyes of philosophers. Philosophers cannot find the answers.
Thank the Lord, it was according to His good pleasure that He made known His will, so that our service can be based upon His heart.
Let us return to the verse we have read. It says that in the fulness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ.
All things here refer to everything in heaven and everything on earth. This speaks of the entire universe. In the fulness of time, the entire universe will be gathered together in one in Christ.
When we speak of the universe, God’s description is very different from the description of science. When we think of the universe, first we think of our planet, then our solar system, then the galaxy, and then the galaxies beyond it. This is how we commonly understand the universe.
Scientists once thought that the earth was the center of the universe. Then we discovered that even our solar system, which is in our galaxy, is only at the edge of the universe. There are so many galaxies like ours.
Our planet is so small, entirely insignificant. This is how we understand the universe through telescopes and through science. But in God’s eyes, the universe is heaven and earth.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. When the Bible speaks of the universe, it speaks of heaven and earth. In our minds, the universe is one galaxy plus another galaxy. But in God’s eyes, the universe He created is heaven and earth combined together.
The earth is one sphere, and heaven is another sphere. You have the lower sphere, which is the earth, and the upper sphere, which is heaven. In God’s heart, the earth has a very important place.
This planet has to do with God’s will. If He is to accomplish His will, He is going to use this earth that He has created to accomplish His eternal purpose.
That is why the Lord taught us to pray:
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
If God’s will is to be done, the Lord taught us to pray that His will would be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven.
This earth is like a spaceship. It has a mission; it has a purpose that God wants to accomplish. Through this spaceship, earth, He wants to accomplish that will.
I remember that, on the second day after man landed on the moon, there was a huge advertisement in The New York Times. The advertisement showed the spaceship that took man to the moon.
Underneath it was a phrase: “Even though it is ugly, it can still take you there.”
It accomplished NASA’s goal of reaching the moon. I was curious: who spent so much money to post an advertisement in The New York Times? In the right-hand corner, it was very clear: Volkswagen.
In the early days, Volkswagen had a car that looked like a turtle. Their advertisement said, “Even though it is ugly, it can still take you there.” Do you understand?
Scientifically speaking, there are many galaxies much greater than ours. If you were to empty out the sun, you could put many earths inside it. Our planet earth is so insignificant and so small.
But in God’s heart, heaven and earth are to be connected. They are one, not two. Heaven and earth can be distinguished, but they cannot be separated.
At the fulness of times, He will gather together in one all things in Christ. In God’s original creation, heaven and earth are one. But something happened, and the universe experienced a tragedy.
When we read the Bible, we find that heaven and earth were originally one. But because sin entered the universe, heaven and earth were separated. Now heaven and earth are disconnected.
Before, heaven was the crown of the earth. How do we know this? The Greek word translated “gather together in one” is very important. Darby translates it, “to head up all things in the Christ.”
The translation “to gather together in one all things in Christ” is correct, but the Greek tells us something more. It tells us how all things are gathered together in one: they are brought under one Head.
The root of the word has to do with the head. In Ephesians 1, at the end of the chapter, all things are subjected under His feet, and God gave Him to be Head over all things.
Therefore, when all things are gathered together in one in Christ, it has to do with heading up all things in Christ. Here is the Head, and all things are brought into line under Him.
When all things are in line with the Head, they are one. Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible renders this phrase: “To reunite for Himself under one head the all things in the Christ.”
In other words, all things are connected to the Head. If all things are connected to Christ, the Head, that is what it means to head up all things.
If all things are to be gathered together, there is one Person who must be Head. Of course, God is the Head of the universe. When we see the Head, we see God’s original purpose.
How are heaven and earth one? They are one whenever all things look to the Head and are aligned under Him. Then heaven becomes the crown of the earth.
Science may tell us how the planet moves, but the Bible tells us why it exists. The earth exists to accomplish God’s will.
Because all things are aligned with heaven, heaven is glorious and the earth is glorious. Heaven is beautiful, and the earth is beautiful. What does that mean? The purpose of the creation of the earth is to reflect heaven.
Heaven and earth cannot be separated. You can distinguish them, but the earth is like the surface of a lake. Have you ever seen the surface of a lake when it is very calm?
When you see heaven, you see heaven. But when you see the calm surface of the lake, you also see heaven, because that surface is aligned with heaven.
This is the original creation. Why did God create heaven and earth? He wanted heaven to be the crown of the earth.
In God’s heart, only One can satisfy Him, and that is His Beloved Son. In His original purpose, He is the Heir of all things. Why did God create heaven and earth? It is all for His Son.
When you walk on this earth and see a vine, you should see the true Vine. The vine draws water from the air and water from the earth, and through the winepress the water becomes wine.
The story of water being turned into wine is a great story. But do not forget: why did God create the vine? Why did God create the earth? On earth, it is as if you are in heaven.
What is the gathering together in one of all things in Christ? Even though you are on earth, it is as if you are in heaven.
But ever since sin entered the universe, heaven and earth have been disconnected. Now heaven is so far away from us.
If heaven were close to us, every dawn, every sunrise, every sunset, and every beautiful scene would remind us of our Lord. This is the purpose of the creation of heaven.
No matter where you are, you should see heaven. No matter where you are, you should see the One whom the Father loves.
Catherine the Great of Russia once established an art gallery in her palace. An artist went throughout Russia and found 250 young women, painting each one in order to express beauty.
The gallery was called the Gallery of Beauty. When you entered it, you saw beauty: 250 paintings. Yet something was remarkable. One woman’s posture would remind you of Catherine II; another woman, when seated, would also remind you of Catherine II.
Though there were 250 different paintings, every painting reminded you of Catherine. In other words, if you are to describe beauty, it is not simply painting by painting. The secret is the person behind the painting.
Now you understand. When God created heaven and earth, they were one because heaven was the crown of the earth. The earth reflected heaven because it was aligned with the Head.
The earth became the manifestation of heaven. When you saw heaven, it was heaven; when you saw the earth, it was also heaven. Do not forget: heaven has another name—Christ Himself.
In God’s original creation, heaven and earth were one, connected, and inseparable. When you were on earth, it was as if you could raise your hand and touch heaven.
Have you ever had this experience? Sometimes, at the Lord’s table, His presence is so real that it is as if, when you raise your hand, you touch heaven.
That is the purpose of His creation of the universe. Not only that, but how does the planet exist? It receives its supply from heaven.
We know this from the new heaven and the new earth. From the throne flows forth water, and the water flows through all the new earth. The reason the earth can exist is because of the supply of heaven.
The created universe is full of life and full of purpose because it continually receives the supply of heaven. This is a very important picture.
This explains Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, two words are used: baptism and pouring. On the heaven side there is outpouring; on the earth side there is baptism.
When the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost, heaven and earth, which had been separated, were reconnected. The earth had been thirsty because it was not receiving the supply of heaven. The Lord said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me.”
Whenever heaven and earth are separated, the earth thirsts. In the universe God originally created, everywhere you would see Christ, and Christ is the Heir of all things.
When you walked on the earth, you could see heaven. You could see that heaven and earth were connected. This is Genesis 1:1:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The translations of Darby and Rotherham help us. We do not merely see that all things are gathered together in one; we see how they are gathered together: under one Head.
Why does Rotherham say, “to reunite for Himself”? Because sin separated heaven and earth. The earth was no longer fed or supplied. The earth became so far from God that it was as if it had dementia—it did not remember God.
Many people say there is no God in the universe. Many philosophers say there is no God. Some have even said that God is dead. This shows how far earth has come from heaven.
You may travel and see beautiful scenery, sunrise and sunset, and say, “This vine is beautiful.” But you will never think of the true Vine. This is how disconnected earth has become from heaven.
But there is one faithful Servant: His Son, Jesus Christ. His service is according to the purpose of God.
When heaven and earth are so far apart, God grieves in His heart. But when the faithful Servant of God obeyed Him, He did one work.
Not only did He become our Mediator on the cross, but He also became a heavenly ladder. Heaven and earth were far apart. What connected them? What work joined them? It is the work of Christ.
In Christ, heaven and earth are gathered as one. He is the first Apostle, the One sent forth. He did God’s work.
He was very busy. At times He did not have time to eat. He did much work. If everything He did were written, the world itself could not contain the books.
But He knew His purpose: in Christ, heaven and earth would be gathered together. If Christ is the Servant of God, His mission is to satisfy the Father’s heart.
Heaven and earth are so far apart, but one day they will be reconnected. When you raise your hand, it will be as if heaven is right there. Brothers and sisters, do you understand? This is the work of Christ.
If we are servants, if we say that we serve God, what kind of work satisfies God’s heart? This work: that in Christ all things in heaven and on earth may be gathered together in one.
Christ is the Servant. In our Lord there is the highest and greatest service. What is that service? No matter what He does, the final result is that all things in heaven and on earth are gathered together in one.
If this goal governed every movement of our Lord, should not this will govern our service, brothers and sisters?
Maybe you have saved many people. Maybe you have helped many people. Thank the Lord. Maybe you have helped people understand God’s word. This is all service, and it is all God’s will.
But let us remember: God has an eternal purpose. When you speak of God’s eternal purpose, it is as if you hear God’s heartbeat. If we love God, if we want to serve Him our entire lives, should we not understand His will?
What happened? I think Genesis 1 makes this very clear:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
And the earth was waste and void;
and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Here we see that the earth was without form and void. The word was is a verb that can be translated in two ways: “was” or “became.”
If we say that the earth was without form and void from the beginning, how could it have been one with heaven? How could it have been aligned with heaven? But Ephesians helps us see that the earth became without form.
When we read “without form and void,” we find similar words in Jeremiah 4. Jeremiah said, “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void.” There the earth was under judgment.
These are the two places where we find the expression “without form and void.” We can only use God’s word to interpret God’s word.
Jeremiah describes the earth as being judged. Through that judgment, it was as if the earth had gone through an earthquake or a typhoon. Therefore, it was without form and void.
Heaven and earth were originally one, but the earth became without form and void because they had been disconnected. The upper sphere was separated from the lower sphere.
When this happened, there was no longer the supply from heaven. Without the supply, of course there is a desert, and of course there is disaster.
The work Christ does is to reconnect heaven and earth.
How was the earth judged? If we read other Scriptures, we can find an answer. There was an archangel created in heaven. One day he became proud. He wanted to be equal with God, and he rebelled against God.
A third of the angels followed him and rebelled against God. Then they were cast from God’s presence, down toward the earth and outer space.
Eric Sauer suggested that perhaps, during that time, each angel had control of a certain district. We find something similar in the book of Daniel.
It is very possible that Satan became the one governing this planet and the outer space around it. Satan was cast into the outer space of the earth.
Why do people worship the moon? Why is there astrology? Because these things belong to his domain. You see darkness surrounding this area.
If you could open up the universe, you would see that the planet earth and outer space are dark. Because Satan rebelled, everything on earth also rebelled. Therefore, God judged the earth, and the earth became without form and void.
What does it mean that darkness was upon the face of the deep? It means that darkness covered it. The seas completely covered it. The covering was so thick that sunlight could not penetrate.
The Bible says that the earth became without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. This is what the Bible tells us.
Very clearly, we see God’s judgment here. We do not know exactly how God judged in the past, but we do know how God will judge in the future. When we read Revelation, we understand something of this.
Do you remember the seven trumpets? With the second trumpet, a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.
The way God judges in the future may help us understand the way judgment took place in the past. Science may also help us consider these things.
Scientists tell us that many millions of years ago, a great burning object, perhaps the size of Manhattan, struck the region of the Gulf of Mexico. There is a huge crater there. They say that, as a result, the dinosaurs died.
During that time the earth was filled with dinosaurs. Scientists tell us that mankind did not exist during the time of the dinosaurs; if someone says that man existed then, they call it science fiction.
Very clearly, at one point dinosaurs filled the earth. The Bible does not tell us about dinosaurs. But if all things on earth had rebelled together, this possibility may help us think.
Have you ever seen a house lizard? When we were young, our parents told us not to touch it. In order to survive, a lizard can drop its tail.
God created the lizard small; it does not grow very large. Why? There is a limitation in its physical constitution. If that limitation were removed and its body kept increasing, it would become enormous.
Imagine a bee the size of a lion. That is impossible because all things are under God’s limitation. He has determined the boundaries of every creature.
But when Satan rebelled and all things on earth rebelled with him, the limitation that controlled their size may have been broken, and they grew to the size of dinosaurs. This is simply something to help us think.
Scientists tell us that the earth was not struck only once. They suggest that at one time the planet was filled with crocodiles; then something occurred, and the crocodiles disappeared. After that, dinosaurs could increase.
We do not know exactly what happened in the past, but according to Revelation we may gain some impression. This may help us study Genesis.
Another interesting matter is the third trumpet. A star with a tail fell, and the waters became bitter. According to the description, this is what we would call a comet.
Whenever a comet falls, it has a tail. That tail may carry substances from the sea. Seawater contains sodium chloride, which makes it salty, but magnesium chloride can make water bitter.
When we see in Revelation a comet entering the rivers and the waters becoming bitter, we see a problem that scientists have not fully resolved: where did the seas on earth come from?
Scientists recognize that many comets may have fallen on earth. These comets, bearing water in their tails, may have crashed and formed the seas.
We see darkness upon the surface of the earth, and the earth covered with water. When you read Isaiah 14, Satan is called the bright star. How did he fall?
When Satan was cast down toward the earth, though angels are spirits, this fall expressed itself in the material world as though a star had fallen.
In Revelation 12, Satan and Michael are in conflict in the heavenlies, and Satan and his angels are cast down to the earth. Revelation 9 also speaks of a star fallen from heaven.
Did not a third of the angels also rebel? Revelation 12 tells us that the dragon’s tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them down to the earth.
Satan and his angels, his followers, were thrown down to earth. In the physical world, what we see is stars. Thus, when God judged Satan and his angels, it was as if they were like comets crashing onto the earth.
This is how the seas may have been formed. That is why, in the new heaven and the new earth, there is no longer any sea.
That is also why the Lord rebuked the winds and the sea. The bottomless pit is under the sea. Whenever we speak of the sea, we speak of the tumult of the sea.
Yet in Revelation, before the throne there is also a sea, but it is a sea of glass. What is a sea of glass? It has the beauty of the sea, but it does not have all its movement.
When we put these things together, we can understand how the earth became without form and void, how darkness came upon it, and how the earth was covered by water.
But, amazingly, the Spirit of God was moving upon the surface of the waters. Even though the earth was judged, God did not give up on the earth.
Brothers and sisters, if God had given up, His Spirit would not have hovered over the surface. Even though the earth had experienced something like a great earthquake or great catastrophe, God was going to do a work of restoration.
It was like rebuilding after a great tribulation or earthquake. Slowly, the earth was rebuilt.
When you read Revelation, you see that God works again. One day, in Christ, heaven and earth—all things—will be gathered together in Him.
Satan’s opposition cannot prevent God’s will from being accomplished. God has wisdom. God knows what to do. Therefore, God does His work.
Because the earth had been judged, we know that it was hot. But slowly it cooled down. As it cooled, water evaporated.
In Genesis 1, light appears. Because of the seas, the sunlight could not penetrate; but as water evaporated, sunlight finally penetrated. The Lord said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
On the second day, there were the upper waters and the lower waters, with the vapor and the air between them. Light and darkness were separated.
Then the waters were separated above and below. On the third day, the waters receded and the dry land appeared. God had not created another planet; the earth was already there. He was rearranging it.
The dry land appeared, and God said it was good. On the third day, He said it was good twice. Why did the dry land appear? There had to be a reason.
Land represents space. But if you only have space, there is no meaning. The earth has meaning when it is filled with life.
Then vegetation grew. Everywhere there was grass and there were trees. His universe is a universe of life.
This is the first cycle of the first three days. Then the Lord entered a second cycle, and this cycle was even better.
On the first day, He said, “Let there be light,” but that light was abstract. Only on the fourth day, the first day of the second cycle, was light materialized in the bearers of light: the sun and the moon.
On the second day, there was the separation of the waters above and below. But on the fifth day, God filled the upper realm with birds and the waters below with fish.
The air and the seas had to be filled with life. This life has feeling. When God created the fish, He used the word “create,” indicating a higher kind of life than vegetation.
Life must not merely exist; it must have feeling, like the birds and the fish. The bird represents a transcendent life. The fish has the strength to go against the tide. This is the life God wants.
On the sixth day, corresponding to the third day of the second cycle, God created the beasts and creeping things of the earth. The earth was not only filled with lower life, but with higher life.
God used the dust to create the beasts. After six days, at the very end, we come to the center of God’s work.
Everything before this was preparation. When a father buys a crib, the crib is not the main thing. The primary goal is to put the child in the crib.
If we are to understand God’s will, Genesis 1:1 shows us the entire universe. Yet everything points toward the earth.
Why did the Lord create birds in the air, fish in the sea, and beasts upon the earth? There was a reason, step by step. Now He was going to create man.
He did not simply say, “Let there be man,” and there was man. Man was created last of all things. All things were prepared for man’s sake.
Therefore, the purpose of God was man. When we speak of creation, there was a council within the Godhead. In that council there were two points: the blueprint and the realization of the blueprint.
First we see the blueprint:
Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.
God wants man to be His manifestation. No matter where we go, when men see us, they should see something of God.
I am a terrible driver. When I drove in Brazil, because there are many Japanese people there and I look somewhat Japanese, whenever I drove poorly, Brazilians would call out, “Oh, you Japanese!” I would think, “I am the one who made the mistake, and yet the Japanese are the ones getting yelled at.”
Do you understand? When God creates man, He gives us His glory and His honor as our crown. How do we know that glory and honor are our crown? Because God created us like Himself.
That has to do with life. What is the purpose of life? The purpose of life is service.
Then God gave man a mission. On the fifth day, there were birds in the air and fish in the sea. On the sixth day, there were beasts and creeping things upon the earth.
It is as if the Air Force and Navy were prepared on the fifth day, and the army was prepared on the sixth day. What does God mean? He wants man to be the commander-in-chief of the air, the sea, and the land.
But do not forget: we are His servants. God did not assign the angels to rule over the earth, nor did He rule it directly in this sense. He wanted man to rule over it.
This is our mission. Let us continue to read. That is the blueprint. How is the blueprint realized?
Genesis 1:27 tells us:
And God created man in His own image,
in the image of God created He him;
male and female created He them.
At first, He said, “in Our image.” But then it says, “in His image,” which is singular. When we speak of the blueprint, we speak of “Our image.” When we speak of its realization, we speak of Him—Christ.
God had already established that heaven and earth would be gathered together in one in Christ. When we were created, only Jesus had the true image. Therefore, we were created according to His image.
Not only that: in His image, we are like Him. How do we reach our mission? How do we serve? How do we care? How do we rule? Where do our strength and wisdom come from?
The Lord tells us what to do. God blessed them. All service must have His blessing.
Do not rely upon your own ability. God’s work can only be done by God. You need to look to His blessing. Without His blessing, there is no ruling.
You may know His will. You may know what He wants us to do. But you cannot do it because you do not have His blessing. We need His blessing.
First He blessed them. What happened when He blessed them? He wanted them to be fruitful and multiply.
Man’s life is higher than animal life, and animal life is higher than vegetable life. In all creation, the highest life is man’s life.
This life cannot remain only three persons or a thousand persons. It must fill the whole earth. Because of blessing, life is increased.
You want to serve. Is your life enough? Can your life fill the earth? “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”
When life fills the earth, then it says that man will subdue the earth. When your life fills the earth, all things are under your feet.
How do we rule? It is not merely a matter of authority. Many people fight for authority. But if you are not respected by others, how can you rule?
Because your life is full, people respect you. People then obey. It is not because you speak about authority that you can rule.
With merely human authority, everything comes out false. But thank the Lord, service is the flowing out of life. However abundant your life is, that is how much authority you have.
How is your life full? Because you are aligned with heaven. You are under His authority. Then you can have delegated authority.
Is this not our service? May the Lord open our eyes.
When all things are under our feet, then we rule over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Step by step, we see heaven and earth being reconnected.
But we need another chapter in the Bible to explain Genesis. Let us turn to Psalm 8.
Psalm 8:1:
O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Thy name in all the earth,
Who hast set Thy glory upon the heavens!
This verse explains Genesis 1:1. The earth and heaven that God created show that the earth is to manifest the majesty of His name, and heaven is to display His splendor.
That was His original purpose in creating heaven and earth. Let us go to verse 3:
When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers,
The moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained;
Then Psalm 8:5 says:
For Thou hast made him but little lower than God,
And crownest him with glory and honor.
When we were created according to His image, it was as if He crowned us with His glory and honor. Without a crown, you cannot rule. If your life is not full, you cannot rule.
Psalm 8:6 says:
Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands;
Thou hast put all things under his feet.
Why does it say, “Thou makest him”? Because man is a servant. We are all servants.
Psalm 8 continues:
All sheep and oxen,
Yea, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
Whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
Is that not the blueprint? It is a very clear blueprint. We have been created according to His image. He has given us the crown of glory and honor, and now we have a mission.
We are to rule over the beasts of the field, the birds of heaven, and the fish of the sea. The Bible says that all things are under man’s feet.
What does it mean when all things are under our feet? We are one with God’s purpose. That is why God created man.
Now let us look at Psalm 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.
Here we see the story behind Genesis 1. God had an adversary. Not only did He have an adversary, but this adversary kept speaking.
But God was going to silence him. Why? This answers a very important question. Many people ask, “Why did God not simply crush Satan?”
It would be easy for God to crush Satan. But do not forget: God is the Creator, and Satan is a creature. Satan would have something to say: “If You crush me, where is the glory? Your power is greater than mine.”
An adult beating up a child is no great matter. Satan would still have something to say. Therefore, God has to do something so that the enemy will be silenced.
God can easily crush Satan, but in His wisdom He knows how to deal with the matter. Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes, He establishes strength.
God is going to use another created being. Why does Psalm 8 say that man is a little lower than the angels? Now we understand why God created man.
Satan and the angels rebelled. God wants to deal with Satan, but He will not deal with him merely as Creator against creature. He will find another created being, one lower than the angels.
These are like infants, with no strength. Yet they will gain strength so that the enemy and the avenger will be silenced.
In other words, man obeys God. When man says, “Yes, Lord,” when man stands with God, when this life grows and grows until it fills the entire earth, then the entire earth is in the hands of man.
The earth had fallen, but through the fullness of life man conquers the earth, and all things come under his feet.
Why are all things under our feet? The purpose is to bring all things under God. Heaven and earth were separated, but man has a mission. Through man, territories that were lost can be recovered.
On earth, it may be as it is in heaven. Heaven and earth can be reconnected. Do you see that? That is why God created man.
That is also why the Son became flesh. The Bible tells us that He was made a little lower than the angels.
The first Adam failed. But the last Adam succeeded because He obeyed. He is the faithful Servant. He can bring all things together.
Our time is up. We will continue tomorrow. Let us pray.
Lord, we commit these words into Your hands. We know that the enemy hates these words, because through them he is exposed.
Lord, we pray that You would use these words to open our understanding, so that we may know Your eternal purpose.
We pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to shine His light and continue to speak to us.
We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.