11. The Last Adam Restored Our Dominion

Chapter 11 The Last Adam Restored Our Dominion The last Adam became a life giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). 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, as we shall see. It is true that Jesus was the Son of God (spiritual man) dwelling in and empowering the son of man (natural man, Romans 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 the authority to execute judgment because he is a son of man” (John 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, and the devil usurped it. (Genesis 1:26-28) …And God said “Let us make man in our image after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds in the heavens, of 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” (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. (Romans 6:16) …Know you not that to whom you present yourself as servants unto obedience his servants you are whom you obey. Adam, through Eve, obeyed the devil and gave to him his own dominion. He 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, “Thelast Adambecame a life giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 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.

(Hebrews 2:5-6) 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 “tempted in all points, 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 because God wanted Him to have this dominion and to pass it on to His spiritual children. (Psalms 115:16) The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; But the earth hath he given to the children of men.

(1 Corinthians 15:21) …As in Adam all died, 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. (Romans 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.

(Hebrews 2:6) (Quoting Psalm 8) …one has somewhere testified saying “what is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that thou visiteth 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. (Genesis 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.

(Hebrews 2:7-8) (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 means 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, lawn mowers, and many other things to be repaired and seen it happen. Yet it was “not I but Christ” living in me through the Word. The reason that many do without this dominion is because 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 so send I you”; “What you bind on earth is bound in heaven and what you loose on earth is loosed in heaven”; “I give you authority over all the power of the enemy”; “All things whatsoever you ask in prayer believing you 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.

(Hebrews 2:8) Thou didst put all things into 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 and 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 (Ephesians 1:21-22) “…Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this world but in the world that is to come; (22) and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and he gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him which filleth all and 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. (John 15:7-8) 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 you 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 the Word lives in us.

(Ephesians 1:22) And he put all things in subjection under his feet, and he gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him which filleth all and 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 (Daniel 2:37-38) 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! (Daniel 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. (Daniel 2:45) 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. (Daniel 7:26-27) 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?” (Exodus 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: (Hebrews 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 unto him. But now we see not yet all things subject 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 manmade 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 of the end time in Revelation 12.

(John 15:7-8) 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. No one who exercises this dominion is perfect, except by faith. We walk by faith in Jesus and are counted righteous. We are sons of God through Jesus, sons of man through Adam. We have no authority outside of God but through believing Jesus Christ. (John 14:12-13) 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.