EXPLORING THE KINGDOM OF GOD: THE ORIGINAL COMMISSION

Key Scriptures: Psalm 8:3-6; Genesis 1:26-31; Genesis 2:15-17; Jeremiah 4:23-26; Ezekiel 28: 11-20; Isaiah 14: 12-
20; Romans 8:29-30

Learning Objectives:

1. You understand the rebellion that existed in heaven even before the creation of man and can explain
the results of Lucifer’s rebellion.
2. You understand why God created man and what His intended purpose was.
3. You are able to explain man’s original commission: what he was to conquer and subdue, and why.
4. You understand and are able to explain Satan’s strategy in Eden to gain control over the earth.
5. You understand and can explain the process that led to Adam’s sin.
6. You are able to explain the existence of two kingdoms on earth today.

Introduction:

Before there was sin on earth, there was sin in God's throne room. The angel Lucifer, who covered the throne
with another angel, had sparkling jewels that beamed with the light from being in the presence of God. The first
fight in the Kingdom began with a difference of opinions caused from self-interest and self-magnification. Lucifer
was unsatisfied with what he had and became too ambitious, wanting his own plan, instead of the plan of God.
The heart of an arch angel was lifted up because of his beauty.

Key Points:

I. In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God
in the beginning (John 1:1-2).

A. The primary meaning of both the Hebrew words malkuth in the Old Testament and of the Greek word basileia
in the New Testament that are translated “kingdom” is the rank, authority and sovereignty exercised by a king.

1. First of all, a kingdom is the authority to rule, the sovereignty of the king.
2. The Kingdom of God is His Sovereignty, His rule, His reign, His authority.
3. The Kingdom of God was, is, and will always be.

B. God's reign expresses itself in different stages through redemptive history. Therefore, men may enter into the
realm of God's reign in its several stages of manifestation and experience the blessings of His reign in differing
degrees.

1. God’s kingdom is a limitless kingdom. It is an ever-expanding reign.

2. It has always existed, it exists now, and it will continue to expand throughout eternity in ways we cannot
now know or imagine.

C. The Eternal God, Yahweh, always existed. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

1. No other being, and no other reality, came before God.

1

2. When nothing of our universe existed, He began to create; and the first thing He created was the
Page

heavens - our universe and atmosphere - and the earth.

4Ekselans School of Ministry: Institute for the Formation of Christian Leaders 2014
 EXPLORING THE KINGDOM OF GOD: THE ORIGINAL COMMISSION

3. Remember that the seat of God’s throne in heaven is the source from which all of the resources of the
earth (and the rest of the universe) are found, since God’s will was for heaven to come to earth and to
be duplicated here.

II. In heaven, even before the creation of Adam & Eve, a rebellion began. The Scriptures give us a clue to a
warfare taking place in the heavens, one that continues to exist to this day.

A. Notice the account of creation in Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2

1. God by His nature doesn't create anything that is without form and is void or is dark.
2. Many theologians believe that these two verses refer to something cataclysmic or catastrophic that
happened.
3. In the original text, Matthew 13:35, the mention of the “foundation of the world" refers to an overthrow
of the world.

B. There was a time when God's anger was fierce. The light, the people, and the animals were gone (Jeremiah
4:23-26)

C. Lucifer, God's anointed cherub, who led a rebellion against God, was cast down out of heaven and driven
from the Garden - not the same one as the one Adam & Eve were in (Ezekiel 28: 11-20; Isaiah 14: 12-20).

D. God’s plan for expanding His Kingdom is an eternal purpose, and God’s plan has been in effect since before
the beginning of creation.

1. “I AM” (Exodus 3: 14) is more than a simple statement of identity.… It is a declaration of the divine
control of all things.
2. God is self-existent. He does not depend on anyone or anything else to exist.
3. The name “I AM” encompasses each aspect of God’s nature, as well as all the other names by which He
is called in His Word.

E. The words “in the beginning” refer to time, and God is not subject to time; rather, He is the One who created
it. Therefore, Genesis refers to the beginning of our universe and of humanity.

1. Man was not created to dwell in time. He was created with dominion over it.
2. When the devil fell from immortality to mortality, he set his mind on man to bring him into his temporal
world, dwelling in a place of darkness away from the illuminating understanding of the Word of God.
3. When sin entered into the world, mankind fell into the essence of time, and he no longer had dominion
over time or life. He was now doomed to die.
4. We were originally created to be immortal like Adam who had dominion over time. We've seen this
domination available even in the Old Testament.

III. Satan had already been expelled from heaven when Adam and Eve were created, and his kingdom of
darkness and destruction was in operation.

A. The devil had seized the territory of earth, and God allowed him to do this— for His own purposes.

B. It is essential to recognize that Satan is never stronger than God. He is a created being, and he was thrown out
2
Page

of heaven after he rebelled. God always has total control over everything He creates.

4Ekselans School of Ministry: Institute for the Formation of Christian Leaders 2014
 EXPLORING THE KINGDOM OF GOD: THE ORIGINAL COMMISSION

C. Genesis 1: 2 says that “the earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters,” meaning
that the earth was in chaos and darkness because Satan had seized it; the presence of his kingdom always
results in such disorder and destruction.

IV. God, the great I AM, entered into the darkness and expelled it. He created the heavens, the earth and the
seas and He populated them. But the crown of His creation was man (Genesis 1:26-31).

A. Even in the midst of the darkness, God’s power to create was present, because the territory of earth did not
belong to Satan. He was a usurper.

B. Under the influence of God’s Spirit, the earth received light, order, and life. The waters parted, dry land
appeared, and plants and animals were brought into being.

C. God created man like Himself (Psalm 8:4-6).

1. The “I AM” took man from His substance. We could also say that He reproduced Himself in man.
2. Man is meant to be on earth as God is in heaven.
3. Adam and Eve were the extension of God, and they were intended to make of earth what heaven is
like.
4. The natural world is subject to God’s will through people whom He uses as His instruments.

D. After creating Adam, God put him into the environment of His presence.

1. The word “Eden” means “pleasure” or “delight.” The word “garden” signifies “enclosure” or a “fenced”
place.
2. The Garden of Eden was the base of operations, or starting point, that God gave human beings, because
they were always meant to have His glory as their habitation.
3. From this point forward, they were to expand God’s rule throughout the earth, bringing that glory with
them.

E. One Bible scholar has concluded that Eden was not a physical location on earth since it can’t be found in other
history or on a map.

1. He proposes that Eden was an open door, or entryway, into heaven.

2. It was an environment that was a “gate” or “portal” to heaven because God manifested His glory there.
3. Adam moved wherever the glory or presence of God moved.
4. We do see of such an experience that Jacob had. (Read Genesis 28:10-17).

V. God commissioned Adam and Eve to extend His Kingdom rule on earth throughout the whole earth, ruling it
as God rules heaven.

A. In this way, God gave human beings dominion not only over the natural world and everything in it, but also
over the enemy, who was still present on the earth.

B. Man was to expand His kingdom throughout the earth as His representatives and ambassadors:

1. God invested human beings with His power and authority (the right to rule) so they could have
3

dominion. in three primary areas:

Page

 ruler-ship over creation;

 power to perform the works of God

4Ekselans School of Ministry: Institute for the Formation of Christian Leaders 2014
 EXPLORING THE KINGDOM OF GOD: THE ORIGINAL COMMISSION

 authority over Satan, demons, and any other spirits

2. Human beings were to rule over creation— over nature, space, time, and matter.
3. They were to be kings over creation— under God. In line with this, they were given power to perform all
the works God called them to do.
4. Humanity also had authority over Satan and his demons, having the power to exercise dominion over
the enemy and subdue him.

C. Man had become the custodian of God's life and joy, but he had to exercise authority, his God-delegated right
to rule. We cannot talk about the meaning of the kingdom of God without including the subjugation of Satan
and his works.

Gen. 1:28 - "subdue" - Heb. kabash - "to tread down, conquer, or subjugate"

Gen. 2:15 - Heb. shanar – “to guard, to protect, to hedge in"

D. Adam was responsible to conquer and tread down any opposition to his authority in order to keep what God
had entrusted to him.

1. God’s original intention was for human beings to be the agents that would carry out heaven’s laws on
earth.
2. Adam had been given authority to rule over all the works of God's hands. Remember - Lucifer was a
created being.
 Adam was to conquer the attacks and temptations of Satan and to guard the Garden against him.
 They were to subdue Satan and his kingdom— to bring him under control by spiritual force.

E. Human beings were meant to continue to fill the earth with God’s kingdom through succeeding generations
born from Adam and Eve and their children.

1. If Adam remained as God created him, God would have a large family like His Son Jesus.
2. God could have created the whole human family at once. Instead, He gave the ability to reproduce to
Adam, who would be liable for the yet unborn children who would fulfill the heart-joy of the Father.

VI. Satan had his own plan.

A. The devil desired to shroud the earth in darkness once again. To do this, he had to recover his rule by taking
the territory away from man.

B. God had granted man authority over the earth; therefore, the only legal way Satan could regain it was if Adam
and Eve gave it to him.

C. Satan’s plan was to make human beings fall from the glory of God by means of rebellion and disobedience —
the same way by which he had fallen.

1. As he always does, he looks for an opportunity (1Peter 5:8).

2. He presents himself as something different than what he is in an attempt to deceive (2 Corinthians
11:14b).
4

 The Bible is silent as to when or how Satan entered Eden. The only thing that is on record in
Page

Scripture is Adam’s surrender to temptation.

4Ekselans School of Ministry: Institute for the Formation of Christian Leaders 2014
 EXPLORING THE KINGDOM OF GOD: THE ORIGINAL COMMISSION

 However, we must understand that if Satan entered Eden, the dwelling place of God’s glory, then
God had allowed him to do so.
 God didn’t intervene, because He had given that territory to Adam and Eve. They had been given the
authority to rule that territory.
3. He distorts the Word of God.
 God had said: “… You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
 Satan said: “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

D. Even though Adam was master of his domain, his authority was delegated; i.e. entrusted to him by God.
Therefore, Adam was required to submit to the One who has all authority.

1. They were given one restriction. They were not to eat of the tree with the fruit of the knowledge of good
and evil.
2. In contrast, the tree of life signifies the life of God, the uncreated life of God. It represents "trust". The
purpose of God was for Adam to choose for himself the tree of life so that he might be related to God in
divine life.

E. When Adam sinned he became guilty of the same sin of Lucifer – disobedience and rebellion.

1. When Adam sinned, he relinquished the territory and his authority to rule to Satan.
2. Now there are two principles in the universe: God's authority and Satan's rebellion. And there are two
kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world.

F. The results of Adam’s sin were catastrophic. Man went from being God’s governor on earth to being ruled,
manipulated, and controlled by the enemy of his soul.

VII. In reading about the fall of man, we may read it as one event that took place, but that does not follow the
pattern of sin. On closer examination, we might discover four phases that happened over a period of time:

A. Adam was aware of his coexistence with evil (Genesis 2:9).

1. At the same time that God bestowed dominion on Adam, He gave him instructions about what to do
with evil. These instructions were to subjugate and rule it.
2. Adam had the ability to resist and conquer Satan and his kingdom when confronted with temptation,
because he had not yet sinned.
3. Since he was aligned with God and His Spirit, evil had to submit to his rule.
4. Adam’s job was to place Satan underfoot and force him to submit, to dominate him, and bring him
under subjection.
5. This was because Adam’s purpose was to carry out God’s will by governing, protecting, and spreading
His kingdom on the planet.

B. Adam began to tolerate evil (Genesis 3:4-5).

1. To coexist with evil does not mean to tolerate it. Adam and Eve tolerated the serpent, Satan, and
5
Page

allowed him to influence them.

4Ekselans School of Ministry: Institute for the Formation of Christian Leaders 2014
 EXPLORING THE KINGDOM OF GOD: THE ORIGINAL COMMISSION

2. By dwelling on Satan’s statements, Adam gave the evil one the right to touch his life and to encroach on
his relationship with God.
3. A person’s disobedience is the devil’s legal authorization to attack him.

C. Adam lost the fear, or reverence, of the Lord (Proverbs 8:13a).

1. To fear the Lord is to reverence, honor, and respect Him. It means to be in awe of Him.
2. Adam went from coexisting with evil to tolerating it, and from tolerance of evil to losing the fear of the
Lord, which guards us against yielding to evil.
3. When Adam became indifferent to the dangers of evil, he soon entered into a relationship with it.
4. Evil is not held back if we lose our reverence for the Lord.
5. God’s Word tells us that if we fear the Lord, we will hate evil— not allow it to influence us!
6. Losing the fear of the Lord leads to a loss of sensitivity to evil; we no longer see its dangers and
consequences, and we compromise the truth.

D. Adam finally sinned (Genesis 3:6). He and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit.

1. Here we see the final stage in Adam’s descent. He went from coexisting with evil to tolerating it to losing
the fear of the Lord to falling from God’s glory into the curse of sin.
2. In this way, human beings lost their dominion and their life in the presence of God.
3. What is more, they lost the territory He had given them, and they entered into Satan’s bondage.
4. In essence, Adam gave the enemy the keys to his life, and that is how Satan became ruler of the earth.
5. Jesus called the devil “the ruler of this world” and Paul echoed this description by referring to him as
“the god of this world.” (John 12:31; John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4).

VIII. It is important to realize that two kingdoms exist on earth today.

A. Throughout the New Testament we are taught that this world— the kingdom of this world— is separated
from God, is under His judgment, and is at enmity with God.

B. When you seek to understand what is going on in the world, whether on a global scale or in your hometown
or in your workplace or in your own home, do you think in these terms— that the world is a fallen kingdom ruled
by the devil?

C. We must be aware that there is a spiritual being who is powerful enough to rule hearts and minds of men and
the earth itself. He rules over other powerful spiritual beings. He manifests his will in the horrors, and pain, and
suffering of humans every day.

D. The way you think about these two kingdoms, what you believe about them, will impact how you live every
day, as well as your constant state of mind.

1. Jesus came to take back His kingdom from the kingdom of the world, controlled by Satan.
2. God’s plan of expanding His kingdom over the earth through human beings did not begin with our
redemption in Jesus. It is not just a response to the fall of mankind. It is an eternal purpose, and God’s
plan has been in effect since before the beginning of creation.
3. No longer do we need to be dominated and controlled by circumstances, problems, and Satan. We can
live a victorious life and once again exercise the dominion that Adam and Eve lost.
6
Page

4Ekselans School of Ministry: Institute for the Formation of Christian Leaders 2014
 EXPLORING THE KINGDOM OF GOD: THE ORIGINAL COMMISSION

E. People were created to “have dominion,” or to rule. They were God’s legal representatives to apply or enforce
His Kingdom laws on earth (Genesis 1:28). The prevailing principle of the Kingdom of God is permanent
expansion.

VIII. The plan of God to destroy the seed of the serpent (Genesis 3:14-15; Isaiah 9:6-7)

A. Gabriel, who stood in the presence of God, rejoiced with the Lord and his holy angels when the time came to
deliver the message of the coming Messiah to Mary, of the Word being made flesh on earth within her.

1. Instructions from heaven were given (let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven) for us to replenish
the earth with heavenly dominion and power.
2. Adam, the original “governor” of the planet had failed to accomplish this responsibility.
3. But, The Son of God was given to us as promised. We would return to a dominion of a kingdom that
would be set up and have no end (Daniel 7:13-14).
4. Jesus came to take back His kingdom.

B. Although Satan would make an attempt, at any cost, to destroy the Messiah at the earliest stages, a higher
ranking destiny would be fulfilled (Matthew 2:13-16). “This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the
prophet: ‘I called my Son out of Egypt.’”

C. When John the Baptist prepared the way for the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom endured violence until
Jesus came with the activity of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 11:12).

D. Already we see the elements of this great conflict into which Jesus entered.

E. As soon as a voice from heaven proclaimed "This is my beloved Son," He was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. (Luke 4:1).

1. It is the devil, Satan, whom Jesus must now engage at the very beginning of His earthly ministry.
2. The Apostle John was later to summarize the life and ministry of Jesus by saying that “the reason the
Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”
3. And the devil, in this particular temptation in the wilderness, promises to give to Jesus “all the kingdoms
of the world and their glory” if Jesus will worship him.
4. Although we know that the devil is a liar, we must accept his ability to deliver on this promise or it would
have no plausibility at all – nor would it be the last temptation.

F. Jesus often referred to the devil and his role in the world, both as its ruler and as the adversary. (Parable of
the Weeds and Parable of the Sower)

1. Much later as Jesus’ earthly ministry approached its conclusion, after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem
and as Jesus knew that His crucifixion was imminent, He said: “Now is the judgment of this world; now
will the ruler of this world be cast out.”
2. As He spoke with His disciples to prepare them and reassure them, He said, “I will no longer talk much
with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has
commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.”

G. When God came to earth in His Son Jesus Christ, Satan was the earth’s “landlord”— humanity had to pay him
7

“rent” in the form of suffering the rule of his kingdom of darkness.

Page

4Ekselans School of Ministry: Institute for the Formation of Christian Leaders 2014
 EXPLORING THE KINGDOM OF GOD: THE ORIGINAL COMMISSION

1. Yet the Son of God willingly separated Himself from His glory and majesty in heaven to be conceived by
the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin in order to save us from our bondage (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35).
2. Jesus was begotten of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, but He also needed to be born of a woman to
be fully human as well as fully God.

H. In the wilderness, Jesus defeated the attack of Satan with the Word of God and it is still the Word and the
name of Jesus that defeats him today. Jesus restored humanity to dominion.

1. In these verses, we learn that Satan tried the same tactic with Jesus that he had used with Adam: tempt
Him to make Him sin and then defeat Him.
 The devil tempted Jesus three times, and each temptation was directed toward His identity as the
Son of God.
 It is interesting to consider that Jesus had the power to do everything the devil asked Him to do, but
He did not do it because the temptation was not a valid foundation on which to manifest the power
of God.
 The Father had not given Jesus authority and power just to establish His identity but to defeat the
devil’s kingdom.
 Jesus did not need to prove anything to the devil. He simply refuted the three temptations with the
Word of God, thereby defeating him.

2. Adam’s experiences with the devil in the Garden of Eden were very different from Jesus’ experiences,
even though there were some important similarities.
 Adam dealt with a being who had been thrown out of heaven and had no legal status on earth.
Satan had not been given dominion over anything (Revelation 12:9).
 Through Adam’s sin, Satan was able to take over legal possession of the territory of earth.
 Jesus, therefore, came into the world to deal with a being who had usurped mankind’s authority and
established himself as the one in charge.
 Jesus confronted him in spiritual warfare as a Man and not as God.

3. There is another significant difference between the experiences of Adam and Jesus.
 Adam was created and placed in Eden as an adult man. He received direct, revealed knowledge from
God about the earth and his role in it, and he was surrounded by the Father’s glory.
 Jesus came to earth as a baby. He had to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually.
 While Adam was tempted by Satan in the middle of a garden full of delicious fruit ready to be eaten,
Jesus was tempted by Satan after spending forty days fasting in the desert.

I. Following the victory He won in the wilderness, Jesus returned from the desert “in the power of the Spirit”
(Luke 4: 14) to begin His mission.

1. Jesus conquered Satan as a Man to demonstrate that it is possible for a human being to overcome
temptation through the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Through the Spirit, Jesus accomplished what Adam had failed to do.
3. God has permitted Satan to continue his warfare using guerrilla tactics such as harassment and
sabotage, but He has authorized the church, made up of individual believers, to declare His Word, use
His name, exercise His power, and enforce His victory over Satan.
8
Page

4Ekselans School of Ministry: Institute for the Formation of Christian Leaders 2014
 EXPLORING THE KINGDOM OF GOD: THE ORIGINAL COMMISSION

4. Legally, God destroyed Satan once and for all. But He chose to freely give to each believer His authority
and His enablement in overcoming Satan. It is now our responsibility to establish Christ’s decisive victory
and free mankind from Satan’s grip over them.
5. What was lost when the first Adam sinned can only be restored through the redemptive work of the
second Adam, who is the Lord Jesus Christ.

HOMEWORK:

1. Who was Lucifer?

2. Explain the rebellion that existed in heaven even before the creation of man. What were the results of
that rebellion?
3. Why did God create man?
4. What was the original commission God gave to man? What was he to conquer and subdue, and why?
5. Explain Satan’s strategy in Eden to gain control over the earth.
6. What were the stages or process that led to Adam’s sin?
7. Explain the existence of two kingdoms on earth today.

9
Page

4Ekselans School of Ministry: Institute for the Formation of Christian Leaders 2014