BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

God also conferred upon Adam His very own authority. He gave him lordship over the earth. He made him His under ruler, put the whole planet under his dominion, and gave Adam the freedom to do on earth whatever he chose to do—with one exception: “Don’t eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” He said. Other than that, Adam had total liberty to enjoy fellowship with God and learn from Him how to rule on earth just like God rules in heaven. It was a truly glorious plan! But, of course, Adam and Eve messed it up. They listened to the lies of the devil, did what he told them to do, and put themselves under his wicked power. As a result, they died spiritually, and lost the glory of God. Even so, however, they remained in charge on this earth. God didn’t revoke their dominion. Why? Because, as I’ve already noted, He doesn’t change! Sometimes I hear people say things like, “Well, if God’s running things on this earth, He’s sure doing a poor job of it.” And they would be right if He actually were running things down here. But He’s not. Men are running things down here. Isn’t it amazing? Even today, some 6,000 years after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, God’s will isn’t done on earth unless a human being chooses to be obedient to Him. Even now, this planet is still under mankind’s dominion because that’s the way God set it up. And as James 1:17 says…He never changes! The Opportunity of a Lifetime Truth be told, it’s because of God’s unchangeable nature—as well as His love, of course—that as soon as sin corrupted His original plan, He immediately began working to restore it. Right there in Eden, He spoke to the serpent, who was the devil in disguise, and said, “From now on you and the woman will be enemies, as will your offspring and hers. You will strike his heel, but he will crush your head” (Genesis. 3:15, "The Living Bible"). With those words, God implemented the plan of Redemption that would pay the price for Adam’s sin. It would cost God a dear price to do it. But it was His will to bring man back into fellowship with Him, and He intended to see that it came to pass. For 4,000 years, God worked…and worked…and worked that plan of Redemption (I’m telling you, the patience of God is something to behold!) until one day, the Holy Spirit hovered over a young virgin named Mary, and Jesus was conceived in her womb. With His birth, the Son of God became the Son of Man. He came into the earth as the “last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45) to get back what the first Adam had lost. That’s why there had to be a virgin birth. So a sinless Man could exercise mankind’s God-given authority to free men from spiritual death and restore God’s family to Him! During Jesus’ life on earth, He walked perfectly in the will of God. He healed the sick, cast out demons and worked miracles. He did what He saw His heavenly Father do and said what He heard His Father say. In other words, He walked, talked and did the works of God. Then He went to the Cross, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit so we can do the same. Not just so we can escape hell and make heaven, but so we can be born again in God’s image, be filled with His Spirit, and do the works of God right here on earth. Think about it! We have an opportunity, between now and the time the Lord catches us away in the Rapture, to do something God has been working on bringing to pass for thousands of years. We have an opportunity to reveal Jesus to people in a sin-darkened world; to share the gospel with them and let them see His love, His character and His redemptive power in us. Heaven will be wonderful, and when it’s time for us to go there, we’ll be thrilled. But you and I have a chance to serve God right now, that we’ll never have again in the same way. Let’s make the most of it. Let’s believe for the glory of God to manifest through us! “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). V Points to Get You There: The Glorious Family of God God didn’t design the plan of Redemption just to keep you out of hell and get you into heaven. He sent Jesus to pay the price for sin so that He can be your Father and you can be His child. He did it so you can grow up to be like Jesus and help bring into manifestation the glory of God right here on earth. Here are some points to get you there: 1. God’s will from the beginning was for His children to bear His image and walk in His glory. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:27) 2. When Adam and Eve sinned and lost that glory, God immediately began to work to restore it. “So the Lord God said to the serpent…. From now on you and the woman will be enemies, as will your offspring and hers. You will strike his heel, but he will crush your head.” (Genesis 3:14-15, "The Living Bible") 3. God sent Jesus to be the last Adam and regain, through the cross and the resurrection, what the first Adam had lost. “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45) 4. God’s endgame is for Jesus to return for a Church that is manifesting His glory. “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27) 5. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity while we’re on this earth to reveal God’s glory to a sin-darkened world. “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God’s] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9, "The Amplified Bible") BVOV : 31

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