It’s A Romance Story
Discovering God’s original purpose for mankind can help to fortify our resolve to live a life of history-changing significance.
It was God’s original intention that as Adam and Eve had children, they also would live under God’s rule, extending the boundaries of His garden, Eden, and His government, through their simple devotion to God. This process was to continue until the entire earth was covered with the glorious rule of God through man.
Satan had rebelled against God and been cast out of heaven with the fallen angels, a portion of which took dominion of the earth. The rest of planet Earth was then under the influence of darkness.
The Heavenly Father placed mankind in charge of planet earth. “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men.” (Psalm 115:16)
God created us in His image, for intimacy with Him, through love. Now we can learn to walk as His ambassadors and His children, defeating satan, the “prince of this world.” The stage was set for all of darkness to fall as man exercised His godly influence over creation. But, instead, man fell.
Satan could not take possession of the Garden of Eden violently from Adam and Eve. He couldn’t, because he had no dominion from God. Man was given the keys of dominion over the planet. The devil would have to get his authority from them. By taking satan’s suggestion to eat the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve enabled satan to kill, steal and destroy, which is what he wants to do.
Man’s authority to rule over the Earth was forfeited when Adam ate the forbidden fruit. Mankind became the slave of the evil one. Adam’s position of rule became part of the devil’s plunder.
But, God’s plan of redemption immediately kicked into play. Jesus, God’s Son, would come to reclaim all that was lost.
God told satan the moment after mankind’s fall in the Garden of Eden,“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He (Jesus) shall crush your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
Jesus Would Come To Reclaim All That Was Lost
God’s plan of rulership for man never ceased. Jesus came to bear man’s penalty for sin and recapture what had been lost. Jesus came “to seek and save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
Not only was mankind lost in sin, becoming a slave to sin and their enemy, satan, but mankind’s dominion over planet earth was also lost. Jesus came to recapture it all.
Satan tried to ruin that plan at the end of Jesus’ 40-day fast in the wilderness. Jesus had just been filled with the Holy Spirit, and the wilderness was a huge test of his humanity. After going 40 days in the desert without food, Jesus was hungry, tired and his body was weak. It was the satan’s perfect opportunity to test Jesus’ resolve to do His Father’s will. Jesus came to live and eventually die for man’s sins to restore man’s relationship with the Father.
The devil knew he wasn’t worthy of Jesus’ worship, but he knew that Jesus had come to reclaim the authority that man had given away. Satan said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” (Luke 4:6-7)
Satan could not steal authority over the Earth. But, it had been relinquished when Adam abandoned God’s rule. It was as though satan was saying to Jesus, “I know what You came for. You know what I want. Worship me and I’ll give You back the keys of authority over the Earth.”
God’s Holy Spirit In Us Gives Us The Power To Resist Temptation
In effect, the temptation satan offered Jesus was a shortcut to His goal of recapturing the keys of authority that man lost through sin. Thankfully Jesus said “no” to the shortcut and refused to give him any honour. Jesus held His course and stayed true to doing the will of His Father, for He had come to die to rescue mankind from satan.
The Father wanted satan defeated by man. Jesus was made in God’s image and also lived as a man. He would shed His blood to redeem mankind, paying with His life to buy mankind’s freedom from satan. He emptied Himself of His rights as God and took upon Himself the limitations of man, just because He loves us.
That meant satan was defeated by a man – Jesus, the Son of Man, who was rightly related to God. Now, as people receive the work of Christ on the cross for salvation, all who believe and receive Jesus as their Saviour, are rescued and become part of that Jesus’ victory – and part of King Jesus’ Kingdom. Jesus defeated the devil with His sinless life. He defeated the enemy in His death by paying for our sins with His blood. And, in the resurrection, Jesus rose triumphantly with the keys of death and hell.
Jesus is now exalted by His Father, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Saviour of mankind. It is our opportunity to receive Him as our “rescuer” if we believe in Him and make Him our King.
