INTRODUCTION:

What I am about to share is sometimes an unpopular message.

It is about submission and obedience.

It is not very popular because of misunderstanding, misuse and abuse of authority, but when applied in line with balanced biblical truth, there is great blessing.

Generally speaking men and women do not like being told what to do. We tend to rebel and want to do our own thing and I guess that this is an inherited trait coming to us from the rebellious and disobedient act of one man in a garden—the first Adam.

Jesus, who is the second Adam came to the earth and lived amongst us as a man, divesting Himself of His divine nature and He too faced the same choice precesses we do as far as submission and obedience to the higher authority—His Father. He often said that He never did anything or said anything independently.  

He came here on a mission and His whole life was dedicated to that mission.
Throughout His ministry Jesus often referred to His destiny. For example-

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. John 2:18-22.

She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Mark 14:8.

Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon, a man who had suffered from a skin disease.
While Jesus was sitting there, a woman went to him with a bottle of very expensive perfume and poured it on his head. The disciples were irritated when they saw this. They asked, “Why did she waste it like this?
It could have been sold for a high price, and the money could have been given to the poor.”
Since Jesus knew what was going on, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me with you.
She poured this perfume on my body before it is placed in a tomb.
I can guarantee this truth: Wherever this Good News is spoken in the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”  Matthew 26:6-13 

He said that this woman's actions would be remembered as her memorial. I am bearing testimony of that now. You may never know this side of Heaven what affect your small deeds can have. May they be good ones and may they be great ones.

Let us look at the events leading up to Jesus’ arrest and delve into the heart-wrenching, soul-searching agonizing events that happened in a garden. 
 

The Last Supper:

It was Passover and Jesus, our Passover lamb announced:
Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Matthew 26:2.
And He said to them, I have earnestly and intensely desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; For I say to you, I shall eat it no more until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He said, Take this and divide and distribute it among yourselves; For I say to you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine at all until the kingdom of God comes. Then He took a loaf [of bread], and when He had given thanks, He broke [it] and gave it to them saying, This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. And in like manner, He took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament or covenant [ratified] in My blood, which is shed (poured out) for you. Luke 22:15-20

Religious art that we often admire depicts Jesus sitting in the middle of a long rectangular shaped table with all disciples seated on the same side to His right and left, but it is more likely that they were in a U-shape configuration and rather than sitting upright on chairs, were most likely reclining on one side. We know that John was so close to Him that he could lean against Jesus.

Judas was so close to Him that the Lord could reach out with His hand to dip into the plate and pass him the sop.
When Judas was about to depart, Jesus told him that what he had to do, to do it quickly.

The disciples wondered about it, assuming that Jesus had sent him out to give some money to the poor, because was the treasurer. They could not have heard what Jesus said. Perhaps all that Jesus had to do was speak softly into Judas’ ear.

I share this to illustrate that we have often assumed things or believed some things that might not necessarily be true. Religious tradition may have led us to believe erroneously about certain matters. You might believe that three wise men came to the infant Jesus in the nativity story, but the bible does not tell us that! All that is stated is that there were wise men from the East who presented three groups of gifts! I encourage you to conduct your own research into such things.

Jesus told us that He came here to die. From the outset He went about on His assignment confident in the knowledge that He always pleased the Father and did only what the Father did. See John 5:17; 5:30; 8:16; 8:28; 8:38; 10:30. He came as a man, to live amongst men, die as a man and be raised again. Everything that He did on earth was done as an ordinary human being. He shed His divinity for us. Paul said:

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11

Every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in things relating to God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to exercise gentleness and forbearance toward the ignorant and erring, since he himself also is liable to moral weakness and physical infirmity. And because of this he is obliged to offer sacrifice for his own sins, as well as for those of the people.
Besides, one does not appropriate for himself the honor [of being high priest], but he is called by God and receives it of Him, just as Aaron did. So too Christ (the Messiah) did not exalt Himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed and exalted by Him Who said to Him, You are My Son; today I have begotten You; As He says also in another place, You are a Priest [appointed] forever after the order (with the rank) of Melchizedek.
In the days of His flesh [Jesus] offered up definite, special petitions [for that which He not only wanted but needed] and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was [always] able to save Him [out] from death, and He was heard because of His reverence toward God [His godly fear, His piety, in that He shrank from the horrors of separation from the bright presence of the Father].
Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered And, [His completed experience] making Him perfectly [equipped], He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him, Being designated and recognized and saluted by God as High Priest after the order (with the rank) of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:1-10

Our story may be the most important, crucial, profound part of His whole ministry. Without that, there may not have been Calvary. What if Jesus had failed in the Garden? What if He had succumbed to His humanity and avoided what happened next after that Passover? He had that power and authority to do so...

The writer of Hebrews spoke something very powerful when talking about Jesus’ sonship, submission and obedience. It would appear that it started at birth, but it always existed before the Garden was created; before the world was made, when Jesus was the Passover Lamb as we see in that Revelation 13:8. In Hebrews chapter ten, we see a testimony of His willingness and obedience.

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Hebrews 10:7.

He said it again in verse 9 and if you read on, you will see that Jesus made one offering—one sacrifice for sin and rested. There is no more remembrance of our sin once we are saved and there is no more offering for sin. His work is complete and we are complete in Him. He is resting and we can enter into that rest.

The only labor we now have is to enter into it.

The Love Walk: 

Mary and Joseph raised Jesus in Jewish environment. When He was twelve years of age, they went to Jerusalem for Passover and started their return journey, but He remained there.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. Luke 2:41-45

After searching for Him, they found Jesus in the temple. He was talking with such learned men as lawyers, doctors, priests and I guess anyone who knew anything and He amazed them all with His grasp of the things of God. His parents chided Him, but He replied:

And He said to them, How is it that you had to look for Me? Did you not see and know that it is necessary [as a duty] for Me to be in My Father’s house and [occupied] about My Father’s business? Luke 2:49

At that tender age, Jesus was aware of His destiny. Luke says that He went back home with His parents, where He remained until He emerged at Jordan to start ministering. He willingly placed himself in submission to those in authority over Him.

Submission to authority is important, but is not being taught or adhered to today as it aught. Even in the Church, misunderstanding and abuse of authority sometimes occurs. Little wonder that rank disobedience is becoming more and more evident everywhere today. Paul said this would happen:

But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]. For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane. [They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good. [They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God. For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them]. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

I am not suggesting that we do not submit to leadership. We are to do this in all areas of life according to the bible, but when leadership of any kind demands it; lords it over us, dominates, manipulates and controls us to excess, it is dangerous. It borders on witchcraft and witchcraft exists in the church! Please weigh up the evidence and compare it with dictionary definitions. For example we often hear the well-worn question, “Whose covering are you under?” It is often said to mean, “Who is controlling you?” There is a difference.

Our submission is to be voluntary and not demanded. We are not to rebel and are to honor our leaders, but they must deserve that privilege and earn our respect—not demand it. A pastor (and I am a pastor) who demands this might be out of divine order and that is all I will say on that matter.

Refusal to come under leadership was Lucifer’s problem. That and his pride was his undoing, but this is not so with Jesus.

And He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was [habitually] obedient to them; and his mother kept and closely and persistently guarded all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom (in broad and full understanding) and in stature and years, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:51-52

This attitude gave Him favor and He earned His leadership qualities, learning what He did and willingly yielding to the Father and to His peers on earth. The Roman Centurion mentioned in Matthew chapter eight recognized this quality in Jesus. Paul also knew about such things.

Paul stared at the Jewish council and said, “Brothers, my relationship with God has always given me a perfectly clear conscience.” The chief priest Ananias ordered the men standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you hypocrite! You sit there and judge me by Moses’ Teachings and yet you break those teachings by ordering these men to strike me!” The men standing near Paul said to him, “You’re insulting God’s chief priest!” Paul answered, “Brothers, I didn’t know that he is the chief priest. After all, Scripture says, ‘Don’t speak evil about a ruler of your people.’” Acts 23:1-5

Ananias was out of line, but Paul was also out of line until he realized who Ananias was. He then submitted to the authority vested in Him. People in authority might not necessarily be right, but they are there nevertheless and are only there, because of God’s permission and that is what we honor.

When I was a very young Christian, the Lord started to speak to me one day, saying, “Apologize to pastor....” (mentioning his name). I answered, “But Lord, he offended me”. He kept telling me, “Apologize” and I kept avoiding it. I told the Lord that the pastor was wrong and that he had offended me. I said that if anyone should make an apology it should come to me, but the Lord kept telling me to apologize. That pastor was in the wrong, but so was I by my attitude.

I eventually went to his home. He and his wife invited me in and offered me coffee but I said that I had to apologize to him first. I told them what had happened telling them what happened and why. He responded by asking what he had done to hurt me. He really didn’t know! He was very apologetic and asked me what he had done and for the life of me, it was so trivial, it was of no real consequence. I apologized to him and he to me and we became great friends. He helped me all he could thereafter. The point wish to make is that I risked taking offense over something that he did not realize he had inadvertently done and I was not honoring the position that the man of God held!

Does it really matter who is right? Perception can be misleading. Keep the love walk going and do not try to promote or elevate yourself or prove a thing. Allow God to handle things.

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. Psalm 75:6-7

If we followed these principles in the Church, things would improve. See also Exodus 22:28; Ecclesiastes 10:20; Romans 13:1; 1 Timothy 2:1-3; 1 Peter 2:17.

I am mindful of the need to speak carefully and in love, but there are churches and pastors out there that should not exist.

Several  years ago when I started to restructure the ministry, I had intentions of starting a new church and the Lord forbade me saying that there were too many churches around—that He did not ordain (His words and not mine). We may be anointed. We may have great meetings and create great and wonderful programs, but the bottom line is this—Did the Lord ask the people involved to do that, or did they choose to do so themselves? If He never asked them to do what they are doing, they are stepping into rebellion!

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23

Jesus did not deny what they stated, for they had in fact done them, but He said that they had no intimate relationship, coming from the word Knew, which in the Greek is Ginōskō. He called them workers of iniquity or Anomia, meaning iniquity, lawless and lawlessness. One translation says that He did not ordain them, or authorize them to do what they were doing! That is unrighteousness and is transgressing the law of God! King Saul was anointed, but he was not submissive and obedient and David replaced him.

Changes are coming to the Church in the close of this dispensation! Some big ministries are going to fail for this reason and be replaced. Watch and pray for them and for the people that will be hurt. Do not condemn them, but love on them.

Keep the love walk intact.

Genesis 1:2 tells us that the earth was a place of devastation—a dark place full of ruin, misery and death! 

When God began to create heaven and earth—the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water—God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3

The King James Version says:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was (הָיָה [hāyâ] meaning to become exist or happen) without form (תֹּהו [tōhû] meaning to lie waste, vain, vanity, confusion, without form, wilderness, empty place, waste), and void (בֹּהו [bōhû] meaning to be empty, an undistinguishable ruin, emptiness, void; and darkness (חשֶׁך [ḥōshek] meaning the dark, literal darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

The Hebrew language paints a picture of that last statement as a command. Light… Be! Up to this point, the hōshek enveloped the planet, but at God’s command it was dispelled by a luminescence that was not the natural light produced by the sun, moon or stars. It was אוֹר (ʾôr), which refers to lights, clarity, brightness, lightning etc including things like happiness.

When God saw the good, He divided the light from the darkness. The word used is בָּדַל (bādal) and some of its meanings speak about severing, or making a distinct demarcation line of separation between things.

There may have been a pre-creation era—a time when what we know as earth previously existed in some way, but became dark, ruined and devastated.

Isaiah 14:12-17 speaks about a being called Lucifer. It describes his pride and how the world was made to be a wilderness. Ezekiel 28:11-19 talks about a being I believe was Lucifer. Revelation 12:7-10 reveals his expulsion from Heaven and Jesus stated that He saw it happen in Luke 10:18.

I suggest to you that Lucifer fell to earth after being banished from Heaven with the angels who sided with him and this is when the darkness ruin and devastation happened.

When God created the man, He blessed them. Clearly, His intention is to bless us and He gave a command. God does not change, so His wishes and commands have not changed. The command was to be fruitful, multiply and rule.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:28.

This command embraced the aspects of fruitfulness. Adam was to multiply and cover the earth, starting from the garden. He was to subdue the earth and take dominion. Look at the meanings of the words subdue and dominion for a moment, courtesy of Webster’s dictionary.

The word subdue is a verb, meaning overcome, arrest, to conquer and bring into subjection, to vanquish and to bring under control especially by an exertion of the will.

If the earth as such was perfect, Adam had no need to conquer a thing. What therefore did he have to subdue?

To replenish is to fill with persons or animals, yet God had just created the animals that were to reproduce as He commanded. To replenish is to fill with inspiration or power and to nourish. It is to fill something or build something up again. If the earth in its original form had been in a state of perfection, there would be no need for such things. Something was wrong with the planet and God implemented His plan to fix it.

And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2:8

The garden mentioned is ‏גַּן‎ (gan). It describes a fenced garden. Such derivatives of the word as ‏גָּנַן‎ (gānan) speak about defending it, to put a shield about it and to protect it. The idea is to cover over and thus shield from danger. A gan or gannâ referred to a garden or a plot of ground that is protected by a wall or a hedge.

Adam was much more than a mere caretaker of a garden and the keeper of an aquarium.

As God’s representative, given total control or authority, he was placed inside the garden to guard and protect it! From what?

Another derivative is māgēn, which is a shield, buckler and defense. It refers to an object that provides covering and protection to the body during warfare. God is always the one who protects (gānan) his people. He is often called the shield (māgēn) of Israel and everyone who walks uprightly and puts their trust in Him. See Genesis 15:1; Deuteronomy 33:29; Psalm 115:10; Proverbs 2:7; Proverbs 30:5.

This is the setting in which the First Adam was placed.

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Genesis 2:15.

It would appear that God created Adam outside the garden then placed him inside. He was to tend the garden and keep it. The act of keeping is interesting. Taken form the word ‏שָׁמַר (shāmar) it means to keep, guard, observe, watch over, save and preserve. One meaning is watchman and it speaks about the act of hedging about as with a thorny hedge. Adam was there to guard and protect the place as well as tending it.

Before we continue, please ask the question, from what or from whom was he protecting the garden?

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Genesis 3:1

I wonder where he was when the serpent came to the woman and enchanted her. Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:14 that he was not deceived—Eve was. If Adam was the watchman with such abilities, why did he permit this to happen? Why did he not forbid the snake to get in? Why did he not tell Eve not to listen?

The serpent came to Eve and started to quote the bible (perhaps I should say misquote). The devil can read the bible, but he does not have the wonderful privilege we have of receiving revelation knowledge of what God said.

If he did know as much as some people say, he should have told the people to leave Jesus alone and not crucify Him! See 1 Corinthians 2:8. He twisted what God had said to suit his own ends and Eve listened.

He appealed to her sense knowledge, but she was supposed to live out of her spirit as we are!

When she changed channels so to speak, the way we can change a TV channel, she became self conscious instead of God conscious. She should have gone to Adam and asked him. Adam should have been there and told her to have nothing to do with it. Actually he should not have permitted the snake to be there in the first place.

She fell for the beguiling words and ate that piece of fruit and then gave some to her husband and he also ate. I consider that an act of treason. At that point, it was as if he gave Satan the authority or title deeds of the planet that  God gave him and sin came into the world.

The serpent offered them what they already possessed, but he did it in such a way that they reverted to self-efforts.

Many cults and false religions, even some people who call themselves Christians (but are not) operate like this. They offer an alternative. They tell you that your good deeds and charitable acts, religious observances and the like will get you into God’s favor and give you a ticket to Heaven.

The bible never teaches that at all. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ! The only means of receiving forgiveness of sin is by the shed blood of Jesus. Adam and Eve tried to be their own god. They had previously been naked and suddenly became conscious of self and tried to fix it themselves by sewing fig leaves for a covering. We need God’s covering, but they tried to obtain that by works!

We obtain all that is necessary by faith!

God’s Plan:

Everything that we read concerning these matters reveals that God was working to a precise plan. Despite Adam’s sin, God was working to a plan and this is the wonder of it all. God knew in advance that you would read this story one day. He knew that I would write it, yet He still gave us the freedom of will. You can choose to believe or not believe. You can choose to be a follower of Jesus or not and it never ceases to amaze me that God honors our choice. The outcome depends on our obedience. In Deuteronomy 30:19, God states clearly that our decisions will produce life or death, blessing or cursing. The choice is ours.

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; Deuteronomy 11:26. 

The First Adam made his choice with the result that we all came under the curse. Jesus who is called the Second Adam did what Adam did not and because of His obedience to the point of death, we are now able to come boldly through the veil into the throne room to worship and fellowship with the Father. What He did emancipated us and redeemed us from that curse.

At one crucial point in Jesus’ life, you and I and every human being on earth depended on one thing that He wanted to avoid. At the last minute, He wanted to escape. He wanted a way out and avoid what was to come. Totally alone, with no one to stand with Him and, as an ordinary man at that time, He wanted to quit.

We would have been doomed for eternity if He came out of that crushing place without His submission to the will of the Father.

When Peter cut off the ear of Malchus, Jesus stated that He could call on more than twelve legions of angels to help Him. These small snippets of information can reveal a massive wealth of revelation. In the Bible a legion means a number indefinitely large. A Roman legion varied in number at different periods, ranging from three thousand to six thousand in Jesus’ day. This did not include the cavalry. There were ten cohorts in each legion that were further divided into smaller groups often containing one hundred men each.

By Jesus’ words, He could have called for in excess of 72,000 angels to help him.

Isaiah 37:36 states that one angel of the Lord smote 185,000 men in one night.

Simple maths reveals that if Jesus had yielded to His natural instincts as a man to ask 72000 angels to help him, they could have slain 13,320,000,000 men.

This is mind boggling.

Our Lord displayed perfect submission to the mind and will of God and there is no higher authority than God. See Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35, 32:39; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Kings 8:23; 1 Chronicles 17:20; Psalm 89:6, 10; Isaiah 43:10, 44:6, 45:18; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 5:7.

He rules and reigns supreme and has established definite prescribed lines of communication, or, chains of command, by delegated authority, which we see scripture. We see this first in the Garden.

Then God said, “Let us make a man—someone like ourselves, to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas.” So God made man like his Maker. Like God did God make man; Man and maid did he make them. And God blessed them and told them, “Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it; you are masters of the fish and birds and all the animals. And look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I’ve given all the grass and plants to the animals and birds for their food.” Then God looked over all that he had made, and it was excellent in every way. This ended the sixth day. Genesis 1:26-31

God in essence gave Adam total control on the planet. He was God’s representative or agent. He was given such delegated power and authority that God caused all creatures to pass in front of Adam and watched to see what Adam called them. God did not give names to His creation—Adam did.

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. Genesis 2:19-21 

Adam was a special person. All angels, including Satan, are created beings. They are of a different order to man and when God created Adam, they were amazed, because this was an unprecedented act. Psalm 8 says:

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth!

The original text says that God created Adam a little lower than god (notice the lower case). We are not gods, but we are unique beings made in the image and likeness of God. Translators of the King James Version could not grasp the enormous significance of this, so used the word angels, but, as Jesus said in John 10:34, we are in fact gods (again notice the lower case g), quoting Psalm 82:6. Some folk have gone into excess with this fact of course, but we humans are a unique species who are supposed to be just like God!

Adam was thus lord of the planet earth. I try to imagine without success what things would have been like if he had not sinned, but I am so glad that Jesus came to restore us to full communion with the Father. God and Adam talked to each other as if in a face-to-face relationship.

Scriptures say that we are the apple of His eye. The original language describes this as “the little man in the eye”, or pupil. One meaning of pupil is student or disciple. The significance is that God wants such a close relationship with us that He can see His own face reflected in the pupil of our eye

We know from 1 Timothy 2:13-14 that Eve was deceived and Adam chose to join her. That act of treason essentially sold out to the devil. He was given the title deeds to the planet, but he does not own it! See 1 Corinthians 10:26,28; Psalm 50:10-12. Satan never owned it and never will, but that is another story.

Because of Adam, we have all been tainted and because one man sold out, one man alone could regain it to make things legal in the courts of Heaven.

Although Adam was in charge, he had one restriction placed upon him and that was one small act of obedience. God provided everything Adam could ever possibly need, but He asked him not to touch one tree. Adam could do what he wanted except eat one piece of fruit. That was God’s!

This ability to exercise free will remains with us to this day. Jesus had it. You have it. What you do with this liberty will determine your eternal destiny.

We have just seen a small glimpse of the status of the First Adam and he was a truly amazing man.

His physical and mental faculties were unlimited. Untainted by sin, he was second only to God on the earth. Everything was like a miniature or a replica of heaven on earth... or was it?

God’s Plan:

Everything that we read concerning these matters reveals that God was working to a precise plan. Despite Adam’s sin, God was working to a plan and this is the wonder of it all. God knew in advance that you would read this story one day. He knew that I would write it, yet He still gave us the freedom of will. You can choose to believe or not believe. You can choose to be a follower of Jesus or not and it never ceases to amaze me that God honors our choice. The outcome depends on our obedience. In Deuteronomy 30:19, God states clearly that our decisions will produce life or death, blessing or cursing. The choice is ours.

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; Deuteronomy 11:26. 

The First Adam made his choice with the result that we all came under the curse. Jesus who is called the Second Adam did what Adam did not and because of His obedience to the point of death, we are now able to come boldly through the veil into the throne room to worship and fellowship with the Father. What He did emancipated us and redeemed us from that curse.

At one crucial point in Jesus’ life, you and I and every human being on earth depended on one thing that He wanted to avoid. At the last minute, He wanted to escape. He wanted a way out and avoid what was to come. Totally alone, with no one to stand with Him and, as an ordinary man at that time, He wanted to quit.

We would have been doomed for eternity if He came out of that crushing place without His submission to the will of the Father.

When Peter cut off the ear of Malchus, Jesus stated that He could call on more than twelve legions of angels to help Him. These small snippets of information can reveal a massive wealth of revelation. In the Bible a legion means a number indefinitely large. A Roman legion varied in number at different periods, ranging from three thousand to six thousand in Jesus’ day. This did not include the cavalry. There were ten cohorts in each legion that were further divided into smaller groups often containing one hundred men each.

By Jesus’ words, He could have called for in excess of 72,000 angels to help him.

Isaiah 37:36 states that one angel of the Lord smote 185,000 men in one night.

Simple maths reveals that if Jesus had yielded to His natural instincts as a man to ask 72000 angels to help him, they could have slain 13,320,000,000 men.

This is mind boggling.

Our Lord displayed perfect submission to the mind and will of God and there is no higher authority than God. See Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35, 32:39; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Kings 8:23; 1 Chronicles 17:20; Psalm 89:6, 10; Isaiah 43:10, 44:6, 45:18; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 5:7.

He rules and reigns supreme and has established definite prescribed lines of communication, or, chains of command, by delegated authority, which we see scripture. We see this first in the Garden.

Then God said, “Let us make a man—someone like ourselves, to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas.” So God made man like his Maker. Like God did God make man; Man and maid did he make them. And God blessed them and told them, “Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it; you are masters of the fish and birds and all the animals. And look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I’ve given all the grass and plants to the animals and birds for their food.” Then God looked over all that he had made, and it was excellent in every way. This ended the sixth day. Genesis 1:26-31

God in essence gave Adam total control on the planet. He was God’s representative or agent. He was given such delegated power and authority that God caused all creatures to pass in front of Adam and watched to see what Adam called them. God did not give names to His creation—Adam did.

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. Genesis 2:19-21 

Adam was a special person. All angels, including Satan, are created beings. They are of a different order to man and when God created Adam, they were amazed, because this was an unprecedented act. Psalm 8 says:

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth!

The original text says that God created Adam a little lower than god (notice the lower case). We are not gods, but we are unique beings made in the image and likeness of God. Translators of the King James Version could not grasp the enormous significance of this, so used the word angels, but, as Jesus said in John 10:34, we are in fact gods (again notice the lower case g), quoting Psalm 82:6. Some folk have gone into excess with this fact of course, but we humans are a unique species who are supposed to be just like God!

Adam was thus lord of the planet earth. I try to imagine without success what things would have been like if he had not sinned, but I am so glad that Jesus came to restore us to full communion with the Father. God and Adam talked to each other as if in a face-to-face relationship.

Scriptures say that we are the apple of His eye. The original language describes this as “the little man in the eye”, or pupil. One meaning of pupil is student or disciple. The significance is that God wants such a close relationship with us that He can see His own face reflected in the pupil of our eye

We know from 1 Timothy 2:13-14 that Eve was deceived and Adam chose to join her. That act of treason essentially sold out to the devil. He was given the title deeds to the planet, but he does not own it! See 1 Corinthians 10:26,28; Psalm 50:10-12. Satan never owned it and never will, but that is another story.

Because of Adam, we have all been tainted and because one man sold out, one man alone could regain it to make things legal in the courts of Heaven.

Although Adam was in charge, he had one restriction placed upon him and that was one small act of obedience. God provided everything Adam could ever possibly need, but He asked him not to touch one tree. Adam could do what he wanted except eat one piece of fruit. That was God’s!

This ability to exercise free will remains with us to this day. Jesus had it. You have it. What you do with this liberty will determine your eternal destiny.

We have just seen a small glimpse of the status of the First Adam and he was a truly amazing man.

His physical and mental faculties were unlimited. Untainted by sin, he was second only to God on the earth. Everything was like a miniature or a replica of heaven on earth... or was it?

God’s Plan:

Everything that we read concerning these matters reveals that God was working to a precise plan. Despite Adam’s sin, God was working to a plan and this is the wonder of it all. God knew in advance that you would read this story one day. He knew that I would write it, yet He still gave us the freedom of will. You can choose to believe or not believe. You can choose to be a follower of Jesus or not and it never ceases to amaze me that God honors our choice. The outcome depends on our obedience. In Deuteronomy 30:19, God states clearly that our decisions will produce life or death, blessing or cursing. The choice is ours.

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; Deuteronomy 11:26. 

The First Adam made his choice with the result that we all came under the curse. Jesus who is called the Second Adam did what Adam did not and because of His obedience to the point of death, we are now able to come boldly through the veil into the throne room to worship and fellowship with the Father. What He did emancipated us and redeemed us from that curse.

At one crucial point in Jesus’ life, you and I and every human being on earth depended on one thing that He wanted to avoid. At the last minute, He wanted to escape. He wanted a way out and avoid what was to come. Totally alone, with no one to stand with Him and, as an ordinary man at that time, He wanted to quit.

We would have been doomed for eternity if He came out of that crushing place without His submission to the will of the Father.

When Peter cut off the ear of Malchus, Jesus stated that He could call on more than twelve legions of angels to help Him. These small snippets of information can reveal a massive wealth of revelation. In the Bible a legion means a number indefinitely large. A Roman legion varied in number at different periods, ranging from three thousand to six thousand in Jesus’ day. This did not include the cavalry. There were ten cohorts in each legion that were further divided into smaller groups often containing one hundred men each.

By Jesus’ words, He could have called for in excess of 72,000 angels to help him.

Isaiah 37:36 states that one angel of the Lord smote 185,000 men in one night.

Simple maths reveals that if Jesus had yielded to His natural instincts as a man to ask 72000 angels to help him, they could have slain 13,320,000,000 men.

This is mind boggling.

Our Lord displayed perfect submission to the mind and will of God and there is no higher authority than God. See Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35, 32:39; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Kings 8:23; 1 Chronicles 17:20; Psalm 89:6, 10; Isaiah 43:10, 44:6, 45:18; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 5:7.

He rules and reigns supreme and has established definite prescribed lines of communication, or, chains of command, by delegated authority, which we see scripture. We see this first in the Garden.

Then God said, “Let us make a man—someone like ourselves, to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas.” So God made man like his Maker. Like God did God make man; Man and maid did he make them. And God blessed them and told them, “Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it; you are masters of the fish and birds and all the animals. And look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I’ve given all the grass and plants to the animals and birds for their food.” Then God looked over all that he had made, and it was excellent in every way. This ended the sixth day. Genesis 1:26-31

God in essence gave Adam total control on the planet. He was God’s representative or agent. He was given such delegated power and authority that God caused all creatures to pass in front of Adam and watched to see what Adam called them. God did not give names to His creation—Adam did.

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. Genesis 2:19-21 

Adam was a special person. All angels, including Satan, are created beings. They are of a different order to man and when God created Adam, they were amazed, because this was an unprecedented act. Psalm 8 says:

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth!

The original text says that God created Adam a little lower than god (notice the lower case). We are not gods, but we are unique beings made in the image and likeness of God. Translators of the King James Version could not grasp the enormous significance of this, so used the word angels, but, as Jesus said in John 10:34, we are in fact gods (again notice the lower case g), quoting Psalm 82:6. Some folk have gone into excess with this fact of course, but we humans are a unique species who are supposed to be just like God!

Adam was thus lord of the planet earth. I try to imagine without success what things would have been like if he had not sinned, but I am so glad that Jesus came to restore us to full communion with the Father. God and Adam talked to each other as if in a face-to-face relationship.

Scriptures say that we are the apple of His eye. The original language describes this as “the little man in the eye”, or pupil. One meaning of pupil is student or disciple. The significance is that God wants such a close relationship with us that He can see His own face reflected in the pupil of our eye

We know from 1 Timothy 2:13-14 that Eve was deceived and Adam chose to join her. That act of treason essentially sold out to the devil. He was given the title deeds to the planet, but he does not own it! See 1 Corinthians 10:26,28; Psalm 50:10-12. Satan never owned it and never will, but that is another story.

Because of Adam, we have all been tainted and because one man sold out, one man alone could regain it to make things legal in the courts of Heaven.

Although Adam was in charge, he had one restriction placed upon him and that was one small act of obedience. God provided everything Adam could ever possibly need, but He asked him not to touch one tree. Adam could do what he wanted except eat one piece of fruit. That was God’s!

This ability to exercise free will remains with us to this day. Jesus had it. You have it. What you do with this liberty will determine your eternal destiny.

We have just seen a small glimpse of the status of the First Adam and he was a truly amazing man.

His physical and mental faculties were unlimited. Untainted by sin, he was second only to God on the earth. Everything was like a miniature or a replica of heaven on earth... or was it?

God’s Plan:

Everything that we read concerning these matters reveals that God was working to a precise plan. Despite Adam’s sin, God was working to a plan and this is the wonder of it all. God knew in advance that you would read this story one day. He knew that I would write it, yet He still gave us the freedom of will. You can choose to believe or not believe. You can choose to be a follower of Jesus or not and it never ceases to amaze me that God honors our choice. The outcome depends on our obedience. In Deuteronomy 30:19, God states clearly that our decisions will produce life or death, blessing or cursing. The choice is ours.

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; Deuteronomy 11:26. 

The First Adam made his choice with the result that we all came under the curse. Jesus who is called the Second Adam did what Adam did not and because of His obedience to the point of death, we are now able to come boldly through the veil into the throne room to worship and fellowship with the Father. What He did emancipated us and redeemed us from that curse.

At one crucial point in Jesus’ life, you and I and every human being on earth depended on one thing that He wanted to avoid. At the last minute, He wanted to escape. He wanted a way out and avoid what was to come. Totally alone, with no one to stand with Him and, as an ordinary man at that time, He wanted to quit.

We would have been doomed for eternity if He came out of that crushing place without His submission to the will of the Father.

When Peter cut off the ear of Malchus, Jesus stated that He could call on more than twelve legions of angels to help Him. These small snippets of information can reveal a massive wealth of revelation. In the Bible a legion means a number indefinitely large. A Roman legion varied in number at different periods, ranging from three thousand to six thousand in Jesus’ day. This did not include the cavalry. There were ten cohorts in each legion that were further divided into smaller groups often containing one hundred men each.

By Jesus’ words, He could have called for in excess of 72,000 angels to help him.

Isaiah 37:36 states that one angel of the Lord smote 185,000 men in one night.

Simple maths reveals that if Jesus had yielded to His natural instincts as a man to ask 72000 angels to help him, they could have slain 13,320,000,000 men.

This is mind boggling.

Our Lord displayed perfect submission to the mind and will of God and there is no higher authority than God. See Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35, 32:39; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Kings 8:23; 1 Chronicles 17:20; Psalm 89:6, 10; Isaiah 43:10, 44:6, 45:18; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 5:7.

He rules and reigns supreme and has established definite prescribed lines of communication, or, chains of command, by delegated authority, which we see scripture. We see this first in the Garden.

Then God said, “Let us make a man—someone like ourselves, to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas.” So God made man like his Maker. Like God did God make man; Man and maid did he make them. And God blessed them and told them, “Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it; you are masters of the fish and birds and all the animals. And look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I’ve given all the grass and plants to the animals and birds for their food.” Then God looked over all that he had made, and it was excellent in every way. This ended the sixth day. Genesis 1:26-31

God in essence gave Adam total control on the planet. He was God’s representative or agent. He was given such delegated power and authority that God caused all creatures to pass in front of Adam and watched to see what Adam called them. God did not give names to His creation—Adam did.

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. Genesis 2:19-21 

Adam was a special person. All angels, including Satan, are created beings. They are of a different order to man and when God created Adam, they were amazed, because this was an unprecedented act. Psalm 8 says:

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth!

The original text says that God created Adam a little lower than god (notice the lower case). We are not gods, but we are unique beings made in the image and likeness of God. Translators of the King James Version could not grasp the enormous significance of this, so used the word angels, but, as Jesus said in John 10:34, we are in fact gods (again notice the lower case g), quoting Psalm 82:6. Some folk have gone into excess with this fact of course, but we humans are a unique species who are supposed to be just like God!

Adam was thus lord of the planet earth. I try to imagine without success what things would have been like if he had not sinned, but I am so glad that Jesus came to restore us to full communion with the Father. God and Adam talked to each other as if in a face-to-face relationship.

Scriptures say that we are the apple of His eye. The original language describes this as “the little man in the eye”, or pupil. One meaning of pupil is student or disciple. The significance is that God wants such a close relationship with us that He can see His own face reflected in the pupil of our eye

We know from 1 Timothy 2:13-14 that Eve was deceived and Adam chose to join her. That act of treason essentially sold out to the devil. He was given the title deeds to the planet, but he does not own it! See 1 Corinthians 10:26,28; Psalm 50:10-12. Satan never owned it and never will, but that is another story.

Because of Adam, we have all been tainted and because one man sold out, one man alone could regain it to make things legal in the courts of Heaven.

Although Adam was in charge, he had one restriction placed upon him and that was one small act of obedience. God provided everything Adam could ever possibly need, but He asked him not to touch one tree. Adam could do what he wanted except eat one piece of fruit. That was God’s!

This ability to exercise free will remains with us to this day. Jesus had it. You have it. What you do with this liberty will determine your eternal destiny.

We have just seen a small glimpse of the status of the First Adam and he was a truly amazing man.

His physical and mental faculties were unlimited. Untainted by sin, he was second only to God on the earth. Everything was like a miniature or a replica of heaven on earth... or was it?