The Big Picture: Light Versus Dark Part 8

My Beloved Brother Steve continues:

Defenses.

So, the global population finds itself in the middle of the Theater of Darkness. The fear and panic created by the Coronavirus Pandemic is turning our isolated behavior into global momentum that’s carrying us headlong to the inferior king’s strategic destination. 

All of this is happening while the religious leaders (who profess to be followers of the Superior King) provide spiritual cover to the inferior king through their prayers and biblical assertions that have nothing to do with what Jesus is doing.  This is what spiritual warfare looks like, how it is engaged and how it is fought.

The Apostle Paul described it like this:

“Are you not aware or do you not perceive or do you not see with your physical eyes into the spiritual realm that the voice you submit to in obedience is the one to whom you present yourself as a slave? You are slaves to the voice you listen to and obey when acting under the authority of the one speaking, whether of self- originating sin with the failure and loss it causes leading to physical or spiritual death, or to the voice you submit to in obedience that is deemed right, just and judicially approved by God.” (Romans 6:16)

This is why Satan thinks he can leverage Man’s Ruling Class Elohim Authority against Jesus, the Superior King.  But, for those who are willing to see as Jesus sees by shifting their focus from the Virus to Him, He’s turning on the lights for them and stripping away Satan’s leverage against God and His Man.

Leverage.

The Two Kingdoms – The Kingdom of God

The test of the Divine is its ability to enforce and fulfill its decrees without deviation. This capability distinguishes the Divine from all others, thus establishing it as the Sovereign.

So, when YHVH created, He did so by decree to display and establish His Sovereignty over His creation as the Divine.

“Let there be. . .and there was. . .” (Genesis 1 & 2)

When it came to God’s Man, YHVH decreed for the same reason – to establish His Sovereignty over His creation as the Divine WITH His Man:

“And the Elohim said, ‘Make and accomplish man and mankind in Our image and in Our likeness and similitude.  And, let them reign and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the flying creatures of the heavens and sky, and over the beasts, animals and cattle, and over the whole and all of the earth and land; and over the whole and all of every creeping and moving thing that creeps and moves lightly about, upon, over and above the earth and land.’

“So chose the Elohim to create and shape the image of His man, in the image of the Elohim He chose to create and shape His male and His female; so chose Him to create and shape them.

“And blessing them, the Elohim said to them, ‘Elohim, bear fruit and be fruitful; and multiply, increase and be great; and fill to the full the earth and land; and subdue, bring into bondage and reign; and have dominion, treading down and

causing to crumble the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the heavens and sky; and over the whole and all of the age of the living that creeps, moves lightly about or glides swiftly upon, above and over the earth and land.” (Genesis 1:26 – 28)

In these 3 verses, YHVH lists for Moses (and thus for us) one decree after another, without equivocation, about whom His Man is, what he is to do and how he is to do it. His Man is to be made in the very Image and Likeness of the Elohim; he is to rule everything that walks, crawls or creeps on the land, swims in the sea or flies in the heavens (spiritual beings) or in the sky (birds); and, he is to rule as an Elohim.

This is what the Father’s Vision was for His Man and so this is what YHVH decreed.

What’s interesting about this creation account is that YHVH decreed that Man was to be made in the two dimensions of the Image and the Likeness of the Elohim. Yet, YHVH only described making Man in His Image. He didn’t say anything about making Man in His Likeness. So, while immediately making Man in His Image, YHVH waited for another time and place to make His Man into His Likeness. (Genesis 1:27)

Why?

Because YHVH’s Image and Likeness are made differently.  Both Image and Likeness are mirror-image words that describe the process of making a duplicate out of an original. The primary difference between the two words is that Image relates to exterior capabilities while Likeness relates to interior make up (Nature and Character).

And so, YHVH chose to make His Man in His exterior Image immediately upon creating him by giving him His capabilities (speaking, hearing, thinking, reasoning, creating, deciding, feeling, choosing, mobility, and so on). But, He chose to make His Man IN His Likeness (Nature and Character) over time through the experiences His Man would have WITH Him throughout his life, especially when engaging conflict.

The same thing happens today. When we are born, we’re born in the Image of God. Though most of His capabilities are undeveloped, we still inherently possess them all. But, it’s a different matter when it comes to His Likeness. His Nature and Character is made IN us as we engage the various challenges we face in life.

We call it building character.

This is how it has been from the beginning. Challenges, conflicts, war and warfare were all to play a vital role in making YHVH’s Likeness IN His Man so we could learn to rule as an Elohim – in His Nature and Character.  This is demonstrated in YHVH’s decree for His Man to rule, subdue, exercise dominion and subjugate within the earthly domain. These are important words because they are verbs that describe acts that are to be performed against foes and enemies not against friends and allies.

And so, dealing with conflicts, challenges, threats and even war and warfare are all part of God’s Plan for His Man.  These are the devices He uses to develop the Likeness of the Elohim IN His Man so he will be equipped to rule WITH Him in the fullness of His Nature and Character.

We see this on full display even after Adam and Eve did their deed with the Serpent and became “lower than the angels.”  From YHVH’s standpoint, His Man’s station in life – whether as a free man or a slave – had no bearing on His mandate for His Man to rule WITH Him:

“So YHVH said to Cain, ‘Why are you burning with anger, and why has your face fallen?’

‘If you are successful in doing what is right, sound and beautiful, will you not be an exalted one in character and rank? And if you are not successful in doing what is right, sound and beautiful, sin is at the opening stretched out on all four legs like a recumbent animal and its longing is for you, but you must rule and have dominion over it.’ “ (Genesis 4:6, 7)

Notice that YHVH’s counsel and instruction to Cain didn’t change from His original mandate to Adam and Eve (to rule) just because he was now in a supposedly fallen state.

So, whether in a state of bliss as in the Garden or in a state of burning anger as with Cain, or under some other attack or circumstance where we feel overwhelmed and over-matched  (like with the coronavirus), whatever condition we may find ourselves in, the mandate is the same – to rule WITH Jesus in the fullness of His Nature and Character.

While reigning is more of a macro word that relates to governing willing citizens within a realm, rulership is more specific. It emphasizes the astute use of authority, power and resources to neutralize and disarm enemies – those things or influences that oppose, threaten or are hostile to the venture or goal to be achieved.

In Adam and Eve’s case, it was ruling over and subjugating WITH YHVH the Serving Class serpent that had aligned itself with a foreign spiritual entity – Satan. The mission then was to neutralize the threat launched against YHVH and His

Man by cutting off Satan’s access into the earthly realm.

In Cain’s case, it was ruling over and subjugating WITH YHVH the sin – impulse to act independently from YHVH – that was patiently waiting for the opening created by his anger so it could use him as its weapon to kill his righteous brother, Abel. The mission then was to neutralize and disarm sin’s power within him by demonstrating his superior character and rank WITH YHVH. This would cut off sin’s access into the earthly domain along with its destructive intentions and effects.

In Jesus’ time on the earth, it was to strip Satan of the spiritual authority that he unlawfully seized in the Garden.

The mission then was to enter into the spiritual domain of darkness by way of the Cross to conquer, render inoperable and subjugate the “last enemy” death by bringing it back under the control, authority and use of the Kingdom of God.

In every instance, the objective was the same – for God’s Man to work WITH Him to rule over their mutual enemies in the fullness of His Nature and Character.

And for us, it’s now our turn to step up by learning how to rule WITH Jesus over our mutual enemy – the kingdom of darkness and its use and intentions with the coronavirus.

This is why Jesus invites us to see as He sees. And when we accept His invitation, He not only shows us who God’s Man was decreed to be and do, but also how to rule WITH Him in the authority of the Elohim.

Jesus repeatedly demonstrated while on the earth what it looks like to rule as an Elohim: He did nothing apart from the Father.

He then told us how to rule WITH Him:

“Stay, abide and remain in and with Me and I in and with you. . .because separate and apart from Me you do not have the ability or power to make or do one thing.” (John 15:5)

So, God’s Elohim Class Man exercises his Ruling Class Authority just as Jesus and the Spirit of Truth likewise exercise theirs – WITH the Father. (John 16:13)

This is how the Kingdom of God works – just as YHVH decreed.

“As in heaven so also in the earth.” (Matthew 6:10)

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