The Professor was writing scriptures on the board as the students came in and took their seats. They were told to write the scriptures in their notebooks.
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore…'” (Matthew 28:18)
“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons ….” (Mark 16:17)
“…(Jesus) who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.” (1 Peter 3:22)
“But to which of the angels has He ever said: ‘Sit at My right hand till I make Your enemies Your footstool’”? (Hebrews 1:13)
Does anyone have any questions?
Ellie raised her hand.
"Professor, I don’t understand something. All authority has been given to Jesus. Why does the Father say to His Son, 'Sit at My right hand til I make Your enemies Your footstool?'”
That’s a good question, Ellie.
We could say it this way: “Sit at My right hand til I make Your enemies Your footstool through The Church.” You see, Father is continuing to deal with His glorious creation; Man. Man is to dominate earth, not satan. “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion…” (Genesis 1:26)
ADAM AND EVE
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:27-28)
ORIGINAL INTENT
God made man like Himself to rule and reign over the earth He had made. They were in charge! One thing was required of them: obedience. Out of all the many, many trees God made, one tree had fruit that they must not eat. If they did they would die.
DISOBEDIENCE IS SIN
The serpent, twister of truth, lied to the woman and she ate of the fruit, being deceived. She gave to her husband, who was NOT deceived, but chose to follow his wife and eat the fruit anyway. (1 Timothy 2:14)
And so satan became the “god of this world,” stealing man’s authority over the earth…that is until God’s Son was born of a virgin and until the Day of Pentecost: the Birth of The Church!
JESUS CHRIST: THE LAST ADAM
“And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”
(1 Corinthians 15:45-49)
THE MAGNIFICENT BODY OF CHRIST
As man receives Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior, man once again receives authority on earth through Jesus’ name and through His Holy Spirit that comes to live within us. That’s when we receive His anointing, the yoke destroying, burden removing power to prosper over the evil plans and schemes of the enemy. See Isaiah 10:27, Ephesians 3:9-11 & 6:10-18, & Matthew 16:18-19.
THE END OF THE AGE
Ellie, can you see that the original plan for man to have dominion on earth continues in our time? Through the Greater One who abides in us, Father is making man’s enemy Jesus’ footstool, and the Believer is learning to rule and reign in Christ Jesus. (Romans 5:17) Read all of Chapter 5 when you study.
Definition of footstool in Strong’s Concordance:
hypopódion (literally, "under the feet") – properly, a footstool; (figuratively)
(hypopódion) is a footstool used by a conquering king, to place his foot on the neck of the conquered (Souter) – i.e. those under his total dominion.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BODY OF CHRIST
Students, you are very much like a Sheriff that has been deputized by the United States government to establish law and order. But many of you, through lack of knowledge, continue to beg God in your prayers to do this or that, then wonder why He doesn’t answer.
Remember, God will not do what He told you to do.
Think of it this way.
A parent tells his son to clean up the mess in his room. The son complains about the mess and asks his dad to clean it up. And so…the mess remains because the son is not doing what he was told to do.
Each one of you has a divine destiny to fulfill.
Get busy! Use your authority, bind and loose, in Jesus’ name. If you back down, you leave a hole, a vacancy. Don’t follow in the footsteps of the first Adam. You make the enemy Jesus’ footstool!
DOING FATHER'S WILL...OR NOT
Consider these two examples from the Old Testament.
Disobedience: The children of Israel would NOT go in to take the land. Why? Read Numbers Chapter 13 & 14.
Obedience to God: Joshua and the next generation went in to the land of Canaan and possessed it! Read Joshua 21:43-45.
This is that…which is delegated authority over satan.
“And He said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.’” (Luke 10:18-19)
If your Pastor is not teaching the Authority of the Believer, don’t think that is an excuse for being disobedient. There are many teachings on You Tube from godly men and women for you to study.
Recommended Video
Charles Capps: The Authority of the Believer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDVLIHamwRA