Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
This foundational verse in the Bible suggests that Adam and Eve were commissioned, or legally sanctioned to use natural and supernatural power to govern creation. When our first parents sinned, they lost their right to rule, and the title deed to creation fell to Lucifer (Satan). The wilderness temptation of Jesus supports Satan’s ownership over the world:
Luke 4:5-6 “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendour; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.”
It appears that one of the objectives of Jesus’ mission was to win back the authority over creation, and ultimately restore it to His followers. As Jesus was not tainted by the sinful nature of Adam, He was able to act in authority before the cross event.
Mark 1:21 “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. “
Jesus impressed His audience with revelatory teaching, and supernaturally demonstrated His authority by rebuking and casting out a demon.
Matthew 9:6 “I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’”
It is interesting to note that before the cross, Christ stated that His authority was limited to earth, and after the cross, declared that His authority also encompassed heaven. Jesus then passed this authority to His disciples for the work of the kingdom:
Luke 9:1-2,6 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick … So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.”
When Jesus released a measure of His own authority and power to the disciples, they were able to restore the Kingdom of God where there had previously been darkness. These training missions gave the disciples a limited experience, which was to be enlarged after Pentecost when each disciple received his own supernatural empowerment from the Holy Spirit.
Finally, after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and said:
Mathew 28:18-20 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus was able to reclaim full authority over heaven and earth, and restore it to every one of His followers. When this authority is combined with the power of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of darkness cannot stand.
The role of the Church, our role, is to learn how to think, talk, and act with royal authority. As sons and daughters of the Most High, we have the legal right and power and authority, to release God’s kingdom on earth as we live and minister in Christ, through Christ and for Christ.