The Fulfillment of God’s Eternal Purpose
Genesis 1:26 tells us, “God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of heaven and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
The last half of Revelation 22:5 is “the Lord God will shine upon them; and they will reign forever and ever.”
The last clause of verse 5 is the most important. “And they will reign forever and ever.” This was the purpose of God in creation. In Genesis God’s purpose was that man should rule, and now he has obtained that purpose—man is ruling. This is not something in the millennium. This passage of Scripture, Revelation 21 and 22, is not a description of the millennium, but of eternity. They will reign unto eternity, and they shall reign forever and ever. God’s original goal is reached.*
Genesis 1 records God’s creation. Genesis 3 tells how Satan corrupted the creation by imparting his evil nature into man, which spread sin and death to all men. But by Revelation 21 all the corruption has been cleared away and what God purposed in eternity and spoke in Genesis 1 has been fully accomplished.
Genesis 1:26 presents two aspects of God’s purpose. First, the man created in God’s image fully expresses God. All God’s people have been conformed to the image of Christ so New Jerusalem shines with the glory of God. Second, God’s people, the constituents of New Jerusalem, reign. This completes “let them have dominion” in Genesis 1.
* From chapter 5 of The Glorious Church by Watchman Nee, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, available at www.ministrybooks.org and www.livingstream.com/en/the-church/8012401-glorious-church-the.html.
Posted by Don on September 7, 2022
