THE SOVERIGN GOD

Rev 4:1-4  After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

It was curious for me to note that when John arrived Heaven in Rev. 4; the first sight he saw, were not the twenty-four thrones or the streets of gold, or even the many angels in Heaven, No! He was confronted with a throne and the one that sits on it.

He only saw other thrones as he panned away from the central throne and extended his vision away from the one that sat on it. This I believe was a very deliberate rendering of events because when you think about it, it would have been easier to see the twenty-four thrones before focusing on the ONE then you will agree that scripture was very deliberate in recounting this event.

Therefore the implications of this rendering of events should not be wasted on the reader. I believe it was intentional, that God showed John this event in this order. Let's explore the implications

John seeing the central throne first, would be brought to the realization that there exists a Monarch in heaven and who rules the affairs of the heavens.  Just in case one is not aware of that fact, John's first glimpse into heaven confronts us with that stark reality.

John was called into heaven to have things revealed to him but the first revelation that heaven gave him was that of the Monarch of Heaven. The implications for John and us, is that for him or us to advance in the affairs of heaven, he/we must recognize the Lordship of the one who sits on heaven's central throne where all true authority derives from!

Secondly, the economy of heaven is only open to those who realize the Lordship of Jesus. We are only saved when we accept his Lordship and rebelling against him can only hurt us.
 
Many call Him Lord, but do not bow to His Lordship. This act not only excludes them from participation in the affairs heaven but disqualifies them from it all together. Making of them creatures that are limited to function only upon the earth.

Except we see where true Lordship comes from and respond accurately we become as mere men ruled and controlled by this world.
#TheSoverignGod

When Jesus is Asleep In Your Boat

Mar 4:37-39  And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 

 At one point or the other in our earthly existence we are faced with fierce storms. These storms beat at us from all sides and seek to drag us into the depths of despair/misery.

Human life is characterized by men either coming out of storms or getting into one. As Job said, man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. In fact, one can be fully occupied trying to calm the troubles initiated by various storms and never learn to truly find rest.

From the portion of scripture above, Jesus and his disciples were not different.Even though Jesus was with His disciples, the storms showed very little regard for his presence. The storm did not respect his holiness or his status as the Son of God. It threatened to overturn the ship and created such a fuss that would throw experienced fishermen to the brink of despair. 

Note that Jesus was WITH them, yet the storms sort to drown them! 

I have heard many quote a question posed by Apostle Paul and seem to have arrived at an answer which Paul never gave.

Rom 8:31  ...If God be for us, who can be against us? 

Have you heard people quote the above scripture? They seem to imply that this is but a rhetorical question, that concludes with the answer that NO ONE can be against! Please note that the answer to this question was never provided by Paul in his discuss but I would like to say that even when God is for you or with you, you can be sure to expect the enemy to be against you.

Some have been told that Christians do not suffer, yet have not been told that the one who authored our faith suffer and for that reason we too will experience suffering. We are however not warned not to suffer for our wrong doing.

1Peter 2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Lets move on in our discuss, of all the occupants of the ship one of the few people  that was most likely least accustomed to the turbulence that the sea can offer, was Jesus. He grew up in a Carpentry shed, while Peter, James and John were all accomplished fishermen. 

In fact for James and John it was a family tradition, the left their father still active in that profession to follow Jesus! I would imagine that such a storm would frighten other disciples like the tax collector and a few other too but surely not this three.

Lets draw a point from the above, the storms of life may sometimes overwhelm your ability and experience. No matter know experienced you are in the face of crisis, it is always tasking not to give in to fear, discouragement or despair. 

Please don't start a pity party over the fact that you are unable to be more courageous in the face of crisis. The bible is full of stories of great men who fare less impressively. 

Elijah that shut the heavens, held an entire nation to ransom, called down fire, and didn't think anything of dividing the river Jordan just so he could cross  gave in to despair when threatened by Jezebel.

To be continued.......

Is Jesus' Teaching in the Gospels and the Old Testament irrelevant To Us?- PART 2

As I promised, I will use the quote below as a basis for this piece.

I was shocked to read what a well known Christian Author wrote; here is the quote again:

The word alone, as unveiled in the Pauline Revelation is the only safe guide. Don’t misunderstand me. You cannot be guided by the teachings of John the Baptist and of Jesus as recorded in the four gospels in regards to any experience, unless that teaching of the four gospels is confirmed, explained, elucidated in the Pauline revelation or with Peter’s and John’s unveiling in their epistles.

He goes on to say:

In the four gospels, Jesus is dealing almost exclusively with the Jews, the first covenant people, who were natural men, spiritually dead. In the Pauline revelation, he is dealing almost exclusively with the new creation folks.

First of all the position held by the above writer that what Jesus said, He spoke to almost exclusively to the Jews, is not correct. His life and ministry extended to the entire mankind.  In fact what he taught would have been extremely difficult for any natural man to keep.

For example, under the law, Moses spoke about committing fornication as a sin but when Jesus came on the scene He elevated this sin to include looking at a woman lustfully.

The writer of Hebrews also disagrees with this writer’s position too, hear him:

Heb 1:1- 2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Notice the emphasis I added to the US?

Unlike the writer quoted, the author of Hebrews does not express any concerns that some of what Jesus will not apply to him now that he is a new creature.

That “us” means that the writer included himself as one of those that God was speaking to through his son, Jesus.  We can safely deduce that the writer of Hebrews was not a natural man or spiritually dead, yet in his comment he did not deny any part of what God said through Jesus as not being almost exclusively referred to him. He says clearly that God has spoken to us, the writer inclusive, without any almost exclusive statement as used by the writer above.

Also with this claim that some things Jesus said as not almost exclusively to us, we are then left with the difficult choice of discovering which statement of Jesus should we discard as not referring to us and which should we accept? The writer of Hebrews clearly tells us that such a choice is not for us to make, because God hath spoken to us through his son.

I will show the error in this position quoted above by admitting to evidence the testimony of several very credible witnesses.

First witness: The witness of God the Father.

My first witness against the position above is the testimony of God Himself on the mount of transfiguration

To subject Jesus teachings to be validated by the Pauline and other epistles is, in my opinion, equivalent to making the same grave mistake that God intervened in order to stop Peter from making, on the mountain of transfiguration.

Peter sought to create 3 tabernacles, One for Jesus, One for Moses and one for Elijah. This would have made it needful for those who sought to hear the perspective of the law to have the Law giver available to consult and those who sought after the prophetic to find Elijah available.

Luk 9:35-36 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son:

hear him.  And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone.

And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had.

God had to interrupt this heavenly vision and withdraw his delegates in order to present Jesus as the only one they should pay attention to. God made it clear that Jesus was his approved voice to be heard. God says …. Hear Him!

Moses represented the law and Elijah represented the Prophets but God points us to His Son and declares His approval of him, instructing us to hear Him. Hallelujah! 

to be continued...

Order and the posture of our hearts.

Text: 1 Sam. 7:1-2; 2 Sam. 11:1-15

Study Points

There are seasons  that a man who lacks order will a great liability to the execution of God's purposes on the earth. He is already a trouble waiting to happen but if there is no battle, the gravity of his wrong heart posture will not be felt so much by the people around him.

1. God is not committed to act on behalf of men who violate Divine order. He did not act when the Philistines carried the ark because of the men who bore the Ark -1 Sam. 4:4;11

2. Why did Abinadab house the ark of God for twenty years  with no record of the blessings that Obededom saw in just 3 months of doing same? Abinadab's son Uzziah was killed when the ark was being transported out of his house(1 Sam 6:3) and the son, that he sanctified to tend the Ark; did not lead the procession.

Does it mean that in twenty years he never understood the protocols of bearing the ark?

3. Obededom ran a risk of accommodating the same Ark that had just killed the son of a man that housed it for twenty years. He had no assurances of being blessed by the ark but he yet housed it.

4. God was inactive in one man's house but so blessed another that the people of Israel noticed. The Ark that was impotent in the hands of Eli's sons became powerful without any priest in the land of the Philistines.

5. A man who works in rebellion is first a rebel at heart before his deeds follow. 

   Isaiah 14:11; 2 Sam. 6:16.

6. A man who is not under authority can not legitimately wield the power of God.

7. Uriah held God and his people in the highest regard and was recorded as one of the mighty men of David. His name was also included in the lineage of Jesus. 2 Sam. 23:39; Matt. 1:6. The posture of his heart became something that brought him as a man to be reckoned with by heaven.

Is Jesus' Teaching in the Gospels and the Old Testament irrelevant To Us?-Defense of Scriptures series Part 2

Will start this off by posting a post by a mentor-Rev. Gideon Odoma(an experienced Christian Apologist). This means I would not need to write on the old testament being valid. Here goes


JESUS EVERYWHERE... THE GOSPEL IN EVERY BLOC
It is okay to say you cannot see or preach the Gospel from the 4 gospels and/or from the Old Testament But,Never say the Gospel is not there in the old Testament and in the 4 gospels.

Long before the New Testament was written, the followers of Jesus Christ preached the gospel and saw people come to the faith in their thousands, by the power of the Spirit — using the scriptures they had — which we now call the old Testament. Beginning from the day of Pentecost, the Apostles witnessed for Jesus using the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament).

To come up 2 millennia later and tell us the gospel is to be seen only in the epistles is inordinately audacious and enormously mistaken.

See:
Acts 17:2 And Paul, AS HIS MANNER WAS, went in unto them, and three sabbath days REASONED WITH THEM OUT OF THE SCRIPTURES (Old Testament),
3 Opening and alleging, that CHRIST MUST NEEDS HAVE SUFFERED, AND RISEN AGAIN FROM THE DEAD; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.
It was the manner or custom of Paul to do what we are told he did in the passage above.

Acts 18: 28 For he (Apollos) mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, SHEWING BY THE SCRIPTURES THAT JESUS WAS CHRIST... (Scriptures here also means the Old Testament)

Acts 26:22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I (Paul) continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, SAYING NONE OTHER THINGS THAN THOSE WHICH THE PROPHETS AND MOSES DID SAY SHOULD COME: 23 THAT CHRIST SHOULD SUFFER, AND THAT HE SHOULD BE THE FIRST THAT SHOULD RISE FROM THE DEAD, AND SHOULD SHEW LIGHT UNTO THE PEOPLE, AND TO THE GENTILES.

These people had only the Old Testament scriptures and the Holy Spirit at the time, and they shone brilliantly with/in the gospel.True, it is not surprising that the earliest followers of Jesus preached the gospel using the Old Testament.

Consider Jesus' use of the Old Testament:

Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he (Jesus) expounded unto them IN ALL THE SCRIPTURES THE THINGS CONCERNING HIMSELF. (Scriptures here obviously refers to the old Testament)

Jesus believed in the veracity of the Old Testament and it's relevance in the ministry of the gospel so much that He had to open the understanding of His disciples so they could understand the Old Testament. If the Old Testament are not crucial for understanding the gospel, Jesus would not do this, as we are clearly told here:

Luke24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that ALL THINGS MUST BE FULFILLED, WHICH WERE WRITTEN IN THE LAW OF MOSES, AND IN THE PROPHETS, AND IN THE PSALMS, CONCERNING ME.
45 Then OPENED HE THEIR UNDERSTANDING, THAT THEY MIGHT UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES,

Prior to this time, Jesus had charged the Jews:

John 5:39: SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES (Old Testament); for in them ye think ye have eternal life: AND THEY (the old Testament scriptures) ARE THEY WHICH TESTIFY OF ME.
The burden of all of scripture is to bear witness, to testify of Jesus.

If you can't see Jesus and His gospel in any bloc of Scriptures, it is due to your personal deficiency and/or incompetence. It is not because Jesus is not objectively there in every bloc of scripture. He is there!The scriptures, all of it, testify of Jesus.

If you see Jesus only in the epistles, fair. Better than to not see Him at all. But please, don't ever belittle or deny the power of the rest blocs of scripture as competent and proper locations for encountering Jesus and His gospel.

Is Jesus' Teaching in the Gospels and the Old Testament irrelevant To Us?- Part 1

Some have taken it upon themselves, in my opinion at least,  to put Jesus teachings on trial.

They have come to the conclusion that Jesus words and teachings were not directed to the new testament believer. Hailing the teachings of Paul in the Epistle and also giving approval to the teachings of Peter and John. Their judgement on this issue, is that the teachings of Jesus in the gospels should be viewed or validated from the lens of the revelations that Paul, Peter and John shared.

In fact I read a part of an article by a man I respect(ed) in which he wrote on this issue(I have no way of verifying but I think he is the source of this position)

Read His words:

The Word alone, as unveiled in the Pauline Revelation is the only safe guide. Don't misunderstand me. You cannot be guided by the teachings of John the Baptist and of Jesus as recorded in the four Gospels in regard to any experience, unless that teaching of the four Gospels is confirmed, explained, elucidated in the Pauline Revelation, or with Peter's and John's unveiling in their Epistles. In the four Gospels, Jesus is dealing almost exclusively with the Jews, the First Covenant people, who were natural men, spiritually dead. In the Pauline Revelation, He is dealing almost exclusively with the New Covenant people, the New Creation folks.

To say I disagree with this position will be an understatement. I find this position most revolting and had to send it to some other friends of mine in sincere hope, that I might have misunderstood his comments.

I was left shocked by it, and couldn't believe that this position was held by this man(whom I will choose not to name). I will, however, use his words above as the material for my post in defense of what Jesus taught and preached but I have only one question to ask, How do we as believers, come to put the words of a follower above the master himself? Has the disciple become greater than the master? Can the very word made flesh not speak to all of humanity? In Some of his statements, Jesus even "re-wrote" the law, He said it has been said but I say on to you. Statements that point to his Divinity but more on this later

Some others have advised that we throw away the old testament and the four gospels. Basically saying, that a new testament believer has nothing to learn from the old testament.

Today, I am at loss as to which issue I should address first or if I can handle the two topics in one post. Still undecided.

I can not give a short response to the two positions but will attempt a more robust response on these issues later. I know, I run the risk of making this post a long one so I will just drop this first and continue in another post. However, if you are unable to read my continuing post,

here is something to consider.

For those who say that Jesus preached the law:
 For the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. -John 1:17
The law and the prophets were UNTIL John(The baptist):...Luke 16:16 Jesus was after John the Baptist.

As for their take on the Old testament being invalid, I can only borrow the very words of Paul in 1 Timothy 3:16:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  

When Paul wrote this the scriptures he spoke about was the Torah,which is what we call the OLD TESTAMENT.

A detailed post will come later but I hope this gets us thinking a bit. 

Accessing the Light of Scriptures

I really don't know if bible study materials is the best way to go. I could keep the usual style of writing articles but I just thought I should try this.

Text: 1 Cor. 2 &3

Introduction

There is light that can be gained from the study of Scriptures. Ps. 119:105 and In continuation of our last week study on the Necessity of light, we this week focused on who we ought to be to  access the light of Scriptures.

Many times when we are taught how to study the BIble; greater emphasis is laid on the techniques/principles or materials needed for study of the Bible than on the person studying it.

 While having  the correct principles for Biblical interpretation is very important, it is of greater importance to first establish what kind of person we ought to be to accurately interprete or understand the Bible. 

*Points of Study*

1. There are 4 different sources of wisdom listed from 1 Corinthians 2. They are: Human Wisdom, Wisdom of this world, The wisdom of the Princes of this world and the Wisdom of God.

 2. To state clearly, who we are as we study the word, is more important than the principles we employ in its study. Luke 8:10.

Knowing Greek, Hebrew, the contextual meaning of a phrase and the historical setting of a scriptural truth is good but beyond all this, the individual who is studying the Bible is of greater importance.

4. The wrong man using the right principles to study will still not receive the right result. The Pharisees searched the scriptures, as well as the Berean Christians, but did not derive profit for the did not come to Jesus. John 5:39; Acts 17:11

5. There are 3 different kinds of people that we will consider in the study of Scriptures.

a. The Natural Man or unbeliever: 1 Cor. 2:14.

Characteristics of the natural man are: he is unregenerated, does not have the spirit of God and cannot understand the things of God.

b. Carnal Man: 1 Cor. 3:1; Heb. 5:11-14 characteristics: he has God's life or is born again. He is regenerated but does not walk according to God's Spirit. He is a Babe in Christ and can only take milk. Do not exercise themselves in the study of God's word.

Nb. Just as milk is first digested by the mother before being made available to the baby, so these receive revelation through others and are not able to gain more than the basic revelation from God's word.  

c. The Spiritual Man: Characteristics: he is regenerated. Walks by the spirit. He can access the full benefits of the word of God.

Prayer Point.

1. May God give us the right kind of heart to accept the word and profit maximally from God's word.

Next week we will seek to explore in detail the various kinds of men

IN DEFENCE OF THE VALIDITY OF SCRIPTURES

We were in a group on Facebook and some one made a post below:

"In summary, fixation on the bible can make that bible a distraction for any child of God who is mature. The word of God in the bible has led us to the WORD of God who dwells within us. If the bible will drown out the WORD within, then a mature Christian should discard the bible and follow the WORD within. Discard the Bible as a mature Christian and follow the Spirit as the bible is irrelevant and a distraction"

When this was posted "all hell was let loose".

Brethren started turning PLOWSHARES into SWORDS and PRUNINGHOOKS into SPEARS . Some brought out machine guns, some den guns "Chaka Bula" other pulled out catapult. Any weapon possible was drawn out. Some could not handle it they took to a retreat to go and pray and fast and study in the day of battle. Some who had no weapons and ammunition went to go and borrow from Fathers of Old :Martin Luther them, Charles Spurgeon, Tyndale, Wycliffe etc Some sat back to watch this drama unfold before their eyes with popcorn and drinks by the side, while some simply clicked the exit button and left the group.

The debate continued for close to a week.

THEN all of a sudden out of nowhere Someone for the very first time of our being held ransom dropped a TOMAHAWK MISSILE that settled it.

Read his comment below and Praise God for this gift given to us on this day. 

"This is a logical fallacy, and you know it. It is called a false dichotomy. You make it look like the (mature) Christian has to choose between 2 options when in fact there are more than 2 options. You make it look like it is either 

1. the bible 

or 

2. the spirit.  

Well, there are more than those 2 options:

3. THE BIBLE & THE SPIRIT.

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. He used the scripture in His engagement with the tempter. Are we to assume it was not the Spirit that animated those words of the scriptures in His spirit at that moment? Why didn't he use His direct access to the Father to get a response for the tempter. Why take the pains of saying "IT IS WRITTEN "? Why didn't He just use the scripture without the "it is written" bit?  

The Apostles in acts 6 said "we will give ourselves CONTINUALLY to PRAYER and to the STUDY OF THE WORD." You have found a new truth they never knew. Yea!!

Turn it on its head. 
Colour it.
Embellish it.
Reword it.
Spice it. 
And temper it all you want.

So long as the grain of your position is that at some point (of maturity) a Christian can discard the Bible for the Spirit, you will be taking a position alien to that of Jesus, the first Apostle's, the patristic fathers and the Christian community through the centuries. 
 
You are all on your OWN (OYO) all by your self.

And what will be next to be discarded (by the mature) after the bible? 

It is a brave new world!
                                       - Gideon Odoma​

THE NECESSITY OF LIGHT-BIBLE STUDY

Text: Gen. 1:4; 2 Sam. 22:29; Ps. 28:9; Job 29:1-4

Introduction

Why was it important for God to have light before He could begin creation? We know that it is an established  fact that He knows what is in darkness (Dan. 2:22). Darkness and Light are the same to Him(Ps. 139:11-12). Yet in creation; He first commanded light to emerge out of darkness. 

Outline 

1.  There are various sources of light by which men may walk. - Rev. 22:5

2. In the tabernacle there was Sunlight ( natural or Human wisdom) that provided illumination for those in the outer court. In the Holy place there was the lampstand( written word) that provided illumination while in the most Holy place, the presence of God provided light.

3. The light by which a man walks determines his discernment and judgement of issues.

4. Every man must come under the light  of life- John 1:4-5. 

5. Things come under judgement as there true nature is  revealed under the brilliance of the light of God. When men's life come under this light we will discover our true state like Isaiah did in Isa. 6:1-2

6. Light is that which reveals the true nature of a thing. Without the true light, our judgements of matters will not be accurate.

7. When God sort a help meet for Adam, He presented Adam first with all the animals to see what he would call them. It took the light within Adam for him to discern the true nature of each animal before him and he also named his wife after awaken from a deep sleep, this meant his mind was unfruitful in naming Eve also.

8. Our great need for light by which we  can navigate through darkness is great at a time when various wisdom are coming forth.

Prayer Point

1. Grant us the wisdom we need for every area of our life.

THE GOSPEL UNVIELED.........Part 1

Note from the Writer:

Dear Silent Reader (or at least I hope there is a reader out there not just individuals who click the links and move on.) I started a write up that I would like to share with you. Its different from my other writings in the past but I would like to bounce it off you to get a feel of what you think. I began to write on my understanding of the gospel and the work of grace in the life of a believer. I have written 5 pages only but I really would like to know what people think and also if it would be something you would like me to publish on this blog. The extract is below...Please get back to me on what you think. Thanks

Many have taken up different aspects of the gospel as an emphasis that God intends for man. While I agree that God intends for man to be prosperous, healthy and enjoy other benefits in life, the emphasis of the gospel does NOT end only in the well-being of man.  Many preach a gospel that lays great emphasis on meeting the needs of men but I would like us to examine the scriptures again to determine what God sort to emphasize.

The fall of Man

According to Economics the basic need of man is Food, clothing and shelter. This clearly were not the basic needs of man until man fell in the Garden of Eden. In the book of Genesis, all the basic needs of man were provided for before Adam was created.

 His food was available before he was even created according to Gen. 1:29-30, man was clothed in the glory of God and never knew shame from being naked (Gen. 2:25), and his shelter was in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8).

The story became different after the fall. Man now had to sweat in order to produce food to eat (Gen. 3:19), the glory of God that covered him was withdrawn and man realized his nakedness (Rom. 3:23, Gen. 3:10-11) and finally man was thrown out of the Garden, which was his shelter (Gen. 3:23-24). So Food, clothing and shelter became the basic needs of man, after the fall of man and not before.

What then did God create man for, If not to work for his food, clothing and shelter? The answer lies in fellowship with God and the exercise of dominion upon the earth. At this point let me explain briefly that the dominion that God actually intended that Adam express on the earth, is to be able to access the mind and will of God in the heavens and implement it in the earth. God’s intention was not for man to God around like the chieftain of the world without referring or gaining direction from God. Adam was God’s enforcer upon the earth to establish God’s Kingdom upon the earth. Adam was to mirror the government of God in the heavens and execute same upon the earth. In fact the greatest Adam could do was to seek to accurately mirror what he saw in heaven. It is not about commanding your world to align to your every whip and desire, if we are to exercise dominion, our cry should be, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. He was called like Moses to function according to what he saw in Gods Kingdom. Man was called to keep the garden and tend it. To keep implies to protect or safe guard, while tending means to maintain or make continuous improvements. I will stop here on this.

The implication of that which man was commissioned to do in the exercise of dominion means that man must maintain vital communication with God, in order to replicate His will and Kingdom upon the earth. Hence, his strongest asset was his connection to God and ability to communicate with heaven. This was what Satan targeted in his temptation of man, knowing that if man loses his vital communication with God, he can develop according to the will and design of another. Hence, when Adam sinned man was cut off from his life source which is God. That separation from God is what God spoke about in Gen. 2:17, when he said that man will surely die

To be continued.......