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The Dominion Process By Mark Pfeifer It assumes the influence of the church will increase on earth until Jesus returns. This view stands against some opposing views which see the influence of the church waning in the last days. It does not intend to imply absolute dominion, as in a sinless earth, but a preparatory dominion, as in the earth being prepared for the return of the King. Thesis: There are three main points that this presentation seeks to substantiate.
(1) God’s covenant people taking dominion of the earth has been the main theme of every covenant that God has ever made with mankind. The New Covenant for the church is no different with its expectation of dominion by making disciples of all nations.
(2) The Dominion Process is two-fold. First, human beings are blessed by God. Secondly, these blessed human beings are given a mandate to take dominion of the earth for the purpose of blessing it. (3) The first advent of Christ was for the purpose of creating a blessed seed upon the earth - the church. The second coming of Jesus will take place after this blessed seed has completed the Dominion Process upon the earth by making disciples of all nations. God Blesses Man to Bless the Earth When God formed man from the dust of the ground it created an eternal bond between man and the earth. From that point on, God’s purpose for humanity was to bless a people so they could possess and bless the earth. The first instance of this, of course, was with Adam and Eve. Notice that God blessed them and gave them the task of dominion: "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 1:28 Under man’s authority, the earth would be blessed because he was blessed. The idea of the condition of the earth being directly related to the condition of mankind is reinforced by the fact that when Adam and Eve sinned, both man and the earth were cursed: “Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.” Genesis 3:17-18 One might say, “So goes man, so goes the earth.” When man was blessed, he could bless the earth but when man was cursed, the earth was cursed along with him. The Apostle Paul understood this truth and stated that the earth is waiting for the redeemed sons of God to once again possess it and set it free from the curse.
Romans 8:19-22
Notice that the above verse says that the earth is waiting for the revealing of the “sons of God” not just for the revealing of the Son of God. According to Paul, the redeemed sons of God have a job to do with respect to the entire earth before Jesus is revealed from heaven. Since the earth is under the same curse as natural man, it “groans and labors” to this day. However, when the redeemed and blessed seed of God takes dominion of the earth, extending the Kingdom rule of God in the hearts of men, it will restore the blessing of God to all creation as well. Since the condition of the earth reflects the condition of those who have dominion over it, in order for the earth to be blessed and reflect the glory of God, those who are blessed must have a greater influence over it than those who are cursed. This happens when the Kingdom rule of God is extended into the hearts of people, multiplying the number of disciples on the earth and ultimately bringing the earth under the blessing of God. This is dominion. This was the purpose behind the dominion mandate of Genesis 1:28 and the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20. What Adam abandoned and left undone was rescued by Jesus, the Last Adam, and reinvested into the hands of the church. The purpose of the church, therefore, is to prepare for the triumphant return of the King by completing the dominion mandate. This assignment will successfully increase throughout the world in the last days as God’s kingdom rule is extended in the hearts and lives of countless disciples in great number and in those who have headship in the main cultural spheres of influence throughout the nations of the earth. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:14 “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 11:15 The Dominion Process The term, Dominion Process describes the process by which God uses mankind to extend His kingdom rule on the earth and take dominion of it. It is a two-fold process. First, God creates and redeems a blessed seed. Then He uses His blessed seed to extend His kingdom rule on the earth when they take dominion of it. The first part of the Dominion Process happens by God’s initiative in a moment of time. The second part happens by man’s efforts over a course of time. The first part happens when God declares the word of righteousness over His subjects. The second part happens when His subjects proceed to subdue the earth and take dominion of it. God takes responsibility for the first part. Man takes responsibility for the second part. This synergy was understood by the Apostle Paul. “For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.” I Corinthians 3:9a “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” II Corinthians 6:1 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 The ultimate purpose of the Dominion Process is to create a blessed and redeemed people who can bless and redeem the earth. Although the first part of the process happens in a moment of time, the second part of the process takes place over an extended amount of time. The Dominion Process in the Biblical Covenants Every covenant that God ever made with mankind was for the purpose of engaging humanity in the Dominion Process. Both the connection of man to the earth and the two-fold sequence of Dominion Process are found in each one. Let’s take a look. Edenic Covenant: Before the fall, God created a covenant that blessed Adam and Eve and commissioned them to possess and bless the earth as it was populated. We have already discussed this in the aforementioned scriptures. Adamic Covenant: After the fall, God spoke directly to the connection of man to the earth and how man’s condition affected the earth. Since Adam and Eve sinned and they were cursed, the earth would be cursed also. However, God promised Adam and Eve that they would produce a blessed seed upon the earth one day. This is a hope for both mankind and the earth that redemption from sin’s curse is possible. Noahic Covenant: God made a covenant with Noah that almost repeated the words of the Edenic Covenant verbatim. “So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs...And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth And multiply in it." Genesis 9:1-3, 7 Notice the connection of Noah and his family to the earth and the two-fold sequence of the Dominion Process that gave humanity a blessing so it could then bless the earth as it was repopulated. Abrahamic Covenant: God’s concern with a blessed seed that could extend His blessings to every nation of the earth was crystallized in the Old Testament with Abraham. First, the seed was blessed. “"blessing I will bless you...” Genesis 22:17a Then the dominion mandate is given. “...and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice.” Genesis 22:17b-18 Notice again please, that the seed was blessed first in a moment of time when God spoke the word. Then the process of possessing and subsequently blessing the nations of the earth was the responsibility of the blessed seed and was a matter of hard work and time.
This becomes more important as we move into the purpose of the church relative to the return of Christ. The Mosaic and Palestinian Covenants: God gave Israel the Law to teach them how to live as a blessed people. Built within the greater Mosaic Covenant is the Palestinian Covenant which expressly deals with how to expand the blessings of God while possessing the Land of Canaan (Deuteronomy 28-32).
The two-fold sequence of the Dominion Process is clearly seen when Israel was redeemed out of Egyptian bondage. The redemption happened in a single night. The process of taking possession and redeeming the land, however, was a long and arduous one. Just like their forefather Abraham, the Children of Israel understood that taking dominion of the earth was a long process that involved warfare, strategy, teamwork, ingenuity and patience.
The Davidic Covenant: Comparing II Samuel 7:12-16 with Luke 1:31-33 will yield shared themes of both the blessed seed and the land with regards to the Kingdom of God. In both places, a king is promised who will sit upon a throne and rule a blessed territorial kingdom. As always, the purpose of this blessed kingdom was to take dominion of the earth for the purpose of extending the blessings of God to every nation.
“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.” II Samuel 7:12 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:31-33 The New Covenant: The Dominion Process with its consistent two-fold sequence is clearly seen in the New Covenant. The pinnacle of its expression for the purpose of redeemed mankind on the earth is seen in The Great Commission. It spells out the responsibility of the blessed seed of God.
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 The redeemed seed of God (the church) is blessed by the work of Christ on Calvary. Then it is given the responsibility to go forth and take dominion of the earth by making disciples of every nation. This, alone, will bring the blessings of God upon the earth. The Great Commission needs to be connected with the original dominion command of Genesis 1:28. God has worked throughout history to place a blessed seed upon the earth to which He could give the responsibility of taking dominion of the earth for the purpose of blessing it. Since every covenant that God made with mankind was a dominion covenant, there should be little doubt that the New Covenant contains the same dominion mandate. It makes no sense otherwise. Why would God give mankind a series of dominion covenants and then revoke the Dominion Process when giving them the best covenant of all according to Hebrews 7:22? Why would God create a redeemed seed upon the earth only to have them look forward to leaving it? Why would Jesus give His disciples the mandate to make disciples of every nation if the Anti-Christ and Beast of Revelation were going to take dominion of those nations? Only the redeemed Bride of Christ holds the mandate of authority from God to do so! The Work of the Church and Second Coming of Christ As the blessed seed of Abraham according to Galatians 3:29, possessing the gates of our enemies and taking dominion of the earth to bless all mankind is the church’s chief responsibility. Like it was for Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joshua and David, it will take warfare, strategy, teamwork, ingenuity and patience but the redeemed seed will prevail in taking the message of the Kingdom of God around the earth. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14 In other words, the church is not sitting around waiting for the return of Jesus. It is working for the return of Jesus. It is the job of the redeemed sons and daughters of God to make disciples of every nation and prepare the earth for His return.
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7 Notice in the above verse that the bride (the corporate church comprised of all the nations of the earth) has made herself ready. This implies two things. First, John saw the corporate church finally becoming complete in the last days. Secondly, he saw that it was the primary responsibility of the church to make these preparations happen. The first time that Jesus came, He came to redeem the seed. Now he is waiting for the redeemed bride to make herself ready by taking dominion of the earth. Her preparations will be complete as she adorns herself with the nations of the earth. Then the end will come. The Apostle Peter also understood that the second return of Jesus was directly related to the activity of the church. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19-21 Peter knew that heaven would keep Jesus until such a time as the church makes disciples of every nation, culminating with the repentance of Israel, adding her to the list of nations adorning the bride. This is how she completes the process of making herself ready. Israel is the final piece. Like Peter, the Apostle Paul reaffirms the church’s active role in Israel’s repentance which signals the end of the age. “But I say, did Romans 10:19 “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.” Romans 11:11 “if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.” Romans 11:14 “And so all Romans 11:26 Peter and the rest of the church were not about to sit and wait to be rescued from an evil earth. They saw it as their duty and mandate to be engaged in the affairs of this world, working to bring disciples into the church through advancing the rule of Christ in their hearts. They believed that this activity would continue among the nations of the earth (the “Times of the Gentiles”) until Israel repented. That’s when Jesus would return, being enthroned in an atmosphere of refreshing and restoration. Understanding the Times and Seasons of God In nearly every passage that the second advent of Jesus is mentioned, there is a list of events that must precede His return. Therefore, instead of thinking of the return of Jesus as being time-driven, these passages suggest that the return of Jesus is event-driven. As an event-driven moment in time, the return of Jesus can best be understood in terms of kairos rather than chronos. The Greek word kairos describes a moment in time which has been made possible by the convergence of key events rather than by the hands of a clock, which is the case with chronos. Consider Paul’s use of the same word kairos in I Thessalonians 5:1 when encouraging the “But concerning the times and the seasons (kairos), brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.” In Acts 3:19-21, the word kairos is used to describe the “times” of refreshing that directly precede the return of Christ. Peter confirms that this refreshing happens because the activity of the church provokes Israel to repent and become part of the adorning nations of the Bride of Christ.
In other words, the people of God should not be watching the hands of some eternal time clock like a person who is waiting on a bus to arrive. As an event-driven moment, the church should prepare for the return of Christ by involving itself in all activities related to completing the Dominion Process.
This becomes crucial in eschatology because many Christians believe that the devil will largely be in control of the last days and the church will be helplessly swept up in events beyond its power. This has led many people to adopt a passive and fatalistic view of future things. It has also led to an unhealthy fascination with Satan and the rise of the Beast and Anti-Christ in the Book of Revelation. Many people are watching world events to discern who these people are more than they are aware of God’s movement throughout the world. This is strange considering that the Bible says that the demons are watching the church in order to discern the times and seasons of God. “And to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God”
Satan’s army watches the church because they know that God’s plan for the ages is made known through the redeemed seed. Therefore, the activity of the church should be the main focus when considering future events, not the works of the devil. Could it be that one of Satan’s tactics is to keep the church passive by deceiving them in believing that he has authority in the end times? Could it be that he desires this in order to keep them from participating in the Dominion Process?
Could it be that the church’s inactivity could prolong the return of Jesus? Could it be that the events surrounding the return of Jesus are conditionally connected to the obedience of the church in fulfilling the Great Comission? Could it be that the church has the ability to hasten the Day of the Lord? Perhaps this is what Peter alluded to in II Peter 3:11-12 when he said: “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God...” That humanity has a part to play in fulfilling the promises of God is doubtless. The Hebrews writer reminds us that although God gave Abraham a promise and even swore to it with an oath, these promises still needed inherited and obtained through the faith and patient endurance of Abraham. “Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises...And so, after he (Abraham) had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” Hebrews 6:12b & 15 Who inherited and actively obtained the promise? Abraham! Who is the church supposed to imitate? Abraham! This should teach the church that although God gives promises about the future, these promises have to be inherited and obtained through the faith and patient obedience of the children of God. Could it be that heaven is waiting for the church to inherit and obtain the promises of the last days? This will never happen if she is passively waiting for Jesus to return. Rather, the church must become proactive in her approach to fulfilling the numerous passages that mention the dominion mandate. This is how God has chosen to make His promises become reality. Perhaps many of the events mentioned in the Bible as being signs of Christ’s return are instigated by the church. Take for instance Satan’s reaction to the dominion authority of the advancing church. “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” Revelation 12:10-12 According to this verse, many of the subsequent events in the Book of Revelation are due to the fact that the church has taken the initiative and cornered the devil, and like a frightened animal, he comes out fighting because he knows his days are numbered. How does Satan know his days are numbered? Because he watches the activities of the church (see again Ephesians 3:9-10)! It is not some random date that God has written on a calendar somewhere that the church needs to be focused on. It’s not the work of the devil that needs to be dissected and discerned as an indicator of the return of Christ. The Anti-Christ and Beast are not supposed to be the focus of the church’s eschatology. It is the dominion activity of the church, especially relative to Israel, that creates the kairos moment of His return. Taking dominion of the earth should be the object of the church’s obsession. Personal Testimony The bottom line purpose of talking about Dominion Eschatology is to bring the church into a more hopeful and purposeful position relative to future events. “Where there is no hope for the future, there is no power for the present.” When I was a kid growing up in church, they used to show us movies about the last days. Everyone had 666 tattooed on their foreheads and Christians were being hunted down like animals. I remember the images of the church hiding in caves and cowering in cellars hoping not to be discovered. These images were no doubt reinforced by the earlier realities of the Jewish people suffering at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust. This picture of the last day’s church that was given to me was very discouraging. I remember saying to my aunt, “You’re lucky because you’re old.” She said, “What?” I explained, “You’ll probably die before the church falls apart and all this bad stuff happens...but I’ll still be alive.” Even in Bible college the thoughts of a weak, anemic church in the last days still haunted me. The voices of many testimonies rang in my head, “The Bible said that there would be a great falling away. And that’s why nobody is coming to church anymore.” I was told that the days of great revival are over because we were born in the Laodicean Church Age and there was nothing that we could do about it. Our lot, therefore, was to watch the church fall apart in the last days and hope to be rescued before all of the really bad stuff happens.
As I fought through this discouragement, I read a verse one day that changed my perspective. “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.” James 5:7 When I saw that James was talking about the coming of the Lord and he linked it with a former AND latter rain, my heart began to change. I saw in that verse a promise that God was not done pouring out His Holy Spirit and giving revival to the church. Since that time, I have seen the scriptures that reference the last days in an entirely different light. They have made me hopeful and full of faith for the condition of the last day’s church. I believe she will be a bride without spot or wrinkle! I believe that she will complete the Dominion Process and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God around the earth, making disciples of every nation! “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:27 www.somafamily.com Related Articles · More Articles |