02: The Purchased Possession - The First Dominion

The Present Truth : May 14, 1896

Redemption means to buy back. And what is to be bought back? Evidently that which was lost; for that is what the Lord came to save. And what was lost? Man, for one thing; “for thus saith the Lord, ye have sold yourselves for naught; and ye shall be redeemed without money.” Isaiah 52.3. What else was lost? Necessarily all that man had. And what was that?

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Genesis 1.26-28

The Psalmist says of men: “Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet; all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.” Psalms 8.5-8

This was man’s original dominion, but it was not retained. In the Epistle to the Hebrews we have these words of the Psalmist: —

“For not unto angels did He [God] subject the world to come, whereof we speak. But one hath somewhere testified, saying, what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that Thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower [or, “for a little while lower”] than the angels; thou crowned him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands. Thou put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He subjected all things unto him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower [“for a little while lower”] than the angels, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor; that by the grace of God, He should taste death for every man.” Hebrews 2.5-9, R.V.