What, then, did dominion mean to Adam? Matthew 4:1-11.

 Almost as if it was moments later, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness.

Illustration 1: The Wilderness of Zin, The Wooster Geologists.

If I told you nothing else, could you picture what this place looks like and what He would be doing there?

Perhaps this will help a little.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”
Matthew 4:1 NKJV)

Then is such a simple word, and most of the time, it needs no definition, but look at this.

“Then” is the Greek word tóte, “an adverb indicative of time.” It conveys the idea of “at that time.” It is correlated to the Greek word hóte (G3753), at which (thing) too, that is, when: - after (that), as soon as.

I could read Matthew 4:1 in this manner. As soon as He came up out of the water and answered the reasonable responses that were immediately thrown at Him. 

Responses; questions? You know, What did you hear Or, what did He say? 

Those standing around when Jesus was baptized heard something that sounded like thunder. If all they heard was thunder, they have no idea if He heard anything; their only internal imagery about hearing God's voice is primarily the oral history of God talking with Moses on Mt. Sinai and the interactions with the prophets, such as Samuel. Add to this the fact that God has been silent for 400 years. 

Imagine John the Baptizer. Nothing clearly tells us that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. We merely make that assumption. Mind you, it is a good one but purely conjecture. The implications are that Elizabeth, John's mother, was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Sitting here, writing this to you, I am so used to the Holy Spirit being a part of my life that unless He takes my breath away, I am unaware of His presence, but I hear His voice frequently throughout the day.

Sadly, we are forced into speculation as those who captured the details left a few out when they wrote.

For example. We assume, and I did just that with Matthew 4:1 when I elaborated on the simple word “then.” While Jesus may have stood around for a few minutes, when you put all the puzzle pieces on the table, it becomes clear that the next big thing in Jesus’s life was to be forced into the wilderness. (Forced is such a harsh word considering that Jesus gladly volunteered to do all this for us,) We are told He did the inconceivable because He had no food or water. Consider the nation of Israel only days after leaving Egypt, and Moses also does the unthinkable by going onto Mt Sinai for 40 days with no food or water. No wonder they presumed him to be dead, but since they had such a strong role model in Aaron (Not), I struggle to understand why they so quickly returned to the bondage of idol worship and the roasting of their children on the altar of Moloch. John chapter one tells us that John, the baptizer, was testifying or crying out about Him – Jesus. 

“John testified about Him and cried out, This was He of Whom I said, He Who comes after me has priority over me, for He was before me.” [He takes rank above me, for He existed before I did. He has advanced before me because He is my Chief.] John 1:15 AMP)

Based upon the terminology, “He Who comes after me” makes me think that this moment is before Jesus is baptized. When the Apostle John gets to 1:19, he talks about the Baptizer responding, “When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to him with the question, Who are you?”

John the Baptist responded. “ 

“He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” 
John 1:23 ESV)

It is evident that the need for baptisms in water puzzled these Jewish leaders as well. 

“They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 
John 1:25 ESV)

Much of this was said to establish where John the baptist was, baptizing in the Jordan, where this narrative started. 

“These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.” 
John 1:28 ESV)

Now watch how the conversation turns. 

“The next day, he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose, I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 
John 1:29-31 ESV)

See, I pointed out how Matthew’s gospel gives us the impression that Jesus immediately grabbed John and Andrew and started His ministry and team building. Not so. Jesus is returning from the 40 days of fasting and being tested by Satan in the wilderness, and He is passing by John the Baptist again. This passing by goes on for two days. 

“The next day, again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 
John 1:35-36 ESV)

Let me be perfectly honest. I still cannot fully grasp this statement’s depth when John says, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

We know Jesus’ cousin John the Baptizer, was there, but who else witnessed what happened the day that Jesus got baptized? 

Two of John’s disciples. 

Andrew, Peter’s brother. The presumption that the evangelist John was the other disciple who witnessed what transpired with Jesus is based upon the fact that John does not refer to himself in his gospel and Revelation.

“The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Yeshua. Yeshua turned around and saw them following. He said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher), “Where are you staying?” “Come and see,” Yeshua tells them. So they came and saw where He was staying, and they spent that day with Him. It was about the tenth hour. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John speak and followed Yeshua.”
John 1:37-40 TLV)

Have you ever pondered this question, “What are you looking for?” Another translation puts it this way, “What do you seek?” 

Was it riches? 

Because that did not happen. Since many of these men had homes and families, we know that those needs somehow got handled. The Apostle John is the one who, with hostility in his voice, told about Judas Iscariot, the team accountant, and how he took money from the bag. If it was that obvious, how come no one else mentioned it? Interesting, to say the least.

What about personal fame? 

Maybe if you consider being spit on fame, but that was clearly not what they sought. All, except for John, died brutal deaths as followers of Christ. 

They heard the baptizer’s words, especially that statement “behold the Lamb of God,” which must have had a tremendous impact on them. They witnessed Jesus having God speak to Him, and then the Holy Spirit came upon Him. It is probably true that they had to ask questions to figure that all out, but Jesus began to live an irresistible lifestyle before them.

Matthew chapter four is essential as it gives you tremendous clues as to what Jesus used as ammunition against Satan and a grasp of why Satan is such a valid threat in this life on earth.

Watch what happens.

“Then Jesus was carried up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted of the devil: Matthew 4:1 Darby)

What was the last thing that Matthew showed us in Chapter Three? 

Remember that the origins of the Bibles that so many of us carry did not have chapters and verses.

“and behold, a voice out of the heavens saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight.”
Matthew 3:17 Darby)

So, at this point, there were several witnesses. Two of them were John the Baptist’s disciples, who would eventually become disciples of Jesus. 

Did the Holy Spirit merely grab Him up, make Him disappear, and drop Jesus down in the wilderness? 

The Holy Spirit could have, but we don’t see any witnesses testifying that it happened in this manner.
The most practical method would have been transporting Jesus after walking off into obscurity. Consider the Holy Spirit had made a monumental impact on the hearts of those He affected. They now needed to think about what they saw and decide what they would do about it. If this troubles you, read on.
In the book of Acts, we see Philip, the evangelist, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

“But the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, Rise up and go southward on the way which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza: the same is desert. And he rose up and went. And lo, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a man in power under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to worship at Jerusalem, was returning and sitting in his chariot: and he was reading the prophet Esaias (Isaiah). And the Spirit said to Philip, Approach and join this chariot. And Philip, running up, heard him reading the prophet Esaias, and said, Dost thou then know what thou art reading of? And he said, How should I then be able unless some one guide me? And he begged Philip to come up and sit with him. And the passage of the scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb in presence of him that shears him, thus he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation his judgment has been taken away, and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answering Philip said, I pray thee, concerning whom does the prophet say this? of himself or of some other? And Philip, opening his mouth and beginning from that scripture, announced the glad tidings of Jesus to him. And as they went along the way, they came upon a certain water, and the eunuch says, Behold water; what hinders my being baptised? And he commanded the chariot to stop. And they went down both to the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptised him. But when they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no longer, for he went on his way rejoicing. And Philip was found at Azotus, and passing through he announced the glad tidings to all the cities till he came to Caesarea.”
Acts 8:26-40 Darby)

We do not know, because we are not told, how the Spirit made Philip disappear and reappear at Azotus, nor how this transpired with Jesus “shortly” after the baptism.

I want to show you something spectacular. 

If someone says the word rapture is not found in scripture! Ask them their perception of the rapture; I suspect that most would tell you it is the rapid removal of the entirety of Christ’s followers.

The word used to describe how Philip was removed from one location to another is the Greek word harpazō. It means to seize (in various applications): - catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force). This word plays a massive role in our hope, eternal salvation, peace, and life with the Father.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 NKJV)

So Jesus has been in the wilderness for forty days. 

On the website Quora, the question was asked, “Is it possible for a human being to fast for 40 days?” One response, dated Jul 14, 2018 —stated, “Prolonged fasting can lead to severe malnutrition, muscle wasting, organ damage, electrolyte imbalances, and other serious health complications.”

This tells me that it was time for Jesus, the human, to start eating again - if he had any food available. I say it like that because we assume Jesus had pocket change and could get to the corner fast food market.

“And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. “
Matthew 4:2 NASB)

I understand that at this point, the body begins to turn on itself for food and is now consuming you from the inside out. Sorry, that was gross. Realistically, Jesus indeed must have started to head back home, where ever that is.

“And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."”
Matthew 4:3 NASB)

Considering what we just read in verse two, this is unfair. I have stated, in previous posts, that God doesn't ask questions because He needs your answer. He is trying to get you to communicate with Him.

On that note, could Jesus have turned stones into bread?

Absolutely, but giving into what Satan was trying to do would have been to diminish the power and authority of God in future events. For example, down the road, you will see Jesus take authority over the wind and the waves. If you have ever been in rough waters, then you know that the wind is moving the water, but the water, minus the wind, still takes several minutes to go quiet. In the narrative where this happens, that is not what we see, for the water went quiet almost immediately, and the disciples, who thought they were going to die, noticed.

Pay attention to how a starving man responds to temptation.

“But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"
Matthew 4:4 NASB)

1. Food is important. After all, we are human and have a need to eat. But, because He used all caps, most of us know He is shouting, which means this information is crucial. Feeding the spirit within, with the Word of God, is vital.

2. You can stand against the trials and tests of Satan and his demons, but as Jesus showed us, using the Word of God is crucial. 

Look, the reality, for me, is that I do not remember specific scriptures. (If you are 70+ and do, congratulations. I am proud of you.) I remember Word pictures and themes. An aspect that I think is important is that I hold fast to the knowledge that God is in Control and will send angels to come to my aid. While thinking about it, another thing that is pushed upon as guilt is that we should put on the armor of God daily. So, if you take it off when you go to bed and you get that late-night phone call from someone who needs your strength, are you unable to cope or help them because you can’t find the belt that holds your armor on? I have a suggestion, learn to live in the armor. If I had made you a knight of my round table, I would expect you to be battle ready at a moment’s notice. Considering this rapidly changing world, this is just something to entertain.

Moving on. Jesus was starving, but He held His composure and withstood the test. So, this time, Satan carries Him to the high pinnacle of the temple. 

“Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’” 
Matthew 4:5-7 NASB)

May I be blunt? 

Satan tried to get Him to commit suicide. 

Would God have sent the angels to catch Him?

Perhaps. At this point, we may never know for sure. Religion will tell you that God will NOT get involved in such an atrocious sin – committing self-murder is portrayed as unforgivable. Okay, stop here a moment. 

When did Jesus bring about the forgiveness of ALL sins? 

You would be correct if you said somewhere between the cross and the throne. 

“and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” 
Colossians 1:20 NLT)

God reconciled everything back to Himself. 

Give me a moment as I wipe the tears from my eyes. What a vast word everything is, and it is ALL because of the blood.

What else did He do? 

He died. 

“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,” 
Hebrews 2:14 NASB  

If I say I might do something, you have no confidence that I will or won’t. Well, that doesn’t help much. So, in this case, it is a poor word choice for the translators.

Look at how the NLT translators worded 2:14. 

“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.” 
Hebrews 2:14 NLT)

This is easily readable and makes all the sense in the world. Jesus became a human and remained a human. He died as both a human and a sacrifice. He paid the redemptive price to regain us all if we would choose to come, and, in so doing, He broke the power of death the devil held over us.

The third temptation, and then Satan left Him alone for some time. Again the devil took Jesus, but this time to a very high mountain. Pay attention to what the devil says to Jesus.

“Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You fall down and worship me." Then Jesus *said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"
Matthew 4:8-10 NLT)

He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the World and their glory.

Strangely, the word glory is the Greek word dóxa and means, among other things, splendor, light, and rewards. 

The Word Study Dictionary tells us: A look at the root word of dóxa, i.e., dokéō (G1380), to think or suppose, is necessary. Etymologically, the word primarily means thought or opinion, especially favorable human opinion, and thus in a secondary sense reputation, praise, honor (true and false), splendor, light, perfection, and rewards (temporal and eternal). Thus the dóxa of man is a human opinion and is shifty, uncertain, and often based on error, and its pursuit of its own safety is unworthy. But there is a glory of God which must be absolutely true and changeless. God's opinion marks the true value of things as they appear to the eternal mind, and God's favorable opinion is true glory. This contrast is well seen in Joh_5:44 as the Lord speaks of the glory that the people were receiving among themselves and the only glory that comes from God (see Joh_12:43). Glory, therefore, is the true apprehension of God or things. The glory of God must mean His unchanging essence. Giving glory to God is ascribing to Him His full recognition. The true glory of man, on the other hand, is the ideal condition in which God created man. This condition was lost in the fall and is recovered through Christ and exists as a real fact in the divine mind. The believer waits for this complete restoration. The glory of God is what He is essentially; the glory of created things, including man is what they are meant by God to be, though not yet perfectly attained.

“And he (Satan) said to Him (Jesus), "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." 

How and where did Satan obtain these possessions?

Here is the short answer.

“The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment....” Genesis 3:6-7 NLT)

The longer answer lies in deception and the fact that the man, who knew what was happening, stood there and said nothing. Chapter three tells us that the woman was deceived; however, the man just stood there watching. He could have exercised his dominion and stopped this downward spiral; instead, he gave up the command he possessed to Satan. 

Some will read this and say I don't believe that; prove it.

Far too many pastors will try to preach about what transpired and apply emotions to the scene instead of logic.

1. How quickly we forget that even though cloned, Eve was first made in God's image. She is a genius, and playing the emotional game with her is foolish and wrong. 

2. Genesis chapter one tells us about a stage in the creation of humanity.

   “Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 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." And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you, it shall be for food.” Genesis 1:26-29 NKJV)

What is God’s image? 

He is a spirit.

What, then, was dominion to Adam? 

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 
Genesis 1:26 NKJV)

Some translated this word as rule. The term is radah, and both options work.

radah (921d); "a prim. root; means to have dominion, rule, dominate: — dominated (1), had dominion (1), have dominion (1), prevailed (1), rule (12), ruled (4), ruling (1), subdued (1), subdues (1).”

Adam, made in God’s image, was in complete control or charge of the earth. 

What does Webster’s dictionary have to tell us?

DOMINION, n. 1. Sovereign or supreme authority; the power of governing and controlling. 2. Power to direct, control, use and dispose of at pleasure; right of possession and use without being accountable; as the private dominion of individuals.

How did we lose our grasp of understanding who Adam was? 

That answer lies in religious tradition and wretched teaching.

I have expounded on the origins of deception, but there is always someone new to the blog. So here goes again. 

Before having bodies, humanity was made exclusively in God’s image. Before you get carried away with deception, there was only, aside from God: the Father, the Son – the Word, and the Holy Spirit. So the image carried an understanding and characteristics of God, as I just defined them. Man was made and referred to as “ish and isha.”

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Genesis 1:27 NKJV)

Everything that moved on earth was a vegetarian, at least for a time.

“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." And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you, it shall be for food.” Genesis 1:28-29 NKJV)

God laid out the order of operations for His creation, including everything that moved on the earth. To His creation, it was stated: “have dominion.”

But God was not done yet.

“And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31 BSB)

If you must be a purist, then know this, there was no night or day until the fifth day. Since there wasn't a light cycle to govern or advance time for four days, what does that do to your six-day creation of the world and all that is in it?

So, by the seventh day, He (God) finished His work. Really, where is man?

“And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work.” Genesis 2:2 BSB)

And yet watch what happens on the eighth day.

“Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7 BSB)

If, as we saw in Genesis 1:7, God created man, what is He doing here?

And then this question arises.

If Eve, under the title “isha” - woman, existed at the same time as the man, then what role did she play in giving the dominance of the earth over to Satan?

Perhaps my question is merely rhetorical, but if Eve played no role, then all the instructions about how they were to run the earth came through Adam’s mouth.

They only had one “law” they had to follow, stay away from that tree, and it came through Adam's mouth, who made it clear that these instructions came from the Father, God.

Adam, it seems, saw God, but a logical premise is that Eve never did. It is probable that Adam dealt with the human representation of God, Jesus. The terminology typically related to what I just said is that this is another of those pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus.

As you may have noticed in Genesis 2:2, there was no Eve, and we do not see Eve until we get to verses 21 and 22.

“So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the area with flesh. And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him.“ Genesis 2:21-22 BSB)

Now, fast forward past an untold number of years to the garden and that tree that Adam said God told us NOT to eat from. Read Genesis 2: 15-17, and you will see that Adam’s job was to cultivate the “garden” but to not eat from that tree.

If Eve has only heard these instructions from Adam’s mouth, then the serpent’s deception was aimed at creating doubt in God, God’s Word, and Adam’s possible desire to control Eve, and the words or instructions were invalid. 

What a destructive morass.

Satan worked to deceive both Eve and then Adam, just as he worked to deceive Jesus. Having withstood the test, we are told this.

“Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
Matthew 4:11 NKJV)

A thought. Since Satan has moved Jesus twice, and Jesus is starving, perhaps it is fortunate that Jesus has conveniently placed Him in Jerusalem, where the temple is. Food is so much more available here than in the wilderness.

Since Jesus had no money and there were no fast food restaurants available back then, it is good that the angels came and ministered to Him.

What does it mean to be ministered to?

It is the Greek word diakoneō and means to be a servant or attendant, to supply food and necessities of life.

The angels fulfilled these roles in Jesus' life.

Do we have any other examples where something like this happened?

“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word." Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”
1 Kings 17:1-7 NKJV)