Bob Weiner's

Dominion, Majesty, and Might

by

Doug Woolley

8/7/87

10/22/88

Vision for Dominion

Bob Weiner, president and founder of Maranatha Christian Churches, prophesied in 1979 that more people will be saved in the 1980's than all the people that have been saved in the history of the world prior to 1980.  We are living in the greatest period of history‑‑when the Christians will rise up and take back the land that is rightfully theirs.  Every born again Christian has a part in taking dominion.

We Christians are overcomes because the Word of God says so.  It is pride to exalt our own ideas above the Word of God.  We are made in the image of God and the likeness of God (Gen 1:26), and we are righteous because of the blood of Jesus.  It is pride to say, "I'm no good, I can't do anything."  God says in Jer. 1:5, "before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you;  I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."   God has appointed each one of us to change the world.  Once you know that God is mighty and that God can use you, then you can be mightily used by God.  "Humility is accepting what God says about you."  You can't have revival and dominion until you have confidence in who you are in Christ.

If we plan to have revival, then we must have a vision for dominion.  We need to believe that we Christians can bring the kingdom of God (righteousness, peace, and joy (Rom. 14:17)) on earth.  "This earth is God's, and it can be good if Christians rule it."

God created man and the earth and gave legal rights of the earth to His sons.  Gen. 1:26 shows that God has given man the dominion mandate for the earth:  "Then God said, 'Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'"  We were put on the earth to take dominion over everything that walks on this earth.

Furthermore, in Gen. 1:28, God ordains that men and women SUBDUE and control the earth:  "And God blessed them; and God said to them 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and SUBDUE it; and RULE over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'"  At this time, Adam and Eve were God's blessed children who were living for God's pleasure.

The earth belongs to the Lord.  According to Ps. 24:1, "The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, The world and those who dwell in it."  Because God is the legal owner of the earth, He can give it to whomever He chooses. According to Gen. 1:26‑28, God has legally given us [God's beloved children] authority to take control of the earth.  This transfer of authority is also seen in Ps. 115:16, "The heavens are the heavens of the LORD; But the earth He has given to the sons of men."  God has given the earth to his obedient Children‑‑the Christians of today.  The world does not belong to Satan.

Jesus rendered Satan powerless.  Jesus received the glory of God and gave all authority to the church.  Jesus said in Luke 10:19, "behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you."  Since the church has all authority, Christians need to take its ordained dominion on the earth.

"Until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ [Rev. 11:15], He will remain in heaven.  The Bible says [in Acts 3:21] Jesus will remain in heaven 'until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.'  The gospel of the kingdom is going to be preached and then the end is going to come.  We are going to kick in the gates of hell in every area of life.  Righteousness, peace, and joy are going to be on this planet earth, and then the king is going to come for the church without spot or wrinkle.  Give Him a shout of joy.  Amen."

God is disappointed when Christians desire to be raptured out of the earth rather than fulfilling their responsibilities on the earth.  Many Christians think that things will get so bad that they will have to run into caves, expecting to experience the tribulation.  We are called to rule and reign on planet earth for the glory of God‑‑to give God pleasure.  We are called to occupy until Jesus comes back.

We have been made a little lower than God.  We are crowned with glory and majesty to rule on earth.  "We got to get rid of this tribulation and rapture fever.  The Lord says, 'occupy until I come.'  Amen.  Quit worrying about when He's going to come.  Get the kingdom of God on this earth.  Get the gospel of the kingdom preached to every person in the entire world and then the end will come... I believe that Jesus is going to come back, but I don't believe He will leave us for some anti‑Christ.  I guarantee you that man has already been defeated and Jesus is Lord, and every great reformer believed that the kingdom of God was eminent.  John Wesley said, 'Give me 100 men who love only God and I'll bring the kingdom of God in one generation.'  They weren't looking for the anti‑Christ:  They were looking for the Christ.  They were looking for the king of this universe to come to a glorious church without spot or wrinkle."

We are not "taking over", but "taking back" what is rightfully ours which Satan has stolen.  Christians have given up their possessions to Satan's people as a result of their apathy to their responsibilities.  It will take fervency for Christians to regain possession of the earth.

The Bible says that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availath much" (James 4:16 KJV).  In other words, as righteous Christian men and women pray fervently, our prayers will accomplish much in regaining possession of the earth.  We need to pray that the Gospel will be preached to the whole earth.  Only the Word of God will be able to minister to people and change them, and ultimately, establish the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.  Jesus will not come back to reign until the Gospel has gone out to everyone in the world (Matt. 24:14).There is no place for Christians to live passively, but he must have a big vision and take dominion.  Francis Shaffer stated recently:

We Christians are not losing this country because of humanism or communism.  We're losing this country because of the apathy of the Christians.  Christians with a Biblical world view must now take leadership and dominion, relying on God to work through His people.  The saints are to inherit the earth.  The kingdoms of this world are to become the kingdom of God.  'The knowledge of the glory of the Lord is to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea' (Is. 11:9).

"All the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord" (Num. 14:21).  God's glory is His goodness, His name, His compassion, His graciousness, His truth, and His loving kindness, according to Ex. 33:18‑19; 34:6.  Each one of us have a part in filling the earth with God's glory as we allow God's glory to fill our lives'.  "What is man?... Yet Thou has made him a little lower than God... Thou dost make him to rule over the works of Thy hands" (Ps. 8:4‑6).  The glory Jesus had is now given to the church, the unified body of believers, so that we can rule the earth and all things under God's hand.  Furthermore, "the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Is. 11:9).  The sea is covered 100% by water.  Similarly, the earth will be totally filled with the knowledge of God.  In fact, Is. 49:6 says that God's salvation will reach the end of the earth.  Rev. 7:9‑10 further explains that "a great multitude, which no man could number, from every nation" will come to know Jesus.  As they do, the whole earth will be filled with His glory.

One and one‑half billion people in the world claim to be Christians; yet, only a fraction of them actually have the spirit of Christ in them.  Many people have heard the Gospel and even believe it, yet they have not responded to it and allowed Christ to come into their hearts' to be their Lord and Savior.  Why should we preach the Gospel to these people and others that have heard it so many times and have rejected it when there are over 2.5 billion people in the world who have never heard of Jesus once?

In these last days, the righteous "will tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing, says the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 4:3).  Isaiah prophesied that righteousness and praise will spring up before all the nations" (61:11).  Ezekial prophesied that "all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence" (38:20).  David prophesied, "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord and all the families of the nations will worship before Thee" (Ps. 22:27).  "Every place on which the soul of [our] foot treads shall be [ours]" (Josh. 1:3).  The key to seeing this kind of revival is taking a RISK.  We need to get out on the limb of the tree where it is dangerous, but if you are in the will of God then you are on the rock of Jesus and you are safe.  We need to "get out of the boat" if we want to see great things happen in these last days, but we always need to keep our eyes on Jesus.

Dominion Means: Jesus Must Be Your LORD

God's glory is fully manifested on those people who have made Jesus both Lord and Savior.  Christian Dominion starts with each Christian allowing Jesus to be their Lord.  Jesus must be Lord of all or He is not Lord at all.  Jesus told the rich young ruler that he would have to give up "all" to be able to follow Him.  However, the rich young ruler did not make that commitment because he did not want to give up all his money.  Jesus did not run after him and say "30% down and pay the rest in installments."  Unless we forsake all to follow Christ, then we are under counterfeit conversion.  Everything we have belongs to God; we need to ask God what we can keep rather than what to give.

We need to have Jesus reigning as Lord of our lives'.  Matt. 7:13‑15 says that false prophets, (those not preaching total commitment), will not "enter by the narrow gate."  Matt. 7:21‑27 explains that those who hear the Word of God and do not do it will not inherit the kingdom of God.  The Bible is clear that no immoral or impure person will inherit the kingdom of God (Eph. 5:3‑5).  Ephesians was written to Christians to teach them how to "walk."  This "impurity" includes petting (making out), masturbation (guys and girls).  We must not have any idols in our lives'.  You are an idolater when you have someone or something meaning more to you than God.  If there are idols in our lives', then Jesus is not Lord of all.

Although many people come to know Christ out of wrong motives, we should serve Him and love Him from pure motives.  We should serve Him and love Him not for fear of going to Hell or for hope of reward, but just because He is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings and the creator of the universe.  We must seek God's face, not His hand.  After we have known God and known the truth, it is possible to fall away and not inherit the kingdom of God.  In fact, this state is worse than the state we were in before we came to righteousness (2 Pet. 2:20‑22).  We can know if we are saved by the inner spirit's witness and by keeping Christ's commandments (1 John 2:2‑3).  The Scriptures tell us that no one born of God "practices" sin.  We need to keep His commandments and this will demonstrate that our heart has truly made Jesus Lord of our lives'.

As we allow Jesus to rule our lives', and as we selflessly serve God by establishing His kingdom on earth, we will be rewarded.  "Behold, I [Jesus] am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done" (Rev. 22:12).