The answer is God has ultimate control over the earth. (2017 ~ Published Annually)

Now before you raise the pitchforks thinking I am speaking heresy, hear me out please.

God owns the world; it is his possession as stated in Psalms 24:1,

“The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”

But God chose to give ruler-ship or management of the earth to man which is seen in Genesis 1:26-28,

“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.  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 moveth upon the earth.”

Now let us first define some words.

The word “complete” as an adjective means: “to the greatest extent or degree; total.”  Synonyms are: absolute, out and out, utter, total, real, downright, thoroughgoing, veritable, prize, perfect, unqualified, unmitigated, sheer, arrant, and full-out.

The word “ultimate” as an adjective means: “being or happening at the end of a process; final.  Synonyms are: eventual, final, concluding, terminal, and end.

The difference between these two words as they apply to God and his ownership of the world have devastating differences.

God chose to make the world which is his own possession and then give management of that to man.

But man made himself subject to sin and gave up that possession wherein now Satan is the prince of the air, having abilities within this stratosphere the limited have not been altered to the extent that he is powerless.

When Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of this world the very fact that Jesus did not dispute his claim gives validation to it.

Man had surrendered not his ownership, which he did not have but his management of this world to Satan.

By analogy Satan is the author and finisher of sin, being the first one to do it to its utmost and therefore being its originator.

This is analogous to Jesus being the author and finisher of faith (see Endnote #1), being the first to do it by commanding the existence of the world by his words, in fulfilling it for 33 years walking this earth as a man, yet always God.

This is a paradox to the human mind, that of Jesus being fully man and fully God not because it is inconsistent, but because we cannot understand it because of the limited process of our brain.

Yet the point is Satan is not the opposite of Jesus, Jesus who is God created Satan.  Jesus is the master; Satan is the slave.

The difference between the thought that God is in complete control as compared to ultimate control is seen in the fact that if God maintained dominion by necessity he would have complete control.

AND by the virtue of his justice, his sinlessness, and his purity; he would have to destroy the earth as a sinful orb completely set against everything he is.

AND if he seated within himself the management of the world it would be inconsistent that it could exist as a sinful habitation.

God in his wisdom and foreknowledge knowing that man would fall set things in motion wherein giving man dominion makes man responsible for the condition of the earth.

It is man that chose to bring sin into the earth.

Man was not the originator of sins, Satan was, but man listened with his mouth shut as the originator of sin, tempted his wife, giving away his leadership in silence, as she was tempted.

Adam did not manage the world and his wife in authority and protection; he gave away that ability to the serpent who talked the woman into following his way the way of sin.

We must also understand that sin is not simply a list of 10 things, plus another 613 laws written in Leviticus.

Sin is anything that opposes God’s will.

This is where the Pharisees misunderstood sin and taught that it was only a behavior refusing to admit that sin starts in the heart and is THEN seen in behaviors.

The same as belief starts in the heart THEN is seen in the behaviors of faith.

Because God in his wisdom gave dominion to man and man allowed the earth to fall into sin due to mismanagement, God gave up complete control of the earth – for a while.

Because to be in complete control would have, God be the author of sin.

For if, God could stop sin and chose not to do so than he would be a party to it.

This is why God in his infinite wisdom maintains his ownership while giving man management, which necessitates that God, is ultimately in control.

What is the difference?

When Joseph’s brothers came before him after the death of Jacob, they were fearful that Joseph would take revenge for their sin against him.

Yet his words were amazing.

He stated in essence, “you meant it for evil but God meant unto good.” (Genesis 50:20)

the word “unto” as in good, contains the idea of ultimately meant for good.

You see God set the world in motion and yet keeps it all running by his very existence as seen in his son, Jesus (“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. ~ Colossians 1:17), yet he is such an awesome God that in spite of the evil that man does God can utilize even that sin to accomplish his means wherein the ultimate conclusion mandates a new heaven and a new earth (“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” ~ Revelation 21:1), sinless, where reciprocity is again maintained.

Time after time God takes the victory away from Satan by utilizing even the weakness and sinfulness of man.

However, do not believe that this is a permission statement to sin because though God’s goals are ultimately achieved, it is man that gives up his personal reward in the process.

Sin always has a price.

Look at Samson.  Did God not see the future how Samson would give into his lusts, his desires; of course, he did.

Yet what was the ultimate conclusion of his life in spite of his sin.

God used him to kill more philistines as he was him blinded and chain to a pillar that he brought down upon their assembly.

You see ultimately God achieved his goal of bringing this nation to its knees which was necessary for the future of Israel during the ages of the judges.

Yet, it was Samson whose life was cut short due to the sin that he chose.

Time after time we see that in spite of the sins of Abraham, who twice in fear introduced his wife as his full sister, rather than as his wife – and in so doing displayed a lack of faith him – yet even this did not stop God from using this man as the father of faith as ultimately seen in God’s demand for him to take his son.

Many times, we do not see the color of the picture that is presented in God’s word.

God who said thou shall not murder told Abraham to murder his son.

There is no doubt that there was an angel standing close with the order to not allow Abraham to fulfill this sin of sins – yet it was ultimately a sign of Abraham’s faith because Abraham had said that the boy would return with from the mountain.

From his language there is no doubt that Abraham believed that even if he killed his son, that because God had promised that this son from Sarah, Isaac would be the father of many nations, and the author of blessings throughout the world.

Therefore, we must understand that the word ultimate is a difference between life and death.

That God will ultimately fulfill all his righteousness until the day that anything that is against his will – is done away with, and in complete perfection we will exist in this physical plane with everything in harmony with God’s perfect will – wherein God will again be in complete control.

Until that day, praise God that he has chosen to even use our sin and turn it around in the way that Jesus Christ bore our sins, paid the price and became the victor when the devil thought he had won.

Our God is an Awesome God

Brent

Endnote

1. Hebrews 12:2

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith…”

Having the translators insert of “our” taken out (Translators do this when they think a word is implied, and at the beginning of the 16th century it was considered heresy to teach that Jesus did not have all power on the earth and subsequently exercised faith, which explains why the translators because of their own precepts assume that this must be talking about the believers faith and not Christ’s, assuming that the word “our” must have been left out, they inserted it on their own), we easily recognize from the grammar that it is not speaking of faith in the sense of: “the faith,” concerning Christianity as an institution or of Christian doctrine because there is no definite article (Such as most commonly in the English the use of the word “the“) used, which would be necessary to interpret this as Christianity or a doctrine; But would necessitate that this would be a subjective faith as in the exercise thereof.

Meaning that this was speaking about faith that was the action of a believer or in this case its creator Jesus Christ.

Concerning the subject of faith; the word for “author” (Greek: archegon) more specifically is translated “the originator and first to utilize;” and the word “finisher” (Greek: teleioten) more specifically means “to completely have done (in the past) and finished what was started and works in unison with“ (Greek: archegon), both describing Jesus being the originator and best example to have thoroughly demonstrated faith (More passages citing “the faith of Christ” will be cited later).

James Moffatt States:

The scholar James Moffatt says of the word “author” (Greek: archegon), should be translated: “The pioneer of personal faith“

Marvin R. Vincent States:

The most noted, and often quoted Greek scholar, Marvin R. Vincent states “

“The word “finisher” (Greek: teleioten) more expressly means “perfecter” of faith, having done it wholly (completely), without exception.”

Vincent went on to say that:

“Christ is the leader or captain of faith, in that he is the perfecter of faith. In himself he furnished the perfect development, the supreme example of faith, and in virtue of this he is the leader of the whole believing host in all time.

Both of these Greek words are experiential words, not theoretical.

They insist that the individual referred to, has practiced and perfected the subject that is at hand – and in this case we’re talking about Jesus displaying complete faith in God the Father.

Again, Jesus is not a hypocrite; He would not demand something of us, which He, while He is the man would not do and do perfectly Himself.” (FROM: Vincent’s Word Studies, Marvin R. Vincent, Covenant Parsonage, New York, USA, 1886, E-Sword, Rick Myers; http://www.e-sword.net)

Albert Barnes states:

The author and finisher of our faith, states Albert Barnes:

“The word “our” is not in the original here, and obscures the sense.

The meaning is he [Jesus] is the first and the last as an example of faith of confidence in God – occupying in this, as in all other things, the pre-eminence, and being the most complete model that can be placed before us.

The apostle had not enumerated him among those who had been distinguished for their faith [Chapter 11], but he now refers to him as above them all; as a case that deserved to stand by itself.

It is probable that there is a continuance here of the allusion to the Grecian games which the apostle had commenced in the previous verse.

The word “author” (Greek: archegon) means properly the source, or cause of anything; or one who makes a beginning.

It is rendered in Act 3:15; Act 5:31, “Prince”; in Heb. 2:10, “Captain”; and in the place before us, “Author.”

It does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament.

The phrase “the beginner of faith,” or the leader on / of faith, would express the idea. He is at the head of all those who have furnished an example of confidence in God, for he was himself the most illustrious instance of it.

The expression, then, does not mean properly that he produces faith in us, or that we believe because he causes us to believe – whatever may be the truth about that – but that he stands at the head as the most eminent example that can be referred to on the subject of faith.

We are exhorted to look to him, as if at the Grecian games there was one who stood before the racer who had previously carried away every palm of victory; who had always been triumphant, and with whom there was no one who could be compared.

The word (Greek) arch corresponds in meaning with the word “author.” It means that he is the completer as well as the beginner; the last as well as the first [the Alpha & Omega ~ Revelation 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13].

As there has been no one hitherto who could be compared with him, so there will be no one hereafter; compare Rev 1:8, Rev 1:11.

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last.”

The word does not mean that he was the “finisher” of faith in the sense that he makes our faith complete or perfects it – whatever may be true about that – but that he occupies this elevated position of being beyond comparison above all others.

Alike in the commencement and the close, in the beginning of faith, and in its ending, he stands pre-eminent.

To this illustrious model we should look – as a racer would on one who had been always so successful that he surpassed all competitors and rivals.

If this be the meaning, then it is not properly explained, as it is commonly (See Bloomfield and Stuart in loc.), by saying that the word here is synonymous with “rewarder,” and refers to the (Greek) brabeutes – or the distributor of the prize; compare notes on Col 3:15.

There is no instance where the word is used in this sense in the New Testament (Compare ~ Greek: passow), nor would such an interpretation present so beautiful and appropriate a thought as the one suggested above.” (FROM: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, Albert Barnes, (1798-1870), e-Sword.net.)