The “coming inhabited earth” in the coming age of the kingdom will be for Christ’s possession. Christ will take possession of the “coming inhabited earth” (Psa. 2:8) for His kingdom. God’s purpose is to recover the earth from the usurping hand of Satan and to establish His kingdom on the earth for the expression of His glory. God has given such an earth to Christ as His inheritance. When we, the saved ones, as His partners shall share in His inheritance of the “coming inhabited earth,” we shall have a share in such a glorious earth with God’s kingdom established on it for the expression of God’s glory. To miss the sharing of this earth will be a “just recompense” to those who neglect “so great a salvation.” If we neglect “so great a salvation” today, we shall not escape this “just recompense” of missing the sharing of the coming kingdom on earth.
God’s purpose for man is in three stages: the stage of creation, the stage of prophecy, and the stage of fulfillment. The man in God’s purpose is both Adam and Christ. Adam was the first man, and Christ was and still is the second man (1 Cor. 15:45, 47). With respect to both men there are these three stages. Let us firstly consider the man in creation.
In creation, God ordained man to express Him with His image (Gen. 1:26-28). Man was made in God’s image that he might be able to express Him.
God also intended that man represent Him with His dominion. After creating man, God committed His authority to man, thereby authorizing him to be His representative. Thus, at the time of creation, man was ordained to do two things: to express God and to represent Him.
The man in creation, however, failed God. Man became poisoned by Satan and fell. Thus, the man in creation was damaged and failed God in His purpose.
If we only had the book of Genesis, we would be very disappointed. Regardless of the many excellent records in the book of Genesis, at the end of that book we are told that Joseph died and was put into a coffin in Egypt (Gen. 50:26). How pitiful it is that the book of Genesis closes in this way! Joseph, the one who represented God, died, was put into a coffin, and was left in Egypt.
Before we go on, I would like to say a word about Jacob and Joseph. Jacob, who became Israel, the prince of God, and Joseph were actually one complete man. Joseph was a part of Israel, although he was not a part of Jacob. Jacob was a supplanter, a stealer, but he was transformed into Israel, the prince of God (Gen. 32:28; 35:10). When he was experienced and matured, he certainly expressed God with His image. When Jacob was young, he was a supplanter and deceived everyone: his brother, his father, his uncle, and his brothers-in-law. But God is marvelous. He is able to transform such a supplanter and deceiver into a prince of God. When Jacob became an old man, he did not know how to deceive, fight, or supplant. He only knew to stretch forth his hands and bless people. Jacob blessed whomever came to him. Even Pharaoh, the greatest king on earth at the time, was blessed by Israel when Joseph brought his father to see him (Gen. 47:7). Israel was greater than Pharaoh. By that time Israel was mature and expressed God as the very God who blesses. Our God is a blessing God. Thus, Israel, who was fully in God’s image, bestowed blessings wherever he went. When he was brought in before Pharaoh, he stretched forth his hands and blessed him. That was truly the expression of God.
The name Israel contains the name of God, for the last two letters of Israel, el, mean God. Nevertheless, Israel needed Joseph as one of his parts, as the reigning part, the representing part. At that time, the entire earth was not actually under Pharaoh’s rule; it was under Joseph’s rule. Israel with Joseph expressed God with His image on the one hand and represented God with His authority on the other. Nevertheless, the book of Genesis ends by saying that Joseph died, was put into a coffin, and was left in Egypt. The conclusion of the book of Genesis is so poor.