Authority over this planet and all its creatures was delegated to Adam from the Creator. Adam was given everything and was asked to obey God in only one thing. In violating that one thing, not only did Adam lose relationship with God, but also the dominion he had been given was lost (see Genesis 3).

Had that been all, it would have been bad enough. Man now lives on the planet without the right to rule over it, his relationship with the Creator has been severed and he must earn his living by the sweat of his brow. Loss of dominion also means that we now have an animal kingdom in turmoil.

And there is more. The consequences of Adam's disobedience are far greater. When Adam violated the trust God gave him by obeying the suggestions of another being, Adam submitted himself to another power. By so doing, he transferred the title deed to this planet into the hands of the serpent—Satan—whom Jesus referred to as "the prince of this world" (John 12:31, kjv). When Satan showed Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world and their glory" and propositioned Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me" (Matthew 4:8-9), Jesus denied the terms, but He did not challenge Satan's right to make the offer.

The Kingdom of God, intended to be administrated by man on earth, has been crowded off the planet by the kingdom of darkness. God could have taken back rulership, of course, but His desire has always been that the human race He created should rule the planet. Dominion was lost because of man's choice. God, out of His unfathomable nature of love, gave humankind the freedom to make that choice, just as He now graciously invites human beings to choose to receive eternal life through His Son, Jesus. Out of His perfect love, God did not—and does not—impose His rule.

Nevertheless, not everything has been lost by the fall of humanity into sin. Human beings are still created in the image of God. And we still have the right and the capacity to make our own choices. God desires for human beings to choose Him as their King, so that His Kingdom rule and blessings may be manifest on earth through them (see Mark 6:9-10).