Page 11 - Overcoming Addiction

earth, and rule over all the beasts. What does this mean? How are we to
understand this parable?
The earth is a symbol for mankind. We are told that mankind’s body was
made from the dust of the earth. The apostle Paul further tells us:

I Corinthians 15:47-49
The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As
is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so
also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the
earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

The natural man who was created on the sixth day is closely associated with
the earth. In particular, man’s flesh is directly linked to the earth. From dust we
are made, and to dust we shall return. The commandment to subdue the earth
can be understood as a parable of God’s desire for man to rule over his own flesh.
The command to subdue the beasts and rule over them, serves as a parable of
Yahweh’s desire that mankind rule over all the things that dwell inside his soul
(the depths of the sea), all the things that reside in his flesh (the beasts and all
creeping things on the earth), and to rule over all spiritual forces in the heavens
(the birds of the air).
(If a more thorough study of this parable is desired, I would recommend the
book The Mark of the Beast.)
The serpent that appeared unto Eve in the Garden was a beast. In Chapter
three of Genesis the serpent is twice described this way.

Genesis 3:1, 14
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which Yahweh
God had made... Yahweh God said to the serpent, "Because you have done
this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the
field...”

Yahweh’s command to the man and woman was to rule over the beasts. This
they failed to do. Rather than making the beast submit to them, they submitted to
the beast. Rather than demanding obedience from the beast, they became
obedient unto the serpent. Remember then the words of the apostle Paul.

Romans 6:16
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves
for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey...

When Adam and Eve presented themselves to the beast for obedience, they
became slaves to the beast, becoming subject to the spirit of the beast. What was
the spirit of this beast that they obeyed? We can define it as we see how the
parable continues.