The third blessing given by God to mankind involves the right and ability of a mature person to have dominion over God's creation. Originally, dominion was to be both spiritual and physical, internal and external. That is even though man was to dominate the physical world through his physical facilities, he was intended to do so with an inward heart of love. While this heart was lost through the Fall, it is now being restored.

Our moral consciousness has evolved through history, leading us into a new sense of responsibility vis-a-vis the physical universe. We are aware we may no longer abuse our environment; we must care for it, if it is to care and provide for us. In the new age, therefore, instead of the exploitation of new resources, humanity will love and care for the creation. We will think of our new dominion over creation in terms not of power alone, but of love.

Evidence of the restoration of humanity's love for the creation can be seen in the ecology and conservation movements, in societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals, in drives to restore polluted areas, and in organizations and clubs formed for the appreciation of nature.

Beyond this internal dimension, man is restoring his external dominion as well, primarily through science and technology. Tremendous scientific progress has taken place in this century. Through this humanity has been gaining control over the land, sea, air and even outer space. Despite significant problems that face us, through such things as mass production, high yield crops, transformation of deserts to farmlands, and environmental control we have the hope of being able to create an ideal standard of living for all people.

Use of the ocean floor and even both polar caps are also examples of man's ability to turn the creation into an ideal home. V.C. Ferkiss, in his Technological Man: The Myth and Reality, predicts that in the very near future our control over the environment is to be incredibly expanded. In particular, the oceans will provide a wealth of resources undreamed until now and, according to Ferkiss, "will become as domesticated as the land surface of the planet."

The advent of the computer has also been a powerful factor in the expansion of man's dominion. Regarding the latest step in computer development, the arrival of the smart machines that can think for themselves, Newsweek magazine reports we are at the dawn of an era that is comparable to the industrial revolution and that will "change forever" humanity's way of life. According to Newsweek sources:

"The new technology offers potential solutions to humanity's most intractable problems—the allocation of energy resource, food enough for all, and the worldwide improvement of health care" (June 30, 1980)

Evidence that the present is the End of Time, and therefore the stage just prior to the restoration of God's third blessing, can thus be seen in the developing concern and love for nature and in the tremendous development of science and technology. As we can see that the three blessing are in the process of being restored to humankind, so we can anticipate we are entering the age of realization of God's Kingdom. The establishment of God's ideal world is upon us. Indeed, we are in the Last Days.

Much as been written in recent years of the "existential movement"—a decisive moment in time when to act is to bring liberation and growth, and to falter is to promote stagnation and death. In the providence of God, humankind has now entered such critical time.

Grasping the promise of such a moment makes no small demands on the internal freedom and spiritual insight of any person. To remain abreast of the developing flow of God's providence, one must be willing to search, to find and to evolve. Let us look at some of the principles involved in aligning one self with God's new dispensation.

History teaches that whenever God is inaugurating a new work, He always sets up a central figure as His instrument in the transition. Such men were Noah, Moses, and Jesus. With the arrival of each new person, however, the spiritual presence and authority of the old passes to the new. It was insufficient, for example, at the time of Jesus for the God-seeking person only to be obedient to the law of Moses. Rather, God's grace and power came to those who actually united with Jesus.

In our age likewise, the task of the person who would serve God most fully is to find the new central instrument of God's endeavor. Achieving that requires no small degree of open-mindedness. One must be free from undue attachment to established concepts and prejudices, for God often works in surprising ways. Perhaps, as Jesus suggested, the openness of a child is what is called for:

"Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 18:3)

While possessing the openness of a child, we are nevertheless called to the autonomy of an adult. As men like Saint Francis and Martin Luther discovered, following the Lord is not something one does with a lot of company. One's family, peers—even one's prior religious mentors—may be totally unaware of the new calling from God.

St. Francis, for example, perhaps the greatest saint the Christian Church has ever known, was disinherited by his family. Martin Luther was anathematized by the Christian hierarchy. Both men had to walk a solitary pack, relying not on prior authority but solely on God and their won resources.

Similarly, in the Last Days, one who responds to God's new call may find little support among his family, friends and prior tutors. It is not given to all, at first, to see the light.

A further lesson of the past is that the new age does not start after the hold had ended, but begins in its midst. Therefore it grows in an environment of opposition and conflict. Inevitably, established beliefs, institutions and powers are threatened by the new. For this reason virtually all God-inspired people from the Apostle Paul and Christian Church to Martin Luther King, Jr., and the modern American civil rights movement have tread a path of persecution. Such is the price a privileged few must pay in order to advance the cause of God on earth.

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