Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all[a] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”   Genesis 1:26

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.  Revelation 20:4

The Greek word for image is eikon.  This means “mirror-like representation; does not imply a weakening or feeble copy of something; it implies illumination of its inner core and essence.”

Likeness as in a mirror, a “spitting image.”.  In these two verses we see the word “likeness or image”  and see another reflection of God’s image given to man.

The words I have emphasized in these two verses show all God has given to us and at least part of His purpose in doing so..  We all have been given dominion over the earth.  We (believers in Jesus Christ)  have a throne and judge (rule) and reign with Christ.  This is a significant god-like quality and is present tense.  It signifies an authority, power, and rulership given to heads of state.   This authority requires knowledge of the Word, fairness, a shared responsibility, and a relentless pursuit of the Truth, Righteousness, Peace, and Salvation.  (Ephesians 6:10-20)  In other words, we must have a sincere relationship with the Prince of Peace, who is the Truth and our Righteousness, and the King of Glory.   The word judge is not about doling out sentences but is about discernment, for Jesus instructed us to “judge not lest we be judged,”  (Matthew 7:1-3)  for only the one without sin is worthy of judging and instead of judging He chose to pay the penalty.  (Romans 6:22-23)

As a believer in Christ, I rarely, if ever, give thought to my dominion over the earth, or that I rule and reign with Christ as evidenced by being seated at His right hand (hence the gift of a throne to sit upon).   So, as a child of the King, I truly am royalty and as such even now I must be concerned with the condition of the kingdom and I must interact with its “subjects” in a way that gives dignity to the individual and honor to the King. (Ephesians 2:4-7)  The question I must ask myself today is this: “Am I bringing honor to the King by the way I treat His prize creation, His children (all mankind), or do I give Him a bad name by my deplorable conduct?  I used to remind my teens as they would leave home:  “Remember who you belong too.”  In other words, remember your behavior reflects on your family.  Today, I hear the Lord asking me to: “Remember who you belong to!”  I can give the Father a bad name to those He is pursuing for adoption by the way I speak to the image of God in them.

https://youtu.be/r7ntHnUhwf8

This Kingdom  by Hillsong

https://youtu.be/r7ntHnUhwf8