The Things in the World

The Things in the World

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15.

They all left Egypt, but only Joshua and Caleb from among those who were older than twenty years when they left Egypt entered the land. They all left, but in their minds they took along the things that were in Egypt. They loved the fleshpots, the cucumbers, and the melons, but not the slavery under Pharaoh. Nevertheless, the things in Egypt exercised such power over them that they continually wanted to turn back. Both Paul and Jude remind us of this.

We can see the same thing being repeated in our days. Many people have left the world and have been saved from the burden of sin, but their minds are in the things of this world. They would like to have a comfortable and modern lifestyle, their thoughts busily trying to discover how to earn more money. Consequently, their minds are rarely free to meditate on the laws of the Lord day and night. They are not available to obey the workings of the Spirit. I wonder if this isn’t the main reason why the state of affairs is the same as it was in Eli’s days: “And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.” 1 Sam. 3:1.

None of those who loved the things of Egypt were allowed to enter the land. They were slain in the desert. Neither will any of those whose interest is in the things of this world be along in the rapture when Jesus returns. If we want to be along in the rapture, we have to have the mind of Abraham: “By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise . . . .” Heb. 11:9.

Abraham had the means with which to build himself a house just like the other princes of his time, but he wanted to testify to the time of his sojourning by living in a tent. Often we can hear it being said, and it is done even more often, that “I can afford it!” People don’t consider that everything in their house, as well as in their conduct, should be a testimony to their being sojourners; of course they don’t consider it because they are not sojourners. Such people have not really experienced being made alive and sat in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Eph. 2:5-6. On the contrary, they are alive to the things in this world. The more fashionable their home, the more wonderful they think it is, and the greater they are in other religious people’s eyes. It is not so uncommon for them to gain power in religious assemblies because of all their money. The love of the Father is not in these people.

John writes that everyone who has this hope of seeing Him as He is purifies himself just as He is pure. You have to purify yourself if you want to be along when Jesus comes. He will prune every branch that bears fruit. He will purify for Himself His own special people. We must purify ourselves again and again! “Purify your souls in obedience to the truth.” We need to take these exhortations more seriously than ever before, seeing that we are expecting Jesus’ soon return. Cleanse out the old leaven so that we can be a new lump.

God did not want Israel to take any leaven from Egypt into Canaan. Those who will be with Jesus in the rapture will also rule with Him when He establishes His kingdom. He does not want any leaven from this dispensation along in the rapture—any worshiping of what is considered great in this world—that which is an abomination in God’s eyes.

If we want to be along in the rapture it has to be true that we are foreigners during this time that Satan is loose. It has to be true that we are sat in heavenly places, with the result that the things that are in the world have no place in our thought life. God help us all that we are in the cleansing as never before.