The Course Of This World

by J. Rodgers, Toronto | Category: Satan And His Kingdom | May 1981

The word translated "world" (Gr. kosmos) in our English versions of Scripture means, literally, order (arrangement), or adornment, but it has a wider usage, as denoted in the following examples. It applies to the earth in its material structure as is evident from such passages as Matt. 25:34; "... the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world"; John 1:10, "the world was made by Him" and Rom. 1:20, "the creation of the world".

It is also used of the inhabitants of this earthly sphere in such scriptures as "For God so loved the world" (John 3:16); "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29) and "He (the Holy Spirit)... will convict the world in respect of sin..." (John 1.6:8). These three passages portray the triune God in action in respect to the world - the earth's inhabitants. A specific segment of the world's inhabitants is referred to in 2 Peter 2:5 as "the world of the ungodly", and John 15:18,19, "... the world hateth you... ye are not of the world..." These passages indicate two types of people as being in the world. One class is termed "the world" who in turn hates the others who are "not of the world". The latter are looked upon as being in the world but not of it.

Finally, so far as our present study is concerned, there is a sense in which "the world" is used to denote that worldly system which affects mankind through the"... lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the vainglory of life,..." "World" in the title of this month's subject has this last meaning and is found in Eph. 2:2.

With such a variety of meanings, the word "world" can be confusing as to the particular sense in which it is used in any given passage. It is necessary to apply one of the basic guidelines in scripture interpretation - the examination of the word in conjunction with its verse or passage context. Following this principle the word in Eph. 2:2 is linked with Satan as "the prince of the power of the air". As such he is the instigator and controller of the course of this world. It has as its central objective opposition and disobedience to the will of God, and has a ready response in those who are termed "the sons of disobedience". "The course of this world" is clearly associated with what has previously been referred to in this article as the "worldly system".

Previous articles in this series have touched on Satan's aspiring to set his throne above the stars of God (see Isa. 14:12-15). Pride was the root cause of his ambition (see Ezek. 28:17), and characterized his subsequent actions

and influences. Throughout the ages the methods employed, the pressures exerted, and the enticements offered by him have had the sole purpose of establishing things which would run contrary to the mind and will of God. An example of this is seen when he influenced men to "build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven", as recorded in Gen. 11. The resultant confusion, together with Satan's continuous change of methods and repetitive failure of plans, suggests that he has forethought but only limited foreknowledge.

The welding of the human race into a unified world system originated in the city men built in the land of Shinar (Gen. 11). Throughout the history of mankind Satan has used every conceivable device to advance that system of unity. Despite the variation of tactics the means employed can be summarized in the terms previously referred to in 1 John 2:16, "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the vainglory of life".

It is impressive to note that Satan seems to have come full cycle from the land of Shinar (Gen. 11) and back again in the end times as described in Zech. 5:5-11. This seems to indicate the limitation of his resources. He is back to the place where he commenced but is unwilling to admit defeat without one final supreme effort to unify the nations under his authority. This conglomerate, this world system, is represented in the woman named "Wickedness". It combines men worldwide in one secular and religious order for the purpose of world domination. This development is confirmed and amplified in other portions of Scripture (e.g. Rev. 18).

Of particular interest is the reference to the ephah in Zech. 5. In some passages of Scripture the ephah refers to a divinely ordered portion regulating measures for honest dealings amongst the Lord's people (see e.g. Lev. 19:36). During a period of national declension in Israel, it is linked with the shekel, elsewhere named "the shekel of the sanctuary" (Amos 8:5). The people were far removed from the Lord and His ways. They impatiently longed for the time when they could ignore God-given guidance and engage in profitable commerce through dishonest dealings. This purpose is clear in their wanting to make "the ephah small, and the shekel great" - selling a lesser quantity for a higher and unjust price. The Lord so abhors this flagrant disregarding of His laws governing the ephah and the shekel, that He summarizes the prevailing conditions as "dealing falsely with the balance of deceit". Whatever else is intended in the mention of the ephah in Zech. 5:5-11, we judge it to be symbolic of Satan's usual counterfeit procedures. In Gen. 11 they had "brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar...", in Zech S he copies divine standards of righteousness. So effective are his methods that in these last days they will "lead astray, if possible, even the elect" (Matt. 24:24). The passages cited in Gen. 11 and

Zech. 5 touch on at least one aspect of Satan's designing and directing of the "course of this world", at early and end times.

The period between the two incidents referred to is over 4,000 years. A more detailed study would reveal repeated instances of Satan's tireless energies and efforts, throughout each dispensation, to overthrow the purposes of God. Embodied in these satanic activities down the centuries is what we have previously referred to in the New Testament term, "the course of this world". The study of the recorded effect of this upon individuals and communities during the 4,000-year period we necessarily leave with the reader.

Subtlety was ever Satan's hallmark (see Gen. 3). His approach is the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the vainglory of life. Throughout the continuous changes affecting the dispensations he has accommodated his ways to suit the circumstances of that particular day. The course of this world specifically applies to the unregenerate, as indicated in Eph. 2., by its link with the sons of disobedience. Repeated warnings against becoming involved in worldly things, together with warnings of Satan's activities against the believer (e.g. Eph. 6:11), show that the attraction of the world is not confined to those who are blinded by the god of this age. The course of this world, in the present age, is overlaid with seemingly harmless things, hence the difficulties at times in discerning right from wrong.

It is mentioned in the passage in Ephesians 2 that believers have been made alive, they who had aforetime walked according to the course of this world. Why should they return to that from which they have been liberated? Peter graphically describes such a backward step as, "The dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire" (2 Pet. 2:22). If, as so often seems to happen when faced with a choice of enjoying the world's offered attractions or otherwise, we have to ask what is wrong with them, it may be concluded that such are at least suspect and our participating in them open to question. It is not always possible to obtain a "thus saith the Lord" to all of our queries but, for balance to the previous question, would it not be advisable mentally to ask, "what is right with them"? The offered allurements, which cater for the flesh, are soulwithering and gradually rob the individual of his or her spiritual appetite.

The appeal of the world to each individual may be likened to the course of a river which at its source offers a refreshing change to the weary traveller. Its cooling waters for the moment quench the thirst, soothe the burning feet and are an aid in forgetting some of the trials of the journey. Following the stream, it gradually broadens and deepens until one can bathe in contentment, hardly conscious of the gentle motion which, with the river, carries all within it ever onward and downward. The thunder of the mighty cataract

can be faintly heard in the distance but it creates no fear in the heart of the relaxed figure enjoying to the full what the waters have to offer. In less time than can be imagined the scene has changed. The individual is suddenly aware of a stronger current and is alerted to the fact of the river banks being now so far away. The roar of the waterfall is no longer faint, or at a distance; it is time to make for safety. Too late! The current is far stronger than human energies, and the frail form, despite superhuman efforts, is caught up in the mighty hand of the swirling rushing waters and finally, in the uncontrollable power of that mighty cascade, carried over the brink to perish on the rocks beneath - another life lost. This is a simple analogy of a very important aspect of the course of this world. To tamper with worldly things is dangerous. At their source they seem so harmless and are easily controlled; but beware of what the future holds! The total of what the world offers is exceedingly underweight when placed in the balance against a spiritual life. We are reminded of this in the Lord's words, "what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life" (Matt. 16:26)?

It is appropriate to close with emphasis on the words recorded in 1 John 2:15, "Love not the world, neither the thing's that are in the world".

J. Rodgers, Toronto | May 1981
Satan And His Kingdom