This Car Will Be Driver-less In Case of The RAPTURE!”     What is the Rapture? When will it take place? Why will that car be driver-less if the Rapture takes place?


    According to a proponent of the Rapture, it is as follows.

“There are many people who do not understand and are confused about the ‘RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.’ There are many things God foretold that did not take place when Jesus came the first time. He has to come back the second time to completely fulfill all these prophecies.”

“His first coming had to do with His CROSS: His coming the second time with His CROWN (first to die and then to rule). His first coming was for the salvation of our souls; the second will be for the salvation of our body. We get sick, lose hair, break a bone. But when we are caught up with Him to heaven, our bodies will be changed so that no one will ever be sick or die. I John 3:2; Rom. 8:23; Phil. 3:20. The second Coming of Christ is in TWO PARTS. PART ONE is when He comes IN THE AIR and all those that are SAVED will go up past the dead moon to a live Heaven, I Thess. 4:13-18. PART TWO is when Jesus comes back again, this time WITH His saints to live with Him.”

    According to the premillennialists, there will be the Rapture followed by the Great Tribulation. At the close of the great Tribulation, Jesus will return to Jerusalem to reign for one thousand years. The Rapture is that time when Jehovah will take the church (saints) to heaven. According to them we are now living in the Church Age. When the Rapture comes the Church Age will end and the Great Tribulation will begin. When that ends the Kingdom Age will commence.


    Mr. Hal Lindsey has written a book, The Late Great Planet Earth, in which he gives us a timetable to work out the date of the Rapture. On page 43 he states,



    Mr Lindsey believes Matt. 24:34 refers to our generation! He believes that a generation is about 40 years (Cf. p.43). He therefore believed the Rapture would transpire around 1988! Mr. Lindsey does not give the date 1988, but he has given the timetable. If the Rapture had taken place in 1988, we are told to add 7 more yers for the time the Gret Tribulation will last after which Jesus will return to set up his 1000 year kingdom in 1995! [his timetable is a failure, it is now 2001; he is branded by the Bible as a false prophet: Deuteronomy 18:22  when a prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which Jehovah hath not spoken: the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him. –my note].

    Those who have bumper stickers, telling about driverless cars in case of the Rapture, believe it was imminent! Many churches have swallowed the imminent coming of Christ preceded by the Rapture and the Great Tribulation. Movies have been made and shown in denominational churches telling of these events. Records have been produced and sold by the millions to sincere, honest folks who look to be Raptured at any moment. In waiting rooms throughout this world talk about the Rapture and long for its coming. What do these good people base their hopes and expectations on?


    Mr Billy Graham and others use Matthew 24:1-35 as a premillennial passage to prove the Rapture, Gret Tribulation, and a 1,000 year reign of Christ upon the earth. Radio and television preachers quote freely from Jesus’ statements to show these verses are literally being fulfilled today. A study of the Matthew account will help us see what Jesus is speaking of.

    In verse 1 through 3 we find Christ talking about the destruction of the temple. The disciples seemed to think the destruction of the temple meant the end of the universe. It would signal the end of the Jewish economy or age, but not the end of our cosmos. Jesus’ reply from verses 4 through 35 shows when the temple would be destroyed so that one stone was not left standing upon another.

    In verse 4 Jesus said, “Take heed that no many deceive you.” Why? Verse 5 and 24 give us the answer, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many,” and “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets . . insomuch that, it it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” The Jews had been looking for the Saviour, the Messiah, to free them from Roman dominion and restore the kingdom of David. This seems to be the idea of the apostles even as late as Acts 1:6. In Acts 5:34-40, Gamaliel mentions two men, Theudas an Judas of Galilee, as drawing people away after them. Perhaps they proclaimed that they wer the promised Christ or Messiah. Jerome, in The Gnostic Heresies quotes Simon Magus of Acts 8:9,10 as saying, “I am the Word of God, I am the Comforter, I am Almighty, I am al there is to God.” Josephus states Felix put to death many imposters. Perhaps these are the false Christs Jesus warned the apostles against in Matthew 24: 5, 24.

    Graham and others quote verse 6 through 8 every time there is an earthquake, war, or famine and cry, “The end is near!” However, verse 9 shows these things would happen during the lifetime of the apostles for the context states, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you . . .? In fact, we find the fulfillment to verses 10 through 12 in such passages as 2 Tim. 4:10 when Paul relates, “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.” John records, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10). These passages refer to the times of the apostles, not our’s. In Matthew 10:16-23 Jesus shows that will happen to them before he returns in judgment upon Jerusalem. We known the coming of the Son of man in Matthew 10:23 refers to the destruction of Jerusalem because (1) the apostles are his audience (10:5), (2) it was during the period when inspiration was given, (10:19, 20), (3) they would not finish preaching in the cities of Israel before Jesus came again (10:23) and (4) they would still be alive when this event gtook place. This makes it parallel with Matthew 24:1-34.

    Verse 14 of Matthew 24 is a passage that has thrown false teachers into their dilemma. They believe the gospel has not been preached to the entire world. When it is, they believe the end is eminent. However, Christ was talking about the end of the temple, not the end of the universe. In fact, in A.D. 64 Paul wrote, “Be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven” (Col. 1:23). The gospel was preached in all the world before the end of the temple came about.
    
    In verse 15 Jesus said, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:).” In Luke 21:20, 21) we have a parallel passage to help us understand what Matthew recorded. Luke states, “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.”
For the temple to be destroyed, the city of Jerusalem would have to be attacked by an army. In A.D. 70 the Roman army under Titus laid siege to the city and finally overthrew it. The city and temple were destroyed.

    The premillemnnialists use the book of Daniel and Revelation with Matthew 24 to prove their doctrine on the Rapture, the Great Tribulation, and the one thousand year reign of Christ on earth. Actually, the book of Daniel shows the Jews in captivity would return and rebuild their city and temple. Afterward the Messiah would come and be cut off from among the people. After the Messiah’s crucifixion, the desolation would come. (Dan. 9:25-27). Jesus spoke of that desolation when the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70. The book of Revelation reveals what Daniel was told to seal up (Dan. 12:9). John was told of things to “shortly come to pass” (Rev. 1:1 3; 22:6, 10). The premillennialsts have accurately put Daniel, Revelation, and Matthew 24 together, but have arrived at the wrong time for the fulfillment of the statements given.

    When we understand tht Jesus is speaking of the destruction of the temple by and army Matthew 24:16-22 is not hard to understand. If the world being destroyed is under consideration, why would Christ command those who are in Judea to flee to the mountains? Can the mountains protect us when the world ends? Hardly. But, if Christ is speaking of an army descending on Jerusalem, we can see the merit of fleeing from Judea and going to the mountains to get away from the coming conflict. If Jesus is speaking about the Rapture taking place at this time, why flee into the mountains? If the doctrine of the Rapture is true, saints will not need to flee for they will be taken intoheaven. Those who are left would not need to flee, for the mountains will offer no protection to those not Raptured! The words of Jesus are meaningless for those who believe in the Rapture. It takes on meaning when we see Jesus warning saints about the Roman army come to Jerusalem to destroy it. When they see the signs of this coming army, they are to flee to safety, although the flight will involve some hardships for mothers of small babies” [and if it came about on the “Jewish sabbath”, travel would be limited–my comment].

    Jesus mentions the Great Tribulation in verse 21. But, this is not an event which will take place in our generation [1988 is past]. But an event before the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70! In Revelation, John wrote about things which were “at hand” (Rev. 1:3) and saw those who had come through the great tribulation (Rev. 7:14). It was during this period that Josephus [the Jewish Historian] tells us false Messiahs were heard from as Jesus warned in verses 23 through 26.

    Verse 27 bothers the premillennialists and makes them think Jesus is speaking of the end of time. However, in Matt. 10:23 Jesus told his disciples, “But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.” When you take such passages as Acts 6:14; Rom. 13:11, 12; Rom. 16:20; 1 Cor. 1:7, 8; 13:8-10; Eph. 4:11-13; Heb. 2:26-29; James 5:7-8; and 1 Pet. 4:7 with Matt. 24:27 you can see the passages refer to the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. This is spoken of as the “coming of the Son of man.” This type of language is not new. The prophets used it to indicate God’s judgment upon a nation. In fact, if you compare Matt. 24:29 with Isa. 13:1-13 you will find the same kind of language employed by Isaiah that Jesus uses. Isaiah speaks of the destruction of Babylon by the Medes (Isa. 13:17) whereas Jesus speaks of the destruction of the temple by the Romans which took place in A.D. 70.

    Mr Graham and others believe Matt. 24:30, 31 is speaking of the second coming of Christ and the judgment. This would not fit their premillennial theory! According to them, when Jesus comes he will not come to judge, but top rule over a 1,000 year kingdom on earth. It is not until after that 1,000 year reign that the judgment will take place according to their teaching! So, Matt. 24:30, 31 is not their passage. Notice, Jesus himself does not appear, but “the sign of the Son of man in heaven.” This is the same thing Jesus spoke of when he confronted the high priest in Matt. 26:24. Jesus would sit and come at the same time. How could he sit on the right hand of power and come in the clouds of heaven? The same way Jehovah came in judgment through the Assyrian army as Jesus came in judgment upon Jerusalem through the Roman army of Titus.

    Actually, Matt. 24:34 is the passage that destroys the remillennial contention of this prophecy. Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, this generation whall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” The premillennialists believe the expression “this generation” refers to our generation! This is not how Jesus used the expression. First, he was speaking to the apostles. Therefore, he ws referring to their generation, not ours! Some argue that the word “generation” may be translated as “race.” Since the Jewish race still exists, they believe these events refer to our day. However, when one checks Jesus’ use of the expression “generation” throughout Matthew, he finds Jesus using it to mean a 40 year period or generation; not as “race”.
    Jesus said the temple would be destroyed and gave visible ssigns the disciples could see to know the time was approaching. Those signs do not refer to his second coming, but to the destruction of Jerusalem which occurred in A.D. 70.


    On pages 126-134 of The Late Great Planet Earth, Mr. Hal Lindsey tells us what he thinks the Rapture is. He admits that the term “rapture” is not found in our Bible. To give it a scriptural meaning, he uses the word “translation’!

“The word ‘rapture’ means to snatch away or take out. But whether we call this event ‘the Rapture’ or the ‘translation’ makes no difference–the important thing is that it will happen.”

    Lindsey makes a fatal mistake here! He calls the Rapture “the translation.” The word “translation” is found in Col. 1:13. Hee Paul says to the Colossean church of Christ, “Who hath delivered US (the church at Colosse and Paul) from the power of darkness, and hath translated US into the KINGDOM of his der Son.”

    According to Lindsey, the translation will take place in our near future. According to an inspired apostle the translation took place in the first century! According to Lindsey, the translation happens just before the second coming of Jesus to set up his kingdom. According to an inspired writer, the kingdom was set up in the first century and people were being translated into it then!. According to Paul, one was translated into the kingdom which was the church. According to an uninspired Hal Lindsey, the translation will not be into the kingdom, but into heaven! There are far too many contradictions already between the Bible doctrine and Hal Lindsey’s Rapture theory. If a doctrine is not based upon the Bible, Paul calls it the doctrine of devils (1 Tim. 4:1).


    According to Scripture, it has already been established! In Dan. 2:31-44 we see Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzaar’s dream. Daniel shows that God will set up the everlasting kingdom during the fourth empire of the dream he interprets. The empires were the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, and the Roman. It was during the time of the Roman empire that Jesus’ kingdom would be established. Jesus was born during the reign of Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1), and began his public ministry in the reign of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1). When he ascended into heven, Jesus fulfilled Daniel 7:13, 14, (Acts 1:9, 10). That Old Testament prophet shows when Jesus would receive his kingdom! It was not, as the premillennialists say, at the second coming of Christ TO earth, but when he ascended TO the Father! Notice the preposition in Dan. 7:13, “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came TO the Ancient of days . . . and there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom.” Most people read Dan. 7:13 with the following changes, “. . . the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came TO the earth . . . and there was given him . . . a kingdom.” But, that is not what the scriptures teach!


    In Mark 9:1 Jesus told his disciples, “Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.” Those disciples would see the kingdom come before they died! They lived in the first century. Therefore the kingdom came in the first century before they died!

    A further announcement of the power which would usher in the kingdom is given in Luke 24:49. It would come with the Holy Sirit in Jerusalem. On Pentecost, that power came, (Acts 2:1-4). After Acts 2 we find the church or kingdom in existence. In fact, in Col. 1:13 Paul speaks of the church as the kingdom. John wrote in Rev. 1:9 that he and those he wrote to were “in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.” If the kingdom was going to be established in 1995, how could John, Paul, the Colossean church, and other saints be members of it in the first centruy?

    Premillennialists teach Jesus came to establish his kingdom in the first century. They say the Jews rejected Jesus as king and the kingdom was postponed. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Jews tried to take Jesus by force and make him a king over physical Palestine, (John 6:15), However, he did not come to rule over a physical kingdom, but a spiritual one. (John 18:36). The premillennialists of today have the same mistaken idea about Jesus’ kingdom held by first century Jews!

    Today, one may become a member of Christ’s spiritual kingdom by being born again, (John 3:3, 5). The new birth consists of believing the gospel (Mark 16:16), repenting of past sins (Acts 2:38), confessing Jesus as God’s Son (Acts 8:37); Rom. 10:9, 10), and being immersed into Christ (Rom. 6:3, 4; Gal. 3:27). God adds the obedient to his Son’s body, the church (Acts 2:47) which is the same as translation (Col. 1:13).


    When Jesus left his apostles, the angels said he would come back in like manner (Acts 1:9-11). When he returns, it will not be to establish his kingdom for he has already done that. It will be to bring vengeance “on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:8). This is the judgment for the wicked, (Matt. 24:46). When Jesus comes the graves will opened and the dead shall rise first, (1 Thess. 4:13-17) and the living saints with them will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air, and thus always be with the Lord.

    You may become a citizen of God’s kingdom today.  We encourage you to investigate the scriptures given in this article and decide for yourself the truth about God’s kingdom.

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”  Rev. 22:12












"In" But Not "Of" The World
Wendell Winkler

(This article appeard in The Spiritual Sword, Volume 30, October 1998, No. 1, published by the Getwell Church of Christ, Memphis, Tennessee)

(1) Worldliness is one of the greatest dangers facing the church of the Lord in the twentieth
century. Many congregations are seething with it, and legion are they who are headed toward
perdition via the pleasure route. The line of demarcation, so sharply drawn by our Lord between
the church and the world, is gradually being erased. Indeed, worldliness is a malignancy gnawing
at the very vitals of our spiritual beings. Such must be excised with urgency. Elders, preachers,
Bible school teachers, and parents, as watchmen on the walls of Zion, must arise and fulfill their
responsibility in teaching of the existence, dangers, manifestations and ultimate end of this evil.
  
 (2)  Thus, a study on "in" but not "of" the world, based on I Corinthians 5:9~11, is
most appropriate. The passage reads, "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with
fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or
extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have
written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or
covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to
eat."


I. "In" But Not "Of" The World:
Corroborating Passages

    (1) I John 2:15~17. First, observe that we are prohibited from loving the "world"
and "the things that are in the world." The "world" refers to the aggregate system I order of
ungodliness; and "the things that are in the world" refers to every particle or specific which makes
up the aggregate. Thus, we are forbidden to love even one particular or specific item of this
forbidden world. There can be no divided allegiance (Matt. 6:24; Josh 24:15). Secondly,
according to verse 16, we learn that the "world" consists of what is involved in, and would
come under the heading of (a) the lust of the flesh, (b) the lust of the eyes, and (c) the pride of
life. This is worldliness. (3) Thirdly, the appositional aspects of the text explain what is meant by
the "world." Over against the "world" that we are forbidden to love is "the love of the Father" and
"the will of God" (verses 15 and 17). Therefore, worldliness is anything that weakens or destroys
our love for God or sets us in opposition to his will.

    (2)  Romans 12:2. The word "world" (ajoni, aion) in this passage is defined by Baxter
as "a period of time of significant character; . . age." So, Paul is exhorting us not to be conformed
or fashioned according to this age. Yet, with some, the standard by which to determine an act
of morality is the current and popular practice of others. Christians are not to be conformed  that
is, fashioned according to the world in their (a) speech (Eph. 4:29), (1) dress (I Trm. 2:9, 10),
and (c) recreation. The word "transformed" in this text is from the Greek metamorpho, which is
translated "changed" in II Corinthians 3:18 and "transfigured" in Matthew 17:2. From this word
we get our English word metamorphosis, a term descriptive of the biological change which occurs
when a caterpillar shuffles out of its ugly cocoon and emerges a lovely butterfly. In like manner,
Christians are to "put off" the old carnal, worldly man and be changed into the image of Christ

We are in danger of equating individual success on the
basis of the size of our cars, wardrobes, houses, and bank
accounts, and our being able to be a world traveler, eat
in the finest restaurants and otherwise pamper our every
whim and fancy.

    (3) II Corinthians 6:1718. This passage analyzed presents the following: (a) There is a
call for separation from the world"wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate."
(b) The separation from the world is an answer to the call of God~"saith the Lord." (c) The
separation must be complete and final~"be ye separate . . . and touch not the unclean thing." (d)
Blessings will attend the separation~"and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye
shall be my sons and daughters."

    (4) Ephesians 5:11. This verse states a positive and negative responsibility. "And have no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness" is the negative. The word "fellowship" means
joint participation. "But rather reprove them" is the positive responsibility. The word "reprove"
means to expose. Thus, it is not sufficient to be just a nonparticipant in evil practices; in addition,
we must expose them. This should awaken preachers, elders, parents, and Bible school teachers to
their responsibilities as relates to worldliness.

    (5)  Ephesians 5:25~27. This scripture clearly sets forth the church in its purity. When
the purity of the church is corrupted, its identity is lost and destroyed. Therefore, it becomes a
solemn obligation of all the members of the church to maintain at all costs the chastity of this
divine institution. Yes, the church is to be glorious, "not having spot." And, worldliness spots the
church (James 1:27).

    (6)  James 4:4. "Friendship with the world" in the original is "the love of the world";
and, Christians should have no love for the maxims which govern the world, the principles which
reign therein, the ends that are sought in it, and the amusements and gratifications which
characterize it. A love for such is enmity with God!

    (7)  James 1:27. In addition to this text teaching us that worldliness spots, it also
plainly teaches us that the religion of him who is worldly is not pure and undefiled!


II. "In" But Not "Of" The World:
The Prohibition Violated

    The prohibition under study can be violated in a multiplied number of ways.

    (1)  By our materialistic approach to life. We are in danger of equating individual
success on the basis of the size of our cars, wardrobes, houses, and bank accounts, and our being
able to be a world traveler, eat in the finest restaurants and otherwise pamper our every whim and
fancy. What about, "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he
possesseth" (Lk. 12:15)? What about Colossians 3:1, 2 and   Matthew 6:19~21? Materialism was
in danger of killing postcaptivity Israel (Mal. 1:7~14; 3:8~10; Hag. 1:2~4; Amos 6:16). Such
conditions as were existent in the days of Amos, Haggai, and Malachi have their counterpart in
the twentieth century church when we lavish in luxury while the local churches have small
budgets, unmet budgets, wherein there are only small sums allocated for world evangelism.

    (2)  By the selection of our associates. We love to be with those we love. Correspond~
ingly, if we love the world, we will choose our closest of friends from among the people of the
world. Let us resolve as did David, "I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that
keep thy precepts" (Psa. 119:63). Our association must be watched for the following reasons:
(a) We become like those with whom we associate, I Corinthians 15:33; (b) our marital
companions are chosen from among those with whom we associate; and (c) our lives become
enmeshed with the lives of those with whom we associate (Amos 3:3).

    (3)  By our choice of recreation. Our Lord taught the need for recreation (Mk. 6:31).
However, such does not preempt wisdom in the selection of the same. The overall tenor of the
scriptures dictates that the following should be considered when a recreational pursuit or activity
is being selected: (a) Is such forbidden by the scriptures, (1)) Will this hurt my influence, (c) Will
this cause me to be associated with evil people, (d) Will this jeopardize my influence for Christ,
(e) Would Jesus engage in this activity, (f) Would I want to be taking part in this activity when
Christ comes, (g) Do the best people on earth engage in this activity, (h) Would I have difficulty
praying during this activity or after engaging in the same, and (i) Would it cause me to violate
the principles of Christian stewardship in the area of time, talent and money? That such matters
are not always carefully considered is most apparent. Consequently, many and varied are the
activities engaged in by some members of the church with such activities definitely being on the
wrong side of the biblical ledger! Of what do we speak: dancing (a violation of Galatians 5:19~
21); drugs, (a violation of I Corinthians 6:15,20); gambling, (a violation of Ephesians 4:28;
Romans 12:17; Matthew 7:12); drinking, (a violation of I Peter 2:11); immodesty, (a violation of I
Timothy 2:9); pornography, (a violation of Philippians 4:8); and immorality, (a violation of I
Corinthians 6:18).

    (4)  By the arrangement of our priorities. God has always demanded first place (Ex.
20:3; Matt. 22:37~39; Matt. 6:33). However, when we come to love the world, we will put
this~world~oriented matters ahead of God and his church. This is why every item on the family
budget is often listed before the local church. This is why it is job then God, rather than God then
job. This is why it is Super Bowl rather than the Sunday evening service.

    (5)  By our conversation. We love to talk about those we love. Thus, we ask, what is
it that dominates our conversation? Is it boats and motors, stocks and scores, hunting and fishing,
fashions and prices, politics and stock market, etc.? Why? Proverbs 4:23 and 23:7 teach us that
out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Yes, when such matters dominate our
conversation, it is because our hearts are centered on this world. Yea, truly our speech "betrayeth
us" (Matt. 26:73). Our conversation should rather be centered on what method of soul
'winning is working, what does this passage mean, how would you answer this question, what
good book have you read lately, have you heard about this good work, this church is growing,
and such like.

    (6)  By our attitude toward marriage and the family. Romans 7:1~4 and Matthew
19:3~9 teach us that marriage is to last for a lifetime, there being only one exception to the
same. The dissolution of marriage/home is common in the world. And, it is crystal clear that the
same is invading the church of the Lord with disturbing proportions and rapidity.

III. "In" But Not "Of" The World:
Reasons Why Such Is Violated

    (1)  A failure to appreciate the true nature of the New Testament church. The word
"church" is from the Greek ekklesia, from "ek," meaning "out" and "kaleo," meaning "to call."
Hence, the church is the "called out." Therefore, in his relationship to the world, the member of
the church is called a "saint" (I Cor. 1:2), sanctification being defined as "to set apart." The church
is in the world, but not worldly; in the earth, but not earthly. As the ship is in the ocean, but the
ocean must not be in the ship, so the church is in the world, but the world must be kept out of the
church.

    The church at Corinth had many problems; in fact, there is some problem discussed in
every one of the sixteen chapters composing the I Corinthian epistle. The root from which these
problems sprang is found in I Corinthians 1:2: "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth  
Along with the church being at or in Corinth, Corinth got in the church!

    (2)  We do not properly love God (I Jn. 2:15~17). Yes, the kind, but true, fact of the
matter is that the worldling does not properly love God. The love we should have for God is not
the controlling principle of his life. I John 2~5,17, in principle, is affirming that love of God, his
Son, his church, his word, and his home is inconsistent and incompatible (yea, impossible!) with
the love of the world. The two cannot mutually survive in the same heart and life. There is no
peaceful coexistence between the two.

    (3)  We are practicing conformity rather than transformity. Israel wanted a king to be
like the nations round about them (I Sam. 8:5). And, every tear that bedewed their cheek, dimmed
their eye~yea, their ultimate captivity~came about as a result of this desire to conform.
Incidentally, concerning this matter, why cannot we teach our young people to be leaders rather
than followers, trend setters rather than trend keepers. Our young people should be out front,
being a definite determining factor in planning the end~of~the~school~year function rather than
letting children of the world constantly plan the traditional prom, etc. However, such is usually
not the case. Rather, the people of the world plan these illegitimate activities and then our young
people feel pressured to conform. Yes, it is transformity and not conformity! We march to the
sound of a different drummer.

    (4)  The type preaching we are hearing~or not hearing~has made its contribution. We
are what we are taught. We are no stronger than our diet. Accordingly, where are our sermons
and lessons on love not the world, evil communications corrupt good morals, the sin of dancing,
the sin of immodesty, give us a king, wine is a mocker, the sin of gambling, how to determine
what is right and wrong in selecting recreation, etc.? Where are the educational committees in
local churches who will plan a special series of studies during the summer months on worldliness,
lessons adapted to the present needs? Where are the elders who will write and/or verbally exhort
members on seasonal sins? Where are our tracts on dancing, tobacco and drinking, which used to
be so prominently displayed in our tract racks? What happened to the majority of our young
people who used to say unequivocally, "No," to these worldly activities we have mentioned?
What are they being taught in the home, in the classroom, and from the pulpit?

    (5) A woeful lack of discipline among us. Have we cut out II Thessalonians 3:6? The
word "disorderly" in this text suggests the idea of breaking rank. In the army when a soldier
deserts his ranks and aligns himself with the ranks of the enemy, he faces courtmartial. By way of
analogy, the world is our enemy (Jas. 4:4). How many soldiers in the Lord's army have deserted
ranks and become aligned with the ranks of the enemy without any disciplinary action ever having
been taken?

    (6)  Heaven, the ultimate antithesis of the world we are not to love, is not very real to
us anymore. And, this in spite of the fact that our Father is in heaven (Matt. 6:10), our hope is in
heaven (Col. 1:5), our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20, 21), our treasures are in heaven (Matt.
6:1921), our names are enrolled in heaven (Phil. 4:3) and our Lord is coming from heaven
(I Thess. 4:13~18). There are not many folks today homesick for heaven. There are not many who
have "a desire to depart, and to be with Christ" (Phil. 1:23). We are thisworld oriented. We need
to remember that the rich man, in the account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19~31, was
basically lost because he had chosen to have his good things in this world, whereas Lazarus had
chosen to have his good things in the world to come.


IV. "In" But Not "Of" The World:
Help In Obeying Such

    (1)  We must realize we are not here for much longer. "Man that is bom of a woman
is of few days, and full of trouble" (Job 14:1). See James 4:14 and Proverbs 27:1. To illustrate, if
you are forty years old, and the average life span is seventyfive, then you only have 11,775 days
left. What then? It is the height of folly to become enmeshed in this world to the neglect of the
"what then" matters.

    (2)  We must realize that the world cannot satisfy. Did the prodigal find happiness,
contentment, fulfillment, and a meaningful way of life in the far country (Lk. 15:11~32)? You see,
there is a basic nature about us that the carob beans of the far country cannot satisfy.

    (3) We must realize the world does not last. "The world passeth away, and the lust
thereof" (I Jn. 2:15~17). I Corinthians 7:31 reads, "For the fashion of this world passeth away."
Furthermore, we read in Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth shall pass away." This old world is
very fleeting and transitory.

    (4)  We must realize that we cannot take anything in this world with us. Even in the
starlight age of patriarchy, Job realized this when he said, "Naked came I out of my mother's
womb, and naked shall I return thither" (Job 1:21). Paul reiterates this fact in I Timothy 6:6, 7.

    (5)  We must realize the true nature of worldliness. The prodigal son became worldly
(Lk. 15:11~32). In the far country he came to realize that life away from the father can and will be
disillusioning (where was the freedom and happiness he had sought?), divisive (was he not away
from his father and his home?), disgracing (was he not sent to feed swine?), dominating (was he
not sent to his task?), destructive (had he not wasted his living in a riotous way?), and
deathbringing (did his father not say this my son was dead?). Such are the rewards of a wordly
life! Now, why choose it?


Conclusion

    (1) A recapitulation. In this study of "in" but not "of" this world, we have observed
corroborating passages, how this prohibition can be violated, reasons for such violations and helps
in obeying the prohibition.

    (2) An exhortation. Let us sincerely sing and affirm, from the roots of our hearts and
not just from the roofs of our mouths, "Take the world, but give me Jesus" (Fanny J. Crosby). For
after all, "This world is not my home, I'm just passing through... And I can't feel at home in this
world anymore" (Albert E. Brumley).

    (3)  Are we willing to pay the price? A person walked out the door, after hearing one
of his great sermons, and said to Brother T.B, Larimore, "Brother Larimore, I would give the
world to be as good as you are. Whereupon he replied, "That is what it cost me!" Are we willing
to pay the price?