The people of God are, and have been in all ages, pilgrims and strangers in the earth. (Hebrews 11:13) They have been such because it has always been a necessity to them. As servants of God, owing and maintaining their allegiance to Him, there was never any other course for them to take.
Satan's Dominion
When man fell, the earth which had been given to him for his possession and his abode as a "son of God" (Luke 3:38) passed into the possession of the one by whom the man was overcome. Man was overcome by Satan, and became his servant; for the Scripture says, "Of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." (2 Peter 2:19)
Consequently all that man possessed passed under the dominion of Satan. Satan thus became the "god of this world." (2 Corinthians 4:4)
And he spoke not untruly when he said to Christ on the mount of temptation that all the glory of the kingdoms of the world was his, and he gave it to whomsoever he would. "And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give you, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it." (Luke 4:6)
The world became his dominion, and all the descendants of Adam became his subjects. The vast majority of these have chosen to remain under his rule, but a few in every age have renounced the dominion and service of Satan, through the provision made therefore by the sacrifice of Christ, who died to redeem man and that which man had lost. By thus renouncing allegiance to Satan they necessarily renounced all desire for home or position in the kingdoms of this world. They looked by faith to a future country, and to a city whose builder should be the Lord.
Heirs of the New Earth
The promise was made to Abraham that he should be the heir of the world. "For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." (Romans 4:13)
Isaac and Jacob were heirs of the same promise. "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:" (Hebrews 11:9)
The Seed of Abraham was Christ: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He said not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to your seed, which is Christ." (Galatians 3:16)
He was also Heir with Abraham, and all who are Christ's are heirs likewise: "And if you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29)
But Abraham received not the dominion of the earth, nor has it yet come to any of his descendants. "The whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now," (Romans 8:22) being still under the dominion of the author of pain and death. Abraham sojourned by faith in the land of promise, and: "looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Hebrews 11:10)
And his descendants, the spiritual seed, also died, "not having received the promises," (Hebrews 11:13) but having confessed by their lives that they were "strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (Hebrews 11:13)
The heavens and the earth that are now, are by the word of God reserved under fire: "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." (2 Peter 3:7)
When they shall have passed through the burning day, and from their ashes creative power shall have called forth a "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness," (2 Peter 3:13) then the promise will have its fulfillment; the meek shall inherit the earth, and "The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and shall possess the kingdom for ever." (Daniel 7:18)
Relinquishing All Worldliness
The children of faith have never reckoned this world to be their home, or counted its riches and honor and power as the objects for which their efforts here should be put forth. They have never been imbued with the idea of subduing a part or all of the dominions of the god of this world, so as to make it the dominion of Christ. They have never looked for a country here wherein should dwell righteousness, or in which they should be anything else than strangers and pilgrims. For earthly power and dominion they have never sought nor cared.
But with the subjects of Satan it has been just the reverse. They have never counted themselves pilgrims and strangers here. Their lives have never declared that they seek a country other than this for the realization of their ambitions and their hopes. They have sought ever for power, wealth, and honor among men. They have sought for possession and dominion on the earth.
And not merely those who made no pretense of allegiance to God--though openly worldly and irreligious--are to be reckoned in this class; it includes nearly the whole Christian church as well. But it is a mark of worldliness, wherever it may be found.
Temporal power, temporal dominion, belong to him who is the "god" and "prince" of this world, the one by whom Adam was overcome, and to whom, consequently, he lost his possession, the earth; the one to whom every person not born again yields a natural allegiance; the spirit that has ever ruled in the "children of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:2, 5:6; Colossians 3:6)
This is his, to be given to whomsoever he will, and must remain his until the day when: "The elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up; ... [For] the heavens and the earth that are now, by the same word [the word of God] are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men." (2 Peter 3:7,10)
The church therefore is entirely out of her sphere when she seeks for temporal power; and that person is greatly deceived both in his own heart and in respect to the nature of Christianity, who imagines that it is the church's place to be established in wealth and power and dominion here, to rule earthly governments and countries and kingdoms.
The Church of Christ cannot legitimately fill any position or occupy any station here that is not consistent with that of a stranger and pilgrim in the earth. The mission of the Church, and her only mission, is to "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)
Therefore the Church or individual that is looking to any country, or any place in this earth for the attainment of dominion and honor among men, is moved by another spirit and following another leadership than that of the Author of Christianity.--Present Truth, September 14, 1893.