The World System

The world system is an ordered structure designed by Satan to maintain control over unsaved humanity by pacifying their sin natures (1 John 5:19). In Scripture, the term world is used to express three distinct concepts: the inhabited world, the universe, and the world system. The context determines which meaning is intended when the word is employed. Israel is described as a light to the inhabited world (Matthew 5:14). The world system is indifferent to Jesus (John 7:7). Before God created the universe, He determined that a group of believers would be placed in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). During the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, Satan offered Him the kingdoms of the world system (Matthew 4:9). Satan is now the prince of the world system and the god of this malignantly evil age (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4).

After the death of Abel at the hands of Cain, who slew him as a sacrifice because his brother’s works were righteous (1 John 3:12), Satan developed the first world system. In attempting to manipulate Cain to follow his ways, Lucifer discovered that controlling the sin nature of mankind was beyond his direct ability. He did not desire Cain to murder his brother, but rather to persuade his family to follow his ways—works over faith (Jude 11). Therefore, he designed the world system to restrain and influence the sin nature of mankind in a manner similar to how a child is pacified by being rocked in his mother’s arms (1 John 5:19).

The world system maintains control over commerce (Genesis 4:20), culture (Genesis 4:21), industry (Genesis 4:22), and the judicial realm (Genesis 4:23–24) to govern mankind. This first world system became a very violent place—not a violence in the sense of direct war and killing, but in the sense of taking every opportunity to do wrong (Genesis 6:5, 11). It was destroyed in judgment by the worldwide flood (2 Peter 3:6; Hebrews 11:7).

After the flood, Satan again developed a world system, this time including false religion. Although Noah and his sons were still alive, they permitted Nimrod to murder those in authority to setup a kingdom for himself, even though God specifically stated to Noah that if a man kills another man, by man that man’s life is to be taken (Genesis 10:8–9; Nimrod was a hunter of mighty men). Nimrod gathering all his kin to himself and in the valley of Shinar where they built a tower to both worship the stars and avoid God’s judgment (Genesis 11:1–4; Romans 1:18–32). This is the beginning and source of all false religions in the world today.

This organized system that Satan has developed, although designed to control unsaved humans, can also be used against the grace believer. The desires from the world are not desires from Satan, rather, it is designed with its own types of strong cravings. Therefore, it uses the cravings of the flesh and eyes, and the pride of biological life (1 John 2:16). Thus, against grace believers, the world system offers subtle external appeal for the purpose of distracting, pressuring, polluting, causing discontent, and persuading the grace believer to act independent from God.

In 1 John 2:15, the grace believer is instructed to stop loving the world and the things of the world, for the love of the Father is not in the world nor in its things. Although the Church presently resides in this world, it does not belong to the world system; therefore, grace believers are to use it, but not abuse it (1 Corinthians 7:31). This warning is especially pertinent for grace believers today, for we are in the period of the Laodicean assembly, which describes the predominant condition of Christian assemblies as those that seek wealth rather than doctrine (Revelation 3:14–23). Consequently, these assemblies pursue friendship with the world system—through feeding the poor, community outreaches, worship-focused services, and many other methods designed to attract and make the unsaved feel at home in the Church—thus arranging themselves as enemies of God (James 4:4).

In overcoming the strong desires from the world system, the grace believer must recognize that since he is in Christ, he is crucified to the world and the world to him (Galatians 6:14). Our focus in life is not to make money and obtain worldly wealth. The world’s desires pass away, but the one doing the desirous will of God abides into the age (1 John 2:17).

Government is not a creation of the world system, although it may be manipulated by it. God is the One who implemented human government for the purpose of punishing those who do evil and rewarding those who do good (Romans 13:3). When used properly, it restrains the spread of evil through the human race by means of proper judgment, penalty, and segregation based upon national origin and boundaries—making it difficult for the desires of the sin nature to spread rapidly throughout humanity, as they did in the days after the flood. Therefore, those who arrange themselves in war against being governed resist the ordinance of God (Romans 13:2). We are to submit—not as slaves, but for the benefit that submission brings—to those in authority (Romans 13:1). This does not give those in government the authority to violate the rights of the people, to flaunt the laws by exempting themselves—whether through mutual agreements not to prosecute or by other forms of deception—or to act in an unrighteous manner. As luminaries in the midst of this perverted and corrupt generation, we are to expose the unfruitful works of darkness, not participate in them (Ephesians 5:11). Let us render taxes, custom, fear, and honor where they are due, for the sake of our conscience before God (Romans 13:5–7). There are times when the grace believer will suffer under unrighteous rulers; let that suffering be for doing the desirous will of God, not for doing wrong (1 Peter 2:19).

The basic principles of the world regarding righteousness are expressed in commands such as, “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” along with the observance of days, months, and years. These practices have only an appearance of wisdom in self-made religion, humility, and neglect of the body (Colossians 2:20–23). Through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, the world seeks to subject us to its desires (Colossians 2:8).

Having victory over the strong cravings from the world system comes through recognizing that, in Christ, you are crucified to the world and the world to you. Since you are not part of the world, it is indifferent to you, for it is only fond of its own (John 15:19). Christ did not desire to have us removed from the world, but rather, He asked the Father to keep us from the malignantly evil one (John 17:15). Therefore, we are to make use of the world system, but not to its full extent, always seeking to do the desirous will of God rather than fulfilling its desires.