We need to be delivered from Satan’s usurpation in the world and live a life for God’s purpose today.
The world is not a source of enjoyment; rather, it is a place of tyranny, and even our making a living and seeking to have enjoyment and pleasure are used by Satan to usurp us as God’s people from fulfilling God’s purpose and enjoying God.
We need to see what the world is and how it has a grip on us, how it usurps us, and how we are kept from enjoying the Lord and fulfilling His purpose because of this worldly system that illegally keeps us away from God.
In Jer. 46:2-28 we see God’s judgement on Egypt; Egypt is one of the aspects of the world, the aspect of its livelihood and pleasure.
The word for “world” in Greek is cosmos, which has two implications: a harmonious system, order, or arrangement, a well-organized system; secondly, it implies embellishment or adornment, beautifying.
In the biblical usage, the word “world” denotes three main things:
- The material earth created by God. In Acts 17:24 we are told that God made the world, referring to the earth, the physical and material earth.
- The people inhabiting the earth. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world, referring to the people living on earth.
- The things of this earth, which includes all the goods, the riches, the advantages, the pleasures, etc. In 1 John 2:15-16 we are told that he who loves the world and the things of the world – in this one there is no love for the Father.
When we speak of God exposing the world and judging the world, we mainly refer to the third aspect.
God didn’t create the world in the sense of the things of the world that we see today; God created the earth and the man inhabiting the earth, but this entire world system with its goods, advantages, and pleasures, this is something that God did not create.
Rather, this world system was a development of Satan through the fallen man. After God created man in His image and likeness, He was and He provided everything for man; He fed man, He make man happy, He put man in a garden, and He was man’s protection and everything, taking care of man’s every need.
After man became fallen, however, especially after Cain slew Abel his brother, he was disciplined by God, and Gen. 4 says that Cain departed from the presence of Jehovah.
Man left the presence of God on earth – now he was on his own.
Cain married a wife, begot a son named Enoch, and built a city and named it Enoch (dedication); it seemed that Cain really treasured this city, for it was his accomplishment, and he was the architect and builder of that city.
From the time that Cain left God’s presence, he had to make something for himself to replace God; God used to be everything to man, He was providing everything for man, but when man leaves God, he has to invent things for himself, so Cain and his descendants invented a godless culture to protect themselves, feed themselves, and entertain themselves.
In a city we can make a living, we can have protection, and we can have entertainment for pleasure.
Instead of taking God as the source of his provision, pleasure, and protection, man went off from God to develop a godless culture; he pushed God aside and did something on his own to provide for himself.
Then, a few generations later, Lamech married two wives (he was the first polygamist, indulging in the lusts of the flesh), and had a few children: Jubaal (the father of all those who did cattle raising and tent making), Jubaal (the father of all those who played musical instruments, harp and lyre), Tubal-Cain (the father of all the forgers of instruments of bronze and iron), and a sister named Neemah (signifying beauty or beautifying oneself).
Man left God’s presence and developed a godless culture, was involved in the lust of the flesh, and he provided for himself (by raising cattle), he amused himself (with musical instruments), and protected himself (with the weaponry) and beautified himself. Oh Lord!
This was the beginning of the world – and today we are all living in a much greater and more complex harmonious world system that is today’s development of the godless culture. Oh Lord!
How Satan Usurps Man from Fulfilling God’s Purpose with Making a Living and through Enjoyment, the World as Typified by Egypt
Egypt – exposed and judged by God in Jer. 46) typifies the world of making a living and of enjoyment, with which Satan – the ruler of the world, typified by Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt – occupies and usurps the people chosen by God for His economy (see Gen. 12:10; 41:57—42:3; Num. 11:4-6; Heb. 11:25; John 12:31).
Satan uses all the aspects and developments of the world to usurp God’s people, occupy them, and keep them away from the fulfilling of God’s purpose.
Man was created in the image and likeness of God for the purpose of receiving God as life to express and represent God in a corporate way; Satan, however, uses in particular the making of a living and the enjoyment in the world to usurp man.
The nation of Egypt signifies the kingdom of darkness, the authority of darkness (Col. 1:13; Matt. 12:26) which holds all men away from God and His purpose.
People live in the world day and night in darkness; they labor away to make a living, be successful, and keep themselves entertained, not knowing that they are and they live in darkness under Satan’s rule, control, and authority.
People in the world think that they enjoy themselves, they are successful, and they are satisfied; however, the world is not a source of enjoyment but rather, it is a place of tyranny, and every aspect of the world is a form of tyranny (Gal. 4:8).
If we look at the situation in Exodus, the children of Israel were in Egypt being enslaved to that aspect of the world that gave them their livelihood and afforded them their enjoyment.
Today all men are enslaved to money; they work hard to earn a lot of money (or they try to work as little as possible and gain a large amount of money) and then they spend them in a short amount of time for entertainment and indulging in the pleasures of the world.
Many today serve not God but mammon, money.
Just as Egypt kept the Israelites in slavery as they made their livelihood and had their enjoyment, so today the world keeps men in slavery in earning their livelihood and having enjoyment in the world, and thus man is usurped from fulfilling God’s purpose.
People in the world are occupied by the riches and enjoyment in the world; and if they don’t have riches, their desire is to have them, so they work even harder to obtain them, so that they may enjoy them – all these are used by Satan to usurp man.
As a result of man’s toil, labor, and hard work in the world to make a living and gain enjoyment, man is enslaved by Satan and does not know God’s purpose.
The children of Israel didn’t just gain something for their livelihood and had enjoyment in Egypt, but they fell into Egyptian tyranny (Exo. 1:10-11).
It is the same today; people think that they work had to have a livelihood and gain enjoyment, but they are actually under Satan’s tyranny, which gives them no freedom to make the proper choices, and they do not fulfill God’s purpose, which is the meaning of their life.
Even as believers, we may love the Lord and seek Him, but we may still be under the tyranny of Satan, having as our goal to make a living and obtain enjoyment in this world, thus being usurped by Satan from fulfilling God’s purpose.
And Satan is not a good master: just as Pharaoh made the children of Israel serve them with harshness (Exo. 1:13), so Satan gives those whom he usurps no rights and no freedom, no liberty and no rest, until they serve him and fulfill his evil intent. Oh Lord!
Pharaoh made the lives of the Israelites bitter with hard labor; today men all over the earth work hard under Satan’s usurpation, and they are bitter with labor.
People may work in a hospital, factory, office, or a business, but they are actually laboring in the “field” making “bricks” and cementing them with “mortar” to build “storage cities” for Satan, for the pride and boastful display. Oh Lord!
The result of our hard labor and toil under Satan’s usurpation is something we can boast to others, something “good” and “great” and “amazing”, all of which is vain, for it is under Satan’s usurping hand.
May the Lord expose the world for what it is and may we see and be delivered from Satan’s usurpation through the world in its aspects of livelihood and enjoyment!
How we thank and praise the Lord for delivering us from the slavery in the world and for setting us free from Satan’s usurping hand! And how much more we still need to be delivered from any usurpation of Satan in the world!
Lord, expose Satan and his schemes to usurp us through the world system, especially in the matter of livelihood and having enjoyment. Save us and deliver us from toiling under Satan’s usurping hand today. Save us from being distracted by Satan with all the livelihood matters and the enjoyment in the world! Oh Lord, we are here as men in Your image and according to Your likeness, and we have Your life to enjoy You and be part of Your corporate expression for the fulfillment of Your purpose! Amen, Lord, we live on earth for Your purpose and not for making a living or obtaining enjoyment in this world.
Being Delivered from Satan’s Usurpation in the World and Living for God’s Purpose
If we look around today, especially with the advancement in the technology, science, knowledge, etc we see so many people who are “married to their work” – they are enslaved by Satan through the world.
In the world Satan is keeping all men, including God’s chosen people, under his usurping hand; we are destined to fulfill God’s purpose, but in so many things we are under Satan’s usurpation (Eph. 2:2; Luke 13:11-12).
We thank the Lord that, even during this pandemic we can use technology to speak and hear the word of God, receive and spread the gospel, and communicate with the saints and keep in touch for the church life.
However, Satan uses the internet, the computer, and the advancements in technology to capture people and control them.
It is hard to see someone doing something today without being controlled; even in what we do and say, something or someone is there watching over us, listening to us.
Our devices listen to us, our computer learns things about us, and Satan uses the whole world today to usurp God’s people.
Some are enslaved to video games, and they spend the whole night to play games; others are enslaved to their job, and a 8-hour working day has become a 12-14h working day from home.
There are advantages to the advancements in technology and the internet, but at the same time Satan surely carries out his scheme to control man and exercise his rule over man, and man is under Satan’s usurpation.
How much we need to be delivered from Satan’s usurpation! It is one thing to exist, and it is another thing to exist for the divine purpose; we were created in God’s image and likeness, and we need to live a life for God’s purpose (Rom. 8:28; Eph. 1:11; 3:11; 2 Tim. 1:9).
We need to ask ourselves, are we merely existing, or do we live a life for God’s purpose on earth?
These days everyone is busy; they are occupied with their livelihood and seeking enjoyment, making a living and being successful, and many desire to be millionaires.
Especially with the Silicon Valley and the overnight millionaires, Satan puts many “carrots” in front of people to ensnare them and usurp them, drawing them, keeping them going, and wearing them out.
But what about us, what do we live for, what is the purpose of our existence? Do we just want to get through this pandemic, be healthy, not be hit by the virus, and keep our employment? Or do we seek the kingdom of God first and His righteousness?
We need to realize that our existence is for God’s eternal purpose – not just for ourselves, not for us to be alive and successful, but for God’s purpose in creating man.
As we live these days in such troubling times, may we come before the Lord and be recalibrated concerning the principle of our existence.
Our Christian life and church life are not a “supplement” to our living; no, they are the reason we exist, for we are here to contact God, enjoy God, and allow Him to be our everything!
Satan has usurped man so that he would care only for his existence, not for God’s purpose in his existence (Matt. 6:25, 31-33).
Just look around at this chaotic world where there’s not just the pandemic but also all the social problems, the political rivalry and contentions, the economical collapse…we live in a special time.
What are we living for? What do we exist for?
Satan is usurping all those around us by means of their livelihood and enjoyment, but we need to see where we are, who we are, and what is God’s purpose, so that our existence would not be empty and meaningless.
Even more, as we enjoy God and fulfill His purpose, we are called by Him to bring others also out of the usurpation and tyranny of Satan and the world (Acts 26:18; Eph. 3:9).
Amen, may we see God’s purpose, be delivered from the world, and also bring others out of Satan’s usurpation by preaching the gospel of the kingdom so that many would be brought out of the authority of darkness and into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love!
Lord, may we see how Satan usurps man today by means of their livelihood and seeking enjoyment in the world, and may we choose to live a life for Your purpose! Hallelujah, we were destined to live a life for the fulfillment of God’s purpose, and we are here in the world to first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, for all other things will be added to us! Lord, we do not merely exist and seek to survive or make a living today – we exist here for the divine purpose. Expose the ways in which Satan is trying to usurp us to care only for our existence, and deliver us from any usurpation! Oh Lord, may we see Your purpose, be delivered from Satan’s usurpation, and bring others also out of the usurpation and tyranny of Satan and the world and into the kingdom of God!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by James Lee for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Exodus, pp. 16-18 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization Study of Jeremiah and Lamentations, week 9, God’s Judgment upon Egypt and Babylon.
- Hymns on this topic:
– Though very great is all the world, / And very small is your heart, / Yet the great world with all its wealth / Never can fill your small heart. (Hymns #1025)
– Seek ye first, not earthly pleasure, / Fading joy and failing treasure, / But the love that knows no measure / Seek ye first….Seek the coming of His kingdom; / Seek the souls around to win them, / Seek to Jesus Christ to bring them: / Seek this first. (Hymns #667)
– Go to collect materials for the House, / Go to convince dear souls and bring them in; / Bring in the very souls whom God has made, / Bring in the souls usurped by every sin. / Go to collect materials for the House, / Go to deliver people from the world, / From all Satanic darkness and deceit, / From the allurements Satan has unfurled. (Hymns #923)
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