I’ve turned my back upon the world

Why is it that God has no dwelling place today on this earth? There are millions of Christians, but very few are rid of the Egyptian element. We need the experience of the writer of Hymns, #438:

I've turned my back upon the world

With all its idle pleasures,

And set my heart on better things,

On higher, holier treasures;

No more its glitter and its glare,

And vanity shall blind me;

I've crossed the separating line,

And left the world behind me.

We have this hymn in our Chinese hymnal too; Brother Nee translated it about fifty years ago. It is a good hymn for teaching us to leave the world. There must be a separating line between the world and God's dwelling place.

Revelation 15:2-5 reveals the fifth aspect of the testimony of Jesus—the overcomers standing on a glassy sea mingled with fire before God's heavenly temple. A number of the saints are on the shore of this sea, singing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. This is a picture signifying further spiritual matters concerning the testimony of Jesus. The church as the testimony of Jesus is composed of a group of saints who have been saved through water, just as Noah was saved from his evil generation through the water that flooded the earth (Gen. 6:11-14a) and as the Israelites were saved through the water of the Red Sea not only from God's judgment but also from the evil power of Pharaoh (Exo. 14:22, 29). The final chorus of Hymns, #438 says, "I've crossed the Red Sea of His death, / And left the world behind me." The flood for Noah and the Red Sea for the Israelites were both a baptism (1 Pet. 3:20-21; 1 Cor. 10:1-2). Today we, the New Testament believers, are also baptized. The real meaning of baptism is that it is a burial (Rom. 6:4). A certain man may be a millionaire with banks, corporations, and many friends and relatives. It will certainly be hard for such a man to break all these ties, but on the day he is buried, he will finally come out of the world. Nothing separates us from all the worldly ties as thoroughly as burial. Anyone who means business with the Lord must see that he has come out of the world by passing through water. The water of the Red Sea will never allow us to return to Egypt.

Moreover, in front of the tabernacle there was the laver (Exo. 30:17-21). The laver did not wash away sins; it was the altar that did this. However, even after passing through the altar, people still could not come into the presence of the Lord without passing through the laver to wash away the dirt of worldliness. This also signifies baptism. After the Israelites entered into the good land, they built the temple. In front of the temple was a bronze sea with ten bronze lavers (1 Kings 7:23-40a), the fullest type of baptism. The first event that transpired in the New Testament was baptism. John the Baptist called people to repent, and he baptized those who came to him (Mark 1:4; Matt. 3:5-6). This was to terminate people, bury them, and take them out of this world. All the believers must pass through a genuine baptism. In principle, the glassy sea before the throne of God signifies the operation of baptism. Eventually, in Revelation 15 certain of the saved ones are standing on the shore of "baptism," rejoicing and singing just as Israel sang the song of Moses on the shore of the Red Sea.

The children of Israel enjoyed a double salvation. The first aspect of their salvation was the redeeming blood, and the second aspect was the judging water. Hallelujah for the redeeming blood and the judging water! We know what the redeeming blood is, but I doubt that very many know what the judging water is. For us, the judging water is the cross of Christ. The death of the Lord Jesus on the cross is the judging water. A line in Hymn 438 in our hymnal says, "I've crossed the Red Sea of His death." The Lord's death was the judging water. Satan and the world were judged on the cross. When the Lord Jesus was about to go to the cross, He declared, "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the ruler of this world be cast out" (John 12:31). Both Satan and the world were judged on the cross.