“And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.” (Deut. 26:9)
In the mind of some of those walking in the wilderness they must have envisioned a type of the garden of Eden, food beyond their needs, rest beyond anything they had ever known, they were in their mind heading home, the forty year journey was coming to an end. But there was something not all of them realized, there would be blood.
Those who inhabited the land of Canaan, who had built the walled cities, planted the vineyards, lived in that land of milk and honey were not about to just move on to someplace else, they were not going to sell their property or invite the children of Israel in and help them build subdivisions.
I ask you this today, have the lost, the Canaanites of the world today, simply got used to the people of God living amongst them, or have those who have been crucified with Christ found it easier, more convenient to live in the world of sin?
I do not know if you have noticed this or not, but the wicked are not being driven out before us, we are moving in among them.
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” (2nd Cor. 6:17) “When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.” (Deut. 18:9)
We meet on Sunday mornings in a building built in the midst of them, we work and live among them, there are no “Christian only” cities on this planet, there are no cordoned off areas with signs that read, “Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ only.” “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Rev. 21:27)
This is the closest analogy that I can give you at this time for Luke 17:21, “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” We are the light walking in the darkness, we are the righteousness of God walking in a world of sin, we are the ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ sent to a wicked and perverse generation to offer the truth, and those people are going to fight you tooth and nail to keep what they believe they own. This is Satan’s world at the moment, and he hates, he detests all those who walk in it that stand against him. And that is those who have been born again.
My friends, if you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ for the glory of God, there will be blood. “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18) Not just those of your family and friends, not only your neighbors or the people of your community, not even some of those in your church, but everyone on the planet will hate you, but those who are on the journey to the same place you are, the Kingdom of the Most High God, our Father in heaven.
I do not believe that many who claim Christ as Lord are in this battle, I think they have moved into Canaan, bought property, made homes and lives, and settled in amongst them. “And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.” (Gen. 18:32)
The wrath of God will arrive, and most will be left behind, the question then is this, where is your home located, where did you lay the foundation of your eternal place at? In Canaan, the world, or on the Rock of our salvation? Where is home?
