God is not in control of the world. No, not yet, for the whole world is still lying in the power of the evil one. That’s the reason James advises followers of Christ to keep themselves without spot from the world (Jas 1:27), and to keep their distance from it, for friendship with the world is enmity with God (Jas 4:4a). Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is making himself an enemy of God (Jas 4:4b).

The apostles John and Paul make similar exhortations to the followers of Christ to not be loving the world (1Jo 2:15), nor be fashioned after it (Ro 12:2), for the present world order is passing away (1Jo 2:17) and so is its system of things.

Is God, then, telling you to quit mixing with the world? No, you would actually have to get out of the world to do that (1Cor 5:10). Then, how do you take heed of God’s word? You need to do just one thing: keep yourselves from the way the world views and worships God, which is filled with hypocrisy. Do not be yoked together with them in their religion and their rituals, and in the way they relate with God, for they worship God with their lips, yet their heart is far removed from Him. (Mt 15:8). And just as they do not give attention to finding out the truth about God, therefore, God gives them up to their own conceited will, that runs contrary to the will of God.

If there is one thing that God is in control of in this world, it is His kingdom; these are the ones that Christ has chosen to take out of this world (Jo 15:19). They are the citizens of the kingdom who live under the rulership of the true God. They themselves are the kingdom, so no one will say, “Here is the Kingdom”, or, “There it is” (Lu 17: 21). And because the spirit of God resides in them, therefore, God protects them, not only from the wicked one (1Jo 5:18), but from the world. As their Lord has overcome the world, they too shall overcome it (Jo 16:33; 1Jo 5:4). When the day of Christ finally arrives, he shall vanquish the ruler of this world, so that all things shall be subjected to him. But when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Christ himself will also subject himself to God who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all (1Cor 15:28).

Let the ones who have wisdom take heed.