.... For the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Rev. 22:10-12

There has been much talk about aliens and out of space creatures coming to the earth. This was particularly true during the years of the US and Russian space exploration flights. The fact is they are already here: Christians are those aliens creatures. This is a fact lost on most Christians. But the Apostle Peter explicitly tells us that we are not citizens of this world, but we are only pilgrims and strangers traveling through this land. We are traveling through this earthly land in earthly tabernacles in preparation for a new city and a new tabernacle, whose builder and maker is God. [John 14: 2-3; Heb. 11: 10-13; 1 Pet. 2:11]

This knowledge is tied to the very hope of believers. Yet many believers have lost their hope in Christ, as the call of the world has confused them and clouded their understanding about their citizenship status and their standing in this earth. For Christians, this earth is not our homes; it is a temporary holding spot until our Lord comes and takes us to that home he is preparing for us. This is our reality.

When we were born again, we were born out of this world into a new and another world, a world not made like unto this one and a world that has new rules and new standards of behavior. It is a world that cannot use the behavior and currency of this one. And as citizens of that world, we have renounced this world's citizenship for the new world's citizenship. This is an important concept for Christians. To see this concept is to see why it is necessary to comport ourselves differently than those who are citizens of this world.

The Apostle Paul tells us not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. [Rom. 12:2] Since our witness and record are on high, along with our citizenship, we must have our minds completely turned and remade away from this world's mindset. [Job 16:19] We are not of this world; we do not belong here any longer; we are citizens of a far country with a king over us who witnesses our behavior in this land and records our actions with an iron pen in his book. [Job 19:29]

As US citizens, when we travel to another country, we must conform to the rules of that country because we are not citizens of that country but mere guests. Likewise, Christians are aliens, guests, and visitors in this earthly land, and since we are, God had Peter write up and pass on to us explicit traveling rules we must conform to as we pass through this land. Peter wrote, "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having a conversation honest among Gentiles...." [1Pet. 2:11-12] Peter goes on, along with other writers, admonishing us how to behave ourselves in this far country as we prepare to go home. Those admonitions are found throughout the Bible.

Many Christians have been caught up in fleshly lusts that war against their souls. Many Christians and ministers have been so taken by the world, especially prevalent is this sin among pastors, that they have renounced their heavenly citizenship and resumed their old citizenship of this world. The renouncing of their heavenly citizenship can easily be seen through their conversation in the affairs of this world. Many have turned back to this world, while some never gave up their citizenship in this world; they only declared a denunciation of it. But fleshly lust, so prevalent in this world, fights against our souls and has overthrown the faith of many who were born into the new world, and threw them back into the old world. [2Tim. 2:18]

When one is comfortable with this world their hope is only (or mainly) in this life, and they do not know how pitiful they have become. They exchange the glory of the world to come and its citizenship, which is almost unimaginable, for temporary and comparatively minuscule fleshpots and trinkets of this world.

Oh, how grave and deep-seated among pastors is this disaffection from the things of God for the things of this world! Almost wholesale have many run off to the tithes store to buy the goods and trinkets of this world--houses and fine cars--and they have left the word of God in shambles and totally disregarded it to get the things of this life at the expense of God's people. Many have taken the people of God back under the law, as an adherence to the tithe system for New Testament Church will do. And these teachers of tithes and other legal systems for New Testament saints have butchered their consciences to do so or have shown themselves incompetent ministers and babes in the word of righteousness to do so. [Gal. 5:4; Heb. 5: 12-14] But since their concern is with the things of this life, they care not about the things of the world to come, about things of their homeland or the rule appertaining thereto. They have set, again, their affections on things of this earth, and not on the things above. They have renounced their heavenly citizenship.

The repudiation of one's citizenship means that one adopts the customs and culture of his new home and land. This is what we do at repentance, but to return to the world from which you came is to make oneself a transgressor. Paul states that if he built again the things which he destroyed, he made himself a transgressor. Many have made themselves transgressors [Gal. 2:18; 4:9] by going back to the beggarly elements of this world and not setting their affections on things above. So vile are many that they have actually taken on and given themselves over to vile affections, even while they call themselves citizens of that far country, but those behaviors are not of that far country but are of this world. [Rom. 1:26,31; Col. 3:5] The Apostle Peter argues that they are like the sow that goes back to her wallowing and the dog that goes back and eats the vomit he once vomited up. [Col.3:2; 2Pet.2:22]

We are admonished to set our affections on things above, not on things of this earth. Our models have not been the apostles who modeled themselves after Jesus, and some Christians have looked to wicked leaders who have high-jacked God's word and God's people for their own purposes. We see today the self-elevation of pastors above other ministries in the church and above God's word. They have become a law unto themselves. This was never intended by God; it is a crafty deception of man to elevate man and make merchandise out of God's people.

Questions: How many ministers cry against ministers' sins? How many ministers cry against pastors' sins? How many pastors cry against pastors' sins? How many bishops and elders cry against bishops and elders' sins? How many ministers are crying against sin at all anymore?

The very notion of sin is almost vanishing from the church, even as sin becomes wholesale in the church! But ministers who are citizens of a far country, and know that they are mere strangers in this land exhibit the behavior and the culture of their distant country.

Among pastors, ministers, and members there is behavior not of a distinct culture; we see exhibited all the attributes of this foreign land we are in. And our culture that is distinct to our citizenship is too infrequently exhibited in the lives of those who claim to be citizens of another country, a country whose builder and maker is God. This means that many have renounced their citizenship!

But in spite of the many ministers who have renounced their citizenship and returned to the old life, causing others to do so, God has raised up seven thousand who will not renounce their citizenship, who will not be overcome by the fleshly lusts of this world, and who still have the hope in Christ and will purify themselves even as he is pure. [1 John 3:3] These are the ones Christ is purifying unto himself as a peculiar people zealous of good works. [Tit. 2:14] These are the ones who show from whence they come and to whence they go; these are the ones who have an allegiance to a king in a far country and are mere ambassadors in this country to show of the land from which they came and to which they shall go.

As strangers and pilgrims in this world, our king has not simply sent us out all alone. He has clothed us with invisible forces at our ready, to be used according to our needs: he has given us guides to help guide us through this barren land. He has given us an entire array of angels to protect us and deliver us--they are our invisible companions; he has given us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers while we are here in this earthly land. These forces, aides, guides, and teachers are not only to get us through this land successfully, but they are also to prepare us for our citizenship in that new home that will come.[Psa.34:7; Eph. 4:11-6; 1 John 3:3]

You see, this land which we travel through is not an idling exercise until our king can complete the mansion he is preparing for us; our travel and sojourn here is a preparation period, a staging ground in which we get ready for another life in that New Jerusalem that is to come.[1Pet. 1:17; Rev. 21] Even as the Children of Israel sojourned in the wilderness was a trip to purify and weed out those whom God wanted to rid them of, so is our wandering down here. There are many in the church who are totally unsaved, but they number themselves with the people of God.

The second purpose of our sojourn here is ready those who have been called and chosen to be in his bride and citizens of that far country. These are the ones who are purifying themselves in preparation for his return. The Apostle John wrote that it does not yet appear what we shall but we know when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And as many of us that has this hope in him will purify ourselves even as he is pure. This is the stage we are in now--purification in preparation of our new homes and our new status with our king.

Oh, how many have failed to see that as we walk here in this earth, our godly reality is that we are the expected bride of a king. Not just a king, but the King of Kings; the Lord of Lords! And our behavior MUST comport with that of a king's bride. Yet many have shamed our king, as they conformed their behavior to that of a whore. Do we expect the King of Kings to marry a whore? How shame we our beautiful groom with wicked behavior beneath the dignity of our position and his glory! Such a one has repudiated his citizenship and broken off the wedding engagement! Our glorious king will not be married to a whore! It is beneath him.

Our journey in this far country as strangers and pilgrims is recorded, and what we do will determine our citizenship there and whether we are a part of his bride. Be assured, after this staging area, there is no other room in which to get ready-- no limbo, no purgatory, just down here, this earth and this life, to get ready for there.

Listen to the call of the Lord Jesus Christ to John: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." [Rev. 22:10-12]

This is it; this earth is the room in which we groom, and if we are not properly groomed by the time this life is over, we will not be prepared for that new country and our marriage to our King.

From here, this earthly house and land, this time-bound train, this container in which all our actions and events are housed, this moment in time will pass, and that mighty angel of God will stand with one foot on land and the other on the seas and cry out, "Time will be no more!" [Rev. 10:6] From that moment time as we know it shall pass away, and we who have gotten ready down here will inhabit eternity and ever be with the Lord. [1Thes. 4:17]