Complete Separation From Satan's Kingdom

The Lord was very explicit about Israel's exodus. 

He wrought and wrought for His rights, so completely, that He would not compromise to the degree of a hoof. "There shall not a hoof be left behind" (Ex. 10:26).

He was working for His rights over other rights, His authority, and He would not allow a fragment to remain outside of His own realm. 

That means that the Kingdom of the Son of His love is a Kingdom which claims all, which represents all, which means the most perfect separation from the kingdom, whatever its form and nature, over which Satan has rights and therefore power. 

God is not going to give His power, His glory, to any little fragment which lies within the domain of the prince of this world. 

The secret of spiritual power, of spiritual life, of spiritual fulness, of spiritual effectiveness, the secret of reaching God's full end, is found in the utterness of the dominion of the Lord Jesus, in His having His rights in the life.

Until, in type, that was established in the case of Israel, they were a floundering people.

They, although out literally from Egypt, were not out spiritually, and were weak, impersistent, unreliable, ineffective, inwardly divided.

They were not really out in an inward way. God could not commit Himself to them until they were established on the other side of Jordan. 

Then He could; He commenced to commit Himself at Jericho, and went on.

Israel was chosen, in the sovereignty of God, to be the instrument and vessel of blessing to all nations of the earth.

God intended to reach all through Israel. In them, Abraham's seed, all nations of the earth were intended to be blessed.

There is a sense, of course, in which that has been fulfilled, inasmuch as Jesus Christ of the seed of Abraham has been the blessing to all nations, but Israel as a nation was called to be a blessing and a channel of Divine blessing to all peoples, and Israel failed.

The Church has come in according to the word of the Lord Jesus "The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof (Matt. 21:43).

And Peter says about the Church "an elect race... a holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9), to take the place of Israel with the same object - that the Church might be the channel of Divine blessing to all peoples.

Now, why is it that there is so much ineffectiveness, so much lack of power, so much defeat - that is, absence of victory; so much that does not count for God about us.

Let us ask ourselves in all honesty whether it may not be that, as yet, we do not know in a living way, the meaning of the Cross as it is here set forth.

The Cross represents that accomplishment of an utter going out from a realm where Satan has rights and therefore has power to spoil.

In Egypt, Pharaoh had rights. He was king of Egypt, that was his domain, he had a right to do what he would.

These people are in my domain, then they come under my rule and I can do as I like, as I will!

So he oppressed, he weakened, he limited, he afflicted.

And yet they are the elect, called sons of God, called sons of God even when they are there.

We are sons of God by calling. But what a terrible thing to think of sons of God in a state of defeat like this, all because they are in a realm where there are rights by which they are bound.

While they stay in that realm, and, mark you again, while there remains one hoof in that realm - they might have all gone out, flocks and herds and everything of their possessions might have gone out, and then just one hoof of one bullock left in Egypt - the whole thing would have been under arrest.

The Lord's attitude was, I want that last hoof before I move!

That is a very literal interpretation, but that is the Lord's attitude.

It means this, that our vocation cannot be fulfilled, the calling with which we are called, the power of God, cannot be realized while one fragment remains in the territory where Satan has rights.

We must get on to the ground, into the realm, where all those rights are destroyed and he has no authority at all; and God has secured that realm, that position, by the Cross of the Lord Jesus...

And if you and I will only come into line with the meaning of the Cross in its fullness, we have come into the way of power, fruitfulness, effectiveness.

~T. Austin Sparks~