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(kosmos) occurs no less than 79 times and is therefore of great importance. It can mean
the world as the sum total of everything here and now, the orderly universe (the
foundation of the world), the earth on which we live. Sometimes it refers to the world
system that is ruled temporarily by Satan, the prince of the world., the whole world lies in
the power of the evil one (I John 5: 19). It is used in the sense of everyone, "the world
has gone after Him" (John 12: 19). But in the majority of occurrences in this Gospel it
means mankind as a whole, and when it is used by the Lord, each statement is of great
importance and should be carefully and prayerfully weighed over by the reader. We give
some examples:
". . . . . The world knew him not" (1: 10).
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (1: 29).
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (3: 16).
"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through Him might be saved" (3: 17).
"Light is come into the world . . . . ." (3: 19).
". . . . . we . . . . . know that this is indeed the Christ (Messiah), the Saviour of the world"
(4: 42)
"For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the
world" (6: 33).
". . . . . My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (6: 51).
"I am the light of the world" (8: 12).
". . . . . whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world" (10: 36).
"I came not to judge the world, but to save the world" (12: 47).
"But that the world may know that I love the Father . . . . ." (14: 31).
". . . . . that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me" (17: 21).
". . . . . that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me" (17: 23).
"He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the whole
world" (I John 2: 2).
One thing must be clear from the above references, that Christ's earthly work and
witness cannot be restricted to Israel or any one nation. Some will quote Matt. 15: 24 "I
am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel", but to get the whole picture we
should read Mark's account which records words that Matthew omits. Christ said "Let
the children (i.e. Israel) first be filled" (Mark 7: 27). The children, Israel, were to be
first in God's kingdom purpose, but not first and last. The kingdom of heaven upon earth
can never be finally restricted to Israel or Israel's land; it will be world wide and this was
clearly implied in the first revelation promise, that Israel's seed should one day be a
blessing to all families of the earth (Gen. 12: 3), and this was also stressed in the N.T. by
Paul at Antioch when he quoted to the Jews Isa. 49: 6 which refers both to Messiah
and Israel, "I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for
salvation unto the ends of the earth" (Acts 13: 47), and with this agrees the Lord's
resurrection commission to the Twelve ". . . . . and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in
Jerusalem, and in Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (1: 8).
Otherwise how can a prophecy like Hab. 2: 14 be fulfilled, "for the earth shall be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea", and many other