<p>2:17 <em>And the world passes away and the lust of it, but he that does the will of God abides for ever</em>- The Jewish world was fast passing away as AD70 approached. The various lusts of :16 refer to those of the Jewish world; its lust for pride and wealth would all come to an end in the destruction to come. Jn. 9:31 has used the same words in describing the Lord Jesus personally as the one who &quot;does the will of God&quot;. But all who are in Him are likewise born of God's will (Jn. 1:13). The Lord is presented in opposition to the Jewish world; just as He is in the prologue of John 1. If ever a man stood with His back to the world, it was the Lord and the Jewish world. But He is the one who &quot;abides for ever&quot;, whereas the Jewish world passed away. He &quot;abides for ever&quot; in the sense that the gift of His Spirit, the Comforter, would &quot;abide for ever&quot; with His followers (Jn. 14:16). The Jewish idea that God would &quot;abide for ever&quot; in the Jerusalem temple came to an end when that world passed away (1 Kings 8:13); the eternal abiding was by the spirit of the Lord Jesus in a spiritual temple of believing persons.</p>