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As I explain in articles such as "Child of the Lamb, or Child of the Goat?", this is really a black and white issue with no ambiguous gray area in between. There are no neutrals. Even in the Gospels, the Lord makes it clear that we are either on one side, or else we are on the other. We are either for Him, or else we are against Him. Either we are a Child of God, or else we are a child of the Devil. We are either His sheep, or else we are Satan's goats. We are either good wheat, or else we are tares which are only fit for destruction. Consider the following verses:

"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."


"He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad."


"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."


"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."


This double harvest of wheat and tares, sheep and goats, and the Children of God and the children of the Devil, is also symbolically mentioned in the fourteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation. In the following verses, we are told that one "like unto the Son of man" who wears a golden crown -- who we can assume is Jesus -- reaps the Earth. I believe that this represents the harvest of the good wheat; that is, the sheep who have accepted Jesus Christ:

"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."


After Jesus rescues His children -- that is, the saved sheep or good wheat -- from the Earth during the first harvest, we are next told that another Angel comes out of the Temple in Heaven in order to reap the Earth a second time. Whereas the first event represents the harvest of God's Grace and Mercy, this second event symbolizes the harvest of His Wrath. This harvest reaps the grapes of wrath, which are synonymous with the tares and the goats. The Apostle Paul refers to them as the children of wrath and the children of disobedience. They are, of course, the unbelieving children of the Devil who have not believed in or accepted the Gospel and Testimony of Jesus Christ. Consider the following verses:

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."


"Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience."


"For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:"


By extension, and in a general sense, we can say that the previous verses are referring to the nonbelievers of all ages who have rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a result of their stubborn disobedience to God's Will -- which is that they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior -- they do in fact make themselves subject to God's Wrath. Jesus Himself teaches us the very same thing in the Gospel of John when He says the following:

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."


In his Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul mentions this very same Divine Wrath which is meted out against all ungodly and rebellious men when he writes the following:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;"


Thus, in the previous verse set, Paul reminds us that prior to our coming to Christ, we were in danger of experiencing God's Wrath when he writes "we all . . . were by nature the children of wrath".

However, as I explain in the series "The Great Tribulation and the Rapture", as well as in a number of other articles, it is my personal belief that in both a historical and a Biblical sense, the previous verses actually refer to one specific group of people. As some of you will already know, Jesus had a number of very negative things to say regarding these people, as did some of the other writers of the New Testament, such as the Apostles John and Paul. Who were and are these children of wrath and children of disobedience? I am convinced that they are in fact the unbelieving Jews who Jesus Himself informs us have lost the Kingdom, due to their stubborn unbelief and sound rejection of their one true Messiah.

If you doubt that this is so, then please consider the harsh truth concerning the unbelieving Jews that is revealed in the following verses. Jesus, John and Paul are all talking to and writing about their very own Jewish brethren, whom they had to deal with day after day, and year after year:

"And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom [the Jews who falsely claim to be God's "Chosen People"] shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."


"Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you [from the unbelieving Jews], and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."


"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."


". . . Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it . . . He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."


"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."


"Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."


"In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them [the Jews] which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."


"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."


"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son."


"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."


"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist."


Carefully notice Jesus' clear-cut responses in the previous verses. In one place He states "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity"; and in another He outright says to the unbelieving Jews "Ye are not of God". If we are all the Children of God as some people erroneously believe, why in the world would Jesus say such things to anyone? It is obvious to me that "I never knew you" and "Ye are not of God" clearly mean that a person is not really a Child of God. The Apostle Paul also makes a very clear distinction when he writes "these are not the children of God". So, if we claim -- as so many misguided people do today -- that everyone is a Child of God, are we not in error? In fact, aren't we even contradicting what Jesus said?

Furthermore, if we are all the Children of God as this modern false doctrine states, why would even one single person end up in the Lake of Fire? As you may know, in the Gospels, the Epistles and the Book of Revelation, we are clearly told that not just a few, but in fact many people will end up in that awful place. As Jesus tells us, the chaff will be burned up with unquenchable fire. Consider the following verses:

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."


"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."


"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."


"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."


"But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."


"For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."


"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."


"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."


"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever . . . And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."


"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."


For a more in-depth study of the topics of hell and the Lake of Fire, please consider reading the series entitled "Hell, the Lake of Fire and Universalism".

You will notice that the Apostle Peter refers to this as the "perdition of ungodly men"; and the Apostle Jude informs us that such ungodly men "were before of old ordained to this condemnation". In other words, as I explained earlier, as a result of His Divine Foresight, God knew beforehand that this would be the fate of these people. The people who end up in the Lake of Fire were not predestinated and chosen by God to be heirs of the Promise through Christ. In other words, they were not predestinated to be His children. They were Satan's children all along. They were ungodly; that is, they were not of God. Isn't that what Jesus also said: "Ye are not of God"?

As shocking as this doctrine may be to some people, perhaps even to some Christians, nevertheless, it is in fact Biblical truth. Some people are simply destined to be destroyed from the very start. The Apostle Paul teaches us this very same thing in his Epistle to the Roman brethren. In the following verses he refers to these unsaved, unrepentant people as the "vessels of wrath"; just as in the previous verses that we examined, he also calls them the "children of wrath" and the "children of disobedience":

"What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,"


As you can plainly see, Paul makes a clear contrast between the "vessels of wrath" who are "fitted to destruction", and the "vessels of mercy" which God has preordained, and thus "prepared unto glory". What we have learned then from the Gospels and forward, is that there are two distinct classes of people who are mentioned in the Scriptures: the believers and nonbelievers, wheat and tares, sheep and goats, vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy, and the Children of God and the children of Satan. We are either one, or else we are the other. There is no middle ground. There are no neutrals. We are for Christ, or against Christ. We are either predestined for Eternal Life and the Kingdom of Heaven, or else we are condemned to wrath and the Lake of Fire.

Thus, whether we like it or not, and regardless of whether or not it agrees with what we have chosen to believe, based upon such a preponderance of Scriptural evidence, we must be willing to recognize that not everyone is really a Child of God. Some people -- in fact, many people -- are the children of the Devil. They are unsaved, stiff-necked, hard-hearted, unrepentant reprobates who will never enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven. However, be of good cheer; because if you personally have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and if you are faithfully confessing Him before others, then you can indeed have the assurance in your heart of knowing that Jesus will recognize you on that Great Day. As the Apostle Paul also wrote to his dear son in the faith, Timothy:

"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."


So when the great Day of Judgment finally arrives, and Jesus sits upon His throne to judge the entire world, He will know you. He will not say to you "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity", as He will do with the children of the Devil.

Let me conclude this article by addressing those people who have made the mistake of embracing the false doctrines which I have discussed herein. Regardless of where you picked up these false doctrines, whether as a peace and love hippy of the 1960's era, or as a result of the politically-correct, watered-down, feel-good, false gospel which has surfaced in recent decades, nevertheless, they are still false, and they are in fact damnable. The Apostle Peter refers to such false doctrines as "damnable heresies", as we see by this verse:

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."


These particular doctrines are damnable because they can lead people to believe that they are saved Children of God, when maybe they are really no such thing. In other words, if they swallow the lie which claims that everyone is a Child of God, or if they embrace its companion deception which erroneously promotes the belief that all paths -- including non-Christian religions -- lead to God, then they may never recognize their need to believe in, receive and confess Jesus Christ. They may never obtain true Salvation. That is the spiritual danger which such doctrines pose.

If you have embraced any of these false doctrines in your life, my hope is that this article will serve as a mechanism of enlightenment for you, and that it will bring you out from under your cloud of deception. Please embrace the true Light by accepting Jesus Christ today. Forsake that false Angel of Light -- Satan -- and his false emissaries who preach their false doctrines of light, which are exposed in the following verses:

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"


"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him . . . For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."


"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:"


"Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein."


"As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do."


"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;"


"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself."


"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"


"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."


Please notice in that last verse that John writes that whoever doesn't abide in the doctrine of Christ "hath not God". This is very similar to what John also writes in the fifth chapter of his first Epistle where he states this:

"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."


So once again we see that not everyone is really a Child of God despite their claims. If a person rejects Christ as the Son of God and the only Savior of the world -- this includes unbelieving Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists, Sikhs, Native Americans, Rastafarians, New Agers, Wiccans, Taoists, etc. -- they are simply not a true Child of God. Again, it is a black and white issue with no shades of gray. God's Word is very clear. Either John 14:6 and all related verses are true, or else they are not.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

All Are Given a Chance, But . . .
Apostasy of Oprah Winfrey: America's False Prophetess?
Child of the Lamb, or Child of the Goat?
Hell, the Lake of Fire and Universalism
Is the Message of Salvation Meant for All Men?
Message to the World
Salvation is Free Through Jesus Christ
The Great Tribulation and the Rapture

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