Children of the Evil One

The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

In Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the wheat and weeds, he refers to unbelievers as “children of the evil one.”

Matthew 13:38

“… the field is the world; and the good seed ​— ​these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one …”

Here, Jesus reveals the spiritual truths behind the parable of the wheat and weeds (Matt. 13:24-30). As in the parable of the sower, the Lord presents a farmer who has sown good seed in his field. But an enemy invades at night and plants weeds among the wheat. When the wheat matures and begins sprouting heads of grain, the weeds appear as well. 

The hired hands report their discovery to the farmer and ask whether they should pull out the weeds, but the farmer tells them:

“No. When you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn” (Matt. 13:29-30).

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Deliver Us from the Evil One

The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

In two sayings of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew, we learn more about Satan as the evil one.

Matthew 6:13 

“And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

This request comes at the close of the Lord’s Prayer, perhaps better called the Disciples’ Prayer. Several English translations render the final phrase “deliver us from evil” rather than “deliver us from the evil one.”6The Greek could mean either. While it’s possible that deliverance from evil in general is Jesus’ primary meaning, protection from the author of evil is a suitable request for disciples learning to pray. 

“Do not bring us into temptation” does not imply “don’t bring us to the place of temptation,” or even “don’t allow us to be tempted.” Jesus already endured temptation at the hands of the evil one after the Holy Spirit drove him into the wilderness following his baptism (Matt. 4:1). It cannot mean “don’t tempt us,” either, for God does not tempt us with evil (Jas. 1:13).

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King of kings and Lord of lords

This is the 16th in a series of excerpts from What Every Christian Should Know About the Return of Jesus, released by High Street Press and available at Amazon.com. 

John’s vision of the returning Christ in Revelation 19:11-16 reveals marvelous truths about the Lord’s conquest of sin and his restoration of righteousness. John captures many details that show how Christ’s glorious return sets in motion his final battle with sin, thus paving the way for a restored Eden. We examine a few of these features in this column and the next one.

1. Jesus rides a white horse from heaven.

This is in stark contrast to Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, in which the Son of Man rides a borrowed donkey. A horse is used for war; a donkey, for peace. A horse is a symbol of conquest; a donkey, a vehicle of humility. 

Jesus comes humbly the first time as the Suffering Servant, but he rides with the clouds of heaven victoriously as the conquering king in his return to earth. This illustrates that Jesus has won complete victory over Satan, sin, and death. The pristine Garden of Eden is about to be restored as the last Adam regains what the first Adam lost – dominion over the earth, and immortality.

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Satan: The Evil One

The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

In this post and others to follow, we’re going to consider several New Testament passages that depict Satan as the evil one.

Matthew 5:37 

“But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.”

In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses the issue of oath-taking, which plays a significant role in first-century Judaism. Jesus begins with an Old Testament reference: “Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord” (Matt. 5:33; cf. Lev. 19:12; Num. 30:2; Deut. 23:21-23).

Then, Jesus follows with: “But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black” (Matt. 5:34-36). 

Jesus does not forbid the taking of an oath in a court of law or a similar setting. In fact, he offers a response when the high priest puts him under oath (Matt. 26:63-64). But taking oaths has become so commonplace in Jesus’ day as to become meaningless. People have come to think that a lie between two individuals doesn’t concern God unless they invoke the divine name. In this case, they risk perjury for false statements, not to mention undermining God’s dignity.

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Coming on the clouds of heaven

This is the 15th in a series of excerpts from What Every Christian Should Know About the Return of Jesus, released by High Street Press and available at Amazon.com. 

Today, Jesus is seated at the Father’s right hand in heaven, where he serves as our mediator and intercessor. This exalted position illustrates his power as creator, sustainer, and redeemer. 

But one day, at the Father’s command, Jesus rises from his place in the throne room of heaven and returns to earth. The one who possesses all authority in heaven and on earth comes to finish the work of redemption as he raises the dead, judges all people, casts the evil one into hell, purges the cosmos of sin and its stain, and creates new heavens and a new earth. 

Just as Yahweh rides a cherubim-propelled chariot-throne across the skies in Ezekiel’s day, Jesus rides the clouds of heaven as he returns to earth to set things right. Truly, the Son of Man returns in power.

Let’s briefly survey two relevant New Testament passages.

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