These are nice sentiments but they ignore scripture. Here are just a few.
The Bible speaks very directly about the fate of those who persist—deliberately and continually—in rejecting God. The theme is consistent across the Old and New Testaments: ongoing, willful rejection of God leads to separation from Him and ultimately judgment.
Here’s a clear summary with supporting verses:
1. They remain under God’s wrath
John 3:36 – "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."
Persistent rejection doesn’t just forfeit blessings—it leaves a person under existing condemnation.
2. They will face eternal separation from God
2 Thessalonians 1:8–9 – "…in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might."
This is one of the clearest NT statements that rejection of God results in everlasting exclusion from His presence.
3. They will be judged according to their deeds
Hebrews 9:27 – "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment."
Revelation 20:11–15 – "…And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done… And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
4. God gives them over to their own choices
Romans 1:18, 24, 26, 28 – "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth… Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts…"
Persistent rejection leads to God allowing them to follow their desires, which results in deeper moral and spiritual ruin.
5. They cannot claim ignorance—God has revealed Himself
Romans 1:20 – "For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived… so they are without excuse."
6. They will not inherit the kingdom of God
Galatians 5:19–21 – "I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Revelation 21:8 – "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable… their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
While it is true that the natural man has no free will, the spiritual man does and he can reject the purpose of God for him. Jesus makes it clear in John 3:19 that the basis of Judgement is what we love. "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil."
Here’s what it’s teaching:
1. The “light” refers to Jesus
In John’s Gospel, light is a recurring metaphor for truth, holiness, and the revelation of God (John 1:4–5, 8:12).
Jesus coming into the world is the decisive moment of God’s truth and salvation being made available.
2. The judgment is based on response to the light
This isn’t judgment in the sense of God arbitrarily condemning people—it’s the reality that people’s reaction to Jesus reveals their spiritual state.
The coming of light exposes hearts for what they are.
3. People’s rejection is rooted in love for sin
The reason given is not intellectual disagreement but moral preference: “people loved darkness rather than the light.”
Darkness means ignorance of God, falsehood, and sin.
This shows rejection of God is a willful choice, driven by affection for sin rather than a lack of evidence.
4. Evil deeds create hostility toward God’s truth
Light exposes evil (John 3:20). Those committed to sinful lifestyles resist exposure and thus reject Christ.
This explains why the gospel meets not only apathy but sometimes hostility—truth unmasks sin, and many prefer to hide.
Dear Mercy Shown,
You said:
The Bible speaks very directly about the fate of those who persist—deliberately and continually—in rejecting God. The theme is consistent across the Old and New Testaments: ongoing, willful rejection of God leads to separation from Him and ultimately judgment.
All mankind in their natural state will
always reject Christ and will
always disobey Him. If you can't accept this simple truth, you are not going to understand why the spiritual process of conversion is necessary for a person's salvation.
Here is mankind's natural state of being:
Rom 3:10 As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
1Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Because all mankind has sinned, all mankind has become the children of the Devil (
1John 3:8-10). As a result, all mankind is "condemned already" because of their sin (
John 3:18). Nothing can change that fate that awaits them as John 3:36 states. Because death is the fate that awaits all mankind, it is necessary for Christ to convert all the children of the Devil into the children of God
BEFORE they perish from the penalty of the Law.
This change is mankind's salvation and is solely Christ's work to perform.
The change from being a child of the Devil into being a child of God is what Christ does to save a person. The spiritual process that Christ uses to make this change is called
conversion.
Conversion from a child of the Devil into a child of God cannot be seen with human eyes because it is a spiritual change. This truth is what Christ was teaching in the verse below:
Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
By the end of the final age, Christ will have converted all mankind into the children of God. After the last person of mankind has been converted, 100% of the children of the Devil will have perished in the Lake of Fire.
As the verse below states, only a person who has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can call Jesus "Lord". These people are the children of God.
1Cor 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.
If you can't understand the
concept of conversion, you are not going to understand many of the New Covenant teachings of Christ.
All six points that you listed in your post about the children of the Devil are true. I have never stated differently. But what you are missing is that Christ will convert all the children of the Devil into the children of God prior to the child of the Devil's destruction. You don't seem to understand the spiritual process of conversion and why it is necessary for salvation.
I will respond to one more of your comments.
You said:
While it is true that the natural man has no free will, the spiritual man does and he can reject the purpose of God for him.
The natural man is a child of the Devil. This applies to all mankind. The spiritual man is a converted believer. He is no longer a natural man because he has been converted. I will go with the assumption that you understand them in this way.
So you believe that the natural man does not have a free will ability??? I'm puzzled because that belief seems to contradict some of what you have written in your posts. However, that understanding is true. No one has a free will ability.
Let me ask you this: Since the natural man has no free will ability to be able to have faith in Christ and accept Him as Lord (per the verses I quoted at the start of this post), what must happen to the natural man to change him into a believer?
Could it be that Christ must give the natural man the Holy Spirit so that the natural man will become a spiritual man who accepts Christ? And since the natural man does not seek after God or understand Him, it is necessary for Christ to give the Spirit to the natural man without his asking or permission.
1Cor 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.
The "spiritual man" is a converted believer who is a child of God. He has been given both the Early and Latter Rains of the Spirit, followed by judgment. It is this judgment that destroys the natural man (a child of the Devil who disobeys God). Because the spiritual man is governed by the Holy Spirit, they will never reject the "purpose of God for him". And just like Christ, the spiritual man is willing to lay down his life rather than disobey God.
Contrary to your beliefs though, the spiritual man does not have a free will ability. He walks by the Spirit and only does what the Spirit directs him to do. As I have stated, only God has a free will ability.
Joe
. No room here for alternate theories.
