This truth is often rejected as being pessimistic and disloyal to the
progress of the world: yet has not the history of the age verified the
teaching? And is not the coming glory nearer and more certain when
depending upon His promised return in resistless power and splendor,
than when depending upon any human progress the world has ever known?
One is the majestic movement of the Divine program in fulfillment of
every covenant: while the other is the vain dream of the world in its
ignorance and disregard of the testimony of God.

Because of the presence of these two classes in the world in this age,
there are two very distinct lines of Scripture descriptive of them. One
body of Scripture directly applies to and governs the "wheat" or
heavenly people, and one applies to the "tares," the "children of the
evil one." The marvelous revelation of the believer's relation to Christ
and the heavenlies, and his deliverance from any actual identification
with this age, though in it, will be the subject of another chapter.
Only the relation of the unregenerate to this world and to Satan will be
continued here.

As it has pleased Satan to hide himself and all his projects from the
unbelieving world, that which God has revealed in all faithfulness will
be received only by those who have unquestioning confidence in His Word.

According to Scripture, the relation of the unbelieving to Satan is far
more vital than a mere pleasure-seeking allegiance. On two occasions
Jesus spoke of the unsaved as the "children of Satan" (Matt. 13:38; Jno.
8:44), and Paul so addressed Elymas, the sorcerer, according to Acts
13:10. The same class is also twice called the "children of
disobedience" (Eph. 2:2; Col. 3:6), and once it is called the "children