Topical Bible: Darkness: The Wicked: The Children of

◄ Darkness: The Wicked: The Children of ►

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In biblical literature, "darkness" often symbolizes evil, ignorance, and separation from God. It is frequently used to describe the moral and spiritual state of the wicked, who are referred to as "children of darkness." This metaphorical use of darkness underscores the contrast between the righteous, who walk in the light, and the wicked, who dwell in darkness.

Biblical References:

1. Ephesians 5:8-11 : "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. Test and prove what pleases the Lord. Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." This passage highlights the transformation expected of believers, who are called to leave behind their former state of darkness and live as children of light, in contrast to the wicked who remain in darkness.

2. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 : "For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness." Here, the Apostle Paul distinguishes between the followers of Christ and those who are not, emphasizing that believers are not part of the darkness that characterizes the wicked.

3. John 3:19-20 : "And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." This passage illustrates the preference of the wicked for darkness, as it conceals their evil deeds, contrasting with the light that reveals truth and righteousness.

4. Proverbs 4:19 : "The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble." This proverb portrays the path of the wicked as one shrouded in darkness, leading to confusion and downfall, as they are unable to see the obstacles before them.

5. Colossians 1:13 : "He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son." This verse speaks to the deliverance from the power of darkness that believers experience through Christ, contrasting their new life in the kingdom of light with the former dominion of darkness.

Theological Implications:

The concept of darkness as it relates to the wicked is deeply rooted in the biblical narrative, serving as a powerful metaphor for the absence of God's presence and the moral corruption that ensues. The "children of darkness" are those who reject the light of Christ and persist in their sinful ways, choosing to remain in spiritual blindness. This imagery serves as a warning and a call to repentance, urging individuals to turn away from the darkness and embrace the light of the Gospel.

Throughout Scripture, darkness is not merely the absence of physical light but represents a spiritual condition that is antithetical to the nature of God, who is described as light (1 John 1:5). The children of darkness are thus depicted as being in opposition to God's will and purposes, living lives characterized by sin and rebellion. The call to believers is to shine as lights in the world, exposing the deeds of darkness and leading others to the truth found in Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Thessalonians 5:5
You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

"My Little Children, These Things Write I unto You, that Ye Sin ...
... 1 John 2:1.""My little children, these things write ... prepare and fit you for those
everlasting chains of darkness. ... for "he will not acquit the wicked nor hold ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxiii my little children.htm

Little Moses. Serve the Children First.
... to be seen that he was one of the Hebrew children. ... Do you ever think that in the
darkness the eye of God ... Then he left the company of the wicked, though it cost ...
//christianbookshelf.org/champness/broken bread/ii little moses serve the.htm

The Desire of the Soul in Spiritual Darkness
... The best of God's children"I repeat it again for ... At other times, this darkness over
the soul of the ... He is an extortioner and wicked man, yet everything he ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/the desire of the soul.htm

Of Evil Angels
... Matt.4:5, 6, ) They are "the rulers of the darkness of this ... during which "the whole
world lieth in the wicked one." He is the element of the children of men ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 72 of evil angels.htm

"This Then is the Message which we have Heard of Him, and Declare ...
... God is light, and in him is no darkness at all ... The heart of the wicked is little
worth, for the total ... be transformed into that nature, and made children of light ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xi this then is.htm

The Teaching of Matthew 13 Proves that no Era of Millennial ...
... by the insidious introduction of the children of the Wicked One among the children
of God ... Lord to His disciples, "What I tell you in darkness, that speak ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the redeemers return/2 the teaching of matthew.htm

If, Again, it is Certain that we are the Most Wicked of Men...
... it is certain that we are the most wicked of men ... it might be found how many murdered
children each of us ... incests each of us had shrouded in darkness; what cooks ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/apology/chapter ii if again it.htm

Desolation of the Earth.
... over him "all the iniquities of the children of Israel ... hath reserved in everlasting
chains under darkness unto the ... Then the wicked will be raised from the dead ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /41 desolation of the earth.htm

"Who Will Rise up with Me against the Wicked?"
... of some to "rise up against the wicked," and join ... 4.) some are inwardly changed,
even "from darkness to light ... setting all the children of the devil at defiance? ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 52 who will rise.htm

Desolation of the Earth
... over him "all the iniquities of the children of Israel ... hath reserved in everlasting
chains under darkness unto the ... Then the wicked will be raised from the dead ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 41 desolation of the.htm