The chief desire of the Pharisees was to be holy unto the Lord. They accomplished this by observing the details of the Law of Moses. But the keepers of the Law were sons of the wicked one.

So it is true today. The Christian churches deplore immorality, stealing, drunkenness, drugs, abortion. They rightfully consider these to be sins that no Christian would commit.

The churches are not always aware of the evil of personal ambition, of not waiting on the Lord, of not confessing our sins, of not gaining understanding of God and His ways, of being proud and self-centered. Christians might consider such behaviors undesirable if they were called to their attention but they would be viewed as normal human frailties. "People are only human!"

The truth is, these are the behaviors that wreck the work of God. These are the behaviors that murdered Christ and His apostles. These are the behaviors that split churches and produce endless gossip and slander. These are the sons of the wicked one. These, more often than not, are the behaviors of the Jews and Christians.

The Lord Jesus pointed out that it was the Jews who murdered the prophets.

Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. (Matthew 23:31)

Why would the Jews kill their own prophets? Why did the Israelites rise up in murderous fury against Moses and Aaron—even after they had seen the manifest Glory of God? It is because they were sons of the wicked one. Why did the leaders of the Catholic Church torture and murder Protestants? Because they were sons of the wicked one. Why do the Protestant churches compete against one another? Because they are sons of the wicked one.

Here and there in the various churches there are sons of the Kingdom.

In the last days the angels of God will remove the sons of the wicked one from the Kingdom of God. Then will the sons of the Kingdom shine forth in the Glory of their Father.

The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:41-43)

"Shall gather out of his kingdom." "Out of his kingdom"! There is a mixed multitude in the assemblies of our day. There are people among us who do not have a wedding garment. A Divine shaking is near at hand. The godly remnant of true saints will be forced out of the Laodicean churches, out of the manmade religious systems. Those who live by the body and blood of the Lord Jesus have no true, lasting fellowship with the so-called "believers" who live according to the fleshly soul and mind.

As was true in Jesus' day and in the days of the Apostles of the Lamb, the churches are full of slander, gossip, covetousness, party loyalties, rebellion against authority, hatred, strife, deviousness, adultery, fornication, personal ambition, presumption, and every other evil work. These are the sons of the wicked one.

To be continued.