Question: Jesus warned that many who thought they were God’s children would be “cast out into ...

Question: Jesus warned that many who thought they were God’s children would be “cast out into outer darkness” to spend time in “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Are these lower-level Christians who must be in an outer courtyard of heaven for a time while the more spiritual Christians go directly into God’s presence?

Response: No. There are not two levels of Christians, the lower of which must spend some time in an intermediate state of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth before they are allowed into heaven. Such an idea cannot be found in the Bible. Luke:12:46The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
See All... uses “unbelievers” in place of the “hypocrites” of Matthew:24:51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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I believe that Christ’s words here have a double meaning that can be applied both to Jews and Gentiles. Abraham’s physical descendants are by birth potentially children of the Davidic kingdom and can thus be called “servants” in a way not true for Gentiles. But unless they have the same relationship with God through faith in Christ that Abraham had they will be lost forever. The weeping of which Christ warns is the weeping of the damned. We have an example of this weeping on the part of the rich man in Luke 16 who sees Lazarus afar off with Abraham in bliss while he is in torment.