The Doctrine of Hell Part 2: Some Facts About Hell

 The Doctrine of Hell Part 2: Some Facts About Hell

We have just finished a three-part series on “Knowing our Enemy,” and now we turn to the opposite side of the coin so to speak. We will have a series on the Doctrine of Hell. Last week, we studied “The Inhabitants of Hell. "Today, we will study from the Scriptures, “Some Facts About Hell.” Many preachers are unsaved themselves so they won’t tell you the truth about Hell. This ministry will always provide you with the complete Gospel message which includes the truth about Hell. Let us never be afraid to preach the whole counsel of God. There is a rebellion against God’s Word and man is substituting his own philosophy for the Word of God. The result of a worldwide rebellion against the Bible is manifested in the almost universal rejection of the Bible as the verbally inspired Word of God. THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD, whether you believe it, or whether any one believes it. Man’s depraved mind and will rejects that part of the Bible which does not suit him, or that which he cannot reason out. Therefore, multitudes today are rejecting WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT HELL because of their materialistic philosophy. But when they wake up in Hell, they will know the truth of the Word of God. We will continue today on “Some Facts About Hell. 

Fact 1: Hell is a Place of Shame and Contempt

Daniel 12: 2 reads: “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” 

Yes, Hell is a place of everlasting SHAME and CONTEMPT, as set forth in the book of Daniel. Every sinner, before he ever gets saved, comes to see himself as a contemptible outcast, and he shuts his mouth and becomes guilty before God. God first brings every sinner whom He saves into the court of justice and exposes that sinner for what he really is. He will see himself the way God sees him in the light of Revelation 3: 17: “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked….”

That is the description of every sinner out of Christ. If a sinner never sees himself as he is in the light of God’s Word and dies in his sins, that individual will be raised to SHAME AND EVERLASTING CONTEMPT. Yes, the lost will be raised to shame. Hell will be a place of shame, which means disgrace and dishonor with such a consciousness of guilt, and this will be eternal. Those who reject Christ WILL BE EXPOSED before millions in the darkness of despair. My friend, how awful will that be? Every dirty secret you have ever committed will be on display for all to see.

Let us look at the other expression, “EVERLASTING CONTEMPT.” It means the individual will be raised from the dead, despised and conscious of the fact that he is a mean, vile, worthless and disgraced, and in Hell he becomes a laughingstock and is contemptuously held up to ridicule throughout eternity. You may think you are smart in the ways of the world, have money or prestige, but if you continue to rebel against Christ, there is only one place for you and that is HELL! Listen preacher, church member, district superintendent, Sunday School leader, are you saved? Do you know for sure? Is there uneasiness in your heart? You don’t want to know the truth if you reject Christ and His blood redemption. But in Hell, you will be held up to ridicule and it will last forever!

My friend, Hell being the place the Bible says it is, and the type of place the Bible says it is, I would make sure I was resting upon THE FOUNDATION, CHRIST. Don’t get mad at me, I’m trying to help you stay out of Hell. Do you know Christ? MAKE YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE. It will be TOO LATE WHEN DEATH KNOCKS AT YOUR DOOR. Now get this, as death finds you, so will be at the judgment. You need to be ready for that day. 

Now get this, ANYONE WHO HAS SAT UNDER OUR MINISTRY WILL HAVE NO EXCUSES. WE HAVE GIVEN YOU THE TRUTH; NOW ACT ON IT. You can escape the shame and contempt of Hell, don’t delay. Call on Christ today, “HAVE MERCY ON ME, LORD JESUS CHRIST.”

Fact 2: The Wicked Shall Be in Hell 

Psalm 9: 17 reads: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” 

You will find two classes here going to hell: first, THE WICKED–THOSE WHO WORK INIQUITY. Christ said in Matthew 7: 21-23: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Yes, the wicked will go to Hell, and wickedness means iniquity. What is iniquity? What is wickedness? Now listen closely, Isaiah 55: 7 states, “Let the wicked forsake HIS WAY….” So wickedness is HAVING YOUR OWN WAY! Many unsaved religionists, those that value their experience over the Words of Scripture, or devalue the Word of God to live the life they choose to live, will find themselves in the torments of Hell. My friend, before you were saved, your way was your “god.” But, when God chooses to save a sinner, He will break the will of the sinner, and bring him to the foot of the cross so he can see the truth about Christ’s blood sacrifice. Every person saved has turned from their way to the Lord’s way. If you don’t know Jesus Christ as Lord, you have never been saved. WICKEDNESS IS SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.  A wicked person is one who will not submit himself to the righteousness of Christ. God hates your self righteousness. Hear Psalm 7: 11: :”God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” God will not take you to Heaven unless you have submitted to Him. 

The second class who is going to Hell is ALL NATIONS THAT FORGET GOD. That means that there will be whole nations in Hell without a single individual being saved, because they forgot God; they left the LORD out of their thoughts. Romans 1: 24 reads: “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” These shall be turned into Hell.

Then, as nations are composed of individuals, EVERY INDIVIDUAL WHO FORGETS GOD, that is, TURNS AND WALKS HIS OWN WAY, WILL BE TURNED INTO HELL. Do you know that the average individual today never thinks about God; there is no fear of God before their eyes–God never crosses their minds. That is the world today, a postmodern worldview where truth is personal and subjective. Satan has convinced people that there is no absolute truth. Everyone becomes their own God with their own way, WHICH WE HAVE SEEN IS WICKEDNESS!

I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THESE ETERNAL WORDS: “TURNED INTO HELL!” You can’t escape Hell except through the salvation provided by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ! You can’t explain these verses away my friend. Oh, my prayer is that you will see your lost condition, repent and believe the Gospel. May there go up a cry from your heart, “Lord, save me or I perish.” My friend, it’s “Turn or burn!”

Fact 3: Hell Will Provide the Vilest Companionship

Every individual who dies in his sins and goes out unforgiven will experience THE VILEST COMPANIONSHIP of all time with his whole life before him as a constant shame and contempt. My friend, death does not end it all. Proverbs 23: 7 reads, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” As a man lives, so shall he die. As he dies, so shall eternity find him. My friend, you were born to live throughout eternity. Think about this because HELL IS A PLACE WITHOUT HOPE. There is hope now in Christ but not after your eyes close in death. Close your eyes and think about eternity for a moment. Think about it. It is turn or burn.

I have known parents that feared for the souls of their children. Father, where is your son? Mother, where is your daughter? Are your children under the blood of Christ? I have family members and friends that are lost and headed to Hell. This is my prayer for them, “Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray for Holy Spirit conviction to come upon ____________ (name of lost one), do whatever it takes, even if it means my life. Save them LORD, whatever it takes for them to see themselves as lost in the need of a Savior. Lord, grant them mercy, faith and repentance. Make them a new creation, I pray.”  I would go to Hell for you if I could to save you, but it doesn’t work that way. Oh my loved ones, can’t you see I’m begging and pleading for your very soul. Come to Christ and be saved. I don’t want you to spend eternity in Hell with those vile companions. 

Hell is an awful place and sinners unsaved will spend an eternity there in torment. If you are a Christian, this one fact should drive you to your knees and on your faces without rest for the lost. May God give us a desire for souls. May God give us compassion for the lost and a love for their souls. Just as a saved person here gets no pleasure out of wicked practices, an unsaved person gets no joy out of worshiping Christ. Each will go to the place suited to their nature at death: Heaven or Hell. There is no neutral ground. HE THAT WILL NOT TURN TO CHRIST WILL DIE IN HIS SINS. You go to Heaven because of Christ and go to Hell because of your sins! 

There is another class that will find their place in Hell, and that is, THE SELF-EXALTED, the individual who thinks highly of themselves. This is one so concerned about his personal reputation. He is so full of pride and pride goes before the destruction (Proverbs 16: 18). You can make hundreds of decisions for Christ, make a thousand professions of faith, join many churches, and shake the preacher’s hands every Sunday, but until you are broken under Holy Spirit conviction, you will never be saved. You can’t be saved on your own. Get that! You can’t get saved until the Holy Spirit opens up your heart and you see how awful you really are as a person. Then, after seeing how sick you are, you will run to the Great Physician for a cure. He will turn no one away that comes to Him in faith and repentance! Christ will be your Lord or you will not be saved, understand that. Sinner friend, ask God to break you. AFTER DEATH IT WILL BE TOO LATE. 

Fact 4: Every False Religionist Will Go to Hell

EVERY FALSE RELIGIONIST WILL GO TO HELL. Matthew 7: 21-23 says: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ 

Yes, every unsaved religionist, whether in the pulpit or the pew, will go to Hell. Many think all religious, or spiritual people go to Heaven. But the Scriptures read: “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” It is not a profession of faith in Christ that saves; it is not a decision for Christ that saves. It is not believing in the Bible that saves. SALVATION IS KNOWING CHRIST! Only Christ can save you, there is no other way. 

Salvation is in Christ and the individual united by faith to Christ in a marriage covenant that is inseparable. Unsaved religionists by the multitudes know nothing about Christ. Salvation is not a religious bath you take when you feel like it. Salvation is AN ETERNAL TRANSACTION between Christ and the sinner in which CHRIST and the SINNER BECOME ONE, united by faith; there is no substitute, and you know it when you are married to Christ. I know I am married to my wife. I don’t seek involvement with any other women. She is my all and all, second only to my relationship with Christ.

I want you to get this: IF YOU GO TO A CHURCH AND THE PASTOR IS NEVER CONCERNED WITH YOUR SOUL, THERE IS A REASON, AND THE REASON IS THAT THE PASTOR IS MOST LIKELY UNSAVED HIMSELF. Salvation is such a beautiful thing that you know when you have received Him and you never forget and neither do you seek any others. The Son reveals the Father; the Holy Spirit reveals the Son to the heart of the awakened sinner. Now get this: EVERY FALSE RELIGIONIST WILL GO TO HELL WHETHER HE STANDS BEHIND THE PULPIT, SITS IN A PEW, OR IS IN THE GUTTER. This is why you fellowship is so important. Don’t go to Hell. Don’t be an unsaved religionist.

Fact 5: Hell Will Be Full of Common Neglectors

Hebrews 2: 1-3 reads: “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,  how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard…” 

“How shall we escape,” if we NEGLECT so great a salvation? That word “neglect” is a powerful word. Think about a property that has been abandoned and has grass and weeds over running the yard. The briers and thorns of the world will choke out the Word of God. Neglect will cause you to not READ THE WORD OF GOD. Neglect will cause you to NOT HEAR THE PREACHING OF THE WORD. Neglect will cause you to neglect THE PRAYER CHAMBER. Neglect will not cause you to lose your salvation, but it will reveal that you are an unsaved religionist without the Spirit of Christ residing within you. 

Listen to the Word of God in II Thessalonians 1: 7-10: “and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 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,  when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.” 

Friend, that doesn’t stir you does it? You don’t fear the Word of God, do you? Thousands never tremble at the Word. In fact, you won’t tremble at the Word until the Holy Spirit awakens you to your lost condition and that you deserve Hell. There is only one way to be saved from Hell and you can read it in Romans 10: 3,4,9, 13: “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.   because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

Sinner, right where you are, if you would begin to CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD, God would hear you and save you. Your will will have to be broken before you will be saved. You need a new Lord, you need the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no salvation without Him being Lord of your life. 

Don’t be a common neglector. Don’t go to Hell.

Conclusion

Friend, I want you to think seriously and sadly of your lost condition, your sins and sin nature, I want you to put away your joking and levity. I want you to think about eternity for a few moments. Where will you spend eternity? I want you to call upon God and ask Him for mercy and grace. Tomorrow is always too late for someone who slipped into Hell today. The Scriptures tell us that Hell is enlarging itself to receive you. Escape the eternity of Hell and turn to Christ NOW, not later, not tomorrow, next week, month or year. Your family does not want to stand over your dead body knowing that you are screaming and in torment that will last forever! I beg you. I plead with you. Come to Christ and be set free from the penalty of your past, the power of sin in the present and the presence of sin in your future. Heaven will be glorious. Won’t you join me?

The Doctrine of Hell Part 1: The Inhabitants of Hell

 The Doctrine of Hell Part 1: The Inhabitants of Hell

We have just finished a three-part series on “Knowing our Enemy,” and now we turn to the opposite side of the coin so to speak. We will have a series on the Doctrine of Hell. Today, we will study from the Scriptures, “The Inhabitants of Hell. Turn to Isaiah 14: 9-15:

9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 10 All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? 11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols (harps): the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

We have a picture here of AN INDIVIDUAL GOING TO HELL– it’s really a picture of the Antichrist when he is slain in battle, as recorded in the 13th chapter of Revelation, but it’s also a picture of every individual who is cut down in his pride and brought down to the sides of the pit. The word “hell” used here comes from the Hebrew word “sheol” which means the unseen world. Sheol is also used to refer to the grave.  When God says here, “Thou shalt be brought down to hell (sheol),” He means the spirit world of the damned. In Luke 16: 23, you will read, “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” The word “hell” here comes from the Greek word “hades” which means the unseen world, the place of departed human spirits/ The Hebrew word “sheol” and the Greek word “hades” both refer to the unseen world, or place of departed souls. My friend, don’t be deceived by false teachers who say hell is just the grave, there is a hell. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught that there was a hell which was a place of torment. 

Section 1: Contrasting Deaths of the Saved and the Unsaved

When an individual departs this life through the door of death, he either goes to Heaven (Paradise) or to Hades (Hell). THERE IS NO MIDWAY GROUND. The Scriptures do not teach a “purgatory” or “limbo.” I want to give you a picture of an unsaved person dying without Christ; Job 18:18 reads: “He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.” EVERY INDIVIDUAL WHO DIES OUT OF CHRIST IS DRIVEN BY DEMON SPIRITS FROM LIGHT INTO DARKNESS, that is, from this world into the unseen world of departed spirits prepared for the damned. Somewhere on the face of this earth is a shaft that leads to the bottomless pit. You see this truth in Revelation 9: 1,2: “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.” This fact is also seen in Revelation 20: 1, 2. Where that shaft is, no human being knows, but Satan knows, and God knows. In Revelation 1: 18, Christ said: “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.” 

So Christ has the key to the bottomless pit; no one can die and go to Hell without the sanction and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He holds every individual in His Sovereign hand. “And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments,” so says Luke 16: 23. Why fight the Lord Jesus Christ, as He holds your destiny in His hands. And you can’t win by fighting Him, flee to Him and cry for mercy. Will you do that, my friend?

Christ is your Lord, whether you are saved or lost, whether you are an infidel or atheist, or whether you are a believer, CHRIST IS YOUR LORD. It doesn't matter whether you confess Him as Lord now, He is still your Lord. You are going to confess Him someday. If you confess Him as Lord now, you will receive mercy, but if you confess Him at the judgment bar of God after your physical death, there will be no mercy. Listen to Romans 14: 11: “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” In Philippians 2: 10-11, we read: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Also read, Romans 10: 9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus (JESUS AS LORD), and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Now when are you going to confess Him? NOW, AND BE SAVED, OR AT THE JUDGMENT BAR OF GOD AND BE DAMNED?

Let us stop for a moment and give you a description of the death of the saints of God. In the first place, the Bible says that they “sleep in Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4: 14). The Lord Jesus always spoke of the death of the saints as going to sleep. That does not mean that they are unconscious in the other world; it does not mean that their spirits rest in the grave, but they depart to be with Chris, and the word “sleep” carries the deep meaning of being at REST WITH HIM. Luke 16: 22 says that, when they fall asleep, or come to rest, they are carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom; that is, their spirits are carried by the angels into the Paradise of God that we speak of as heaven, the place of the departed spirits of the redeemed. 

There is a great contrast given in God’s Word between the death of the wicked and the death of the saint: one is driven out of this world and driven into Hell; the other is CARRIED BY THE ANGELS INTO THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Philippians 1: 23 reads: “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better….” Every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ desires to be with Him. So, my friend, do you?

Section 2: The Description of Hell

Hell is a place where SELFISH PASSIONS REIGN SUPREME, but with nothing to satisfy the desire. Hell is a living reality. In the resurrection of the damned, their bodies will be raised with all the passions of the flesh with which they died. Revelation 22: 11 reads: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” 

Then the Word also says that Hell is a place “where THEIR WORM DIETH NOT, and the FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.” Consider the following:

1. The DRUNKARD will call for a drink but not be satisfied.

2. The DRUG ADDICT will have no drugs to satisfy him and he will have withdrawals for eternity.

3. The HARLOT will never have the lust satisfied.

4. The WHOREMONGER will be raised in all his filthiness with nothing to satisfy the lust of the flesh.

5. The COVETOUS man will find no gold in hell.

6. The MURDERER will be raised in all his brutality and with murder in his heart, hell will provide no satisfaction for his revenge.

7. The JEALOUS will have all the fiery jealousy in his heart with no one on whom to vent it.

8. The CHRIST-HATER will be unable to take out his hatred and revenge on God’s messenger or God’s truth. 

What will make hell so horrible, is that it is a place where every selfish passion will reign supreme, but with NOTHING TO SATISFY THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH. 

Hell is a PLACE WHERE REPENTANCE OF SIN IS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE. Revelation 22: 15 reads: “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” Understand this and I want you to get it, there will be no repentance in hell. There will be no grace in hell. There will be no mercy in hell. No sinner can come to the Lord except God grant him repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. No sinner would come to Christ if God did not draw him with the cords of kindness and love. This will be 100% missing in hell. NO GRACE.  NO MERCY. NO REPENTANCE. NO DRAWING. NO HOPE. 

Then Hell will be THE PRISON HOUSE FOR THE DAMNED, where there will be NO SONG, where there will be no praying except the wailing cries of the damned, where there will be no children. Stop and think my friend, there will be no singing in hell. You will have NOTHING TO SING ABOUT IN HELL: no Christ, no God, no love, no home, no hope, but one eternal woe will be your doom. On the other hand, THE SONG OF HEAVEN WILL BE PRAISES FOR THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND FOR BLOOD REDEMPTION. What a contrast between the awfulness of Hell and the songland of Heaven!

May there go up a cry from the heart of every awakened sinner, “Lord, save me or I perish! Lord, hear me, I beg. Have mercy on me. I am the chief of sinners. Look upon me as You look upon the Mercy Seat.” I am crying to you today, my friend, “Awake thou that sleepest;” turn to Christ before it is too late! TOMORROW MAY BE TOO LATE!

Section 3: The Inhabitants of Hell

The VILEST of all the earth, with every UNSAVED RELIGIONIST and everyone WHO TURNS DOWN THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL message goes to HELL. 

Revelation 21: 8 reads: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” We have here a picture of the whole religious world going to Hell. We will look at this group of eight:

1. THE FEARFUL: You are afraid Christ won’t do what He says He will do, just afraid to lean in to Christ, just afraid you are too great a sinner, just afraid you can’t hold out, just afraid to believe God’s Word, just afraid to trust Him to take care of you. You are afraid to die and fear grips your heart. “Fearful” is a picture of the unsaved religious world.

2. THE UNBELIEVING: These are those who will not believe, those who doubt God’s Word. This group refuses to believe the truth about their sinful condition and refuses to humble themselves under the Gospel message and be saved. They will not believe in blood redemption and do not believe that Christ is the only Substitute for sinners. These are seen in the pulpit and pew. They may talk about the LORD, but they don’t know Him and they never did.The “UNBELIEVING” will wake up in Hell.

3. THE ABOMINABLE: This refers primarily to the filthiness of demon worship. The back of all demon worship is idolatry, and connected with idol worship is always the sin of fornication and all the filthiness and vileness of the flesh. Wherever you find idol worship, you will find fornication and adultery–you will find sex life predominant, and it’s all done under the cloak of religion. The secondary meaning of “abominable,” as used here, is vile, loathsome, it describes the individual who is given over to sin, but as we said the primary meaning is THE RELIGIOUS INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS A CLOAK OF RELIGION, BUT UNDERNEATH IS THE SIN OF ADULTERY. Under false religion is the filthy sin of adultery.

4. THE MURDERER: Every individual who harbors HATRED in his heart, according to God’s Word, is a murderer. 1 John 3: 15 states: “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer.” If a preacher compromises the message of truth just to build large church numbers or increase revenue, he has hate in his heart for his congregation. He is a murderer because he will be sending them to Hell because he failed to give them truth. Every individual who teaches a false doctrine is a murderer! The individual who teaches false doctrine that leads souls away from Christ is a murderer, and shall have his part in the Lake of Fire which burns with fire and brimstone. 

5. THE WHOREMONGER: This takes in the class of fornicators. It comes from the Greek word, “to sell.” A whoremonger is a whoremaster who deals in prostitution. The world today is a fire of lust. The prevalent sins today are sexual. (Read Romans chapter 1) This sin will increase as we come near the end of the Age of Grace. The underlying thought of this category is that the sin of lust and uncleanness and sex perversion, and the sin of prostitution, is committed under the cloak of religion. 

6. THE SORCERERS: The word “sorcerer” comes from the Greek word which means “a drug”; here it means one who deals in drugs, one who employs drugs for any purpose. Included in this class are: drug addicts, magicians, enchanters, mediums, those who deal in hypnotism, fortune telling, those who conduct seances, etc. Underneath sorcery is demonism. Demons work through drugs, hypnotism, and false cults. Remember, Satan works and moves in the realm of religion, and works on the mind of the individual. He will do whatever he can, using drugs, etc. to give the lost soul any substitute that will appeal to his religious nature. He will give anything but the Truth, which is the Lord Jesus Christ.

7. THE IDOLATERS: An idolater is a servant or worshiper of an idol. It may be an image made of gold or wood, or an image of any type of creation. It may be a picture, a “faith image” or anything created by your imagination. Let me repeat, BEHIND EVERY IDOL IS A DEMON,  whether that idol is a serpent, the sun, a fish, or some combination, or even your lust. I have seen idol shops in India with shelves of “gods” for your choosing. WITHOUT CHRIST, YOU HAVE NO HOPE!

8. THE LIARS: It literally means”all liars,” which sums up all the other seven classes. “All liars” come from the verb, “to deceive, to speak falsely, or utter falsehoods,” and this form of the word refers to “corrupters of the truth of God, or perverters of religious truth, or practitioners of false religion.” Revelation 21: 27 states: “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.” Now get this (the old preachers would say, “Get ready we are going to jump a creek.”): IF YOU DO NOT KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR, YOURS IS A FALSE RELIGION, and here it is called a lie. 2 Timothy 4: 4 calls these false religions, “fables,: which is the Word of God perverted. Those practicing a false religion, including a fake Christianity, are liars and will end up in Hell. A LIAR IS ONE WHO HAS PERVERTED THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD TO DECEIVE THE SOULS OF MEN. All false religions will “have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” 

Conclusion

My friend, as I close this message, I want to appeal to your heart to turn to Christ. I don’t care what religion you practice, YOUR RELIGION IS FALSE WITHOUT CHRIST AND YOU ARE WORSHIPING A LIE UNLESS YOU KNOW CHRIST. Friend, do you know Christ? I beg you today, fall at His feet now and believe Him, trust Him. Make Him the Lord of your life and you will never be an INHABITANT OF HELL! 

Know Your Enemy Part 3: Satan’s Plan Today

 Know Your Enemy Part 3: Satan’s Plan Today

We continue the series today on Knowing Your Enemy Part 3: Satan’s Plan Today. Satan still seeks to be worshiped. It was pride that led to his fall and removal from heaven. He hates mankind but desires its worship. Today, I want to tell you Satan’s three-part plan to destroy God’s plan and work. Satan will not succeed. I have read the back of the book and I know his ending and so does he. Let us stand for truth and battle for truth (and that is real spiritual warfare, the battle for truth). Satan’s plan is to destroy God’s plan. Here is what Satan wants to do:

1. Deify Man in Salvation;

2. Degrade the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit; and 

3. Discredit the Word of God through Human Experience. 

Section 1: Deify Man in Salvation

Jonah 2: 9 reads: “Salvation is of the Lord.” Man cannot save himself. Man is dead in trespasses and sins. (Ephesians 2: 1) Without the grace of God being given to the lost sinner, the sinner would never come to Christ. In the 1900s, a number of preachers began using techniques developed by an evangelist named Billy Sunday. He would preach a fire and brimstone message and then offer a “sinner’s prayer” to relive their guilt. Later, he would have people come forward and shake his hand as evidence of their intent to follow Christ. Charles Finney used a mourners bench in the 1800s to get an emotional conversion. Billy Graham did much the same by conducting large crusades and offering the following sinner’s prayer: "Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."

All these methods are seen today in the opportunities for “salvation” found in the following methods:

1. Making a decision for Jesus.

2. Making a profession of faith.

3. Saying the sinner’s prayer.

4. Getting baptized.

5. Joining the church. 

The consistent theme is that man is in charge of when he comes to Christ. It is his free will that chooses. This is false! Man’s will is free but it is also depraved. Read Romans 3 and you will see a description of man’s free will without the grace of God regenerating the sinner to cause him to want the Lord Jesus Christ. All these methods are designed to convince the sinner to be saved , but he can’t without Holy Spirit conviction. The error believes that man s in charge of his salvation. Satan wants man deified and God reduced to a helpless old man on the sidelines hoping that someone will believe in Him. This is a lie from the pit of hell. No one is saved without Holy Spirit conviction and that is God’s business not yours. You come when you are called. Remember John 6: 37-38, 65; 10: 27-30. God’s children chosen before the foundation of the world will come when the Holy Spirit calls. Gifts of faith and repentance are responded to by the one who exercises the faith given to him. THERE IS NO SALVATION WITHOUT HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTION!

What is Holy Spirit Conviction?

We read in Genesis 1: 2: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” In the first creation we find the earth that was without form and void. It was empty and darkness was upon the whole earth. Then, the Spirit of God moved upon, or brooded over, the face of this dark, empty earth. In the 3rd verse we read, “Let there be light: and there was light.” This was the beginning of the restoration of the earth. It was the work of the Holy Spirit who took the Word of God and brought order out of chaos and life out of death in the first creation. 

In II Corinthians 4, we read the following: “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God,who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 

This is a vivid picture of a lost sinner. When Adam fell, the light went out of his heart. Man is a threefold being: body, soul, and spirit. In his body he is world-conscious; in his soul, or mind, he is self-conscious; in his spirit he is dead. Romans 3 says in part: “There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Every unsaved person is an atheist at heart). There is none that understandeth.” Again the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2: 1: the sinner is “dead in trespasses and sins.” The sinner’s understanding is darkened (Ephesians 2:1). He has a mind that is blinded (2 Corinthians 4: 4). 

There is chaos and darkness in the heart and mind of the lost. He is lost, empty and void of life. It is only the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit who brooded over the first creation, that broods over the second creation and says, “Let there be light.” Thank God that one day the Holy Spirit brooded over my heart and said, “Barry, let there be light in your heart, soul and spirit.” What did He mean? “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4: 6) Just as the Holy Spirit one day brooded over this empty world covered with darkness, and out of the heavens came the command, “Let there be light: and there was light,” so the Holy Spirit broods over the heart of the sinner, and God gives the command, “Let there be light,” and there is light! Has the light of God ever shined on your heart? Have you received the light of the gospel?

It is the work of the Holy Spirit, not the work of man, or some celebrity, or worldly worship music, to get you in a spiritual mood. The sinner is dead and without a supernatural act to bring him to life, he will stay in the darkness and go to hell. But when the Holy Spirit broods over that soul and that spirit, and takes the Word of God, not some joke or illustration or movie theme, and opens the heart of that sinner, and lets the light of the glorious gospel of Christ shine in, that sinner begins to feel for the first time in his life what he is by nature. 

In summary, Holy Spirit conviction includes the following:

1. Showing the lost soul his or her true depravity and spiritual deadness. That he is a lost sinner without hope. That he is headed to hell.

2. Showing the lost soul the gospel of Christ (this is why true gospel preaching is necessary. God has ordained the method of preaching as the means to reach the sinner's mind and the Holy Spirit will apply the truth to the heart).  

3. Bringing the repenting soul to the foot of the cross to see that Christ’s blood has been shed for him. 

The average preaching today does not produce conviction, because the Word of God is not preached under the power of the Holy Spirit. The average church member is brought in as a member of the church through a decision for Christ, and not by and through Holy Spirit conviction; therefore, he is not saved. 

We must stand for truth and preach the truth that salvation is of the Lord. Man should not put off making Jesus Christ the Lord of his life because if you delay, the call to you to come may disappear. KNOW THIS BECAUSE SATAN DOES, IF SALVATION WAS UP TO MANKIND, NO ONE WOULD EVER GET SAVED!!!

Section 2: Degrade the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

Satan has sought to degrade, mock and blaspheme the Holy Spirit so that He will be hindered from His purpose in the world today. We will first look at how Satan has deceived so many people regarding the true doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Then, we will seek to rediscover and make clear what the role of the Holy Spirit is in the world today.

Satan’s Deception about the Holy Spirit

1. Make people believe that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force that has His purpose to make you healthy, wealthy and wise.

2. Make the Holy Spirit into a laughingstock: bark at imaginary trees, tree the devil, uncontrollable laughter, roar like a lion, fall down and shake just like the Kundalini spirit from Hinduism, act drunk or high, e.g. “toking on the Holy Ghost.”.

3. Make people believe that the Holy Spirit will talk directly to you providing extra-Biblical revelation so you don’t need the Word of God. 

4. Make the Holy Spirit’s focus on spiritual gifts, healings, miracles, etc. All the things that are not His priority.

5. Have people seek the Holy Spirit, not the Lord Jesus Christ.

6. Make people think it is about worship, actually the music, and make sure they feel good.

The Role of the Holy Spirit Today

The church today desperately needs to rediscover the true person and work of the Holy Spirit. The 3rd member of the Trinity has been grossly misrepresented, insulted, and grieved by a counterfeit movement that. is being propagated in His name. The charismatic flood of bad theology has rapidly drenched the broader Christian landscape, and it has left a swath of doctrinal error and spiritual ruin in its wake. It is time for those that love the Holy Spirit to take a bold stand and confront any error that blatantly and blasphemously dishonors the Spirit of God. Thinking rightly about Him and His work is essential to our worship, doctrine, and proper application of theology in everyday conduct. 

Scripture teaches that the Holy Spirit's primary work is to point people to the Lord Jesus Christ (John 15: 26; 16: 14). He brings sinners to a true knowledge of the Savior through the gospel and conforming them through the Scripture to the glorious image of the Son of God (2 Corinthians 3: 17-18). Thus, the focus of His ministry is the Lord Jesus, and those who are Spirit-led and Spirit-filled will likewise be Christ-centered. We must be vigilant to point out error when it comes to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. To misrepresent Him is to slander God.

The Holy Spirit is one in essence, majesty and power with both the Father and the Son. Sadly, many within evangelicalism have silently watched the mainstream charismatic movement mock His true nature, as if there were no consequences for such blatant blasphemy. Much of the problem, it seems, is that the modern church has lost sight of the Holy Spirit's Divine Majesty. While charismatics treat Him like an impersonal force of energy, evangelicals have generally reduced Him to a form of a peaceful dove, often portrayed on Bible covers and bumper stickers. The Holy Spirit, while depicted in Scripture as a dove, is not a dove. He is the omnipotent, eternal, holy, and glorious Spirit of the living God. His power is infinite, His presence inescapable, and His purity a consuming fire. Those who lie to Him face the real possibility of imminent death, as Ananias and Sapphira learned the hard way (Acts 5: 3-5, 10). 

In Isaiah 63: 10, the prophet explains the severe consequences of grieving the Holy Spirit. Speaking of the Israelites, Isaiah wrote: "But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore, He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them." To treat the Holy Spirit irreverently is to make God your enemy! Do people think they can belittle the Holy Spirit and get away with it?

The Holy Spirit is the power of God in a Divine Person acting from creation to consummation and everything in between. He is wholly God, possessing all the attributes of God in the fullness that belongs to God. There is no sense in which He is God diminished. He performs all of God's works. He is as holy, powerful, gracious, and loving as the Father and the Son. Thus, He is worthy of our worship as fully as the Father and as fully as the Son. If we are to honor the Holy Spirit, treating Him with the reverence and respect that is His royal due, we must rightly discern His true ministry: aligning our hearts, minds, and wills with His wondrous work. 

What is the Holy Spirit doing in the world today? He Who once created the universe (Genesis 1: 2) is now focused on spiritual creation (2 Corinthians 4: 6). He creates spiritual life, i.e., regenerating sinners through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and transforming them into the children of God. He sanctifies them, equips them for service, produces fruit in their lives, and empowers them to please their Savior. He secures them for eternal glory and fits them for life in heaven. The same source of power that brought the world into existence out of nothing is today at work in the hearts of the redeemed. Just as the Holy Spirit took the world that was in chaos in Genesis 1, is the same Spirit that takes the sinner out of the chaos of their life in sin and brings them to the foot of the cross to see the Savior as One who dies for them. This is a supernatural act! People who want to see a miracle today should stop following fake healers and start engaging in Biblical evangelism. To see a spiritually dead sinner brought to life is a miracle!

When you know the truth about the role of the Holy Spirit, you can spot Satan’s counterfeit.

Section 3: Discredit the Word of God through Human Experience

Satan has been working the same strategy since the Garden of Eden. He tried it on our Lord Jesus Christ in the temptation. Satan succeeded in the first, but not in the second. The difference: in the Garden, Eve substituted her judgment for God’s Word. Our Lord Jesus Christ did not. Let us examine the process from Genesis 3: 1-7:

1. Satan plants a suggestion to question God’s Word: “Hath God said.”

2. Satan lies regarding the truth of God’s Word: “Ye shall not surely die.”

3. Satan promises divinity in place of God’s Word: “Ye shall be as gods.”

4. The one under attack relies on his experience and substitutes his judgment for the clear Word of God: “The woman saw; it was pleasant, make one wise.”

Once the person substitutes their experience and opinions or the plain truth of the Word of God, they become their own god and in effect tell our LORD that they know better than Him! If Satan can destroy the moorings and foundation for the church collectively and members individually, if he can get people to discredit the Word based on their experiences, he will have won a major victory. This is the same argument that was used to ordain women as pastors when the Word is clear on the subject. It is the same argument being used to pressure the church to affirm the LGBTQ+ community. It goes like this:

1. I know a woman that really loves the Lord and she has great oratory skills. Surely, she has the call on her life to preach the gospel. People have gotten saved under her ministry. But read: 1 Timothy 3: 1-5; 1 Timothy 2: 12.

2. I know people that are LGBTQ+ and they love the Lord. They say they believe in Jesus and they want to be an active part of the church. Shouldn’t we affirm and include them? But read: 1 Corinthians 6: 9; Leviticus 18: 22; Romans 1: 26-28, 32. 

Experience might tell you one thing, but if the Word of God tells you something different, tell your experience that it must bow its knee to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word!

Conclusion

We are living in an age where Christian beliefs are opposed, threatened and canceled by Satan’s ministers. You will have to make a stand. It will either be for the Lord Jesus Christ or Satan. If you are going to be the Lord’s, His Word must reign supreme. Don’t fall for the same trap that Adam and Eve did in the Garden. Be strong and armed with the Word of God. Be prepared.