A Glimpse of Hell. Don't Be On the Welcoming Committee

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 14:9 "Hell from beneath is excited about you, To meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, All the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones All the kings of the nations. 10 They all shall speak and say to you: 'Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us? 11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, And the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you.'

 

Isaiah continues his judgment against the King of Babylon, (who is a personification of the devil) If hell were a person, it would be excited about his arrival. It would stir up all the dead and say, “Hey, look here’s here!” “The Mighty king of Babylon! (The devil himself cast into the eternal fires of hell, the place where the worm never dies! "where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.' (Mk 9:44)

 

It is especially interesting to note here that the “chief ones,” in Hebrew means “goats” All the goats will greet him on that day and say, “Have you become as weak as we are?”

 

Where have you heard the term “goats” used by Jesus? Of course you know He mentioned them in the parable of the sheep and goats found in Mt 25: On Judgement Day the goats are on His left and the sheep on his right. The goats, (unrighteous due to their lack of saving faith in Jesus are sent to hell! Mt 25:46 "And these (the goats) will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

 

The prophet Ezekiel echoes this judgement in Eze 32:21 The strong among the mighty Shall speak to him out of the midst of hell With those who help him: 'They have gone down, They lie with the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.'

 

“ The occupants of hell, the uncircumcised or unrighteous if you will, (those without Christ) are lumped in with ”those who help the King of Babylon (the devil)

 

But you say, “I am not a helper for the devil! Well, without Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are the devils helper. Jesus said in Mt 12:30 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. 31 "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

 

To resist the Holy Spirit’s call to saving faith through the gospel is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and makes you an enemy of Christ and an ally of the devil.

 

I wonder how many who have rejected Christ are aware of this truth. “hell is excited to see you! It means more wailing! More gnashing of teeth! More food for the worms and maggots! Another member of the fraternity of forever torment!

 

Sadly it appears that one of the chief ones awaiting the unbeliever is a king named Agrippa, who was “almost” persuaded to become a follower of Christ!

 

Ac 26:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." 29 And Paul said, (to the king and he says it to you and I as well)  "I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am,”

 

When you pass from this world, who do you want greeting you! The saints in heaven, or the tormented in hell?

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.