Monday, December 21, 2015

The Rise and Fall of Lucifer the Musician

1592 painting of Pied Piper
In my previous post, I explained the Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music. Today I would like to provide further proof of my point by doing a side-by-side comparison of two prophecies about the devil. These prophecies were originally given to earthly kings, but they have a double-reference to satan. It's obvious from these passages that they cannot apply solely to any earthly king.

In this study, I will show that satan was originally a holy angel, known in Latin and English as Lucifer ("Helel" in Hebrew), who fell into sin. There are Christians who actually deny that satan and Lucifer are one and the same being. These people do not believe that satan was originally an angel. So let's compare these two prophecies side-by-side, and we will see that they are both speaking about the same person.

Topic Isaiah's Prophecy Ezekiel's Prophecy
Original perfection, beauty, and wisdom as an angel in heaven
"You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.  (Eze 28:12b)

"You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared.  (Eze 28:13)

"You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.  (Eze 28:14)

"You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you.  (Eze 28:15)
Original sin
"By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire.  (Eze 28:16)

"Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.  (Eze 28:17)

"By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you.  (Eze 28:18)
Welcome to hell "Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come; It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.  (Isa 14:9)
Humiliation "They will all respond and say to you, 'Even you have been made weak as we, You have become like us.  (Isa 14:10)

"Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?' "All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own tomb. "But you have been cast out of your tomb Like a rejected branch, Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit Like a trampled corpse. (Isa 14:16-19)
'Will you still say, "I am a god," In the presence of your slayer, Though you are a man and not God, In the hands of those who wound you?  'You will die the death of the uncircumcised By the hand of strangers, For I have spoken!' declares the Lord GOD!"'"  (Eze 28:9-10)

"All who know you among the peoples Are appalled at you; You have become terrified And you will cease to be forever."'"  (Eze 28:19)
Splendor and Music 'Your pomp and the music of your harps Have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you And worms are your covering.'  (Isa 14:11) “…The workmanship of your tambourines and of your flutes was prepared in you in the day that you were created.”  (Eze 28:13b, MKJV)
Fallen from heaven to earth 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! (Isa 14:12. KJV)
Pride, blasphemy, claiming to be a god "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'  (Isa 14:13-14) "Because your heart is lifted up And you have said, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods In the heart of the seas'; Yet you are a man and not God, Although you make your heart like the heart of God--  (Eze 28:2b)
Avarice and pride
Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; There is no secret that is a match for you.  "By your wisdom and understanding You have acquired riches for yourself And have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries. By your great wisdom, by your trade You have increased your riches And your heart is lifted up because of your riches--  (Eze 28:3-5)
Thrust down to the pit of hell "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit."  (Isa 14:15) Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Because you have made your heart Like the heart of God, Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you, The most ruthless of the nations. And they will draw their swords Against the beauty of your wisdom And defile your splendor.  'They will bring you down to the pit, And you will die the death of those who are slain In the heart of the seas.  (Eze 28:6-8)
Peace for the righteous when he is removed "When the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel...And it will be in the day when the LORD gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say, "How the oppressor has ceased, And how fury has ceased!  (Isa 14:1a,3-4)

"The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of rulers  (Isa 14:5)

Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes, Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.  (Isa 14:6)

"The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; They break forth into shouts of joy.  (Isa 14:7)

"Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, 'Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.'  (Isa 14:8)
"And there will be no more for the house of Israel a prickling brier or a painful thorn from any round about them who scorned them; then they will know that I am the Lord GOD."  (Eze 28:24)

'Thus says the Lord GOD, "When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and will manifest My holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I gave to My servant Jacob.  (Eze 28:25)

"They will live in it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards and live securely when I execute judgments upon all who scorn them round about them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God."'"  (Eze 28:26)

Harmony of Scripture
Isaiah's prophecy against the king of Babylon in chapter 14 is a single oracle (14:3-23). Ezekiel's prophecy against the king of Tyre in chapter 28 is given in two oracles (28:1-10 and 28:11-19). Both passages are obscure and ambiguous. Yet there is unity between Isaiah's and Ezekiel's prophecies that becomes clear when they are viewed and understood together. While they were intended for two different earthly kings, they have a double meaning, one of which is not about those kings. The one oracle in Isaiah 14 speaks of the same person as the two oracles in Ezekiel 28. To use an analogy, the harmony between the two passages is similar to that which we see in the mathematical equation 14 x 2 = 28, which happens to contain the actual chapter numbers connecting these two passages together.

Angels Referred to As Men
One of the reasons some people deny that these passages refer to an angel is their reference to a man. Indeed, the word "man" is used in both of these two passages in Is 14:16 and Eze. 28:2,9,12,21. However, the word "man" is used to refer to angels all throughout Scripture, and these passages are no exception to that pattern.

When the Lord appeared to Abraham with two angels, the text refers to them as three men (Gen 18:2). When two angels went to Sodom to rescue Lot, before they destroyed the city, they were referred to as men (Gen 19:1-12). When the angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah, he and his wife referred to the angel as a man (Jdg 13:6,8,10). When angels appeared to Daniel, he referred to them as men (Dan 8:15; 9:1; 10:5; 12:6-7). In fact, he even referred to one of them as having human appearance, resembling a human being (Dan 10:16,18), and he described the archangel Gabriel as one who looked like a man (Dan 8:15). When Ezekiel saw six angels with weapons of destruction in their hands and one with a writing kit at his loins, he referred to them as men (Ez 9:2,11; 10:2,6-7). When Zechariah saw angels, he referred to them as both men and angels (Zech 1:8-14; 2:1-3).

Immediately after the resurrection of Christ, the angel that appeared to the women at the empty tomb was described in Mark's gospel as a young man wearing a white robe (Mk 16:5), and in Luke's gospel as two men in dazzling clothing (Lk 24:4), while John's gospel described them as two angels in white (Joh 20:12). Immediately after the ascension of Christ, the angels that appeared and spoke to the disciples were referred to as two men in white clothing (Ac 1:10). Cornelius referred to the angel that appeared to him as a "man in shining clothes (Ac 10:3,7,22,30; 11:13).  Therefore, when Lucifer, the anointed cherub, now known as satan, is referred to as a man, it is consistent with the rest of the Scriptures.

Putting it All Together
It should be abundantly clear by comparing these two prophecies given by Isaiah and Ezekiel that they are both speaking about that same evil musician, who is the adversary of God and man. These Scriptures reveal to us his original perfection, beauty, and wisdom as an angel in heaven. He was an anointed cherub on the holy mountain of God. The Scriptures speak of the day he was created, so he was a created being. He was a musician with great splendor. In fact, some believe that he was in charge of music in heaven.

All of this magnificence continued until unrighteousness was found in him. His original sin is clearly explained to us. There was avarice, which is greed, and pride. With the great wisdom God had given him he acquired gold and silver and filled his treasuries with them. Then his heart was lifted up with pride because of his riches (1 Tim 3:6). This led to his sin of blasphemy, claiming to be a god. He exalted himself above all the other angels and wanted to be like God, enthroned on high.

Therefore, since he committed sin in the holy sanctuary, God cut him off from the midst of the fiery stones in His presence, and cast him down as profane from His holy mountain in heaven. He thrust him down to earth, even to the pit of hell, along with his music.

He has fallen from heaven to earth. And for the time being, he is allowed to be a ruler with a kingdom for himself in this world (2 Cor 4:4; Jn 12:31; Eph 2:2). He is allowed to oppress mankind, which is made in God's image, and is placed on this earth. He is able to weaken the nations and persecute people (also see Rev 12:7-12).

But there will come a day when it will all be over. His final end will come, when he will be removed and cast down forever to his place of eternal punishment (Rev 20:10). He will never again be allowed to harm the righteous. And then, when he is welcomed to hell by all the kings and people of the earth that were oppressed by him, and who ended up there, they will be appalled at him. Then he will suffer utter humiliation before all of them, when they see that he has been ruined. Then there will be peace for the righteous.

Don't be deceived into hell by satan. He comes to kill, steal, and destroy (Joh 10:10). And one of his tactics is to use music to steal worship from God. He has many different styles of music to suit everyone's taste. And all who listen to or sing to his secular music are following his tune. They are like the rats that followed the Pied Piper.

The Pied Piper leads the children out of Hamelin
There is an old legend from the Middle Ages about the Pied Piper of Hamelin. He is the rat-catcher, dressed in multi-colored ("pied") clothes, hired by the town to lure rats away with his magic pipe (wind instrument). But when the town refuses to pay for his service, he uses his musical instrument to magically lure the children away from the town. Thus he led them away like he led the rats, becoming a child abductor, who stole their children.

Likewise, satan uses his secular music that he has produced in hell in order to lead people astray. And when they follow his tune, he is able to steal worship from God, since all music was originally meant for worship of the Most High. Those who listen to secular music may not realize they are following satan, because he is invisible, and he is a very crafty deceiver. But they are, nonetheless, still following him. He is leading them away from heaven, away from God, and down to hell to torment them, where they will ultimately be destroyed.

Jesus warned of the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, and said that all the wicked will go to that place as well (Mt 25:41). Turn back, people! Don't go to that place!

If you are listening to or singing secular music, then repent now before it's too late. The Lord Jesus is coming back right away, but He is only coming for the holy ones. He is not coming for those who are compromising with the world. Mercy is only available while you are on earth, so repent, for the kingdom of God is near.

Part I of this article is The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, except where noted. 1592 painting of Pied Piper copied from the glass window of Marktkirche in Hameln. It is the oldest picture of the Pied Piper copied from the glass window of the Market Church in Hameln/Hamelin Germany (c.1300-1633). "The Pied Piper leads the children out of Hamelin," illustration by Kate Greenaway for Robert Browning's "The Pied Piper of Hamelin"

Author's note: I also recommend reading my articles, The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music, Sin, Satan, and the Submerged Sphere, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Five Divine Revelations, Avoiding Worldly Worship, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, For the Glory of God Alone, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Godly Attire & Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, The Kingdom of Darkness, Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead, and The Marine Kingdom and Queen of the Coast, as well as the articles available through the Home page of this blog.  I recommend viewing a video called Hell’s Bells: The Dangers of Rock ‘N’ Roll (parental guidance is suggested for young people). You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music


I’d like us to consider together the origin of sin, which goes back to the pre-Adamic age, prior to the creation of Adam and Eve. We can trace it all the way back to the root of all evil, the original sin committed by Lucifer.

Lucifer's Origin
Satan was originally known as Lucifer, the anointed, guardian cherub on the holy mountain of God in the Garden of Eden that was in heaven. The prophets spoke of him, usually with a double reference to another man, as Ezekiel did in his lamentation over the king of Tyre. The Lord said to him:

"Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. "You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared. "You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. "You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. "By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you. "By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you.”  (Eze 28:12-18)

This is clearly talking about another man besides just the king of Tyre, which is obvious by the description of this person. He had the seal of perfection. He was originally full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. He was in Eden, the garden of God that was in heaven, before there was such a garden on earth. He was on the holy mountain of God, walking in the midst of the stones of fire. His outward appearance is described as being covered with every precious stone: the ruby, the topaz, the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, the jasper, the sapphire (lapis lazuli), the turquoise, the emerald, and the gold.  All of these were in him as part of his beautiful appearance.

He was a created being, and on the day that he was created, God lovingly prepared all these things. He was the anointed cherub who covers. In other words he was the guardian cherub, which is a high-ranking angel of the second-highest rank, right below the seraphim in rank. The Lord placed him there. He was blameless in his ways from the day he was created until unrighteousness was found in him. This cannot possibly describe a human being.

Lucifer's Fall
The Scripture tells us how he fell. By the abundance of his trade he was internally filled with violence, and he sinned.  He learned to be violent and filled his storehouses with iniquity. He corrupted his wisdom by reason of his splendor. In other words, he used his great wisdom to amass wealth for himself. In the unrighteousness of his trade he profaned his sanctuaries, the holy places that he was supposed to be guarding. This speaks of the sin of avarice or greed, which is a hunger for wealth. This is the root of all evil, and I believe it was the original sin.

The apostle Paul said, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Tim 6:10, KJV). The expression “the love of money” comes from the Greek word “philarguria” meaning “avarice” or “greed”. (The word philarguria comes from “philos” meaning “fond” and “arguria” meaning “silver”).

The Lord said, "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.” (Luk 16:13-15)

Therefore, avarice is where satan’s fall began. And his heart was lifted up because of his beauty, so pride and vanity were at work within him as well (1 Tim 3:6).

Lucifer's Destruction
Therefore the Lord God cast him as profane from His holy mountain and destroyed him. He was cut off from the midst of the stones of fire and cast to the ground. God put him before kings, so that they may see him. He was guilty of a multitude of iniquities. Therefore God brought fire from the midst of him that consumed him, and turned him to ashes on the earth in the eyes of all who see him.

It’s interesting to see how God punishes the wicked. The type of punishment is always directly related to their sin. In this case, He was cut off from the midst of the stones of fire that he had profaned, and God brought fire from the midst of him that consumed him, and turned him to ashes. He was cast from God’s holy mountain all the way down to the ground on earth, even down to the pit like ashes.

The beginning of Ezekiel 28 also gives us more insight. It says:

"Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Because your heart is lifted up And you have said, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods In the heart of the seas'; Yet you are a man and not God, Although you make your heart like the heart of God-- Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; There is no secret that is a match for you. "By your wisdom and understanding You have acquired riches for yourself And have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries. "By your great wisdom, by your trade You have increased your riches And your heart is lifted up because of your riches-- Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Because you have made your heart Like the heart of God, Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you, The most ruthless of the nations. And they will draw their swords Against the beauty of your wisdom And defile your splendor. 'They will bring you down to the pit, And you will die the death of those who are slain In the heart of the seas. 'Will you still say, "I am a god," In the presence of your slayer, Though you are a man and not God, In the hands of those who wound you? 'You will die the death of the uncircumcised By the hand of strangers, For I have spoken!' declares the Lord GOD!"'" (Eze 28:2-10)

From this we learn that Lucifer’s heart was lifted up and he said, “I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the seas.” But God said, “You are a man and not God, although you make your heart like the heart of God.” Lucifer was originally wiser than Daniel and no secret was a match for him. By his wisdom and understanding he acquired riches for himself. He acquired gold and silver for his treasuries. By his great wisdom, by his trade he increased his riches, and his heart became lifted up because of his riches. Therefore, God brought him down to the pit to die the death of those who are slain in the heart of the seas. He will die the death of the wicked.

It says of him in Isaiah, "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.” (Isa 14:13-15). Though he wanted to ascend, raise his throne above the other angels, and make himself like the Most High, he was cast down to hell, and descended to depths of the pit.

Lucifer's Tambourines and Flutes
I want to focus now on the part that says, “the workmanship of your settings and sockets was in you.” It says in the Modern King James Version, “The workmanship of your tambourines and of your flutes was prepared in you in the day that you were created.” (Eze 28:13b)

The Hebrew word used here for tambourines is “tuppekā”, which only occurs once in the Bible. It is a form of the Hebrew word “toph” meaning “a timbrel, tabret, or tambourine” (Strongs). Various forms of the word “toph” are also found in Gen. 31:27; Exo. 15:20; Jdg. 11:34; 1Sa. 10:5; 18:6; 2Sa. 6:5; 1Ch. 13:8; Job 21:12; Psa. 81:2; 149:3; 150:4; Isa. 5:12; 24:8; 30:32; Jer. 31:4; Eze. 28:13.

The Hebrew word used here for “flutes” is “neqeb”, meaning “a bezel for a gem, or a pipe.” (Strongs). The obscure term “neqeb” only occurs in this form here, and is very close in form to “naqab” which carries the idea of boring holes, mining, or piercing. Since the previous term “toph” was assuredly a musical one, it makes sense in the context that this term neqeb would also be a musical one. A pipe is basically a branch that has been bored out to make it hollow inside. And when other holes are bored into the side of it, as with a flute, this allows various notes to be played on it when wind is passed through.

In this passage there are various precious materials described as adorning this anointed cherub. So these pipes were not ordinary, but very finely crafted of precious material such as gold, which is mentioned right beforehand in this verse.

Therefore, based on my study of the words “tuppeka” and “neqeb”, it is my belief that these were both musical instruments, created by God, which were given to the anointed, guardian cherub, Lucifer, who walked among the fiery stones on the holy mountain of God in heaven. In fact, these instruments were prepared "in" him (Hebrew, bāḵ, "in you") on the day he was created (Eze 28:13b), so they were built into him as part of his being. It was originally intended that these instruments be used only for worship of the Most High.

However, since the time that Lucifer fell into sin, and was expelled from heaven, he has used these musical instruments for rebellious purposes.  He has invented other unauthorized kinds of music that do not bring glory to the Lord God Almighty. These include pagan worship, the worship of false gods (demons), satan worship, and what we have come to know as "secular music" in all its various forms, including rock, rap, and reggae. Even the worldly love songs are produced by him.  All of these are forms of stolen worship, which is one way that satan gets his strength.

The Meaning of Lucifer’s Name
We know his name was originally Lucifer, because it is found in the prophet Isaiah. “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!” (Isa 14:12, KJV).  That name comes from the Hebrew word “helel”, which is used as a noun no place else in Scripture. It means “(in the sense of brightness); the morning star: - lucifer.” (Strongs). So he was assuredly very bright in the beginning before he fell. And he still has the ability to appear that way, as the Scripture says, satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).

His Hebrew name, “helel”, comes from the Hebrew word “halal”, which is “A primitive root; to be clear (originally of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence to make a show; to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causatively to celebrate; also to stultify: - (make) boast (self), celebrate, commend, (deal, make), fool (-ish, -ly), glory, give [light], be (make, feign self) mad (against), give in marriage, [sing, be worthy of] praise, rage, renowned, shine.” (Strongs). Notice some of the meanings of this word, which give us insight into the characteristics of Lucifer.  Here are some of the implications:

Before wickedness was found in him, Lucifer was the archangel or cherub in charge of worship in heaven. He had a clear sound, as well as a clear color, he was shining, shiny, making a show, boasting about the Lord, clamorous in the way he did so, making a joyful noise, celebrating the Lord’s love, glorifying God, commending the Lord, giving light, singing praise, and being worthy of praise.

But once he fell into sin, his character became evil. Now he does all the same things but for himself, rather than for God. Now he is still making a clear sound, appearing in a clear color, still shining, shiny, glossy, giving light, radiant, luminous, making a show, but boasting about himself, clamorous, noisy, celebrating sin, glorifying himself, singing praise about himself and about the wicked.  He is raving (uttering furious exclamations as a madman), raging, and foolish. It is easy to see how he is the originator of all music that does not glorify God.

As the Scripture says of Lucifer in Isaiah, "Your pomp and the music of your harps have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you And worms are your covering." (Isa 14:11). His pride and the music of his harps have been brought down to Sheol, or hell. This is a graphic depiction of how he and his music ended up in hell, with maggots beneath him and worms covering him (cf., Mark 9:44,46,48). And that is the same end, which anyone who follows his music will also meet.

In God’s original design, music was solely for true worship of Him alone, and that was the only kind of music that existed. But now that satan has fallen, he has invented many other kinds of music that are not true, spiritual worship of Jehovah. All music that does not glorify God is from satan and is sinful. It is from hell. Anyone who is listening to or singing worldly music cannot enter heaven. If you are committing these sins, please repent or else you will perish.

Adam and Eve
Of course, when God created man, he did so here on the earth, the place where satan had been thrown down to, and God gave man dominion over the earth. It says, "God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" (Gen 1:28). Man was supposed to subdue the earth and rule over every living thing on the earth.

God created man in His own image, and He placed the first man, Adam, in the Garden of Eden. He commanded him to tend the garden, and permitted him to eat of any tree in the garden, except for one, which was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It says, "Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.'" (Gen 2:15-17)

Then God in His love for Adam created a woman to be his helper. They were happy together in the garden, naked and unashamed. But then satan came along and tempted Eve to eat of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Although she knew that God had forbidden Adam to eat of that tree, satan tricked her into disobeying God. She was deceived by the serpent, and she ate the fruit. Then she gave some to her husband and he ate of it, too. This is how sin was introduced into the human race. Since then, all men born from Adam have sinned. This is what has brought death to man, and this is what the Lord Jesus Christ came to save us from.

Satan is doomed to destruction, and anyone who sins must also perish. But God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son. He came to earth as a man, went to the cross, died for our sins, took the penalty that we deserved, and paid the price in full. Then He rose from the dead and He now lives forever. All who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will not perish but have eternal life.

Putting it All Together
Satan was originally a holy angel named Lucifer, in charge of worship. He was of the second highest order right below the seraphim. He was in charge of worship, leading the other angels in singing praises and making music before the throne of God. But sin was found in him and he fell. He used the wisdom God gave him in order to amass wealth for himself, because he was greedy. Because of his beauty, splendor, and wealth, his heart became lifted up in pride (1 Tim 3:6), boasting that he was a god. He learned to be violent, so he was cast down from heaven to earth. Here he became the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4), the ruler of this world (Jn 12:31), and the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2). He became the adversary of God and man, for his very name, "satan", means “adversary.”

It was into this environment that God placed mankind, when He created man in His image. And it is in this world that we live in this present darkness, contending with the devil. Those of us who know the Lord Jesus are constantly battling against this evil foe, against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph 6:12). They are constantly attacking us, and three of their main strategies are intimidation, temptation, and deception. We must be very careful, because they are crafty, and they can subtly introduce avarice, pride, and vanity, in their many various forms, as well as worldly music.

However, in Christ we are victorious. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. The Lord has triumphed over the devil and his demons at the cross and made a public spectacle of them (Col 2:15). We are seated with Him in heavenly realms, but we still have to engage the enemy in very real battles with eternal life or death consequences. This is why we must contend and not stop fighting the good fight. We must constantly pray to our heavenly Father, “Deliver us from evil.”

Let me encourage you today to keep up the fight against sin. There are many ways the devil has deceived the Church today, just as he originally deceived Adam and Eve. There are many things he has tricked the elect into accepting, which God has commanded us in His Word not to do. Therefore, the Church has gone astray. Many people are practicing sin, preachers are not preaching against it, and people are perishing.

Please don't let the devil deceive you into hell. Stop drifting away. Avoid becoming a corrupted Christian. Read my articles, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, The Rise and Fall of Lucifer the Musician (part II of this article), Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Three Divine Revelations (previous article), and Avoiding Worldly Worship. These are just a few that will help you to wake up before it is too late. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, except where noted. "Deception" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm all rights reserved by the artist. Please view it on his official website, Inspired Art.

Author's note: I also recommend reading my articles, The Rise and Fall of Lucifer the Musician, Sin, Satan, and the Submerged Sphere, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Three Divine Revelations, Avoiding Worldly Worship, For the Glory of God Alone, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, The Forgotten Sin of WorldlinessGodly Attire & Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, The Kingdom of Darkness, Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead, and The Marine Kingdom and Queen of the Coast, as well as the articles available through the Home page of this blog.  You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

The Evil Spirit of Alcohol

Four people died in the crash pictured above
Before I came to know Christ, I was a heavy drinker, which the Bible calls a drunkard. I began drinking alcohol at age thirteen, taking shots of hard liquor from my parents' liquor cabinet and drinking beer with my friends. At that young, tender age I learned what it was like to be lying on the ground drunk. I became hooked and continued abusing alcohol until I came to know the Lord at age nineteen. Even before I was of legal drinking age, I would go to parties and thought it was fun to drink to the point of intoxication. Later when I joined the Army, I went to clubs, bars, and taverns to drink. All throughout those years from age thirteen to nineteen, I smoked marijuana as well, and often did so while drinking alcohol.

But I found that the good feelings I experienced while I was drunk or high always came to an end, and usually with very unpleasant side effects. Plenty of times I drank to the point of vomiting, and I was well acquainted with headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and other disgusting symptoms my body experienced during the hang over period when my body came down from intoxication.

When I repented of my sin and gave my life to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior on February 13, 1986, He delivered me from alcohol and drugs, as well as cigarettes, which I had started smoking at age twelve. I did not go through any twelve step program. The Truth set me free by the power of the Holy Spirit. When He did, I came to know the true joy that only Jesus can give. It's a lasting joy that remains in your heart all the time, and does not depend on some artificial substance. It's not like the momentary lift that alcohol or drugs bring. It's far more wonderful that that! It's also pure and holy, and it doesn't damage your body or your mind. You don't need a twelve step program to get delivered from alcohol, you need twelve steps to the altar to genuinely repent of your sin. You need to be delivered from evil spirits.

Alcohol is evil and there is an evil spirit associated with it. It has enslaved and ruined the lives of countless millions of people. Anyone with a bit of common sense should be able to see, by the bad fruit produced by alcohol consumption, that it's not of God. But drinking has become widely accepted among Christians, whom David Wilkerson once called "sipping saints".  And later in my walk with God, I became one of them. While I still understood that drunkenness was sin, I thought it was permissible for a Christian to drink a glass of wine or beer with dinner, or on other occasions. However, as I have plainly shown in my article, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, both Scripture and divine revelation teach us that alcohol leads people down to hell and should be avoided like the plague. As Wilkerson said, "It's time all drinking Christians were challenged! It's time for the Holy Spirit to expose the looseness, the slaphappy 'anything goes' attitude." [1]

Alcoholic Drinks of Bible Times Contrasted with Modern Ones
Drinking alcohol for recreation has no place in the life of a disciple of Christ. To prove my point, let's take a moment to contrast the modern alcoholic drinks of today with the wine and strong drink in Biblical times. The following are some key points to understand:

1. Distillation was not discovered until around 1500 A.D. That is the process whereby the alcohol is boiled out of wine or other fermented liquids. The vapors from the boiling alcohol are captured and then turned back into liquid form, which has a stronger concentration of alcohol than the original liquid that was boiled. Therefore, in Bible times, since they did not yet have distillation, strong drink and unmixed wine had lower alcohol content by volume than the distilled liquors available today (spirits like brandy, vodka, gin, whiskey, etc).  Natural fermentation does not produce a higher alcohol content than 20%, since yeast cannot ferment any further at that level. [3]

2. Since wine today typically has 9 to 11% alcohol, and can be as high as 20% alcohol, you should not drink it. "Brandy contains 15 to 20% alcohol, so that's out! Hard liquor has 40 to 50% alcohol (80 to 100 proof), and that is obviously excluded!" [2]

3. Wine in biblical times was diluted to stretch it out and make it last longer. There are various views on what the common dilution ratio was, with some ancient documents saying it could have been as high as 20 to 1, but I do not want  to speculate on that. Even a dilution ratio of 3-to-1 would obviously produce a lower alcohol content in the wine. In fact, any dilution at all would lower the alcohol content by volume.

Now let's connect the three key points I've just made. The fact is that a higher alcohol content than 20% was not possible during Bible times, due to the absence of a distillation process.  And the Bible still warned against the dangers of wine and strong drink (Pro 20:1; 23:20-21,29-35; 31:4-6). We might assume that strong drink had an alcohol content of 12-20%, since it was stronger than wine, which had a lower alcohol content. Therefore, since we have drinks available today with 20-50% alcohol, these are much more potent and dangerous than even the strong drink referred to in the Bible. It's the devil's poison!

John Wesley Preached Against Alcohol
John Wesley preached against drinking alcohol during the eighteenth century, which you will see if you read his "Word to a Drunkard," and the Methodists who followed his teachings were also against it [4]. They did not even want to use wine for the purpose of taking communion (i.e., the Lord's Supper). Therefore, in 1869, Dr. Thomas Bramwell Welch decided to create non-alcoholic communion juice for the Methodists, by using Louis Pasteur’s innovative new technique called pasteurization. "He boiled the bottles of grape juice, which not only helped preserve the juice, but also killed all of the yeast in the bottles. This prevented fermentation, so the drinks would not be alcoholic." [5]. That's how Welch's grape juice was invented. Many churches today still use grape juice for communion, rather than wine, which is a wise choice.

Some people consider John Wesley's teachings too strict.  But a sister named Victoire Afangbedzi from Togo received a divine revelation in which she saw John Wesley in heaven, and he told her to tell all the Methodist people on earth to return to the Word of holiness. He told her to ask them to go back to the old way, to preach holiness. He said, "If they don't want to preach holiness, they will never see Jesus." The Lord told her that John Wesley preached holiness on earth, and that when he died he went to heaven. She saw his mansion there.

In fact, a Korean pastor named Yong Park, also saw John Wesley's mansion in heaven, when he died a wretched death in the hospital in 1987. He came back to life afterward and said that Wesley has one of the four tallest homes in heaven, which I have written about in my article called The Four Tallest Homes in Heaven. Wesley was a great holiness preacher, who upheld the faithful Word of God, and others like Victoire Afangbedzi and Yong Park have seen evidence that the Lord was pleased with his earthly ministry. We need more preachers today who will do the same.

Scriptures about Alcohol and Drunkenness
Here are just a few Scriptures about the use and abuse of alcohol:

"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal 5:19-21)

"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit," (Eph 5:18)

The apostle Paul wrote: “Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor 6:9-11)

"Woe to you who make your neighbors drink, Who mix in your venom even to make them drunk So as to look on their nakedness!" (Hab 2:15)

"Harlotry, wine and new wine take away the understanding." (Hos 4:11)

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise." (Pro 20:1)

"Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags." (Pro 23:20-21)

"It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink, For they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to him whose life is bitter." (Pro 31:4-6)

"Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink, Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them!" (Isa 5:11)

"Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine And valiant men in mixing strong drink," (Isa 5:22)

"And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment. For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place." (Isa 28:7-8)

Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things. And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast. "They struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink." (Pro 23:29-35)

A Perpetual Statute for Priests About Alcohol
The LORD then spoke to Aaron, saying, ‘Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die--it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations-- and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.’" (Lev 10:8-11; cf. Eph 5:18).

The New Priesthood of Believers
"But you are a chosen race, A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of god; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."  (1Pe 2:9-10; cf. Ex 19:5-6)

The New Temple
"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1Co 3:16)

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." (1Co 6:19-20)

Also see Joel 1:5; Amos 4:1-2.

Dealing with Denial
One of the most common characteristics of an addiction is denial, whereby the person denies they have a problem. You might be thinking, "I'm not addicted" or "I only drink in moderation." You might say, "I could quit drinking any time I like" or "It's not a sin, as long as I am not falling down on the ground." If you are a sipping saint, and you don't believe it's a sin, then I want to challenge you to fast from alcohol for a few weeks.  You could try fasting from it for three to six weeks and ask the Lord during that time what He thinks about drinking alcohol. Ask the Lord to expose anything in your life that is hidden that must go. If you are unable to complete the fast, then you know you are addicted.

As Wesley said, "O repent! See and feel what a wretch you are. Pray to God, to convince you in your inmost soul. How often have you crucified the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame! Pray that you may know yourself, inwardly and outwardly, all sin, all guilt, all helplessness. Then cry out, 'Thou Son of David, have mercy upon me! Thou lamb of God, take away my sins! Grant me thy peace. Justify the ungodly. O bring me to the blood of sprinkling, that I may go and sin no more, that I may love much, having had so much forgiven!'" [4]

Putting it All Together
To sum it up, I am speaking from experience when I say that alcohol is evil and ruins people's lives. Wine, beer, and liquor are a trap of the devil to take you down to hell. This is evident when you take into account the whole of Scripture with respect to alcohol, and the Lord is once again warning us about this through divine revelations as I documented in my previous article, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations. I am well aware how addictive alcohol and drugs are, but I know first hand the power of God is great enough to break that bondage.

Please don’t make the mistake that because you are under grace, you are free to drink alcohol casually. Alcohol is evil and you are not free to do evil. If you are a sipping saint, I do not speak in anger or judgment on you, but only love. The Word of God will judge you on that great day. And all these Scriptures I have just cited will judge you. "Unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Lk 13:5). However, if you will accept the Truth that I am giving you, you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.

Resources:
[1] Sipping Saints, by David Wilkerson
[2] Seven Good Reasons Christians Should Not Drink, by David L. Brown, pastor, Ph.D.
[3] Distilled Beverage, Wikipedia.
[4] Word to a Drunkard, by John Wesley
[5] Welch’s Grape Juice Started Out as a Substitute for Sacramental Wine.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's note: Please prayerfully listen to sister Victoire Afangbedzi's testimony, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to her.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not.

I strongly recommend reading Wesley's Word to a Drunkard. I also recommend reading my articles, The Truth Set Me Free!, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, To Sin or Not to SinDemonology 101, Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven, and Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead, as well as the articles available through the Home page of this blog.  You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Monday, February 2, 2015

The Kingdom of Darkness

Brother James Agboola
I wrote in my recent article James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell, of the testimony of a brother who actually died and came back to tell about it. His spirit came out of his body and he went to the place where others have gone and never come back.  From this brother’s testimony there are a number of lessons about three different topics, including the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of darkness, and life after death.  In this article, I will use his own words in summary of the lessons learned about the second of those three topics -- the kingdom of darkness.

Regarding the kingdom of darkness, James was shown that the devil actually holds conferences with his demons, as well as false prophets, who are so called “pastors” that are getting powers from the kingdom of darkness. He also has different departments in his kingdom, including the musical department that he has sent to go to the world.  The devil is furious.  He is seriously angry and annoyed, because he knows that his time is so short. He has no time, so he is putting great pressure on his demons to capture souls to hell.  They have no time to rest. He has ordered his demons to step up their efforts. He has ordered them to follow the Christians bumper to bumper.  He has determined to increase their power.

As a result, the demons are possessing the Church, taking over the youth activities, giving them new systems, new fashions, and making them to go out of the way of God.  They have possessed the gospel musicians of the earth, so that their music is no longer having meaning in the spiritual realms. They have possessed their gospel music so that it becomes worldly music. The people now think they are singing gospel music, but it is worldly. The demons are giving them some tunes, some pieces, some dancing steps which are not of God, which are of the demons. These will be sung inside the congregations. At the end of the day this music is taking them out of the will of God.

The devil has charged the so-called pastors. He gave them power to work wonders and miracles. He gave them various power and various ways with conditions. They can preach anything they like in their church. They can do any program they like in their church, but they must not talk about salvation. They must not talk about heaven. They must not talk anything about rapture. They can do altar calls, call people forward, pray for them, bless them, and let them go. But they cannot go into details about the Kingdom of God or the salvation of their souls.

James was shown that one force for the devil and his demons to reckon with on the earth in these last days is God’s end-time evangelists who are just appearing. They are clothed with clothes of fire, and the demons find it difficult to talk to them.  Therefore, the devil has sent out his own demons into the earth to appear as humans, and clothed them with a garment of fire, so that he will be able to contend.  His demons will be able to stand and fight those end-time evangelists.

There is actually something known as the drum of covenants with fire under it.  It keeps burning twenty-four hours. Devils are constantly bringing blood from the four corners of the earth into that drum that is on the fire. Whatsoever blood enters into that drum is from the blood of covenants. And from that drum the demons fetch blood and give to manufacturers, those who manufacturer jewelry, perfumes, and other worldly things that people put on their bodies.  The oil they are spraying on their body -- the oil they are spraying as perfumes -- it’s taking away the glory of God in them. And the spirit of lust begins to dominate them. They will not have time for God again.  They won’t have time to read the Bible.

The demons have possessed all these material things that people love – all these worldly things. Therefore, it has come to the time in this world that even if you buy ordinary Vaseline, you need to sanctify it. You don’t know what, where, or who manufactured it. Maybe it’s a demon.  Sanctify everything you get from the marketplace.

The devil does not believe that there is anybody he cannot catch. He still believes that there is nobody he will not get.  He is providing interesting and very good programs on the TV twenty-four hours, so that these will occupy people’s time, and so that they’ll have no time to read the Bible, they’ll have no time to go to church activities.

The devil knows that when God destroyed the earth with a flood, it pained Him to his heart, because He had destroyed His own handiwork. Therefore, the devil intends to pack at least, not less than ninety-five percent of God’s people to hell, with the end goal of causing pain in God’s heart. If he cannot get all, if he can succeed to pack ninety-five percent of God’s creation to hell, that it is still going to pain God in His heart, that God will weep. And his happiness is to see tears in the face of God. If the demons even think there is the slightest chance they might lose someone, they have orders to cut them off and kill them, rather than wait until they get beyond the gate.

So Christians, we must be careful. We must watch the type of church we go to, the type of pastor or minister of God we follow. Once they are not preaching the true Word of God, once any pastor is not preaching repentance, is not preaching the kingdom of God, is not preaching salvation, the salvation of your soul, you must watch.  Christians, we have to be extra careful. We have to mind what we wear, what we use. Whatever we buy in the market at this time, we pray over it even if it is clothes, we sanctify it and we cover it in the Blood of Jesus. And the protections of God will continue to be upon us in Jesus’ Name.

If you are a Christian who has backslidden, don’t let the devil rejoice over you, that you have now fallen into the hand of the devil. Carry your Bible. Open to Psalm 51. Begin to pray. Read it and begin to pray for mercy. Continue to ask God for mercy. Continue to ask God for mercy.

The Lord is so merciful! Heaven is real. Hell is real. People are dying in their thousands and going to hell.  Anyone who has experienced hell would not even wish their worst enemy on earth to go to that place where they are weeping, crying, waiting for another chance to repent, and it is too late.

The Lord gave brother James a second chance in order to warn us of that horrible place. Tell God now, “I surrender all.” He will care for you. He knows what we need. God loves us. God cares for us. There is no other love like His. So let us hold fast our faith. Let us hold fast that which God has said in the Bible and believe. And God will see us through.

Author's note: Please prayerfully listen to this brother's testimony, James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to him.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not.

I also recommend reading my article, The Marine Kingdom and Queen of the Coast, Rachael Mushala Testimony of Hell, The Rise of Antichrists, Ibrahim's Experience in Hell, and Godly Attire & Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, as well as the articles available through the Home page of this blog.  You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.