Christianity Articles - The Wicked Shall be Turned into Hell


by DENNY SMITH - Date: 2010-08-13 - Word Count: 2286 Share This!

David, in Psalms 9:17, made this statement: "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." (NKJV) That is strong, strong language and language people do not want to hear. Some would probably call it hate speech. People do not want to hear about hell and many reject God because of the concept of hell as taught in the Bible. I suspect it is highly likely many who look at what I write from time to time will pass by this article just because of the title. God is not always the most popular person around (the words of the title are his, not mine) and many there be that do not want to hear what he has to say.

It is sad that people sometimes hate God but that is the way it is. Paul specifically refers to people who are in his words "haters of God" in Rom. 1:30 (NKJV). They are not pleased with God's commands as it interferes with them running amok to do as they please and condemns them because of their ungodly living.

Recently, I heard an interesting comment made by a man. To put into my own words what he was saying was that he liked this particular place he attended worship because they did so much good in the community and did not condemn people. People today are not interested in what anyone including God himself through his word has to say about sin. They do not want to hear it. Preaching about sin is the kind of preaching that will drive many away. It has almost gotten to the point where people consider it sin to preach against sin.

Yet, why did Jesus come to earth and for what purpose did he die? John the Baptist said it was to take away the sin of the world (see John 1:29). The apostle John says, "He was manifested to take away our sins." (1 John 3:5 NKJV) The Hebrew writer says, "Now, once at the end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Heb. 9:26 NKJV) Jesus is called the Savior of the world. "The Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world." (1 John 4:14 NKJV) Well, save the world from what if not sin?

Why was this necessary? The Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23 NKJV) "The wages of sin (when unforgiven - DS) is death." (Rom. 6:23 NKJV) Jesus said he was shedding his blood for the remission of sins (Matt. 26:28). Paul said, "We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins." (Eph. 1:7 NKJV)

Today you could not find a wicked man in 10 counties here in America. You can find plenty of fornicators, adulterers, liars, coveters, backbiters, proud and boastful, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, and many others mentioned in the New Testament but you cannot find any sinners that need preaching to in the public assembly about the subject of sin.

To talk about sin today is to be perceived as intolerant. We are more loving than God, more tolerant, more righteous. Put another way America has rejected the God of the Bible and has made its own God in its own image. He is generally seen, unlike the God of heaven, when man looks into a mirror. And, the best part about this American God is he condemns no one. I have never been to a funeral but what the individual being eulogized seems to be setting in heaven even as the speaker speaks.

A good example of the kind of thing I am talking about is some news out just this past week. It seems a judge in California has decided the people of California cannot ban gay marriage. He says to do so is unconstitutional. My, my! We can rewrite the dictionary redefining traditional word meanings (marriage), discard the Bible on the subject - it is of course intolerant on this issue calling this blessed relationship of man with man and woman with woman abomination - and call ourselves loving and tolerant versus God. Who needs him? We have made up our own God in America and he has nothing in common with the God of the Bible. It makes me sick.

Here is what God has to say about the matter. "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." (Lev. 20:13 NKJV) A piece of paper with the authority of a man made government behind it is not going to make an abomination to God into a blessed relationship. It simply drags the country down the road further as a nation that forgot God.

I know of no verse that better describes our state in this country today than what Paul wrote in Rom. 10:3, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God." (NKJV) We will establish our own righteousness and his (God's) is not needed nor welcomed. Friends when you get to be your own God, get to where you think you are better than God, you are getting to be what they called in my youth "too big for your britches."

People in America seem to think America is God's own special people like the Jews were in the Old Testament. God would never punish us, never. It is unthinkable, beyond belief. Yes, on the one hand we reject God and his word without even giving it a thought but on the other consider ourselves righteous rather than wicked. We have become an irrational people.

The truth is much of the ruling class has long since abandoned the Bible period, lock, stock, and barrel. There is no thought of God in their minds or in their doings. What is righteous is what they say is righteous and what is wicked is what they say is wicked and they are willing to enact laws accordingly as per the judge's ruling mentioned above.

I have done enough talking. What is needed is word from God. Here is a worthy sampling on our subject.

"You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with you." (Psalm 5:4 NKJV) "You hate all workers of iniquity." (Psalm 5:5 NKJV) "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day." (Psalms 7:11 NKJV) "The wicked and the one who loves violence his soul hates." (Psalm 11:5 NKJV) "All the wicked he will destroy." (Psalm 145:20 NKJV) "The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord." (Prov. 15:9 NKJV) "The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked." (Nahum 1:3) "Upon the wicked he will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup." (Psalm 11:6 NKJV)

How does God define a wicked man? "Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him." (Malachi 3:18 NKJV) A wicked man is one who does not serve God. One who serves God is one who follows God by observing God's word, honoring it, obeying it. The wicked does none of these things nor does he care about them. Serving God or obeying his word is far from his mind.

"The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts." (Psalms 10:4 NKJV) "There is no fear of God before his eyes." (Psalm 36:1 NKJV) "Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes." (Psalm 119:155 NKJV)

A man must be very careful to never encourage evil as defined by God in his word no matter how loving and tolerant the acts of the wicked seem to be to modern day society. "He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord." (Prov. 17:15 NKJV) That is exactly what we do when we uphold by our vote or otherwise politicians, judges, and political parties involved in passing laws that are contrary to the word of God. That is what we do when we excuse sin and complain about the one who opposes it whether he is opposing it from the pulpit, in print, in conversation, on the job, in school, or wherever. "Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them." (Prov. 28:4 NKJV) We never want to be classified with those who "have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life." (Ezek. 13:22 NKJV)

What should our attitude be toward sinful conduct? "An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous." (Psalm 29:27 NKJV) This does not mean you hate the man but you surely hate his activities. The Bible says Lot was "oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked." (2 Peter 2:7 NKJV) We should be too. "You who love the Lord, hate evil!" (Psalm 97:10 NKJV) The Psalmist said, "Indignation has taken hold of me because of the wicked, who forsake your law." (Psalm 119:53 NKJV) We either hate evil or we don't. We either are oppressed by "the filthy conduct of the wicked" or we are not. There is no middle ground. How you feel about these things God knows and how you feel about them is telling him a lot about you and/or me. If evil things upset you great. They should. That is what the Bible teaches.

The truth is our job is to rebuke the wicked whether they like it or not. "Those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them." (Prov. 24:25 NKJV) However, this is not done just for our own good but for the good of all including the good of the wicked man himself. "'As I live,' says the Lord God, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?" Has God changed? The Bible says, "I am the Lord, I do not change." (Malachi 3:6 NKJV)

God's desire is that all men come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), obey the gospel, and be saved. As long as the wicked are made to feel as though all the general public they know is siding with them in their evil ways how can they be brought to repentance? We must be careful lest by holding our silence against evil we strengthen the hand of the wicked so that he does not turn from his way (see Ezek. 13:22 already quoted above).

Men only repent and turn from evil, when they do, because they have been confronted by their evil in one way or another. That is to say it has been brought home to them in such a way as to touch their heart and turn them from it. This most often only comes about by someone getting up the courage to rebuke them for their evil and make them feel the force of it. Godly sorrow is the first step to repentance (2 Cor. 7:8-10).

The Bible says, "When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, and the hope of the unjust perishes." (Prov. 11:7 NKJV) All his dreams die with him. There is no such thing as a future for him other than the lake of fire which is eternal. Hope is gone. Such is his sad state.

It does not matter that the crowd applauded him while he lived for his love and tolerance of what others who know the Bible call sin. No matter he was willing to accept all religions as being equal roads to salvation. No matter he would never speak an evil word against any sin and was thus entirely nonjudgmental. None of that matters for he who justifies the wicked is himself an abomination to the Lord (Prov. 17:15 NKJV). A man does not have to be overtly wicked himself to be classified with the wicked. He just has to go along with it versus fighting it.

But what of the righteous? "The wicked is banished in his wickedness, but the righteous has a refuge in his death." (Prov. 14:32 NKJV) A refuge is a place of hope, comfort, and support. It is where you and I ought to want to be when this life comes to an end.

Jesus says, "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire." (Matt. 13:49-50 NKJV) No one has to go into the furnace of fire. It is our decision, our choice. We do not have to live a life of rebellion against God and righteousness. Why not repent today of all wickedness, believe, and obey the gospel and thus find yourself on the side of the just when Jesus comes again with his angels? What a foolish choice it is to choose the furnace of fire when the alternative is a place of bliss.

All of Denny's articles, over 100 audio sermons by Waymon Swain, a free online Bible correspondence course, plus access by links to many other Bible study resources can all be found on Denny's web site DennySmith.Net.


Related Tags: jesus, death, america, god, righteousness, preaching, evil, hell, lord, furnace, sin, wicked, fire, hate, righteous, judge, abomination, wickedness

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