Tattoos and Body Piercing

It's obvious that tattoos and body piercing are a major fad these days.  Even among Christians this practice is very popular.  In fact, even pastors, evangelists, and other ministers of the gospel are doing it! It's become an epidemic!

The most common age for people to engage in this practice is eighteen to twenty-five years old.  But people of all ages are getting tattoos or body piercing, even parents and grandparents, as well as children. It may seem cool to some. Others may do it to rebel or because their friends are all doing it. Evidently they are just going along with the culture of the world. But many Christians do it because they feel it is a statement of their faith.

I'd like to ask the question whether it is right in the sight of God to get tattoos or body piercings.  With all these motives and reasons for doing it, we can't base our determination whether it is right or wrong on popular opinion or people's motives. We must go by what the Word of God says.

There are two Scriptures that immediately come to my mind.  The first one is that "You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD." (Lev 19:28).  The second one is this: "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are." (1Co 3:16-17).

These two Scriptures alone should be plain enough for anyone to see that it's a sin to pierce your body or get a tattoo.  The very fact that it is written in God's Word should be sufficient to convince anyone. Yet these days there is very little regard for what the Bible says.  And if it comes from the Old Testament, then people disregard it all the more.  They claim that since we are not under law, we don't have to pay any attention to commandments of God written in the Old Testament. They claim that we are free in Christ to do this, and somehow they justify it as an expression of their faith in God.  However, we are not free to sin.

Moreover, Jesus and the apostles all taught about the Law and quoted the Old Testament  (Mat 5:17-22; 7:12; 22:40; 23:23; Luk 10:26,28; Luk 16:17; Jam 1:25; 2:8,9,11,12; 4:11; Eph 6:1-3; 1 Cor 7:19b; 9:7-9; 14:34,37; Rom 2:13)  During their days, that was the only Scripture that existed in written form on earth. And when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is, He answered by quoting from the Law.

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"

And He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."  (Mat 22:36-40)

The first Scripture that Jesus quoted was from Deuteronomy 6:5. The second Scripture He quoted from was Leviticus 19:18. So the Lord Himself quoted from the Law, including the book of Leviticus.  In fact, He quoted from the same chapter in that book as I have quoted regarding tattoos. So we should not think that it's off limits for Christians to quote verses from these books of the Bible. These Scriptures are still profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. By quoting them, we are imitating Christ.

Paul said, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." (2Ti 3:16)

The Lord is eternal and does not change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Heb 13:8). His ways are still the same. What was morally evil in His sight 3,700 years ago is still evil today. It did not become good or right in His sight just because of the New Covenant. His ways are still holy, righteous, and good. They are still The Ways of Life, so I encourage you to read my article by that name at that link.

Tattoos Are an Occult Practice
If you don't believe that tattoos are a sin, based on what I have just presented to you, then you need to consider the fact that they are an occult practice. The word occult comes from a Latin word occultus, meaning hidden, secret, or mysterious. Occult practices include things like witchcraft, interpreting omens, tarrot cards, casting spells, palm reading, mind reading, sorcery (magic), spiritism, drugs, child sacrifice, and contacting the dead.  These things are an abomination in the sight of God (Deut 18:9-13).

By getting a tattoo, you are participating in an ancient, occult practice that most likely originated in connection with the ritual of scarification (as in scarring oneself by cutting the flesh) and bloodletting. You are opening up inlets for evil to enter! This is a pagan practice, people! If you are a Christian, you need to avoid having anything to do with that, no matter how innocent, fashionable, or spiritual it may appear to you.

If you have already gotten a tattoo, you will need to receive deliverance from the demons that have entered your life in association with it. For more on this, you should watch a video by brother David Williams, called Making an Agreement with the Devil. You could also read Tattoo: The Cup of Devils and Tattoo: The Mark of Blood, by Terry Watkins of Dial-the-Truth Ministries. 

One last thing I would like to mention are some divine revelations that the Lord has given on this topic recently, which clearly confirm His will on this matter.

James Agboola

In James Agboola's testimony about his revelation of hell he stated:

At a point, I now heard somebody call my name. He said, “James! Stop!” I now heard, “Stop!” It now seemed as if a man had just came from ground and put, and now hold my leg there. I now stop. I fold my hands. I bend my head, as somebody who was standing before the judge to be. And the voice now begin to speak to me in great pain. Jesus Christ speak to me in sadness. He was not happy. He speak to me with a sorrowful heart. He said, “James, you think that you cannot die, or you think you are too young to die. Look at you, but now you are dead. You are not on the planet earth again. You are dead. And where you belong is hellfire. If I should take you now, your place is hellfire because you have backslided from My Way. You have turned your back from My Way. And hell is where you belong. And that is hell that you are going.” He said, “James, do you hear the cry of people in hell?” I said, “Yes, sir.” He said, “Many of them are those who called themselves so-called ‘Christians’ like you. While on earth they claimed holiness and righteousness. But because of ‘little, little, little, little things, small, small, small things’, ‘it doesn’t matter.’” We have heard it here now: “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter.” He said, “That is why many of them are in hell. And I hear them crying that now, they believe. They want to change. But it’s too late. It is too late.” He said, “James, when I created man, I created man in my own image. And my glory was upon him.” He said, “But my enemy, the devil, now added a lot of packaging, packaging of the glory I gave man, packaging of earring, necklace, attachments, all of them. God says, “My eye cannot behold it once anything artificial, artificial...” He said, “James, when I created women, did I put hole in their ear?” I said, “No.” He said, “How come I now saw them with hole in their ears?” He said, “James, when I created man, every part of their body that is supposed to have hole, did I not put hole there?” I said, “Yes.”  He said, “How come they now begin to put hole by themselves?” He said, “And once anything artificial has been added, no matter what it is, my face cannot look at them. My face cannot behold them.”

Samuel Oghenetega

In Samuel Oghenetega's testiomony he repeated the Lord's warnings:

Warning to those wearing artificial things: "Remove every artificial thing in your body, because 'Bimbo' Odukoya is in hell crying for mercy. But it is too late."

"Tell those who say, 'Fashion does not mean anything,' it means a lot of things to Me. They are joining to hell without them knowing. The Lord has spoken. Satan will use fashion to capture millions to hell. Do not put on anything artificial like wristwatches, artificial teeth, silver and gold, etc."

"Millions of people are tripping into hell. My Father’s house is empty. Few are there."

Warning to Those Getting Tattoos: "Do not put any marks of snakes or creatures in your body," which is tattoos.

Emmanuel Agyarko
Brother Emmanuel Agyarko testified about his vision of hell saying:

"I also saw a 17 year old American boy called Phillip. This boy had a spider tattoo on his back. He said his friend told him it would protect him from sickness. I then saw Lucifer pass by him mock him. This boy was in church and thought he was  going to heaven. Unfortunately this boy is in hell now because of the tattoo. Lucifer then said, 'All those who use tattoos, serve me.' I saw many other people in this section of hell, all because they have been tattooed on their bodies. I then saw Lucifer transform himself into a young man with many tattoos on his body, with body piercings and mocking them by quoting Lev 19:28 'Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.' In hell a red hot metal had been attached to the tattoo designs and they were in much pain. I saw one boy who said he did not know about the consequences, he had just imitated a friend doing it, so he also did same. However, this boy is also in hell in much pain for having a tattoo on his body."

Scripture Meditations

We must Remember the Eternal Law of God found in His Word. The Scriptures say:

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Gen 1:27, NIV).

"But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" (Romans 9:20, NIV)

"Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood!" (Isaiah 10:15)

"Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'The potter has no hands'?" (Isaiah 45:9)

"Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." (Isaiah 64:8)

“If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.” (Pr 28:9, NIV 1984)

"But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end." (Psa 102:27).

"I the Lord do not change." (Mal 3:6a).

"Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." (Pr 28:13, NIV)

"Blessed is the one who always fears the Lord, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble." (Pr 28:14, NIV)

“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  (Jas 1:27)

"You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”  (Jas 4:4)

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”  (1Jn 2:15-16)

"Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." (2 Cor 7:1, NIV)

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom 12:1-2)

"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." (Heb 12:14, NIV).

Summing it Up
I don't advise anyone to get their body pierced or to get a tattoo, not even if it is one with a Christian theme.  This includes pierced earrings. Don't let the devil deceive you by telling you it's a small thing or that it doesn't matter. He is a liar. The Lord is clear in His Word about this, and He has emphasized through recent revelations his hatred for this evil practice.  People are in hell right now for committing these sins.

If you have already committed one or both of these sins, then stop treading the path of your heart's desire, repent with all your heart, and depart from these things. Remove your earrings and other body piercings.  Cover your tattoos.  Stop sinning. Cleanse yourself from these things (2 Tim 2:21). Seek deliverance from the demons that have entered your life through these inlets. Ask the Lord to forgive you and cleanse you in the blood of Jesus. These things are evil in the sight of God, and nobody who practices them will see God's face. Therefore, Ask for the Ancient Paths.

I hope the Lord will grant you repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth. I pray that you will come to your senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken you captive to do his will (2 Tim 2:25-26). I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received, and to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. If you don't know Jesus yet, then I invite you to repent and give your life to Him today. In the section below I'll tell you how (see Do You Want to Know Him?).

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.  The photos are in the public domain, including the ones of the cross tattoos and the Indian lady, which are courtesy of Wikipedia.

Author's note: Please prayerfully consider these testimonies, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to these people.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not. For more information on our position, please see Disclaimers.

You are invited to read The Ways of Life, Abominations in the Sight of God, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Vision of Hell by Emmanuel Agyarko, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Ezekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and Hell, Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetaga, The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Separation from the World, Purge the Evil from Among You, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Remember the Eternal Law of God, and my daughter's lovely poem Beauty Unfading. 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.

The Marine Kingdom and Queen of the Coast

Claire Andoun Atongo

A friend of mine, named sister Claire Andoun Atongo, who has gone home to be with the Lord, said in 2013 that the Lord had been speaking to her about the dirtiness in His Church. He had been showing her that there is a strange power that has come into the Church, because this unclean spirit has been invited in by the women of God, and the pastors will not preach against it.  This strange power is the Queen of the Coast, who leads the sisters in the Church to dress immodestly. She said this spirit has taken the fire out of the men of God.

In my opinion, every woman of God and every pastor needs to take this message before the Lord, seriously asking for the heart of God regarding dressing modestly with purity and holiness. Let's begin by looking at some Scriptures that pertain to the "queen of the coast," and a related expression, known as "the marine kingdom," then I will comment on them.

Scriptures
"In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword— his fierce, great and powerful sword— Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea." (Is 21:7)

Job said to God, "Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep, that you put me under guard?" (Job 7:12)

"It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters." (Ps 74:13)

"Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she put on eye makeup, arranged her hair and looked out of a window." (2 King 9:30).

"In order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." (2 Cor 2:11)

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Pe 5:8)

"And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, 'I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.' Jesus answered him, 'It is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only."'"  (Luk 4:5-8) 

Satan is the god of this world, as the Scripture says, "...in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2Co 4:4)

"And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?'" (Rev 13:1-4)

The apostle Peter said of the Lord Jesus, "When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."  (Ac 3:26)

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1Th 5:16-23)

"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: 'Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.' (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) Then the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' And he added, 'These are the true words of God.'" (Rev 19:6-9).

"...Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." (Eph 5:26b-27).

Putting it All Together 
These verses confirm what the Lord showed Claire Andoun Atongo about the queen of the coast, as recorded in Garments of Godliness. Furthermore, they confirm the Lord's revelation to many other servants of His regarding fashion, as recorded in Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations.

Marine spirits do exist! The first representation of a creature that was half-human and half-fish was the sea-god Oannes, the "great fish of the ocean," who was also the sun-god worshiped by the Babylonians.  He was believed to rise out of the sea each day with the sunrise and disappear back under the waves each night with sunset. The marine kingdom is where the notion of mermaids (and their counterparts, mermen) originates from, creatures that are supposedly half fish and half human. The mermaid* is actually an image of the fish-tailed goddess Aphrodite. Mermaids are often described in folklore as having great beauty and charm. They were supposed to have sometimes assumed human shape and married mortals in ancient legends.

The mermaid and merman derive their names from the Anglo-Saxon word "mer," which means "sea." So the word "mermaid" literally means "Virgin of the Sea," and mermaids represent the so-called "sacred feminine," a movement emphasizing femininity as being closer to divinity than masculinity. Those who follow the sacred-feminine tradition worship feminine beauty and the power of sexual reproduction, and they assume that women are more “sacred” than men, due to their reproductive capabilities. The followers of this religious tradition include goddess worshipers, Wicca witches, and radical feminists. They believe that men can only experience the sacred feminine in a spiritual way through sexual intercourse.

The marine kingdom is also the origin of the demonic pagan god Neptune, the Roman "god of the sea," a brother of Jupiter and Pluto. He corresponds to the Greek god, Poseidon whose main domain is the ocean, and is called the "god of the sea". In fact, there are too many sea gods, goddesses, and their offspring to possibly name them all, including Triton, Rhode, and Proteus. Some of these pagan gods and goddesses are featured in video games, novels, and even Disney movies like The Little Mermaid, which was conceived by Walt Disney and released after his death!

In the Bible, we learn that the ancient Hebrews were ensnared by the false gods of the pagan nations around them, including Asherah, who was worshiped as the Queen of Heaven** (Deu. 16:21; Jdg. 6:25,26,28,30; 1Ki. 15:13; 16:33; 18:19; 2Ki. 13:6; 17:16; 18:4; 21:3,7; 23:4,6,7,15; 2Ch. 15:16; Jer. 7:18; 44:17,18,19,25). Asherah seems to correspond with the goddess Athirat. According to Wikipedia, "In the Ugaritic texts (before 1200 BC) Athirat is almost always given her full title...'Lady Athirat of the Sea' or as more fully translated 'she who treads on the sea.'"  (The Ugaritic language had close connections to the Hittite Empire). The same goddess known as Athirat in the Ugaritic language, and Asherah in the Hebrew language is probably the same as the Arabian goddess Ashira, which is translated to mean "lady of the sea." The Asherah pole that they used to worship her was a phallic symbol, representing the male reproductive organ.

Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab and the most evil woman in the Bible, made Asherah-worship even more prevalent in Israel.  In fact she supported 400 prophets of Asherah, who ate at her table. Under Ahab and Jezebel's reign, Israel observed the feasts of Baal and Asherah religiously.  She was not an Israelite, but a Phoenician, who brought her native religion of sea-goddess worship from the coast, where she was raised. She was a “Sidonian”, which is a biblical term for Phoenicians in general (1 Kings 16:31), and was the daughter of Eth-Baal, king of Tyre, the ancient Phoenician city in what is now Lebanon.  Both Tyre and Sidon are on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of Palestine. It is also recorded in the Bible that Jezebel put on eye makeup, and arranged her hair to beautify herself, which are behaviors often connected to flirting in Hebraic thinking. By these final actions of hers just before her death, she revealed her vanity and connection with the queen of the coast (2 King 9:30). You may not realize it, but there are still women in the world today in covens, who (like Jezebel) actually worship the sea goddess Asherah.  And even many Christian women today are ensnared by the same spirit that was in Jezebel, as they put on makeup and other artificial things that are the property of satan, in order to beautify themselves and attract men.

These evil marine spirits live in water in the spiritual world, and are a force to be reckoned with on earth. The marine world is a world of beauty and fashion, including makeup, earrings, jewelry, hair attachments, and flashy clothes. The queen of the coast is believed to be an evil spirit within the marine kingdom in charge of worldliness and immorality. But the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is more powerful than any marine spirit.  He has made a spectacle of them at the cross (Col 2:15).  Now through this revelation, He has exposed their identities once again, along with their secret agenda to deceive mankind and capture souls into hell.

Of course, today’s world, including worldly Christians, will continue to defend fashion, fads, and other forms of worldliness.  They will not listen to messengers, whom the Lord has sent, like sister Claire, but they will listen to their own. Like Jesus said, the world loves their own.  He said, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:19).  And as the apostle John said, "They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1Jn 4:5-6)

I hope you will take this seriously and allow the lamp of the Lord's Spirit to search your heart and expose to you anything unholy or impure that must go, including worldly fashions, worldly hairstyles and adornments, and everything immoral, as well as immoral TV programs. Do not despise this prophetic utterance. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.  Through this message the Lord Jesus is seeking to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. Therefore, repent for the kingdom of heaven is near. The Lord is coming back right away and He is purifying His Bride.  Prepare for His coming. Let there be nothing in your life today that would dishonor or keep Him away. In His mercy, He has given this revelation, so that you might make yourself ready for the wedding of the Lamb upon His return.

---
*Footnote: The original Starbucks Coffee logo used from 1971 – 1987 was based on a two-tailed, bare-breasted mermaid, or siren, encircled by the store’s original name, "Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spice."  She was wearing a crown of stars on her head and holding her twin tails open in a seductive, spread-eagle pose. The coffee giant company was looking for a nautical theme to capture the spirit of Seattle, Washington on the west coast of the USA.  It was the intention of the original Starbucks founders to use the mermaid to represent the seduction of the sea-going mariners. Mermaids were supposedly so seductive to sailors that they would jump out of boats once they heard the sirens' songs.  Some sailors who crossed paths with a siren would become so obsessed that they would crash into the rocks and die. Starbucks meant to imply that their addictive beverages were as irresistible as the sirens’ seductive songs. And in fact countless people have been seduced by the lure of their overpriced coffee. Starbucks now has $16.4B USD in revenue with 21,160 stores in 63 countries and territories. The current logo still has the same star-crowned mermaid, whose long hair now covers her bare breasts, but still shows their outline.  And many churches in the US have joined the craze, by adopting the fad of selling Starbucks coffee at their services in the cups with that immoral, idolatrous image on them.  People enjoy being associated with Starbucks coffee, because it is considered hip, or fashionable. This shows how deeply the queen of the coast has deceived people, even in the church.

**Footnote: Incidentally, "Queen of Heaven" is a title given to Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the Roman Catholic Church, although no such title for Mary exists in the Bible.  The title is also used, to some degree, in Anglicanism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. It proves their idolatry and confirms the connection with Asherah, the queen of heaven, lady of the sea, who is part of the evil marine kingdom. The giant obelisk in Saint Peter's Square at the Roman Catholic Vatican is an occult phallic symbol shipped by the Roman emperor Caligula from the Egyptian city of Heliopolis (meaning "The City of the Sun" and also called "The City of Destruction" in Isaiah 19:18). This particular obelisk located prominently at the Vatican provides further evidence of their idolatry.  It is positioned in the middle of a huge, eight-point sun wheel, a symbol used in pagan sun worship. In fact, one of the many titles the Roman Catholics give to Mary is "Our Lady of the Seas," and there is even a Catholic church called by that name in the Outerbanks of North Carolina, on the Eastern seacoast of the USA  You can even buy your own "Our Lady of the Seas" idol online, which is wearing a strapless gown with naked shoulders. If you are an adult, then you can Google search for "Mary Our Lady of the Seas images," and you will see the many such idols that they have for her. But be careful what you see, as there are many traps of the enemy. It's not difficult to see how idolatry of Mary is connected with the queen of the coast and her marine kingdom. (Also see Pagan Symbols of the Popes and Messages from the Lord for Catholics Worshiping Idols).

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: You are invited to read Garments of Godliness, as well as Claire Andoun Solomon's Encounter with Jesus, Revelation of Sister Claire Andoun in Heaven, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Tattoos and Body Piercing, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, and the ones listed below. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations	Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead	Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven
Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths	James Agboola's Revelation of Heaven and Hell	Forty Days in Heaven and Hell

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.

Jesus Christ Descended Into Hell

I want to explore the topic of Jesus descending into hell, which is an ancient, but controversial subject. I first wrote about this several years ago, but I feel it's necessary to publish it at this time. I believe it is more relevant today than ever before, because people either don't believe in hell, or don't think they're going there.  Yet people are going there in untold numbers every day. 

By way of introduction, I’ll begin with a couple of quotes from DiAnna Paulk:

Where was Jesus and what was He doing during the three days and nights that His body was in the tomb?  The Apostles' Creed answers, "He descended into Hell."  The first known use of this phrase didn't occur until AD 360.  It doesn't appear in any of the earlier creeds or baptismal confessions.  It wasn't included in the Apostles' Creed until AD 570.  The newer versions of the Creed say "He descended to the dead."  Some churches omit it entirely.  Why was it ever included?  What was the scriptural basis for such a thought? (DiAnna Paulk)

One of the primary scriptures supporting the belief that Christ descended into hell is Acts 2:27.  The King James translation of this verse reads, "Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption."   Also in this chapter of Acts verse 31 is translated "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption."   (DiAnna Paulk)

Since the Scriptures state that Jesus’ soul was not left in hell, we know it had to be in hell at some point. But we need to study the Scriptures to determine if this is true, and if it is, the exact details concerning His journey into hell.

Jesus Descended into Hell so That the Dead Would Hear His Voice and Live
Why would Jesus need to go into hell?  He Himself said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (Joh 5:25).

Therefore, He descended into hell so that the dead would hear His voice and live.

Jesus Made Proclamation to Spirits Now in Prison
The Holy Spirit affirmed this through the apostle Peter when he wrote:

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”  (1Pe 3:18-20)

He said, “having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit,” which means that although Jesus’ body was dead, He was alive in the Spirit.  This expression “in the Spirit” refers to the fact that in the Holy Spirit, His Spirit was alive while His body lay in the grave.  And Peter said it was “the Spirit; in which also He went.”  Put differently, Jesus died physically, but His Spirit, which was alive in the Spirit, went someplace to preach.  Peter calls that place a prison.

Their bodies were drowned in the Great Flood of Noah’s day, and their spirits cast into prison.  The spirits of disobedient sinners, as soon as they are out of their bodies, are committed to the prison of hell, from where there is no redemption.  Since Peter said, “Jesus made proclamation to the spirits of those now in prison,” this means that at the time when Peter wrote this, those spirits were still in prison.  First there was the deluge, then Jesus preached to them, and then Peter wrote that those spirits were still in prison.  How can we be sure this prison is hell?

The Prison Peter Refers to is in Hell, Where There are Pits of Darkness
In Peters second epistle he wrote:

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,” (2Pe 2:4-9)

God cast the angels into hell when they sinned, and also the ungodly people of the ancient world of Noah’s day, as well as the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah in Lot’s day.  Peter says the unrighteous are in hell being punished and kept there until judgment day.

By putting this information from his first and second epistles together, it is very clear that the prison Peter refers to is in hell, where there are pits of darkness. Jesus went down to the pit of darkness, and made proclamation to the spirits in hell.  Why did He do this after His death and not before?

Jesus descended into hell after he finished paying the full price for sin. It was not expiatory
The apostle John wrote:

“Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (Joh 19:30)

From this passage we learn that Jesus could not make His proclamation to the dead in hell until He had finished paying the full price for sin.  So we know it had to be after He died on the cross, which is exactly what Peter taught.

As Jesus died, He committed His spirit into the Father’s hands, not Satan’s hands
Luke wrote:

“And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last.” (Luk 23:46)

This means that the Spirit of Jesus was in the hands of the Father as soon as He died.  So if Jesus went to hell, He was safe in the Father’s hands as He went.  It would still be good if we could find this written somewhere else in the Bible.

Jesus Descended into the Lower Parts of the Earth
The apostle Paul also wrote:

“Therefore it says, ‘When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.’ (Now this expression, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)”  (Eph 4:8-10)

All Christians believe that Jesus ascended far above the heavens and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens.  But in the same passage where Paul taught on Jesus’ ascension, he also taught on His descent into the lower parts of the earth.  He said the same thing as the apostle Peter.  For in the same passage where Peter said that Jesus “went” down into the prison of hell to preach, He also said Jesus “is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.” (1Pe 3:22).  He said it a little differently than Paul, but they both said the same thing.

In the gospel of Matthew, we read:

But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  (Mat 12:39-40)

Jesus drew a parallel between the experience of Jonah in the belly of the sea monster, and His own experience in the heart of the earth. Did you ever realize just how many similarities there are between Jesus and Jonah? Jonah was alive in the Spirit during those three days, while his physical body may have been clinically dead.  I believe his body had no heartbeat and was not breathing, since there would be no air in that place. The Bible seems to indicate that before the creature swallowed him, he had already experienced death.

He cried for help "from the depth of Sheol,” not just from the sea creature's belly (Jon 2:2).

Jonah explicitly said that he died before the creature swallowed him:

"Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, Weeds were wrapped around my head. I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, But You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, And my prayer came to You, Into Your holy temple." (Jon 2:5-7)

It's seems clear from Scripture that Jonah drowned.  The great deep engulfed him, and he descended below sea level, where the mountains have their roots. Just before he drowned in that stormy sea, while he was losing consciousness and fainting away, he prayed. Then the fish swallowed him after he died, and God preserved his body inside its belly for three days.  During that time, Jonah was in Sheol, and the Lord brought up his soul from the pit.

Since the body of Jesus lay silent and dead in the grave for three days, and Jesus drew a parallel between Himself and Jonah, we could conclude that Jonah’s body was dead, too.  But in the Spirit, he was alive. Likewise, Jesus was alive in the Spirit during the three days while His body was dead.  And Jesus said He would be in the heart of the earth during that period, not just in the tomb. (For more on this topic, see The Amazing Sign of Jonah).

Significance of Earthquake When He Died and Descended into Hell
The gospel of Matthew states that on the cross, as Jesus yielded His Spirit to the Father, there was an earthquake:

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’”  (Mat 27:50-54)

We know that when Jesus yielded up His spirit, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  This was the veil dividing the holy place from the most holy place.  By tearing this veil in two, God signified that the way had been opened for all His children to enter by the blood of the Lamb into the most holy place – the throne room of God. 

As the apostle states:

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:19-22)

Likewise, just as the tearing of the temple veil was significant, there was also significance in the tearing of the earth in front of the cross.  God did this for a reason. Since we know that Jesus descended into “hell,” down into the “lower earthly regions,” into the “heart of the earth,” into “the pit,” it seems obvious that the earthquake was related to this.  When the earth split open, it was making way for the King of Glory to come in, and God was signifying that His Son was going into the heart of the earth to do some very important business there.

Similar to the earthquake when the angel of God descended to remove the stone from his tomb
In case you are not sure there was any significance between the earthquake and Jesus’ descent into the heart of the earth, don’t forget what happened when He rose from the dead. 

“And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.”  (Mat 28:2)

This was not a small one, but a severe earthquake.  It happened in connection with an angel of the Lord coming to roll the stone away from Jesus’ grave upon His resurrection. So an earthquake marked the moment His spirit went down into the earth, and an earthquake marked the moment His spirit came up out of the earth.  And the Scripture says this was because of the angelic activity at that moment.

After triumphing over the kingdom of darkness at the cross, he made a public display of them in hell
It’s important to understand what Jesus did while He was in hell.  The apostle Paul wrote:

When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. (Col 2:15)

Our Lord Jesus went down into hell and disarmed satan, along with all the demons.  He stripped them of all their authority and triumphed over them.  satan was eternally dethroned, defeated, and disarmed at that time.  That all happened in hell.  It was there and then that Jesus took away the keys of death and Hades. 

The apostle John described his experience seeing the resurrected Jesus:

"When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, 'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.'" (Rev 1:17-18)

Following his Descent into Hell, He Appeared Before Ascending to Heaven
So what happened after this great triumph in hell? 

“Jesus said to her, ‘Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'”  (Joh 20:17)

Just as Peter and Paul taught, after His descent into hell, He appeared on earth alive, and then He ascended bodily into heaven victoriously.

Jesus Ascended to Heaven Leading a Very Large Group of Captives
But Jesus did not ascend alone into heaven. 

“Therefore it says, ‘When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.’"  (Eph 4:8)

When Jesus came up from the grave and ascended into heaven, He led a host of captives.  Where had they been captive?  They had been captive by the grave, and now they were set free.  Which captives were these?  They were not the ungodly wicked captives, but the saints who had died before the cross. While He was down in the heart of the earth, he set them free from the captivity of the grave. And some of them appeared in Jerusalem after His resurrection.  Scripture says, “many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.” It was these saints, who ascended in his train as He ascended into heaven immediately after His resurrection.

After that ascension, He continued to appear to His disciples in a glorified body for forty days, until He ascended into heaven in front of them all.

“And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”  (Act 1:9)

“So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.”  (Mar 16:19)

“While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” (Luk 24:51)

Jesus was Raised from the Abode of the Dead
There are many other Scriptures that give us further proof where Jesus was during those three days.

The apostle John wrote about the third appearance of Jesus to His disciples after His resurrection: “This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.” (Joh 21:14)

As John said, He was raised from the dead.  When it says, “the dead,” that refers to a place, or realm, or dimension, not just a state of being, as in “not physically alive.”

"But God raised Him from the dead;” (Act 13:30)

“Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.” (Rom 6:9)

“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” (Rom 10:9)

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. (1Co 15:20)

The fifth article of the Apostles’ Creed states this
“He descended into hell.  On the third day He rose again.

Catholic Catechism Regarding the Fifth Article of the Apostles’ Creed
While I do not agree with the Unbiblical Practices of the Catholic Church, I do agree with their view on the descent of Christ into hell, since it is Scriptural. According to Catholic Catechism:

“The Apostles' Creed confesses in the same article Christ's descent into hell and his Resurrection from the dead on the third day, because in his Passover it was precisely out of the depths of death that he made life spring forth.”

"The frequent New Testament affirmations that Jesus was 'raised from the dead' presuppose that the crucified one sojourned in the realm of the dead prior to his resurrection. This was the first meaning given in the apostolic preaching to Christ's descent into hell: that Jesus, like all men, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead. But he descended there as Savior, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there."

"Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, 'hell' - Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek...It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Savior in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell.  Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him."

"The gospel was preached even to the dead (1 Peter 4:6). The descent into hell brings the Gospel message of salvation to complete fulfillment. This is the last phase of Jesus' messianic mission, a phase which is condensed in time but vast in its real significance: the spread of Christ's redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption."

"Christ went down into the depths of death so that 'the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.'  Jesus, 'the Author of life', by dying destroyed 'him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and [delivered] all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.' Henceforth the risen Christ holds "the keys of Death and Hades", so that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth."

"In his human soul united to his divine person, the dead Christ went down to the realm of the dead. He opened heaven's gates for the just who had gone before him."

Jesus Suffered the Torment of a Damned Soul
In his book called Angels on Assignment, Roland Buck writes: “The second death which faces mankind brings fear, dread and torment to him all of his lifetime. This was the death Jesus took for us. When he hung there on the cross, it wasn't the anguish of the physical torment, although he felt everything that we could possibly feel; and it wasn't the separation from people whom he held dear, although he felt it just as keenly as anyone; but Jesus suffered pains that even the ungodly, those totally separated from God, had never felt, for the ungodly have never felt the pangs that come when the last little flicker of hope is extinguished and they hear the words, ‘Depart into eternal damnation.’"

Roland Buck continues, “While living on this earth, they have never felt the weight, the hopelessness and the horror of feeling the cold side of God as he turned his back on them. Jesus suffered the torment of a damned soul! From his heart he cried out, ‘Oh, God, why have you forsaken me?’ and the cold pangs of eternal damnation, those icy fingers gripped his life, and Jesus suffered the judgment of God. He was totally separated from God at that moment!”

“His death was Jesus actually being struck by God's hand with the judgment for sin for the entire world! At this point, Jesus entered into a total separation from God, and God turned his back upon him because of sin!”

I would like to clarify that Jesus did not suffer torment in hell.  He suffered on the cross, and that was enough.  He said, “It is finished,” and nothing further needed to be added to that sacrifice.  I’m sure being in hell was not a pleasant experience, so you could call it suffering, but not a torment or torture of any kind.  He was in complete command while He was down there.

Hell Prior to the Cross
I also need to clarify that before the cross of Christ, there were both righteous dead and wicked dead in the the realm of the dead. In the Old Testament, it was called Sheol, or the grave. Although both the righteous and wicked were there, they were kept completely separate.  Jesus taught this in His account of the true story of Lazarus and the rich man, which was not a parable:

"Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. "And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. "In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers--in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' But Abraham *said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'" (Luk 16:19-31)

The unnamed rich man was in Hades, which is hell or the grave.  This was an actual place of torment, as the rich man called it, where there were flames and only agony and thirst, but no water.  He could see and speak to righteous Abraham, who was together with Lazarus.  The place of the dead where Abraham and Lazarus were located is sometimes called, “Abraham’s bosom.”  However, Jesus may have simply meant that upon the death of Lazarus, the beggar was literally carried by the angels into the bosom of Abraham, the father of the faithful, where he was welcomed with a loving embrace.  There was no agony or flames where Abraham and Lazarus were resting.  Yet Lazarus could not possibly cross over from where he was to where the rich man was, because there was a great chasm or corridor fixed between them. It was completely impossible for there to be any passage of the dead from one side of the chasm to the other.

Upon His death Jesus preached to all the dead in both of these realms of the grave, but only the righteous dead in the so-called “Bosom of Abraham” were released, and not the wicked in the section where there were flames. As Peter said, those ungodly sinners are still suffering in prison today.  But the righteous dead, including the ones that were in “Abraham’s Bosom” before the cross, are up in glory with Jesus in heaven forever. Abraham welcomes saints into heaven now when they die.

Someone Rising from the Dead
I want to say one final thing about people rising from the dead.  In hell, the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn the rich man’s brothers, so that they would not end up in that place of torment with him.  He knew that they were living carelessly comfortable lives on earth, in disobedience to God’s Word, and they would end up there, too. 

“And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers--in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' But Abraham *said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Abraham told Lazarus that if people living on earth do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.  And we see proof of this in Scripture.  After Jesus rose from the dead, the Pharisees and others who crucified the Lord, were still not persuaded.  Instead, they fabricated lies to cover up the resurrection (see Mt 28:11-15).  The same thing happened when Jesus had raised the other Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, from the dead.  That miracle was attracting so many people to Jesus, and the religious leaders were so jealous, that they plotted to kill Lazarus (see Joh 12:9-11). 

However, we are living in the very last days. Jesus is about to return for His Bride and take her to heaven. The day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Meanwhile, most people are wicked, just as in the days of Noah.  In fact, most of the people in the Church, who claim to be Christians, are not even living a righteous life in obedience to God’s Word.  They are going straight from the pew into hell. God in His mercy does not want anyone to perish, but all to repent and have everlasting life (see 2Pe 3:9-12).

Therefore, God the Father has taken extraordinary measures to give a final warning to the world.  He has determined that a number of people would be raised from the dead, who have experienced heaven and hell, in order to warn mankind before it is too late. You can find testimonies of these experiences at the Eternal Destinations Home Page.  Apparently God, in His infinite wisdom, has decided to answer the prayer of the rich man in hell.  He has sent numerous people to the place of the dead, and brought them back, in order to testify of what they experienced, so that those who do not listen to Moses and the Prophets might possibly be persuaded and repent.

Why should anyone consider it incredible that God raises people from the dead?  He did this with Jonah and Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.  And just as Jesus went in the Spirit down to hell, then returned, He is allowing people on earth today to go there and return to tell about it.  Likewise, just as He ascended into heaven, and took the apostles Paul and John to visit heaven (see 1 Co 12:1-4; Rev 4:1), He is allowing people on earth today to go there and return to tell about it.  Do not doubt, but believe, and correctly discern the things of the Spirit!

Putting it All Together
When Jesus died, He committed His spirit into the Father’s hands, not satan’s hands.  Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth, into hell, into the pit, into the heart of the earth.

There is a direct relationship between the earthquake when he died & his decent into hell. By the expression "He descended into hell", the Apostles' Creed confesses that Jesus did really die and through his death for us conquered death and the devil "who has the power of death" (Heb 2:14).

Jesus had to descend into hell, so that the dead saints would hear His voice and live.  Jesus made proclamation to the spirits now in prison. Even those spirits of the ungodly people that died before the cross of Calvary got to hear the gospel, but they remained in prison even in Peter’s day, and are still there today.

Peter referred to the prison in hell, where there are pits of darkness.  In his human soul united to his divine person, the dead Christ went down to the realm of the dead. He opened heaven's gates for the righteous who had gone before him. 

First of all, Christ descended into each of the hells, but in different manner. He went down into the hell of the lost to put them to shame for their unbelief and wickedness: but to those who were in that part of hell where the righteous were detained, He gave hope of attaining to eternal glory.

After triumphing over the kingdom of darkness at the cross, He made a public display of them in hell.  Jesus descended into hell only after paying the full price for sin, since it was not expiatory.  In other words, He did not continue to suffer for sin there.  Jesus’ soul was not left in hell.  Rather, He was raised from the abode of the dead on the third day.

Following his descent into hell, and His return to the surface of the earth, where the living dwell, he appeared to his disciples before ascending to heaven.   Jesus ascended to heaven leading a very large group of captives.

My friend, hell is real.  You don’t want to go there.  It’s a place of flames, torment, and agony, where there is no water.  The wicked go there when they die to await the final day of judgment.  But the angels carry those who live righteous lives in Christ Jesus, when they die, into glory, where they are welcomed into heaven by Abraham’s bosom. There they live with God the Father, Jesus, the angels and the saints forever and ever.  You don’t have to go to hell.

As brother Roland Buck once said, “Your sin has already been judged; the separating barriers between God and man are down; you are free, liberated by his power; and you can be restored to a place of total innocence, to man's original position of closeness and fellowship with God.” –Angels on Assignment, chapter 7.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "The Question" and "Keys of Hell" paintings © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist. 

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this article, I also recommend He Went Down to the Dead and Rose Again from the Dead.You are invited to read or listen to the many, amazing testimonies of the supernatural on the Home page of this blog, a few of which are listed below.  I also recommend The Amazing Sign of Jonah, Christ's Two Ascensions and Discerning the Things of the Spirit. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations	Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies	Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven
Baptized by Blazing Fire	Taken to Hell	Forty Days in Heaven and Hell
Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead	Nigerian Pastor Raised from the Dead	Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths

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.

The Place of Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

Place of outer darkness, fire, & weeping

I want to examine what Scripture teaches about the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.  I am aware that there are some people today who teach that this place is in heaven.  And if they don’t teach that it is in heaven, they teach that it is not hell.  They teach that if you are a believer in Jesus who has wasted your life, and not lived for Him, you will end up in this place, and realize what you wasted.  Then after there has been enough repentance, and enough weeping and gnashing of teeth, you will eventually enter heaven. Does the Scripture teach that?

The Destiny of the Wicked
The psalmist said, “For he will never be shaken; The righteous will be remembered forever. He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is upheld, he will not fear, Until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries. He has given freely to the poor, His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted in honor. The wicked will see it and be vexed, He will gnash his teeth and melt away; The desire of the wicked will perish.” (Psa 112:6-10)

It is the wicked who gnash their teeth, and we know the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, but only the righteous. 

“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psa 1:5-6; cf., Psa 75:10)

The wicked will not stand in the judgment, but will perish.

“The wages of the righteous is life, The income of the wicked, punishment.”  (Pro 10:16)

The wicked should not expect anything but punishment and wrath.

“The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.” (Pro 11:23)

The wicked have no refuge when they die, but are thrust down to hell, as if something were drawing them there magnetically. “The wicked is thrust down by his wrongdoing, But the righteous has a refuge when he dies.” (Pro 14:32)

Paul taught that there would certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. "But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” (Act 24:14-15)

Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth in the Fire
Jesus also taught that there would be a resurrection and a judgment with eternal consequences. He said, "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mat 13:49-50)

Jesus taught that the wicked would be thrown into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So it’s clear that the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth is in the fire of hell.

Jesus also taught that while many Gentiles would enter the kingdom of heaven, many of the original sons of the kingdom would be thrown into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  "I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  (Mat 8:11-12)

Jesus once told the parable of the tares.  Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mat 13:36-42)

According to Jesus, the place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth is the furnace of fire, which is the eternal destination of “all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,” who were planted by the devil.

No Weeping in Heaven
If there is weeping there, we know it cannot be in heaven, since there are no tears in heaven. “For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes." (Rev 7:17)

The apostle John said, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’" (Rev 21:3-4)

The Evil Ones Are Thrown into That Place
He taught that although the wedding hall would be filled with dinner guests, both evil and good, those who are evil, and therefore disqualified to be at the wedding would be bound and thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."' But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.' Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'” (Mat 22:1-13)

He consistently taught that it is the evil ones who go to that place.  Here is another example: "Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 'But if that evil slave says in his heart, 'My master is not coming for a long time,' and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mat 24:45-51).

The evil slave, who beats his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards, will go to that place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Jesus explicitly said He the Master would cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites.  If this place of outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, is not hell, then what is it?  As I said, there are those who teach that it is a place where believers in Jesus can repent after they die, and still enter heaven afterward.  This is simply not Scriptural.  The hypocrites go to this place, and the drunkards, and we know they will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. 

Paul taught this explicitly, “But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” (1Co 5:11-13)

The Eternal Destination of Hypocrites
Jesus said that hypocrites do not enter the kingdom of heaven, but receive condemnation.  "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. [Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]” (Mat 23:14)

Jesus said that hypocrites are sons of hell. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” (Mat 23:15)

Jesus said that hypocrites neglect the weightier provisions of the Law like justice and mercy and faithfulness. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” (Mat 23:23)

If they neglect these weightier provisions of the law, then they praise the wicked. “Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But those who keep the law strive with them.” (Pro 28:4)

Jesus said hypocrites are full of robbery and self-indulgence on the inside. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.” (Mat 23:25)

He said they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.” (Mat 23:27)

The hearts of hypocrites are far from God.  Jesus said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.’” (Mar 7:6)

Putting it All Together
So anyone who is cut in pieces and assigned a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.  To teach this is to go completely against Scripture.  Do not fall for this teaching.

The place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth is the furnace of fire, where the wicked are banished eternally. It is not a temporary holding ground where dead people repent before being allowed to enter heaven.

The apostle John said, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.” (Rev 22:14-15)

Scripture is clear that the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying will be shut outside of the Holy City. No amount of repentance after they die will ever enable them to enter heaven.  Mercy is only available on earth.  The Lord’s standard is high, and He will not lower it for anyone. He requires that we live a life of righteousness, holiness, and truth, if we want to see heaven.  I encourage you today to follow Jesus and to do that.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: I also recommend reading The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Is Obedience Optional?,  Holy Fire Baptism, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies. Also check out Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell and The Three Elijahs. You can 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.