Passage
Matthew 12:31-32
“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. “Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Introduction
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This is the 16th session of Hell sermon series. How fortunate we are that the Lord sent to us the Holy Spirit!
Even after accepting the Lord, until before we become completely blameless, we may sometimes not live by the word of God.
The Holy Spirit then helps us to repent.
When the believers do not live by the word of God, the Holy Spirit lets them feel the groaning in their heart and gives them the spirit of repentance.
Ezekiel 36:26 latter part says, “I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
As promised, the Holy Spirit lets us break our self-righteousness and frameworks, and self-insistence and admit our sins.
He also pours the love of God into our hearts so we can confess our sins and ask for forgiveness.
We can feel this help of the Holy Spirit more vividly when we thoroughly repent with weeping.
Above all, the Holy Spirit strengthens us so we can bear the fruit of repentance, namely to turn from sins completely and live by the Word.
As mentioned, the Holy Spirit together with the Lord acts as peacemakers between God and us.
That is why blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven.
Jesus said it cannot be forgiven forever.
But the pitiful reality is that so many people do not even realize how grave this sin is and they blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
The retribution for the sin that the blasphemers of the Holy Spirit will receive is really heavy.
Therefore, I hope you will always have peace with the Holy Spirit.
I also urge you to pray in order that many souls will have peace with the Holy Spirit.
Main
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in the last session, I explained to you the case of a married couple sinning together on earth and receiving punishments in the Lower Grave together.
It is the horrible punishment of going in turns into a pot of boiling liquid. In the Lower Grave, sometimes an entire family receives the punishment together.
There is a case in which the daughter stood against the Holy Spirit seriously and her parents and brother took part in it together with her.
Because the daughter was an important leader in the church, her family members also thought that they were leading a good Christian life.
But the actual situation was different.
They did some work for God, too. However, the daughter was an important leader in the church and they caused many difficulties for others with the authority of their daughter.
Because they did not circumcise their hearts, their anger and greed came out as these forms of evil.
Even though you believe in God, if you do not circumcise your heart you may show actions that are same as unbelievers who are evil and who do not know God at all.
Finally, the punishment came upon the family for their evil deeds. The father became seriously ill and reached the threshold of death.
Only then the family members repented with tears and clung to God asking for their father’s recovery.
God accepted their repentance along with the intercession of their pastor and let their father live. Then, God let me know something unexpected.
It was that if God called his soul at that time, the father could receive at least shameful salvation, but if his life is extended, he wouldn’t even be able to receive salvation.
And soon, as God said, something happened that made me think, ‘It was better that he died when he was sick.’
The daughter who was an important leader of the church greatly received Satan’s works, and betrayed the church.
Then, her family members all left the church along with her. They didn’t just leave, but they committed unforgivable sins by blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
Soon after that, the father of the family, whose life was extended by God’s grace, finally died.
If he had died before while he had the little bit of faith, he could have received at least the shameful salvation.
But after he was brought back to life by God’s grace, he lost his remaining faith, and he fell into deep hell.
Also, his family members will fall into the Lower Grave according to their sins. The soul of the mother and brother will receive the same punishment along with the father of the family.
What kind of punishments would they receive? They are receiving their punishment at a place where there is a cliff that is so high that the top cannot be seen.
In the turbid space filled with the smell of blood are resounding sounds of mourning like demons weeping and sharp screaming.
In the middle of the high cliff are the three souls that look like three spots.
They are climbing up what is virtually vertical. They climb the rough cliff with bare hands and feet.
The skin of their hands and feet and knees are ripped apart and blood flows out from them as if they had been rubbed with sandpaper.
And yet they keep on climbing the cliff because of the messenger of hell flying at their back.
They are so nervous about the messenger of hell raising his hands towards them.
It’s because the moment the messenger raises his hands, some insect-like creatures are scattered on the cliff.
Just like tiny water drops come out from sprayers, countless insects cover the ground to make it completely black.
These insects begin to chase the three souls exposing their teeth.
They climb up the cliff very quickly.
Suppose you open the door of your porch, and hundreds of cockroaches as big as your thumb are covering the whole floor of the living room. You must be so terrified.
You would be even more terrified if they were some poisonous spiders or scorpions.
If you can hear those many insects making crisp crunching sounds as they move, you probably will have goose bumps all over your body.
How appalling it would be if those insects get on you, climb up on your feet and legs and cover your whole body?
But in the Lower Grave, there aren’t just hundreds of cockroaches but just countless insects chase after the souls that are merely their prey.
Those three souls on the cliff would be so terrified to see those insects and try to climb up the cliff. They try their best to get as far away from the insects as possible.
They focus so much on running away that they trample on each other to climb up faster.
The son may trample on the other two souls who were his parents, or the ex husband and wife trample on each other. They curse and fight with each other.
They climb up the cliff giving out their evil, but soon they are caught up by the insects.
When the insects reach their prey, they begin to nibble their whole bodies; hands, head, and all the body parts.
At this moment, they cannot do anything. Because they don’t want to fall from the cliff, they cannot shake the insects off either.
They cannot but just leave the insects to nibble their bodies.
They cry due to the pain of being eaten by the insects, twist their bodies, and give out more evil. They curse at each other more.
As they curse and trample on each other for their own benefit, the messengers of hell around them become happy seeing their ugly evilness.
And at one point, the messenger that controls this punishment stretches his hands to bring in all the insects.
But these people cannot stop climbing up the cliff. They know that the messenger of hell will soon let the insects bite them.
The pain of climbing up the cliff with bare hands and feet is not minor, but greater is their nervousness of being attacked by the insects.
That is why they keep on climbing up the cliff in terror, even though their hands, feet, and knees are ripped apart and full of blood.
Also, there is no other place than this cliff to run away from the insects. Of course, they can never get away from the insects even though they climb up the cliff.
They know it can never happen, but they are clinging to the slightest hope that there may be the end of the cliff if they keep on going.
Brothers and sisters, next, I will explain the punishment of a person who blasphemed the Holy Spirit so much with words.
The Bible emphasizes the importance of our words in many parts.
Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Those who speak only words of truth and goodness will eat the good fruit from their words.
But those who speak evil words and words without faith will eat the fruit of evilness.
The fruit of words is very precise, and one may face great difficulties just by a couple of words that he speaks.
For example, some believers are persecuted by their family members so much that they might say or pray that their family members will come to repentance even if it means they have to get into an accident.
Then, this word will be heard by Satan immediately, and Satan will begin to challenge God about this matter.
Satan insists that what they have said must happen to them.
And if this challenge of Satan is in accordance with the justice, they may get a disease or get into an accident just like the words spoken.
They might even suffer from disability. Even if the family members can repent because of that, why cause such hardships?
Couldn’t the almighty God save those family members through much better ways than that?
Of course He can save them through many other good ways.
Some speak words of untruth to cause trials upon themselves and they don’t even realize it.
Their trials can end quickly through their repentance, but they don’t even remember what they said.
Therefore, I hope you will certainly remember that all your words will have consequences.
I urge you to set a guard over your mouth so you can be on alert and control your words.
Brothers and sisters, even if you say something with a good intention, if that word is not a word of truth and goodness, it may cause you a trial.
And if you intentionally tell a lie to blaspheme the church and a servant of God and to insult him, how great the retribution would be!
Furthermore, to slander and wrongfully accuse a church that shows the works of the Holy Spirit and God’s servant who is loved by God is to blaspheme and insult the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, such people will surely be questioned for their words when they are judged by God.
In Matthew 12:36 Jesus said, “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.”
Those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit with their words will become the instruments of Satan, disturb the kingdom of God, and finally be branded as men of darkness.
After the judgment, they will fall into the punishment of the deeper part of hell.
This case which I am going to talk about falls into this category.
This soul did many voluntary works in the church for a long period of time.
On the outside he was a worker who was full of the Spirit; he loved God and the shepherd and the church and the members very much.
One of his family members was also healed of an incurable disease which could have left her with a disability.
Some of his family members were brought back to life at the threshold of death through prayer.
He and his family members received so much grace and blessings of God as members of the church loved by God.
As they received so much grace, they seemed enthusiastic doing their church service. But they didn’t circumcise their hearts, which is the most important thing.
As a result, they were all deceived by a test and left the church.
The children received the works of Satan first, and in turn this soul was deceived by his children.
He forsook all the grace he received and left the church. After that, he began to disturb the ministry of the church.
He didn’t just say a couple of words, but he visited each member of the church and urged them to leave the church of life.
He even called some members in other parts of the country or visited them to deceive them.
He might have left the church because of his lack of faith. But if he had remembered the grace he received, he wouldn’t have believed unsubstantiated rumors without checking them.
He should have tried to see what the whole truth was.
If he did that, he could have had a chance to receive God’s mercy.
But this soul did not overcome his evil and committed so many sins with his lips.
As a result of his sins, he will receive horrifying punishment in the Lower Grave.
When this soul goes to the Lower Grave, the messenger of hell will sear the mouth that blasphemed the Holy Spirit with a hot iron.
The shape of the mouth will disappear, and only the branded seal will be left on the spot.
Then this soul will be placed in a glass tube which is just the size of a man.
Either end of the tube, the head and the toe side will be covered by a lid.
On that lid is placed something like a metal handle.
It would be easier to visualize it if you think of the handle that is placed in the bottle stopper for champagne.
One of the handles is connected with the head and the other is connected with the legs of this soul.
The messengers of hell will hold each handle and begin to turn it. Then, the soul inside the tube will be twisted like a cruller.
He is constantly twisted, and from one point, blood will begin to gush out from all holes of the body including the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Just like dirty water comes out when you squeeze a rag, blood and water of the whole body will spill out.
Just think about it.
It is not an easy thing to twist a finger of a man until it begins to bleed.
It is possible only with great strength. And not just a finger but the whole body from his head to feet are twisted until his water and blood are squeezed.
The bones will crack and break and be shattered, and the muscles and skin will be torn apart.
The internal organs will burst.
The blood and water of the body will begin to come out only at this stage.
It is difficult to imagine how all the waters of the body can be squeezed out, and it is even more difficult to imagine the pain of this soul.
The glass tube will be filled with the bloody liquid from the body just like wine in a bottle.
When there is no more liquid to come out from the body, the messengers of hell will leave him alone for a moment.
They leave him so his body will be completely recovered.
But what is the meaning of recovery for this soul?
Right from the moment he is recovered, he will be twisted and squeezed again.
Even the time of recovery is only the preparing time for the next round of torture.
From the next session, I will explain to you about other kinds of punishments that the souls who stood against God receive.
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is the spiritual law that we reap what we have sown.
As I introduced the above cases, those souls are receiving the punishment according to what they sowed.
The first family that I introduced to you had arrogant minds because they had important titles in the church.
As a result, they have to climb up high cliff.
And as a result of standing against God as a whole family, they curse and quarrel with each other for their own benefit.
The second case disturbed the kingdom of God with so many words visiting many church members.
As a result, his mouth is seared. Also as a result of working so hard by Satan’s instigation, the blood and water of his body is squeezed.
When they loved other persons, they sowed flesh and reaped flesh. Namely, they loved with fleshly love.
If a member your family is standing against God, it is true love to correct that person by all means.
It is never love to commit sins together just because of fleshly affection. It is rather to hate that person.
Also, when you love God, the church, the shepherd, and the members, you have to have spiritual, unchanging love.
If you once said that you loved God but later you curse God and the church when things are not beneficial for you, how filthy and fleshly this is!
Therefore, I hope you will only sow good words and deeds and spiritual heart before God.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will enjoy and give thanks forever for the abundant rewards that will be stored in Heaven according to what you have sown.
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