I don't know if you're lost or saved,
friend.
Only God knows that.
But I'm gonna be honest with your soul
tonight.
And like we say in the South, I'm
gonna give you the oil straight from the
can.
If what I have to say doesn't pertain
to you, then I'm not talking to you.
But you better sit up and listen to
me, friend, and get the wax out of
your ears so you can hear me.
You're just an old devil ready for hell.
And your main problem is you think you're
all right and that there is nothing after
death but a big black void.
Well, you're right about one thing.
You will die and you will enter that
big black void that Jesus called outer darkness
where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Wailing speaks great loss and grief and gnashing
of teeth signifies great anger and regret.
But that's where you'll be right alongside that
as you are enveloped with outer darkness that
is not void of activity but is full
of activity for it is alive with flashes
and crackles of boiling fire and billowing with
sulfurous smell of smoke and brimstone.
But there's never any peace and quiet in
there for all the constant noise that is
more deafening than twenty thousand nuclear blasts charged
with terrible cries of the damned who be
all around you while you are screaming your
guts out and crying in agony a soul
in a hell that never quits or takes
time out but goes on and on for
ever and ever.
God declares in Isaiah the wicked are like
the troubled sea when it cannot rest whose
waters cast up mire and dirt there's no
peace saith my God to the wicked the
wicked dead in hell are full of their
ungoverned lusts and passions but find no satisfaction
in them and these unbridled passions have no
outlet so they twist and turn and squirm
like the troubled sea.
They're like Cain walking through earth who always
dwelled in a land of shaking always looking
over his shoulder in fear the wicked are
like the troubled sea I live in the
state of Florida and I've seen my share
of hurricanes I've stood by the shore and
watched the sea rise in waves of anger
dirty with debris and driven by the wind
as those violent waves crashed against the rocks
of that shore but that's what the turbulence
in hell is like trust me friend when
I say you don't want to go there
you don't want to go to hell but
you can't see your danger listen to me
now you're an old church devil ready for
hell you were baptized once and you've done
some time serving on a few church committees
that elevated you in the eyes of man
but now you got one foot in the
grave and the other is dangling over hell
you're an old church devil who's been sitting
on the rotten foundation of an empty religious
profession you've never been born again you made
the mistake of thinking church membership was salvation
and your main problem is you think you're
all right and God is not so mean
to send you of all people to hell
you're holding your hand a copy of your
church membership to show old Gabriel when you
get to the pearly gates but old Gabriel
will take one look at you and say
oh no sir we can't have no devils
up here bind them hand and foot and
drag this rascal down to hell where it
belongs because he just an old devil who's
fooled a lot of folks but he can't
fool a holy God and Gabriel will read
you from Isaiah out of the Bible which
speaks of your deceived heart and sudden surprise
but the sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness
has surprised the hypocrites who among us shall
dwell with a devouring fire who among us
shall dwell with everlasting burnings you're just an
old devil ready for hell who's only fooled
himself down you'll go when they lay your
body in the ground and you leave this
world and your soul travels into another world
you were quite unprepared for crackling pop go
to flames all around you as you're engulfed
by eternal misery that you'll never escape from
and when the devil himself walks into hell
you look at him and see yourself his
mark is on you the bark of sin
and the only thing that can wash the
mark of sin away is the blood of
Christ Jesus but it's too late for you
your day of grace is over the blood
is out of your reach as demons reach
for you with hideous laughter in hell you're
just an old devil ready for hell what's
keeping you from going there now why aren't
you there you belong there surely a day
is fast approaching where you will finally die
and wind up in hell you're such an
old devil you'll bust hell wide open years
ago i was visiting furry lewis the old
famous black blues musician it was the year
1974 we were sitting on his bed in
his shotgun home in memphis tennessee i have
a photo of the two of us sitting
there with my guitar across my lap and
his arm around me and he commented to
his housekeeper to get the wire fixed out
on the front porch light because it was
dangerous and then he said this to her
i know i've been a rascal all my
life but i've never done nothing bad enough
to be electrocuted and that's your problem friend
you don't think you've ever done anything bad
enough to be electrocuted you think god thinks
you're all right in his book but the
fact is you're not even in his book
because you're just an old devil ready for
hell what are you gonna do about it
there's only one thing you can do let
me tell you a story that will explain
it to you i am reminded of a
story about a man traveling through the city
of st louis and it's a sunday and
he's a christian so he parks his car
at a downtown church and goes inside to
worship once he's in there he realizes that
he's the only white person in an all
-black church so he takes his seat on
the back row up on the platform is
the well-dressed elderly pastor who is speaking
on his subject for that sunday morning his
subject is heaven he begins his sermon by
saying some folks call heaven paradise other folks
call it abraham's bosom i like to think
of heaven this way here is jesus just
returned from his earthly ministry he stands there
at the pearly gates and old gabriel greets
him hello jesus uh sure it's good to
see you jesus we sure missed you up
here jesus uh sure it's good to have
you home jesus uh but wait who's that
with you is that that thief from the
cross oh no sir we can't have no
thieves up here he's not welcome here jesus
replied never your mind gabriel never your mind
and just then jesus put his arm around
the thief and declared he's with me and
that's the only way friend you'll ever get
to heaven you'll have to have jesus say
about you he's with me she's with me
get to christ friend and get your sins
washed in his blood jesus he's the only
remedy and refuge for sin but the book
of revelation declares and from jesus christ who
is the faithful witness and the first begotten
of the dead and the prince of the
kings of the earth unto him that loved
us and washed us from our sins in
his own blood