TROPHIES IN THE HALLS OF HELL
Isa. 14:9; 1 Pet. 5:8
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A man was out working in his yard when a police car pulled up. The policeman got out and asked him where he was between 5 & 6.
2. For some reason the officer got a little agitated when he said, “I was in kindergarten!”
B. TROPHIES: CELEBRATING CONQUESTS
1. Hunters like to keep trophies of their hunting prowess. They get taxidermists to mount the head or horns of the beast.
Often hunters have a “trophy room” filled with their trophies.
2. The same thing happens after wars; memorials are set up. Not only do humans celebrate their conquests, but Heaven and Hell also honor their victors and celebrate their greatest victories.
3. The Book of Isaiah describes Satan’s Trophy Room in Hell, “The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you [the King of Babylon] at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you—all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones—all those who were kings over the nations” Isa. 14:9.
4. Satan has a Trophy Room in Hell, where all those who held positions of power in the world are displayed on thrones to recall their former greatness. There were undoubtedly lesser persons in the background not worthy of special notice.
5. ALL OF US WILL EITHER BE TROPHIES IN THE HALLS OF HELL OR TROPHIES IN THE COURTS OF HEAVEN. WHICH WILL YOU BE? Beware: if you don’t sell out to God and decide to serve the Lord, you may end up being “Trophies in the Halls of Hell!” That’s the title of this message.
I. TROPHIES IN THE HALLS OF HELL
A. THE SCENE
1. I went to a Wax Museum in Hot Springs Arkansas and was mesmerized by the life-like statues of many famous people. They looked so real it was hard to believe they were wax.
2. Hell has a Trophy Room much like that wax museum, with statues of those Satan caused to stumble and miss God’s salvation.
3. Many of these human trophies are common people that were tricked and brought down – drunkards, thieves, the immoral, people who thought they were “good people in their hearts,” and even the religious who didn’t trust Christ for salvation. They were easy conquests of the Devil.
4. But the Enemy has greater trophies who were world leaders – kings, emperors, presidents – maybe displayed with their eyes bulging, faces permanently fixed in malice. Among them – the Caesars (Nero, Caligula), Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Ivan the Terrible, Robespierre, Leopold the Butcher of Congo, Idi Amin, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Mao Zedong, Adolf Hitler, Nikita Khrushchev, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, Osama ben Laden, and a host of others.
5. Satan also has special trophies in the concourses of Hell for those who led astray large masses of humans and damned them to Hell:
a. The founders of false world religions.
b. Karl Marx & Vladimir Lenin (Communism)
c. Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud, Wellhausen & a host of the promoters of atheism.
6. But the Prince of Darkness’ is most proud of his spectacular spiritual victories – snatching people from the very gates of Heaven and bringing them down to the depths of Hell!
B. EXAMPLES OF THE MOST PRIZED TROPHIES:
1. The first Man ever born – CAIN. The firstborn of Adam, he stands permanently fixed with his club raised high, ready to strike Abel, his little brother. Fiery jealousy & hatred twist his face.
2. Beside him, robed in splendor and surrounded by his foreign wives, stands SOLOMON, builder of the Temple, son of David, ancestor of Christ. In his hands he holds the blueprints to the temples of Molech and Chemosh.
3. But the trophy reserved for the highest pedestal is the delight of the heart of the Devil. JUDAS. He cast out devils, healed the sick, and cleansed the lepers in Jesus’ name. He was one of Jesus’ 12 apostles, who even preached the Gospel. But pride and greed led to his downfall – his statue has him frozen, with the 30 pieces of silver tucked in his belt, leaning over, lips poised, to betray Jesus with a kiss!
4. HUMOR. One day Satan challenged God to a baseball game. “You don’t have a chance,” answered God. “I have Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and all the greats.” “Well, that may be true,” boasted Satan, “but I have all the umpires!”
C. THE BLANK TROPHY PEDESTALS
1. There may be noticed, throughout the Halls of Hell, many trophy mounts which are still blank, which have no image or names attached.
2. These stand as mute warnings, that the enemies’ work of bringing down men and women is not finished. God forbid that YOUR NAME and likeness should wind up being placed on them!
II. TROPHIES OF GRACE
A. THE HEAVENLY COUNTERPART
But there are also Heavenly Trophy Rooms with tributes to heroes who played large parts in winning many souls to God. Hebrews 11 is a verbal “Hall of Faith” of many famous heroes. I can think of many Christians that helped shape Christianity;
1. SAUL OF TARSUS – the destroyer of the Church in the first Century who became its greatest champion. His evangelism and theology transformed Christianity from a sect of Judaism into a world religion.
2. CONSTANTINE THE GREAT was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He helped the empire to spread Christianity throughout Europe and western Asia.
3. SAINT AUGUSTINE was a pagan in Africa who, at the age of 32 was converted, became Bishop of Hippo, and wrote treatises which were foundational to the church for a 1,000 years.
4. GREAT RESTORERS OF THE CHURCH: MARTIN LUTHER & WIFE KATHARINA and JOHN & CHARLES WESLEY.
B. FAMOUS EVANGELISTS – GEORGE WHITEFIELD (1714-1770), DWIGHT L. MOODY (1837-1899), CHARLES FINNEY, WILLIAM & EVANGELINE BOOTH (1829-1912), BILLY GRAHAM (1918-2018), and REINHARD BONNKE (1940-2019).
C. FAMOUS MISSIONARIES – WILLIAM CAREY (India), DAVID LIVINGSTONE (Africa), HUDSON TAYLOR (China), and ADONIRAM JUDSON (Burma), AMY CARMICHAEL (India), and many more across the world.
D. AVERAGE CHRISTIANS = HEROES
1. Of course, the whole idea of honoring the victors was God’s idea to start with. God’s Word declares that a heavenly Olympic stand will be set up and all serve the Lord, no matter how small their contribution, will be rewarded. If we give a cup of cold water in the Name of the Lord, we won’t lose our reward. It’s called the Bema Judgment.
2. I believe those who will be honored the most won’t be the famous evangelists, but the humblest Christians who suffered the most, who were poor and were persecuted. They will be the ones sitting beside Jesus at the feast of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob!
3. Most Christians, when they contemplate standing before God in Judgment, tremble, because they well-know their own faults, weaknesses, and selfishness. But what if God is keeping score differently than we think?
4. Be encouraged! I believe that every prayer you pray, every smile you give, every kind word, every act of generosity, every encouragement will be rewarded.
5. Every time you rejected a temptation, took a stand for Christ, taught a Bible study, cooked a meal for God’s people, made a phone call, sent someone a get-well card, etc. – it will all be noticed and rewarded!
III. THE UNFINISHED TASK
“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Mt. 9:35-38.
A. THE GREAT COMMISSION
1. At least five times Jesus commanded us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every person (Mt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15; Lk. 24:46-47; Acts 1:8). He said, “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you.” As called as HE was to save the world, so are WE called to do it.
2. Without Jesus, people are empty and going the wrong direction. Millions are on sedatives and stimulants. Psychologists offices are jammed. Everywhere people are sad, filled with tragedy, addictions and depression.
3. People will never be fulfilled without God in their lives. People are hurting and we have the answer. Only Jesus can really improve their lives. We have to tell them!
B. WILLIAM BOOTH’S DREAM (1829-1912), founder of the Salvation Army. He had a vision while on a train:
1. “I saw a dark and stormy ocean. In that ocean I saw millions of poor human beings plunging and floating, shouting and shrieking, cursing and struggling and drowning.
2. I saw that from this dark angry ocean, a mighty rock rose up with its summit towering high above the black clouds. All around the base of this great rock I saw a vast platform. Onto this platform, I saw with delight a number of the poor struggling, drowning people were continually climbing out of the angry ocean.
3. There were a few of those on the platform who were helping the drowning ones get out of the waters, by ladders, ropes, and boats. Here and there were some who actually jumped into the water trying to “rescue the perishing.”
4. Although all of the people on the platform had been rescued at one time or another from the ocean, nearly all of them seemed to have forgotten all about it. They didn’t seem to care about the perishing ones – many of whom were their own husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and even their own children.
5. Many of these people went regularly to hear lectures on the awful state of the poor, drowning ones. But they were engaged in all kinds of pursuits and pastimes: businesses, amusing themselves, eating, playing music, dressing up, & hobbies.
6. But the most amazing thing was that although they all professed to be saved by the Wonderful being and to obey Him, they didn’t listen to His cry to them to come join Him to rescue the struggling masses in the sea. And so, the multitude went on right before them struggling and shrieking and drowning in the darkness.
7. And then I understood it all. The sea is the ocean of life; the thunder is the distant wrath of God. Those multitudes shrieking, struggling and agonizing in the stormy sea, are people of all nations, all sinners before God and ruled by the foul fiend from the bottomless pit!
8. They’re all sinking. . . down, down, down . . . to the same terrible doom. That great sheltering rock represents Calvary, the place where Jesus had died for them. And the people on it are those who’ve been rescued. The way they used their energies, gifts and time represent their distraction with this world.
9. The handful of fierce, determined ones, who risked their lives to save the perishing, are true soldiers of the cross of Jesus. That Mighty Being who was calling to them from the midst of the angry waters is the Son of God, who is still struggling and interceding, to save the multitudes from the terrible doom of damnation. He’s calling us to help Him rescue the perishing. Will you join Him? https://444prophecynews.com/vision-of-the-lost-william-booth/ (amended for brevity)
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUS.: THE LETTER
1. A man was appointed to Africa missions. His sweetheart had told him that she wouldn’t marry him if he accepted. He wrote her one last letter asking her to marry him and to accompany him to the mission field. “If your answer is ‘no,’ then don’t answer; if ‘yes,’ then write me back.”
2. She prayed about it and finally felt a release – that she should marry him and work with him in the ministry. With great joy she took up her pen and wrote her tear-filled letter of her love and joy to be his wife and ministry partner.
3. She started to the Post Office, but a torrential downpour of rain began. She went to her little brother and asked him if he would deliver the letter if she gave him $5. He said ‘yes,’ thinking of all the things he could buy if he braved the rain.
4. Anxiously she awaited her Lover’s letter, but it didn’t come. Months dragged by. At last, she learned he had left for the mission field without her. She was heart-broken.
5. Several years later, when she was moving to a different house, she found an old coat – belonging to her brother. HER LETTER WAS STILL IN THE POCKET!
6. God too has written a letter to those He loves. Will we fail to deliver the letter, like her brother?
B. THE CALL
1. Can you think of someone you know who isn’t a Christian? How many will pledge this morning; “I will talk to them about their salvation?” Let me see your hands. I want you to write it down right now so you don’t forget.
2. There’s some of you, when I was describing people struggling in the water, you thought, “That’s me.” If that’s you, raise your hand. Jesus cares about you; He wants to pull you out of that water today. Slip up your hand.
3. How many don’t want your head mounted in one of Hell’s trophy cases? You want to make a firm commitment. Raise your hands.
4. I want all of you who raised your hands to come join me at the front for prayer. PRAYER.
