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| "Who Cares?" by Mauricio Palaucio |
If we could see in the spirit realm, and watch these people falling down to hell, what would it look like? How would we feel? What would we do? We would see the multitudes being led away to death, staggering toward slaughter. We would see them pouring into hell like the sands of the sea. One moment they would be walking along unsuspecting of what was about to happen to them, and the next moment they would be going over the cliff into the abyss to eternal damnation, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.
If you could stand within a yard (about a meter) from that cliff, watching those human beings, made in God’s image, heading for destruction, would you be passive? Would you say something to warn them? If so, how would you speak? Would you speak softly and gently to them, so as not to upset them or make them hate you? What kind of tone of voice would you use?
In my opinion, if I were standing near the edge of that cliff high above the abyss, watching those souls perishing, I would be screaming to them to warn them. “Hey! Stop! Don’t go any further! There’s a cliff right there! Turn back!” If we were all honest about it, we would probably all do something similar. Perhaps you personally might begin by trying to speak gently to them, but once you saw that nobody paid any attention to you, then you would eventually start screaming. You would probably be waving your arms, too. You would be doing anything you could to get their attention, so that they would stop going in the direction of the cliff, just a few steps away.
Since the Lord sees everything, we know that every day He witnesses these souls perishing, and He weeps for them. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Once they die and go down to hell, they are lost forever, but they remain eternally conscious of their torment. Hell was not created for man, but for the devil and his fallen angels (demons). It’s a horrible place of darkness, totally separated from God, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Everybody in hell is ready to repent, but there is no repentance in hell. Everybody remains in the state they were in when they died. So if they did not repent on earth, they cannot repent in hell. Mercy is only available on earth, yet all those souls in hell are crying out for mercy.
That’s why we must rescue souls. We must rescue those being led away to death, and hold back those staggering toward slaughter. May the Lord give us compassion for the lost that are perishing every day. The devil has taken them captive to do his will. They are on a course for destruction, unless someone rescues them. I am reminded of the song of angels that was caught on tape in a Chinese prayer meeting in 1995. In a place called Shandong, some believers were gathered together praying in the Spirit with a tape recorder recording them. When they played the tape back later, they heard angels singing in the Mandarin language. The angels sang about the signs of the times that are happening, and the chorus for each stanza was this:
The end is near. The revelation of love has been manifested.May that be our heart in these last days: Rise up, rise up, rescue souls!
Rise up, rise up, rescue souls.
The end is near.
Rise up, rise up, rescue souls.
Scriptures
“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?” (Pro 24:11-12, NIV)
“Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Psa 82:3-4)
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls.” (Pro 11:30)
"Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” (Dan 12:3)
And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Mat 4:19)
“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.” (1Co 9:19)
"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” (Mat 18:11)
"Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” (Joh 4:35)
"In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; Incline Your ear to me and save me." (Psa 71:2)
“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Col 1:13)
“He has rescued us from a terrible death, and He will rescue us in the future. We are confident that He will continue to rescue us.” (2Co 1:10, GW)
“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.’” (Mar 16:15-16)
"And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed." (Mar 16:20)
If you would like to read the whole story of the Shandong Miracle and listen to the recording of the angels, singing that song in Mandarin, please see the article, “Angels Singing in a Chinese Church.”
Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, where noted. The "Who Cares?" painting by Mauricio Palaucio is an illustration of General William Booth's vision depicting the Church's apparent lack of concern over the fate of lost souls. (William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army). This oil painting was commissioned in 1993 by Last Days Ministries (founded by Keith Green). Read William Booth's "Who Cares?" article. Order a 25" X 17" poster of this painting through LDM's website.
Author's note: If you would like to be equipped to rescue souls, please consider enrolling in our international Doulos Training School. You are invited to read The Sin of Silence, Baptized with the Spirit, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Rapture Revelation to Angelica Zambrano, Give Me Children or I'll Die!, Confrontational Evangelism, Michael Shigaba's End Time Message for Mankind, Rapture Revelation to James Agboola, Rapture Revelation to Ayodelle Sawyerr, The End Has Come, Covenant Prayer, How to Reach a Muslim for Christ, and Being a Witness for Christ. You may find more articles about being fruitful and multiplying on the Home Page of this blog. You may also find my collection of blogs 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?"
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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.
