Old Devil Ready for Hell — E.A. Johnston

The Urgent Warning of Judgment

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.

The Reality of Outer Darkness and Hell

You're just an old devil ready for hell, and your main problem is you think you're alright, 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. 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 an agony of soul in a hell that never quits or takes time out, but goes on and on for ever and ever.

Hell as the Troubled Sea in Isaiah

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. That's what the turbulence in hell is like.

Empty Religious Profession and False Assurance

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've 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 him hand and foot and drag this rascal down to hell where he belongs, because he's just an old devil who's fooled a lot of folks, but he can't fool a holy God.

Isaiah's Warning to Hypocrites

And Gabriel will read you from Isaiah out of the Bible, which speaks of your deceived heart and sudden surprise that the sinners in Zion are afraid. Fearfulness hath 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 the 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 mark of sin.

The Cleansing Blood of Christ

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.

The Folly of Self-Justification

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 going to do about it? There's only one thing you can do.

Jesus Alone Welcomes the Repentant

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 a 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. Sure is good to see you, Jesus. We sure missed you up here, Jesus. Sure is good to have you home, Jesus. 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 never 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 is the only remedy and refuge for sin, 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.