Twice the Son of Hell

     Twice the Son of hell. How bad is it for someone to be labeled twice the Son of hell? Now imagine someone approaching you in front of a large crowd of people and flatly calling you "twice the Son of hell". Now imagine that person to be Jesus Christ. Now if that does not humble someone, I would feel clueless to know what else to say to that individual. Yet swarms of people, teachers of the law, pharisees, the ones with the brilliant education, respected, and great knowledge, the people everyone "has" to look up to, were called twice the sons of hell.

A Warning Against Hypocrisy

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ² “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴ They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

⁵ “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries^[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶ they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷ they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
⁸ “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. ¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

¹³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. ^[14] [b]
15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
Matthew 23:1-15.
      Yes for those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Being told that one is twice the son of hell is likely the worse thing anyone can tell another person, especially if mentioned by Jesus Christ Himself. That means time to take the tassels off, burn the royal wear display, thoroughly inspect and scrub those cups and plates (both inside and outside), dress naked before the Lord while praying fervently on both knees. Because even at one's lowest point our Lord is still able and willing to forgive. Unfortunately for the pharisees, as people often do, hardened their hearts and grew more unwilling to bend down and humble themselves to the point of making any effort to see beyond what they have studied as well as their traditions. Their outside appearances, outward knowledge, and mannerisms made them appear to themselves and others as if they were on the front steps at the gateway to heaven. Instead these religious leaders and experts were jaunting down that broad path to hell, a path so broad yet so deceiving, even many of the people who have read and are in their own rights experts in the Bible are themselves headed down that broad path.
       How does one become twice the son of hell, stubbornness. Pride is also included in this category. The pharisees and teachers of the law were extremely prideful. They thought they knew everything necessary to know about heaven, God, yet the very Savior, Himself, prophesied by Jeremiah, Isaiah, Micah and the other prophets was right there in front of their faces. They could see, feel, and smell, Him, yet even with all their talents, accomplishments, and years of learning they could not figure it out.

Isaiah 6:8-10

New International Version (NIV)

⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
⁹ He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
    be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
¹⁰ Make the heart of this people calloused;
    make their ears dull
    and close their eyes.^[a]
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”

       God already forewarned what would happen. The Son of man will in the future appear in the flesh. If they would hear with their ears and understand with their hearts, turn and then they will be healed. They just needed to be willing, be humbled, and repent.

Mark 4:9-12

New International Version (NIV)

⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
¹⁰ When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables ¹² so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
    and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’^[a]”

       He who has hears let him hear. That means anybody. This is not rocket science. The pharisees stubbornly made something complicated that God intended to be simple. Not simple in actually living a life committed to Christ, yes that takes dedication and willfully making sacrifices. This is simple in terms of understanding that God is a loving God, very willing and with open arms but one has to make a commitment. One has to commit his or her heart to Him and love Him with all his or her heart. God will make a way for each and everyone of us, if we will only humble ourselves, unlike what the pharisees and teachers of the law were unwilling to do, and give our lives to Him. God will take care of the rest.
       As for one being twice the son of hell, these are the ones who, like the pharisees, spend time studying the Word and involving themselves in religious traditions yet are not faithful to God. These are people who preach messages outside of what is found within the Word of God. These are people who begin cults, start churches with rules and regulations created outside the will of God. They travel all over America and other parts of the world to preach and sign people up for ideas and mysticism with stories and promises that lead their followers farther and farther away from God. Their messages sound interesting, many times are intellectual, and to some make sense, yet their teachings is not the truth. Their message is not the same message preached by Jesus Christ.
       What are you doing? Are you making disciples? Are you leading people to Christ? Are you preaching the true message, or are you leading people astray with false teachings? Are you following the wisdom and teachings of celebrities and every new, in the know, somebody introduced by the world? Are you someone who feels that they are too "educated" to follow and believe what is written in the Bible, the Word of God? Remember, wherever you stand, your life will end one day and the bearings and fruits of one's choices will be tested. Don't allow the world to fool you there are consequences after death. The soul will live on.....somewhere.

There is a way that appears to be right,
    but in the end it leads to death.

Proverbs 14:12