Trophies In The Halls Of Hell

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!