Why does Jesus warn us that anger can put us in danger of hell fire? Let’s look at what He said in Matthew 5:21.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”
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The most terrifying moment a human being could experience is to be found guilty before the Lord Jesus Christ, the Supreme Judge at the great White Throne Judgment, and then be cast into hell. Jesus makes it clear in the Bible that it is not just people who commit the act of murder who are in danger of judgment, but also those who have a murderous intent in the heart. This heart attitude begins with anger.
Anger first comes from a person’s emotions, then progresses to the mind, and then finally it enters his heart. Believers have the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome this temptation to be angered, but it’s our choice whether we yield to Him or not. If we allow anger to go unchecked, it will only grow and evolve and eventually open the door to a demonic spirit, putting us in great danger.
/**/My wife Annette and I encountered this kind of murderous anger after my 23 minutes in hell experience. We had seven years of testing before I was approached by a publisher to write the book. There is always a test or multiple tests before promotion from God, and the tests are to reveal what is in our heart.
During that time of testing, I discovered that a Christian friend had lied and slandered me to a well-known Pastor I was acquainted with. I was shocked and wondered why he would do that. I called him and asked why he lied about me. He became extremely angry, yelled at me, and hung up the phone. I wanted to resolve the situation, as we were friends for years.
I told my wife, and we decided we should allow him time to cool off. We allowed a couple of hours to pass and then thought it would be best to talk in person so he and his wife could see our desire to resolve the issue. Before we left, we received a phone call from another friend of ours, a pastor, who prayed intently and had a prophetic gifting. He asked if we spoke to this particular individual recently and warned us to be careful of this person because he had a murderous spirit harassing him. The Lord was so merciful to look out for us and warn us.
When we arrived at the home, the husband wasn’t there yet so we explained to the wife what had transpired with him. As we were finishing our conversation, the husband stormed in the door, furious that we were in his home. We quickly tried to explain our desire to talk and resolve the matter but he became enraged and walked up to my wife with this fist in the air yelling, intending to hit her. His wife grabbed his arm and stopped him, again expressing our desire for resolution. Nothing was resolved that day and we needed to leave at that point.
We forgave him for his behavior, but it took months for this believer to repent. This story shows that even believers can be overtaken by rage or excessive anger. This again is why it is so important to remain steadfast in the Word, to steer clear of offense, and to be sensitive to the leading and yielding of the Holy Spirit. Unchecked anger is a dangerous trap we all must avoid.
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Bill Wiese is the author of New York Times best-selling book, 23 Minutes In Hell, the story of his life-changing visit to hell in 1998. Bill has since authored six additional book titles, and continues to share his experience around the world. He and his wife Annette founded Soul Choice Ministries in late 2006 and have dedicated their lives to reaching the unsaved. For more information about Bill Wiese and Soul Choice Ministries please visit us at: https://soulchoiceministries.org/. You can find more of Bill’s teachings at: https://www.youtube.com/user/BillWieseTV
