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A SOUND WORD, Vol 1 & 2, are available in AudioBook (set of 6 CD’s) OR paperback books (136 pages in an easy to read) format. We’ve authored AND narrated the CD’s to give you a flavor of our unique styles. These sets are comprised of one to three page mini-
teachings that have come as a result of years of ministry to literally thousands of people all over the world with much of that time spent as the Encouragement Department for Andrew Wommack Ministries. From questions about God and scriptures to obscure passages; from things in the Bible that make you go “Hmmm” to doctrinal teachings that seem to make little sense or seem contradictory, there’s something here for everyone. We’re excited to have assembled the first two volumes in a series of many to come.
Order the books A Sound Word, Volumes 1 and 2, written by Mark & Denise Abernethy, for a suggested donation of $10 each OR $15 for the set. The six CD Audiobook of A Sound Word, is available for $25.00.
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Can Angels Preach?
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8)
Q. It seems that according to Galatians 1:8,angels can preach the gospel. That seems to contradict what I’ve heard. Can you give me scripture on where their authority lies in
this area?
A. No, angels do not have the authority to preach the gospel. There is no scriptural evidence outside of the book of Revelation to indicate that they are preaching the gospel at this particular point in time, nor have we heard of any verified instance of them doing so.
The passage in Galatians 1:8 simply means that if Paul or any other supernatural being
preached anything other than what he had already preached, they should be Anathema, or
cursed. This does not imply that angels are currently preaching the gospel—it just means that anything other than what Paul preached should be rejected no matter what the source.
We do understand from the book of Revelation that an angel will preach the gospel to the earth (Rev 14:6), but the context of that scripture has to do with a period of time during the Great Tribulation. Authority comes from God and God has given authority on this earth to man
(Psa 8:6; 115:16), therefore it is man’s responsibility in this time to preach the gospel.
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The Wrath Of God
Q. Has the wrath of God been poured out on the nations as prophesied in the book of Revelation?
A. No, that wrath is still to come and will happen as written. We don't pretend to have any knowledge of exactly when that will happen. God's wrath has been poured out on Jesus; the sins of the whole world were imputed to him on the cross. All of the judgment that is due to mankind has potentially been paid for. However, not everyone will accept that payment; therefore, this earth will be finally and horribly judged.
Considering the situation today with respect to the nations, we have been told by the Lord to go into all the world, preach the gospel and occupy until he comes. That is, we have been given the authority by Jesus to act in this world as he did, i.e. to demonstrate the love of the Father to the world. But the ultimate judgement of the nations is still to come, when the sins of this world are filled up. We don't know when that is, no one does, not even the Son. However, God is not actively engaged in the final judgment of the nations at this point in time.
There are consequences that happen as a result of man's sinful nature; outbreaks of disease, wars, famine, etc., but these are not as a result of God's judgment. We live in a world that has not yet been totally redeemed from the effects of Adam's fall; and until it is, these are the kinds
of things that we will see happening.
[More On Nature of God] [To Top]
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Hell And Eternal Torment
Q. Do you believe that hell is a real place where people literally burn in torment forever and ever? Or, do you believe that they will be annihilated?
A. It is the position of this ministry that hell is a place where people literally burn in torment
forever and ever. We don't believe that people are annihilated. Sorry, it may not be not real comfortable to think about, but that’s the truth of it.
The reason for this is that man is composed of a spirit, soul and body (1 Thess 5:23). In the
book of Genesis it says that we are made in the image of God (Gen 1:27). God is an eternal
spirit. It’s obvious that we are not made in the physical image of God because we all look
different. Likewise, since we don’t all think alike, ours minds are not in his image either. We think like him mentally, we conclude that our bodies and minds were not made in the image of God. Therefore, the only part of us left to have been made in the image of God is our spirit.
Our spirits are eternal -- therefore the result of our rejection of God is eternal separation from him, either in hell or ultimately in the lake of fire (Luke 16:23, Rev 20:14). We will not be joined to him at a later time if we haven’t believed in Jesus before we die.
Mark 9:44, 46, 48 – Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Matthew 13:49-50 – So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 18:8 – Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Revelation 20:10 – And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and
night for ever and ever.
Revelation 20:14-15 – And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire.
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 – In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
This evidence in scripture points to hell being a place of eternal torment, not a place of
annihilation or non-existence. The word everlasting in 2 Thessalonians, means there is no end;
it is forever. God is an eternal spirit and so is man. Therefore, the spirit of man cannot be destroyed. Instead, it has to be incarcerated forever. It is a very grim and sobering thought to think that so many people, because of their rejection of the sacrifice that God has made for their righteousness, would choose to be separated from him this way.
Does this mean that God desires anyone to go to hell? Absolutely not. Hell was originally designed for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41), not for mankind. God’s will for every person is that none should perish, but that we all come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9). Ezekiel 33:11 says God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But because he is a God of love, he has given us the option to either accept Jesus’ sacrifice or reject it.
We’ve talked to people who don’t believe there is a hell, or believe there is a purgatory, or even that they can be reincarnated. When they have had the truth presented to them, they’ve laughed and refused to believe. Our reply? Laugh now while you can, because it’ll be too hot later.
The above article is an excerpt from A Sound Word, Volume 1.
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Healing Perspective
You’ve probably heard the saying ‘the glass is either half empty or half full’. Which half of the glass do you focus on? It’s a fact that whatever you focus on, you magnify in your thinking.
The devil focuses on himself and is a legend in his own mind. He’s maniacal and believes he’s greater than God, and wants you to believe that as well. His job is to get you to focus more on him and your negative circumstances than on God.
Take healing, for example. Do we speak words of life or death over ourselves and our bodies?
Do we speak words of sickness or health? Do we spend more time glorifying and praising God or thinking about how much our bodies hurt? We need to give equal, if not more time, to God’s words of life and peace, than to whatever the enemy brings our way. James 4:7 says we are to resist the devil, and he (Satan) must flee.
The truth is that we were healed 2000 years ago as part of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. We just need to wrap our minds around that truth. Whether we believe that or not will be a matter of perspective. Too often we hear people saying they are believing or praying to get healed by God, instead of knowing they were already healed (Matt 8:17; 1 Pet 2:24).
When I was growing up, the kids in the neighborhood used to play a game in the winter called King of the Hill. Since I was one of the smallest kids, I was usually allowed to be the one to start out the game by standing on top of a hill or pile of snow. (That was usually my only opportunity
to be king.) My position was secure at the start of the game. I was the king on top of the hill and the object was for the other kids at the bottom to run up the hill and push the king off the top so they would be the next king. The king’s job would be to keep pushing the other kids down so
they could not overtake the hill and become the next king.
Our perspective concerning our healing is similar to that game. Are we seeing ourselves as already having our healing (starting out as king of the hill) or trying to get or obtain our healing
(as something that will hopefully happen in the future)? Is the glass half full or half empty?
God doesn’t ever want his children to suffer any more than a parent would want their child to
suffer one bit. God is at rest. He’s already completed all the healing that will ever be done thru his son Jesus. When he said ‘It is finished’, he meant all of it. God does not heal any more!
He has given you his word, his authority, and the ability to believe. Every infirmity and disease that has ever or will ever exist, is under the name of Jesus. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
(Ps103:2-3).
It’s up to you to grab onto your authority and know healing is yours for the taking. Any delay in seeing your healing is never because of God. His timing for your healing was 2000 years ago.
The above article is an excerpt from A Sound Word, Volume 1.
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[More On Healing]
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Praying For The Lost
How should we effectively pray for lost people? Especially in light of the fact that God won’t counteract a person’s own will, even to save them from hell. Even more, how are we supposed to pray in faith, seeing that there is no guarantee that anyone will accept Jesus as their savior?
Many people think that if they pray hard enough, then surely God is obligated to answer their prayer and save that person. The fact is, God has already obligated himself to save anyone who comes to the Lord for salvation. The real issue lies in getting them to come, and there are some things we can and should pray for regarding that.
When you pray for a lost person, you need to pray for someone to come across their path who knows God, knows his love, and his word; and can speak it into their life. “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matt 9:38) If the way is open, don’t be surprised if he sends you. Let God’s word do its own work. Remember, it’s not our prayer that saves; it is the word of God and a person’s response to it. Faith comes by
hearing the word, so that is the primary need. As it says in Romans 10:14-15:
. . . how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
The Holy Ghost will take the word and minister understanding and faith concerning the need for Jesus, and also concerning Jesus’ love. The only sin that sends anyone to hell is the sin of unbelief—not believing in Jesus. “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, . . . ,
Of sin, because they believe not on me.” (John 16:8-9) That’s something the Holy Ghost will do without you having to pray for it, but he still needs to use the word of God.
Remember to also use the authority of the name of Jesus to command the devil to take his hands off of that person’s spiritual eyesight. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “. . . the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” This is something you can pray more or
less on a daily basis, because an unsaved person doesn’t always know any better than to keep on opening up the door to the devil through their words or actions.
Another very effective way to pray for unsaved people is taken from Ephesians 1:17-19, and you can personalize it for particular people:
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that
ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory
of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.
Keep in mind that God is more eager than we are to see people get saved, so you don’t have to beg and plead with God for this to be important to him. This is what he’s after, and he’s
already on it.
The above article is an excerpt from A Sound Word, Volume 2.
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[More On Salvation]
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From Glory To Glory
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
(2 Corinthians 3:18)
On more than several occasions I’ve heard from believers and ministers alike, that we are going from glory to glory, or that we are being changed from glory to glory with the biblical reference being 2 Corinthians 3:18. I don’t believe that we go from glory to glory. In fact, this verse isn’t
even talking about a process of getting to different levels of glory, but rather when we become
born again, we go from the glory of the old covenant to the glory of the new covenant. Verse 7 in the same chapter tells us that the ministration of death, or the Law of the Old Testament that was written in stone, was so glorious that the Israelites couldn’t look steadily at Moses’ face because of its brilliance and it had to be veiled (v13). Verse 9 tells us how the ministration of righteousness of the New Testament exceeds in glory. Verse 18 says we are changed into the same image
from glory to glory— from the glory of the law to the glory of the righteousness of God.
Since this is a completed work by Jesus, the glory doesn’t change from one level into another level, as in going from one promotion to the next. Though we may experience change in our lives, it is because we are renewing our minds to the spiritual realities of Christ in us, tapping into his glory that is in our born-again spirit, and releasing more of it into our lives. We have as much of God’s glory that we will ever have on the inside of us! We have ALL of the resurrection power of God living in us; we have the Spirit of Christ in us (Rom 8:9); we have the fulness of the godhead in us (John 1:16; Col 1:19; 2:9); and we are complete in him (Col 2:10). This means that we don’t receive more power, more glory, more anything from God once we get saved. It WAS a finished work on the cross. We ARE changed from the glory of the old covenant to the glory of
the new covenant. Let’s walk in it and release it!
The above article is an excerpt from A Sound Word, Volume 1.
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[More On Nature Of God]
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Can We Command God?
Q. Isaiah 45:11 says Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me
of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command
ye me. What does this mean?
A. This verse implies that we can command God about certain things. If there’s even a little tendency to be religious, that thought alone starts to make a person a bit nervous. Can it really
be true?
To be fair, some translations phrase this verse as a question. As an example, the Revised Standard Version reads like this: Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: "Will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands?"
In looking at the various translations we currently have on hand, we find that they are evenly split. The American Standard Version, Darby's Translation, New King James, World English Bible, Young's Literal Translation along with the King James all translate this passage as a declaration. Those that put it as a question include The Bible In Basic English, Modern King James, Revised Standard, New International Version, The Living Bible and the Amplified. So it's obvious that even the best scholars are divided over the intent of the original language.
So we need to see if this concept of commanding God is found anywhere else in scripture. But first, the point needs to be made that this scripture in Isaiah does not in any way imply that we have an unqualified ability to tell God what to do. To quote Andrew Wommack, "If God's grace hasn't already provided it, your faith can't get it." The thought here is not a whole lot different than going to your light switch and turning it on. We don't create electricity when we throw the switch; we are just opening a connection and directing the power to a specific location. The power has already been supplied.
If you take a look at Exodus 32:9-14, you'll find an exchange between God and Moses in which it is obvious that God was headed in a certain direction and Moses stopped him. How is it possible that anyone could tell God what to do? Yet Moses did, by bringing up the promises that God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Isaiah 43:26 God says this: "Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified." In context of the surrounding scriptures in Isaiah, this is admittedly a sarcastic statement; and yet this is exactly what Moses did on the mountain.
In the New Testament, Jesus said, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." (John 15:7) Again, in John 14:13-14, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need." These verses all carry the thought that we can come as sons into the throne room of God and get the things we need as part of our birthright, the things that pertain to life and godliness.
This may be a major shift in perspective for some people, but it in no way implies that we see ourselves as superior to our Father when we exercise the rights he has provided to us. These rights are ours and do not depend on this particular scripture in Isaiah 45:11. They are clearly seen in other places, and also in the loving nature of our generous Lord and Father.
The above article is an excerpt from A Sound Word, Volume 2. [To Top]
[More On Nature Of God]
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Fear Not
How many of us have heard it said that God has told us to 'Fear Not' 365 times in the
Bible, so we'd have one scripture to meditate on for every day of the year? Now that
number seemed too coincidental for me, so I set out on my personal word search and found some interesting facts. The word ‘fear’ or some semblance thereof is listed over 767 times in the Bible, and it’s not always written as a directive to ‘not fear’. The actual instruction to ‘Fear Not’
is used only 90 times in the Bible. When you add up all the other commands to not be dismayed, not have dread, or not be afraid, it comes up to a whopping 160 times in the Word of God. A far shorter number than the actual 365 times I’ve heard misquoted time and time again.
However, no matter what negative circumstances we are faced with, the word of God is still true.
It only takes just one ‘Fear not, just believe’ to keep us on the right track. God didn’t give us a spirit of fear anyway, so it’s not something we should think about and hang onto. Fear is an emotion that is not from God. There are even five instances where the angel of the Lord appeared, and told someone ‘Fear not’ (Mt 1:20; 28:5; Luk 1:13; 1:30; 2:10). Romans 8:15 says, For ye
have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Can you see that? Fear is a spirit of slavery and we have received the Spirit of adoption instead!
So if God has not handed out fear, why should we buy into that bill of goods? Get rid of it! It’s not from him. Got a bad report from the doctor? Go to doctor Jesus – he says you’re healed. Lost your job? Promotion comes from the Lord – he’s got something better. 2 Cor 10:17 says WE are in charge of casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Cast down that wrong thinking and replace it with a God thought. 2 Timothy 1:7 says God has given us a spirit of power and of love, a calm and well-balanced
mind, and discipline and self-control (my paraphrase). So when everything around you is screaming for you to be afraid, the choice is ultimately up to you. You can choose to be carnal which leads to death or choose to be spiritually minded which is life and peace (Rom 8:6).
Don’t let fear take it’s toll on you – choose life!
The above article is an excerpt from A Sound Word, Volume 2.
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[More On General Teachings]
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Familiar Spirits Or God?
Q. My mother passed away and I now hear her speaking to me, not audible, but as does
the Holy Spirit, in my mind. Is this possible, or is it wishing thinking? She says things to me about my brother and sisters and how I need to encourage them, and pray for them,
etc. She encourages me and tells me things to do. I feel like I have been given a mantle by her to carry on what she was doing before she passed. I try very hard to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and have learned to listen to what He says to me. Can people who have passed on do the same and speak to us?
A. The short answer to your question is a definite ‘No’. There are three voices we can hear – God’s, our own, or the devil’s. God’s voice will always line up with the Word; the devil’s voice
never lines up with the Word; and your own voice may or may not line up with the Word of God. Your question about hearing your mother speak to you would definitely not line up with the Word of God. That would be considered a familiar spirit. It sounds like the suggestion to encourage family members would come either from yourself or from the Holy Ghost. People who claim to speak to the dead are actually associating with familiar spirits or dealing with witchcraft, where they operate as a medium channeling spirits from 'the other side'.
Perhaps your love for your mother is 'coloring' what you think you are hearing. When we put ourselves in our loved ones’ places (figuratively speaking), we can almost quote things they
would say to us. That is simply saying, 'Well if mom were here she would say.....'. Or 'I can almost hear dad saying......'. This would not be hearing their voice, but just knowing them so well you can imagine what they are saying. There is nothing wrong with carrying on someone’s vision or work once they have passed. In the Bible we see Elijah passing his mantle onto
Elisha, and so forth. You could even say that Jesus passed his mantle onto us for we are
included in 'every one who believes'.
The above article is an excerpt from A Sound Word, Volume 1
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