Bad Music Ezek. 28:13 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Is there really bad music in the Bible?  Yes.

In the Bible, you find two different “lines” of music, throughout.  One line comes from the Lord even before creation and it continues all the way out into eternity.  The other line comes from the devil.  The devil’s line was also here before creation.  However, after his fall, his line was corrupted and has been an evil influence in the world throughout man’s history.  This bad music will continue until the devil is destroyed.

In this lesson, we will consider the elements of bad music.

First of all, look at Eze. 28:13 and Is. 14:11, in their respective contexts.  In these passages, you find that the devil is a musical being with viols, tabrets and pipes in him.  A viol is a stringed musical instrument.  A tabret is a tabor, which is a small drum.  And pipes are wind instruments.  Thus, the devil is composed of all the instruments: wind instruments, stringed instruments, and percussion instruments.

After Adam fell, his firstborn son, Cain, killed his second born son, Abel.  Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod.  There this murderer began his family.  In his genealogy we find a city slicker (Gen. 4:17), a polygamist (4:19), a cowboy (4:20), a musician (4:21), and a craftsman (4:22).  Jubal, the musician, “was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.”  So, his descendants played the wind and stringed instruments.  They set up the bad music that started in the earth.

Job commented on the fruit of bad music when he answered the accusations of his three “friends” who came to comfort him.  He said about the wicked, “(Job 21:11-15) They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.  They take the timbrel [percussion] and harp [strings], and rejoice at the sound of the organ [wind].  They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.  Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.  What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?”

Do you see what bad music produces?  Practical atheists!!  Instead of drawing people closer to their creator, it draws them away from him and, therefore, closer to the devil.  It’s a sensual music that you can “feel” and it appeals to the flesh.

Now, when bad music is mixed into a “worship service” it gets connected with idolatry.  Look at Exodus 32.  This is the chapter where Aaron made the golden calf, while Moses and Joshua were on the mount.  After he made the golden calf, he proclaimed “a feast to the Lord,” (Ex. 32:5).  They weren’t worshipping the Lord, they were worshipping an image of the devil!!

To get the people “into” the “worship” mood, Aaron got them singing (32:18) and dancing (32:19).  Then the “service” turned into a full-blown orgy, “(Ex. 32:25) … Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies).”

Do you know what Aaron’s song service sounded like?  Well, Moses and Joshua could hear it while they were still on the mount.  It was so loud and confused that it sounded like a war, “(Ex. 32:17) And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.”  Moses knew it wasn’t a war, it was “the noise of them that sing,” (Ex. 32:18).  Why it sounded like a modern-day Christian concert to “praise the Lord.”

Years later, when the Jews were taken into captivity by the Babylonians, Nebuchadnezzar set up an image of gold for all the people, nations and languages to worship.  This image is a picture of the antichrist’s image in Rev. 13.  Failure to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s image was punishable by death (Dan. 3:6), just like refusing to worship the antichrist’s image will warrant the death penalty.

And guess what?  The “call to worship” was music, “(Dan. 3:5) That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up.”  There it is again, music and idolatry, just like it will be when the antichrist is ruling on earth.

So, you see a definite strain of bad music in the Bible.  This worldly music has crept into many churches and is being used to “draw crowds.”  Preachers are saying, “We have to have this music to attract the young people.”  Yet, the “crowds” are being conditioned to listen to the devil’s music in “worship services” led by “praise teams.”

Next comes the “dancing,” which has already started in some “churches.”  Then comes the “orgy.”  And finally, the devil shows up, although the worshippers will think they are worshipping the Lord, like they did in Aaron’s day (2 Thes. 2:4).  They are being prepared for the antichrist and idolatry, that’s all.  The devil has cleverly infiltrated the churches with his music played by people who are just like Cain’s descendants, and some of them are not even saved (Jn. 8:44)!!  Christians are falling for this junk as if it were really from the Lord.  You’d better watch out!!