Does it seem that wicked people are the ones with most of the money and power? Think on this. Remember in the Bible when Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if He would bow down and worship him? Of course, Jesus rebuked him saying, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve” (Luke 4:8b, ESV). Satan gives wealth and power to anyone who will cooperate with his plans. The Bible reveals to us that there are at least three specific reasons wicked people prosper.
1. The wicked take bribes. Deuteronomy 16:19 (NKJV) says, “You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.”
In Matthew 28:12-13 the religious hypocrites used money to bribe the soldiers who guarded the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. They told them to lie, saying the disciples stole the body. But Jesus’ body has never been found because He rose from the dead.
We can take comfort in knowing the end of those who take bribes is written in Job 15:34: “For the company of hypocrites will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.”
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2. The wicked are also greedy for money and power. Psalm 10:3 reads, “For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.” In Luke 11:39 the Lord said, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.”
They were hypocrites because they acted like they were serving the people and doing what was right, yet God saw their hearts and called them “full of greed and wickedness.”
The end for the greedy is written in Proverbs 15:27: “He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live.” And also in Proverbs 1:19, it says, So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.
3. The wicked are liars and deceivers. God hates a lying tongue and a false witness who speaks lies. He says lying is an abomination to Him. In John 8:44 Jesus said to the wicked hypocrites, “You are of your father the devil … When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
Isaiah 59:4 reads, “No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.”
The end for liars is found in Proverbs 19:9: “A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who speaks lies shall perish.” Revelation 21:8b tells us, “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.”
Jesus was convicted as guilty, for the wicked bore false witness against Him and bribes were given to condemn Him; the guards even lied about His body being stolen. Knowing what the Bible says will become of the wicked should cause people to repent, but sadly, most will not.
Have you taken up the habits of the wicked? While you still have breath, you have the opportunity to turn from your sin, turn to Jesus Christ and receive forgiveness. Every day that you harden your heart and reject that opportunity is another day closer to an eternity in hell.
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Bill Wiese is the author of the 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
Paul McGuire 
