In Psalm 22’s blow-by-blow of Jesus Christ’s ordeal on the Cross, He states, “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.”

Isaiah 66:24 informs that future worshippers of Christ “shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.”

Bible expert E.W. Bullinger says that the word translated as “worm” in the Old Testament means a “red maggot.” It was the worm scarlet dye was obtained from.

Job says in 19:25, “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”

Pastor Jordan explains, “What kind of worms destroy your body? Maggots. That's where we get the idea of the red maggot. . . Now if Isaiah says of (unsaved people) that their worm doesn't die, and that their fire's never quenched, it's obviously not a physical thing because they'd eventually burn up and the fire would go out. This is a spiritual issue.”

Under the sub-heading, “Jesus’ solemn warning of hell,” in the Scofield Reference Bible, is this passage from Jesus Christ in Mark 9: 43-48:

“And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
[44] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
[45] And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
[46] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
[47] And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
[48] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Mark 9:43-44. "where their worm dieth not."

Jordan says, “Notice this isn’t a worm on the ground in the graveyard eating somebody's dead body—this is a reference to a soul in hell. And the soul in hell is described as a worm.

“Jesus said unto His disciples in Mark 16, ‘For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?’

“What you lose in hell is your soul. We all share the spirit of a man, but the part of you that is you, distinct from everybody else, is your soul, and the part of you that dies and goes to hell is your soul, and when a lost man goes to hell, his soul is described as a worm that dies not.

“When Jesus Christ says in Psalm 22, ‘I'm a worm and not a man,’ He literally was suffering—experiencing personally in His inner man the transformation the Bible calls ‘the second death’—the ultimate penalty of sin, which is spiritual death, and it's more than being separated from God. It is that, but it's the wrath of God upon sin and the degenerative consequences of sin.

“Paul tells us the ‘wages of sin is death.’ Things degenerate and fall apart and de-evolve. And then there's the added wrath of God upon those things. And Christ is literally suffering all that. What you and I should spend eternity experiencing in the lake of fire He was taking right there.”

*****

Here’s an interesting trivia fact you likely won’t find in any Bible trivia book: Paul is the greatest man of prayer in Scripture outside of perhaps David. There are more of Paul’s prayers recorded in his 13 epistles than there are prayers from anyone else in all the Word of God.

Pauline prayer, as Jordan explains it, is the vehicle for the release of the power of the Word in the details of our lives. It’s praying according to the principle of grace: “The only response grace will accept is the response of faith.”

Jordan explains, “We take the truths of God and internalize them through that energizing ministry of God the Holy Spirit—through His enlightening and empowering ministry—and Pauline prayer is the catalyst to accomplish that. That’s why Paul prays so much.

“We talked repeatedly how prayer today focuses on spiritual issues. Our blessings today are ‘spiritual blessings in heavenly places.’ God’s blessings to us are designed to enhance our inner man, and good works come from the inner man, they’re motivated from there.”

*****

When Paul says, “Be careful for nothing,” he means, “Don’t focus on the inconsequential things going on around you. Focus on what God’s doing and don’t have anxiety.”

In the famous gospel story about Mary (who spent time in the Word) and Martha (who occupied herself with busy work), Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Jordan explains, “He’s talking about emotional instability. When your serving and your doing becomes the focus of your life—when service is the main issue in your life—self so often becomes the focus and the motivation and the basis for what’s done. Mary is just focused on Christ and she just had eyes and ears for Him. The message is, ‘Don’t be a Martha; be a Mary. Be focused on Him.’

“The old Hee-Haw song of, ‘Gloom, despair and agony on me’ is the theme song for a Martha. Listen, you live in a fallen creation—a world that is cursed by sin—and you live in a body that’s a part of that groaning and travailing. Focus on what’s real—focus on what God’s doing!

“Paul’s ‘be careful for nothing’ is not some psychological hype. It’s not this Norman Vincent Peal business about The Power of Positive Thinking—‘If I think beautiful thoughts, life will be beautiful.’ That’s nonsense. You know better than that. There’s just some situations in life you can’t think beautiful thoughts about, but there’s never a time you can’t focus on Jesus Christ and find joy and cause for rejoicing.

“Paul prays, ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ It’s that peace that’s better than understanding why. It’s that peace that protects your heart, your mind, your soul.

Paul prays in Phil. 4:9, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

From what he writes in II Cor. 7, we know Paul went through a horrible spat of depression when, as Jordan puts it, “The whole sunlight of God’s dealings with him are just sort of clouded over, and hidden from view, by a black cloud of depression and despondency.

“And yet he had the victory because he knew how to deal with that issue in life. He knew how to focus on the right issues and overcome that. Notice in verse 11 he says, ‘I’ve learned in whatsoever state I’m in therewith to be content.’ That’s total emotional stability.

“Pauline prayer is aimed at producing peace and contentment that’s independent of the circumstances of life. Rather than just simply manipulating circumstances, it’s designed to enhance your spiritual perception, and your spiritual character, so that regardless of whom you are, or the circumstances that come upon your life, you’re able to function with stability and contentment; with empowerment and effectiveness.”

As Paul prays in I Tim. 2: 2-3, “For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.”