The Satanic Sin of Sexual Abuse
“But if the man encounters an engaged woman in the open country, and he seizes and rapes her, only the man who raped her must die. Do nothing to the young woman, because she is not guilty” (Deut 22:25-26).
“Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Rev 22:15).
April was Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It came and went with little to no fanfare. We have learned to yawn at thousands of hours of Epstein files depicting unspeakably heinous acts committed against young women. And surely we know Epstein wasn’t the only rich and powerful man abusing those girls. I am not sure we could handle it, if we could somehow know just who, what, when, where, and how often. It makes my stomach churn.
Today is May 1st, 2026. Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby, the greatest race in the world! As a native Kentuckian, I hope to attend, in person, the most exciting 2 minutes in the sports world, one day before I leave this life. But, if it never happens, oh well. It’s just a horse race. Nothing eternally earth-shaking, I suppose.
So, why do I even mention it? Because, sadly, all around Louisville, KY, girls will be abused and forcibly prostituted this weekend. Human trafficking radars must be finely tuned over the next few days. If you see something, say something! You just might rescue a girl from satanic abuse.
Sexual abuse and assault are satanic. To the core.
All people are sinners. We all have depraved desires and due to our fallen nature we far too often act upon those baser lusts. But not every sin is equally heinous. Equally depraved. The longer I live and study the Bible, the more convinced I become that certain sins are so deeply depraved as to be demonic. Rape. Incest. Homosexuality. Bodily mutilation. Child abuse. Cold-blooded murder. Cannibalism. Abortion / Child Sacrifice.
Demonic. Satanic. Not an expression of standard human depravity, so it seems. Heavily influenced by demon-oppression or possession. This explains why under the Old Covenant Law which God gave Moses for Israel, these sins (also crimes against humanity) were to be punished by the death penalty. There was no provision to atone for those sins. This is what makes the Prophet Nathan’s announcement to King David, after confronting him for his murder and adultery (capital sins / crimes), so stunning:
“The Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die” (2 Sam 12:13).
Sheer grace from God directly. It’s the sinner’s only hope. And while even the most grievous sins can certainly now be forgiven as the grace of God grants sinners repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, even under the New Covenant, some sins demonstrate a lower depth of depravity. Dare I say demonic depravity? Romans 1:18-32 demonstrates this quite clearly, I think.
Not every sin in the Old Testament was a capital crime. And not every sin in the New Testament garners as much repeated admonishment and warnings. Sexual sins fit the bill here. God hates them. This is abundantly obvious to even a casual reader of the Bible.
I am writing this primarily to assure the precious women, young and old, in the congregation I am so honored to serve, that I love you. Your pastors love you. Your deacons love you. Your church family loves you. You are a treasure to us. And while no church can give an iron-clad guarantee that nobody will ever be harmed in our buildings or on our property, I can assure you we have and continue to do everything in our power to keep you safe.
If statistics on this topic are accurate, about 25% of women in our culture may be sexually assaulted at some time in their lives. And 1 in 6 men, too. Keep in mind that child-on-child abuse has risen dramatically in recent decades, too, due to the porn epidemic and the ease of access. This is all just plain sickening and scary. Church, we cannot ever let our guards down here. People are too precious.
May God use us as pastors and redeemed people of God in Christ to care deeply for those hurt by sexual sins, of any and all sorts. To pursue justice to the fullest extent of our human laws against any and all perpetrators of sexual abuse or assault. To perform due diligence in our counseling and care (a distinctive of biblical counseling). And to remind victims, and everyone else, that even if justice is not given in this life, justice will prevail in the end. God sees. God knows. God cares. And God is just.
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord (Rom 12:19).
That is not just cliché. It is absolute truth.
The only refuge for every single sinner is salvation in Jesus Christ, who received on the cross the full measure of justice in the stead of His people, who call out to Him for mercy as they renounce their sin.
For those who perpetrate satanic sexual sins and remain unrepentant, the unrelenting terror of hell that awaits them is unimaginable.
“It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).
God. Is. Just.
Repent.
Run to Jesus.
by Keith McWhorter