An Introduction to the Blessings and Woes of Jesus Christ
The primary blessing that Jesus Christ is offering is salvation from sin. Jesus Christ is drawing a line in the sand to help us discern who is saved and who is unsaved.
Sean Michael Morris·Oct 14, 2026
No argument needs to be made about the relevance of this subject in Africa. Everyone of all religions is talking about blessings and curses. But how many people have read the Bible to see what God says about it? If you are blessed by God, then no angels, demons, or men can curse you. No one can curse whom God has blessed, and no one can bless whom God has cursed. For those of you who have not read the Bible, allow me to give you an introduction to the blessings and woes of Jesus Christ.
The blessings and curses of God in the Old and New Testaments were delivered to the people and recorded in Scripture in a parallel way that should catch our attention. All men, and especially professing Christians, should hear and agree with the blessings and woes of Jesus Christ. All people should say, “Amen.”
Hearing and Agreeing with the Blessings and Curses of God?
The Levites ascended designated mountains to proclaim the blessings and curses of God over the congregation of Israel in the Old Testament. All the people were assembled and called to attention as they were made to hear and agree with the blessings and curses of God.
“And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin: And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.”
— Deut. 27:11-13
Mount Gerizim was before the people, and mount Ebal was behind them, as the congregation of Israel stood in the midst. The Levites cried with a loud voice and uttered the blessings and the curses (-28:68). Particular emphasis was given to 12 curses, and at the conclusion of each curse, pronounced one by one, the whole congregation of millions of Jews answered in unison, saying, “Amen.”
“And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice, Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen. Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife; because he uncovereth his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.”
— Deut. 27:14-26
God demanded everyone’s attention because this was a matter of life, death, salvation, and condemnation. God wanted to hear their verbal agreement, as it is written, “And all the people shall say, Amen.”. What about you? We can be sure that professing Christians need to say “Amen” to all the blessings and woes of Jesus Christ.
Hearing and Agreeing with the Blessings and Woes of Jesus Christ?
Jesus Christ, the Holy One of God, ascended a designated mountain and delivered the most famous sermon of all time: the Sermon on the Mount (-7:29). Further clarification is given in the Sermon on the Plain In these sermons the Son of God proclaimed the blessings and woes of God in the New Testament, and all Christians in every generation should respond by saying, “Amen”.
“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
— Matt. 5:1-12
“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
— Luke 6:20-26
Amen? That means “Let it be!”. God doesn’t want heartless and empty words of lip service. Jesus Christ delivered serious rebukes to such people, saying, “Yehypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with theirmouth, and honoureth me with theirlips; but theirheartis far from me. But invainthey do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” God wants our agreement from the heart. We cannot sincerely say “amen” if we do not understand the blessings and curses Do you understand the blessings and curses of Jesus Christ?
Understanding the Blessings and the Curses as Salvation and Condemnation
Prophets in the Old Testament were known to pronounce woes upon the wicked, saying things like, “Woe unto them!” or “Woe unto their soul!” They were known to prophesy by repeatedly pronouncing woes It was commonly understood that these woes were the ways that God was performing the stated curses of the Covenant as a punishment for sin. In dread of condemnation, the people would say, “Woe unto me!” or “Woe unto us!” Essentially, the pronouncement of a “woe” is a divine declaration exclaiming terrible judgment and condemnation upon sinners. A “woe” is a curse. Curses are woeful.
The Prophets were also known to pronounce blessings upon the righteous. This occurs hundreds of times in the Old Testament. However, the primary blessing that God was bestowing upon men was the salvation of the LORD The blessedness was faith in the LORD The blessedness was divine forgiveness The blessedness was righteousness The blessedness was “the garments ofsalvation” and “the robe ofrighteousness” The blessedness was nearness to God The blessedness was and is everlasting life
Salvation itself was the blessing of all blessings, and every other conceivable blessing was insignificant in comparison. I am talking about the blessing of riches, power, and prosperity in the Old Testament. Prosperity preachers will tell you that Abraham, David, and Solomon were blessed to be rich, powerful, and prosperous. This is true However, in those days, the Kingdom of God was physically established in the world. Therefore, God was glorified in the formation of a rich, powerful, and prosperous Kingdom.
Things are different in the New Testament. You may remember that Jesus Christ said, “My Kingdom is not of this world” This is why we were taught to pray, “Thy Kingdom come” Prosperity preachers are omitting these differences and greatly confusing people who have not read the Bible for themselves.
Nevertheless, anyone can read the blessings and woes of Jesus Christ and see the differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Take, for example, “Blessedbe yepoor: for yours is the Kingdom of God.” and, “Butwoeunto you that arerich! for ye have received your consolation.” Jesus Christ declares 8 blessings and 4 woes in the Sermon on the Mount. We will explore them by asking and answering four questions.
Who is blessed?
What is the blessing?
Who is cursed?
What is the curse?
In the process of answering these questions, it will become clear to everyone that the primary blessing that Jesus Christ is offering is salvation from sin. Jesus Christ is drawing a line in the sand to help us discern who is saved and who is unsaved. He does this by specifying 8 good fruits of people who are saved and 4 bad fruits of people who are lost. In the same sermon, Jesus Christ said, “Ye shall know them by theirfruits.”
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
— Matt. 7:15-20
It is biblical to examine yourself according to the Word of God in the Bible. There are certain identifiable fruits that will prove that you are a truly saved and a genuine Christian. “Examineyourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” How do you identify a true Christian? Similarly, how do you identify a true Prophet? Maybe some of you are thinking about prophesying, casting out devils, and performing miracles. These works are not the “good fruit” that Jesus Christ was talking about.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.”
— Matt. 7:21-23
Many people are deceived! Not a few. Many! What about you? You say that you know the Lord, but does the Lord know you? Jesus Christ said to these professing Christians, “I never knew you” Many fearless, proud, and worldly people think that they know God. They say that they know God. They would argue with God on Judgment Day if they could! I would advise you not to wait until then to find out the truth. Some of you need to hear, “Whosoever therefore will be afriendof the world is theenemyof God.” Does that make you afraid? You should fear the LORD. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” In other words, the fear of the LORD is the first step that you can take towards knowing Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth.
You can call this the Prosperity Gospel. It is a false Gospel! Why? Because by these standards John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and the Apostles are shamed and condemned as sinners.
King Saul was shut up under the silence of God — then went to the Witch of Endor. Seeking counsel from witchdoctors is putting faith in demons, and Saul died for it.
Witchdoctors, Traditional Healers, and False Prophets have this one thing in common: Gifts, Tithes, & Bribes. Preachers for hire are a curse to Africa — and extortioners will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
God created you with two primary components: body and soul. The body is mortal and destructible. The soul is immortal and indestructible — and goes to one of two places in the afterlife: Heaven or Hell.
During a discourse in Capernaum, in Galilee, Jesus Christ spoke about the condemnation of notorious offenders in Hell (Mk. 9:42-48). Condemned souls will be subjected to the torments of unquenchable hellfire!
The starry heavens and the moral law within testify that God has not left the world without a voice: creation manifests His eternal power and Godhead, leaving atheism impossible and every sinner without excuse, bound to glorify Him and give thanks.
