Should we Fear God?
Romans 3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Fear is from the Greek word phobos. It is from a primary word phebomai (to be put in fear); alarm or fright. The word has been translated: be afraid, + exceedingly, fear, terror.
Fear Defined and Explained
Sometimes fear is looked at as reverence or awe in the Bible. But often the word that is used for fear means terror. 1 John 4:18 says love casts out fear which involves torment. Today we preach about the God who loves us, and we should. But that same God is a God who is going to have a day of vengeance when he destroys His enemies. He has wrath according to John 3:36 and 2 Thessalonians 1:10. When destruction comes (and it will), those who are so self-assured and confident now will be wanting to die. We read about that coming wrath in Revelation 6: 12-17:
I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath is come and who is able to stand?”
Lack of Reverence and Fear is Foolish
Just before the Lord was crucified, He told the Jewish leaders of coming judgment. But they were in control and they had no fear of God before their eyes. So they took an innocent man and condemned Him to death. They mocked Him without considering that what they were doing shouldn’t be done to any man. Their own Bible said that they were to love one another. Their own Bible warned against condemning the innocent and letting the guilty go free. Even though God had already judged the nation once because of their idolatry and wickedness, they still wickedly crucified an innocent man. But what they didn’t realize was that they were crucifying their Messiah. They have already paid for that with the destruction of Jerusalem under the Roman general Titus, but they are not done with God’s wrath yet. When the full extent of God’s wrath is unleashed, men and leaders and kings will want to die thinking that will put them out of their misery. They will not consider that “after death” is the final judgment (Hebrews 9:27). The wrath of God against those who have rejected the Son of God will be final, eternal and terrible.
God’s Wrath is Real and God’s Wrath is Coming!
This weekend, the Philippines have experienced one of the worst hurricanes on record. The wise who were in the path of the hurricane fled to safety. The wise who know that hurricanes are likely where they live, prepare for them. The foolish who don’t prepare and don’t flee, often die in them. It is fairly easy to be casual about a hurricane when the sun is shining and the wind is calm. But when the storm starts raging, I can only imagine the fear of those who don’t flee and are caught unprepared in the storm.
Today, many people are living as though the Lord will never judge the Christ rejecter. Many think that they don’t need to worry; all things are pretty much continuing as they have since creation. See 2 Peter 3: 4. But as I understand it, when God begins to execute His vengeance, it will be sudden. 2 Thessalonians 5:3 says: For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
Now is the time to take God seriously. God is a God of love, which is why His wrath has not come yet. But it will come! I am glad that I feared God and fled to the Lord for safety.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of November 10, 2013