There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18).
There’s lots of fear mongering going on today. The word “monger” originally referred to a trader of commodities, but today it’s more often used to describe a person involved in something petty or contemptible.
You don’t have to look very far to find someone who’s only too willing to inform you about all the things you should fear, whether it’s financial collapse, food shortages, killer diseases, or the government secretly planning to lock you up in the FEMA camps they’ve been building so they can force you to take the mark of the beast.
Books and videos explaining signs from God that foretell of coming judgments are guaranteed to sell even if they are not always accurate in their interpretation of His word. This is because all around the world there is a growing expectation of judgment. Paul explained that even those who have no knowledge of God’s law intuitively know right from wrong (Romans 2:14-15), and even the most casual observers are beginning to sense that things are going wrong.
I don’t know of a single nation that’s being blessed today. All are in some stage of the end times judgment that will culminate in the fulfillment of Jeremiah 30:11 when the Lord will completely destroy them. Only Israel is guaranteed survival and even they will endure some very difficult times first.
We recently compared current events in the world with the “birth pangs” Jesus described as indicators that the end of the Age was drawing near. We saw evidence that these indicators are steadily becoming more frequent and more intense as the time for the Second Coming approaches in the same way that birth pangs become more frequent and more intense as the time for the delivery of a new life approaches.
Many Christians are still deeply immersed in the world, and even though they are born again, the fearful attitudes of their unbelieving counterparts have begun occupying their minds as well. What with the evening news, the internet, radio and TV talk shows, and what passes for secular entertainment these days it’s no wonder.
The Bible warns us about letting the fears and uncertainties of this world infect our minds. In Matt. 6:25-34 Jesus repeatedly said, “Do not worry.” And in Matt. 13:22 He said the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of worldly wealth could stunt the growth of His word in our hearts and make us unfruitful. He said we should expect trouble in this world but to take heart because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). And about the times we’re in, He said, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).
Notice that Jesus didn’t tell us to take heart because He would give us the strength to overcome the world ourselves. He said to take heart because He has overcome the world.
And He also said seeing the signs of the approaching End Times should cause us to stand up and lift up our heads because our redemption is drawing near. One of the great promises of the Bible is that we don’t have to be overtaken by events in this world, but can remain above them.
Paul said Jesus will rescue us from the coming wrath (1 Thes. 1:10). He said we who are alive and are left will be caught up (raptured) to meet Him in the clouds and we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thes. 4:17). He said to encourage each other with these words (1 Thes. 4:18). He said events leading up to the end of the age should not take us by surprise (1 Thes. 5:4), and that we are not appointed to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through Christ our Lord (1 Thes. 5:9).
If you’ve only heard these things from the mouths of men then you can’t be sure they are true, and you’re fair game for the fear mongers who delight in shaking the confidence of the uncertain.
But if you have read with your own eyes the verses from which these statements come, and know them well enough so you can easily find them in your Bible, if you have asked the Holy Spirit to confirm the truth of them and believe in your heart that they apply to the times ahead, then you have protected yourself from all the fear mongering that abounds today.
You know that these promises do not necessarily exempt you from any persecution or trial between now and the day He comes to take us, but you know you are a child of God (John 1:12-13) and because of that you can continue to endure patiently. Since He left to prepare a place for you, you know He will come back for you. When He does He will take you to His Father’s house, and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (John 14:2-3). You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.
1 comment:
Amen & amen! We have the true Hope that brings us forth as salt & light ... faithful believers rise up & shine for such a time as this!
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