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What is it that people are afraid of? What is it that they think is the biggest threat to their safety? Some people are afraid of the dark, or of insects, or of snakes, or of illness, or they have anxiety about the future. These sensations are natural, common to man, but they originate in the flesh. If they are allowed to dominate the mind and control the actions, their presence indicates a soul that has found itself unable to follow our Father’s commandments.
Is being fearful, then, a sin? We read this verse in the Book of Revelation: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev 21:8)
We are dealing with a serious matter here, clearly.
We know that salvation and damnation are not “of works.” Our Father is not a divine legalist; however, obedience is a sign, a testament, to the faith by which we are saved. If, therefore, the feeling of fear is experienced, but mastered, it does not lead to destruction. If the fear is not conquered, however, we find that the individual has another God than the One who has promised everlasting life, and is not living in a state of Sabbath peace. Directly, therefore, one who is controlled by fear is in a state of sin, a state of violation of the first and fourth elements of the Law. They will perish, not because of their feelings, not because of their actions, but because they did not accept the Faith of Jesus, the Faith of Yahshua, that would have saved them from their spiritual sickness.
After all, this is how everyone who is ultimately lost will be judged: Did you trust in the Son of Yahweh, or did you not? Your life’s record reveals the answer to this question to be a “Yes” or a “No.” Those who trust in Yahshua, and learn about the Sabbath, become a Sabbath-keepers. Those who trust in Yahshua, and learn about health reform, become healthier. Those who trust in Yahshua, and hear the Gospel, receive and begin to teach the Gospel. For those who do not trust the Messiah, it does not really matter what they learn. All those things that make people “good Christians,” and “good Adventists,” arise, not from diligent attempts to be righteous, but from trusting and placing one’s life in the hands of the Great Teacher, letting Him abide within and bring forth those works of which the Father greatly approves.
The 144,000, and those who would stand among them, are intensely interested in the subject of faith. It is our duty, and it is our blessing, to finding better, clearer, and simpler, ways to explain this life-saving concept and its results to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. So let us speak about faith.
As we know from the Scriptures, there are two categories of fear. There is a carnal, mortal fear, which leads people to commit acts that are foolish, selfish, or both. We read, in one particularly dramatic example, “And Saul said unto Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of Yahweh, and thy words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.’” (1Sam 15:24)
We have many examples of this. Aaron submitted to the will of the people at the foot of Mount Sinai, and led the people in an idolatrous worship of a golden calf. Abraham feared the people of Gerar, believing that they would kill him and steal away his wife, so he lied about his relationship with her. Elijah feared the wrath of Jezebel and ran for his life, abandoning his duty toward Israel. Ananias and Sapphira, fearing the loss of reputation among the saints, pledged a contribution to the Church more than they were actually planning to give, and for their deception they were famously slain by supernatural means. That is often cited as an example of hypocrisy and greed, and it is, but it is also an example of fear for one’s perceived social standing, which is deadly to those who seek to follow the Savior in a wicked world.
The Scriptures warn us about being pleasers of men, and we read, “Many seek the ruler’s favor; but every man’s judgment cometh from Yahweh.” (Pro 29:26) His is the only judgment that matters.
Thus, the other category of fear is found in the verses such as that one, and this more common Scripture that reads: “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Pro 9:10) We have spoken of this and similar verses before, pointing out that the “fear” of Yahweh is not the same kind of carnal fear that leads to unreasoning obedience. That kind of fear is useless, regardless of where it is directed.
We know, for example, that “the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19) This fear does not benefit them at all. We read another passage from the Book of Revelation, this one pertaining to human beings: “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens 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 that sitteth on the Throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Rev 6:14 – 17)
Here we see a great “fear of the Lord,” and yet, it profits them nothing. These are the “fearful ones” who will find their place with murderers, idolaters, and adulterers in the lake of fire.
What is the difference? The difference is those who fear unto righteousness are doing something very different than the demons, and these humans who are ultimately lost. Those who fear unto righteousness do differently than did Aaron, and Abraham, and Elijah, and Ananias and Sapphira. These ones who feared carnally all had something very important in common: they were seeking to avoid judgment. Whether it was the judgment of Yahweh, or more frequently the judgment of their fellow human beings, the false thought at the core of their defect was that they could not endure criticism, slander, or danger at the hands of others. The demons who trembled at Yahshua authority did not do so out of respect, but… well, they tell it quite plainly.
\“And, behold, they cried out, saying, ‘What have we to do with thee, Yahshua, thou Son of Yahweh? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” (Mat 8:29) “Have you come to bring judgment to us already? Have you come to cause us distress?” The devils tremble at the thought of their upcoming judgment, not at the glory of the Father and Son. This is why their fear does not result in spiritual beauty.
Human beings who are yet in the time of probation have choices to make. First, will they fear the judgment of the world, or will they fear Yahweh? And second, if they will fear Yahweh, will they fear Him as the sinners do at the end, asking the rocks to fall on them so that they can escape His glory? Or will they fear Him because of His majesty, because of His brightness, but seek to stand in that light nevertheless?
Job said this of our Father, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him; but I will maintain mine own ways before Him.” (Job 13:15) I used to think that Job was a little “off” to make that statement, that “even if Yahweh kills me,” as if entertaining the thought itself was wrong. I’m still not sure if it is the perfect expression of agape-love, but I begin to understand it a little more clearly now, and what he is expressing is the idea that our fear, love and worship of Yahweh do not depend on anything He does, or does not do, for us; rather, it is because of His unchanging character, His perfect holiness. This is why we react to Him as we do, and whether rich or poor, for better or for worse, whether in sickness or in health… those sound like wedding vows, don’t they? That is not a coincidence.
When we are married, we give up one life, and we gain another, a better one. One with a great potential for blessing, and many opportunities for sanctification. Whosoever enters into a covenant is changing his life – forever. The old one passes away, and a new and different life begins.
We read the Master’s teaching, “Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” (Luke 17:33)
Those who, in the time of judgment, seek to hide from Yahweh, looking for shelter in the caves and under rocks, they are trying to save their lives. They are trying to preserve their lives of sin and selfishness against the great Light that is breaking upon them from Heaven. Those who stand, with heads and arms raised, greeting the coming Savior, these are those who have already given up their lives. They have nothing to protect, nothing to hide from Yahweh, for He is all their life and their strength. They have no impulse to turn away from their Father’s brightness, because they are drawn toward Him in love, and all that would be repulsed by righteousness has already been sent ahead to judgment.
We read, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” (1John 3:2) Don’t be concerned about what our lives will look like, what will happen to us. Don’t be afraid to be transformed, because whatever it is, it will be familiar. It will be just the very thing that we have been looking for and, when Yahshua appears, we will see in Him a reflection of ourselves in perfect, divine righteousness. Or rather, we will see in ourselves a reflection of Him, as the first and the last of the Father’s love.
Those who seek to preserve their lives against this transformation, this conversion, will lose what little life they have. And when they do, they will blame the judgment. They will blame the glory and brightness of Yahweh for stealing away the pleasures of their darkness. They say to the caves, “Hide us from this brightness.” You see, they blame the brightness. The brightness is the problem. The judgment is the thing to be feared, right?
But here we see the mind of Lucifer fully developed. The fallen angel blames the Father and Son, and their Law, for his coming destruction. Should the sinners hide from Yah’s judgment in the caves of the earth, the tragic truth is that they are taking their poison with them. They are taking the thing that is killing them into the hiding place. While they blame the judgment, and cling to the sin, what they should be doing is blaming the sin, and clinging to the judgment.
It is not the judgment that kills. “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23) “For the commandment is a lamp; and the Law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” (Pro 6:23) It is interesting that both of these are Chapter 6, verse 23 of their respective books, and they demonstrate so sharp a contrast. Satan has the world completely twisted around on this, though, convincing the world that sin is the pleasure of life, and that the Law and judgment are death. They blame the Law and the Lawgiver for their sorrow, when He sought them out with shameless eagerness, to save them and to give them eternal salvation. Truly, this is the greatest of all injustices, and the saints are jealous for the reputation of our Father. We want people to know what He is really like, what power and beauty His Law reveals, because we know what the Enemy has done to the world’s perception of Him.
Those who seek to preserve their lives will lose it in the judgment. Those who surrender their lives will gain it back a thousand-fold. The judgment of Yahweh, the light that He has given us for righteousness and “reproofs of instruction,” are the way of life. Is that not the safest place in all the universe to be? The sinners seek the shelter of caves. The righteous have a more secure hiding-place, and more reliable dwelling, and that is in the judgment of our Father.
The flesh blames the message of righteousness by faith, and attacks the messenger, as if the message was doing harm, or as if the messenger was their enemy. The message brings judgment, yes, and it is a torment to the flesh, but judgment is not to be feared. Before probation closes, judgment accomplishes its purpose. It reveals sin, so that those who are willing to be free may put it away. It is an act of our Father’s love that we have His judgment. After probation closes, judgment continues to do what it always does, revealing sin, but at that time there is no remedy, and that is why the judgment is fearful to the lost. When the plagues fall, and the burning hailstones strike the earth, judgment will then be the revealer of condemnation, when it was intended as the means of salvation while grace yet lingered for the seed of Adam.
During this probationary time, the judgment of Yahweh is the safest place in the universe for a living creature to be. It is the only place that is safe from all danger, especially spiritually, which is the only safety that matters in eternity. The flesh does not understand this. “Why would I spend time with some God who has all these restrictive rules? Why would I worship Someone who can and will send me to hell if I disobey? Why would I join and fellowship with a Church full of people who are always testifying to overcoming the habits I cannot or will not surrender? Why would I linger in the presence of those whose very lives testify to my continual failures?” This is their sickness speaking; they are unwilling to truly be healed, and so they envy the peace of the healthy.
You know that people think these things when they hear the Gospel in its complete form, promising joy and warning of danger. You know that people think these things when we share with them the Three Angels’ Message, and tell them the importance of repentance, faith and baptism, even though they believe that they are already repentant, already faithful, and already baptized. It does not need to be this way. Baptism, Church membership, these are the signs of the Covenant that our Father has with us, that He will be our God – our Almighty One – and we will be His people, that He will keep us from the transgression of His Law, and that He will save us with His judgment. Those who have not understood this, and have not let Him keep them from sin, they need to renew their vows, perhaps with a virgin understanding of its power, a first-time belief in its absolute power, even if they are old, older, or even very old. They need to repent, perhaps for the first time… to believe, truly believe, perhaps for the first time. They need to be baptized, truly baptized, into the Body of Christ, both His spiritual, invisible Body, and into the Church of His genuine faith, just as described in the Bible.
In the spiritual world, the judgment of Yahweh is the safest place to be. When we say to Christians that God will judge the living and the dead, those who take it seriously grow fearful, if they do not love what they profess to love. When we say to Seventh-day Adventists, “God has begun already to judge the living,” those who know what this means grow fearful, and the hide behind unbelief, always putting the judgment away from them into the future, because they do not love what they profess to love. We have good news for them. We tell them, “Come, and don’t be afraid. Step into the judgment, willingly, and you will find peace for your troubled soul. You will find safety.” Remember, it is only those who conquer their fear that will stand with the righteous in the end, and everyone is invited to learn from the Savior how to do exactly this. They must merely be willing to be made willing.
And in the physical world, the Church is the safest place to be. This also is the place of Yahweh’s judgment. In one sense judgment occurs before His Throne, and in another sense, His judgment dwells among His People. His People are they who love one another with agape, which means that everyone who is here in Christ’s Spirit has made the choice, either consciously or inherently (by default, automatically) to do what is best for everyone else here. That is what true love is, beyond all feeling and all sentiment. This is both comforting and exciting at the same time. There is never any unnecessary pain, and there are no fruitless conflicts. Where there is agreement, we move forward in power. Where there is disagreement, we respect one another and balance freedom and correction.
We point out sin, yes. We testify against the transgression of the Law when we see it, or its effects, in our beloved Family members; but beyond that we do not police one another’s works, as if we were not all the servants of One Master. We have learned from the mistakes of the past: the papacy, the arbitrary exercise of power over the consciences of others seen in various ecclesiastical institutions. We have even learned from the mistakes of our SDA Pioneers, including those with the prophetic gift, so that we receive the promises perfectly. We have changed the words to the hymns we have sung for decades, as we learn more clearly how to testify to an invincible faith without a shadow of any doubt. We have learned from our CSDA past, from imbalances, misunderstandings, and ignorance as yet unrevealed, truth as yet unrefined. And we have the benefit and the safety of all this hard-won knowledge, just in time to stand before the Throne without an Intercessor, just in time to survive the judgment without going first though the grave.
This is the most exciting time to be alive. All the promises of thousands of years have come upon us, even us, and we are invited to prepare, to make ready, for the most significant event in human history. The Judgment of Yahweh has come upon us, and how we react to this knowledge reveals who we are. For our part, we receive it with supreme joy, knowing that the reward of our labor is with our Savior, not of gold, or mansions, or any physical compensation, although our homeland will certainly be beautiful and well-adorned. But no, our reward is time. It is the time that we will have, time without end, to enjoy the creation our Father has made for our amazement. It is the time we have to spend with our fellow creatures, each of whom has an endless supply of love to share with us. It is the time we have to spend with the Father and Son, learning from Them, glorifying Them, and loving Them.
All of reality is composed of time, space and matter. As human beings, we can always gain more space; we can go and live in the mountains, or travel the wilderness. We can earn money, and purchase what we desire, so we can always accumulate more matter. The one thing we can never increase, no matter how hard we work, is time. “And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life? (Mat 6:27 ESV) Time; that is beyond anything we could possibly think or hope to ask.
And now, while probation lingers, the Father and Son have lend us a little bit of that time. Let us, therefore, spend the time we have left here preparing ourselves for this inheritance, and guiding others to come with us to our Father’s House. Praise be to Yahweh, who has designed and executed His Plan of Salvation on our behalf… perfectly, with perfect judgment, for He doeth all things well. “For Yahweh loveth judgment, and forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved [kept safe!] forever; but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.” (Psalm 37:28)
David.