In the days we are in leading up to the great eclipse on April 8, 2024, we have many on the web screaming alarm and doom, bringing fear into the hearts of the many who are shallow in faith. Many who are doing such are hoping it will cause many to reach out to God and profess their faith in Jesus to save them from the days ahead. I must ask the question, “Is this the way Jesus taught us to go about taking the Gospel of the Kingdom unto all the people of the world?” I mean, the gospel of the Kingdom is a gospel of Good news. The Kingdom that we are to become a part of will never suffer violence, though it is always under attack. We are a “city set upon a hill, where the enemy can not come upon.” Mat 5:14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.” Why did Jesus liken us unto a city upon a hill? Because in strategic moves throughout history, the capitol cities were built up upon a hill that was difficult for the enemy to come upon in secret, and made it very difficult for them to climb up its banks and attack. In areas where there were no hills, they created their own “hill-like” structures such as high walls. When Israel came to Jericho, they were not fearful of them, for they were built up high with very thick walls, and knew the men of war could never get to them. They even mocked them as they marched around the city for 6 days. That all changed when all of all of a sudden they heard the sound of the trumpet blasts, and their walls started to shake, and in an instant, the implosion of the walls crashing in upon them killing them all. Never under estimate the power of God within His people’s obedience to His Word.
So why are so many getting in on the hype of shouting fear? For the most part, it is because of the flesh’s desire for fame and fortune, not because they are speaking in the stead of God. If a people are fallen away from God, or have never been a part of His fellowship in Christ Jesus, then shouting warnings that bring fear will never cause the people to see the disobedience they are living in, nor the darkness they have always lived in. What it brings is a fear of what can happen if they continue in the way they are living, and just wanting to escape the horror of their end. They have no regret of their sin-filled lives, and do nothing in turning away from that which is evil in the sight of God. They don’t yearn for His love and compassion and mercy, but just want a quick fix on how to not end in a place of eternal suffering. If they only make a quick decision so they may escape, and if the things that these “prophets” are yelling never come to pass, then they will immediately turn back to their lives as before, thinking they were blessed by God because they made a quick-make resolution. They didn’t come to an understanding of the magnitude of His love for the human race in that He came as a man living perfectly in the way that no man could ever live, and then, in this perfect love and obedience to the Father, took all the sin of mankind upon Himself as if it were His very own (meaning, he took your sin from you and made it His very own, no longer you who sinned, but He himself), paid the penalty of sin, dying the cruel death of being crucified, and buried in the ground. This is why Paul was able to write this in Romans 7:17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. Jesus taking our sin upon Himself was Love the world had never been shown before, nor will ever be shown again. That is a love that is far greater love than any man can ever have for another human within himself. It was Agape love, a love that only God himself can give forth. That is the love that He has for all of mankind. And because of this love, He only asks that we share in this love with Him and allow our hearts to be that place where we only have room for Him and His love, and as He loves us, so we also love Him. It is like a very intimate moment shared between a husband and a wife, where both are only in that moment, sharing all they are with the other. They lay together, naked, having nothing to hide from the other, for in true love, we are unashamed and see only the beauty of the one we are with. (and this is only of true love between husband and wife, not just sexual release). It was Jesus who said, “If you love me, you will obey me.” These words were words of passion, and not a command. We obey because we would never want to hurt the one we love, never to bring dishonor to Him nor ourselves ourselves. And because we through faith in Jesus become one with the Father, we become one with His love; and as He loves, we love as well.
But notice this; Jesus did not say, “If you fear me, you will obey me.” As I had said of those that feared and came running to God, but then after the event was over and all things went back to normal, these that came in fear stopped obeying, and went back to their old way of living. Why? Because fear is only an emotion of a moment of time. Once that which brings fear upon you is gone, then you will no longer fear. So, life as usual. I know many will say that in Proverbs is says that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and yes that is true. But what is the meaning behind that word, “fear?” Looking it up in the original sense, it means, “reverence.”
HebrewThe fear
יִרְאַ֣ת (yir·’aṯ)
Noun – feminine singular construct
Strong’s 3374: Fear, reverence
Yes, it means that we revere God above all things created, and that He alone is God, and we are not, so we yearn to hear His word unto us that we may lavish in this love He has for us, that we may know Him evermore each time we hear His voice and see His love in action unto us. It is a love that, unlike most human loves, it never dwindles nor fades away. That is why Jesus told the people in the church in Ephesus, Rev 2:4“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.” With this you may ask, “Who were the Nicolatians?” I would like to leave this link that you may look more into it, and hopefully you will see we are very much in the church world today just as Ephesus in regards to the teaching of Nicola, the pagan worshipper that turned to the teachings of the Christians of the early church. https://renner.org/article/who-were-the-nicolaitans-and-what-was-their-doctrine-and-deeds/. Though this is also important, I will take from the scripture that which is for the topic of today; loving Jesus above all else. We are told of Jesus to love, and he always told His disciples to, “fear not.” this fear is the fear that is what these men in these YouTube videos are proclaiming with their words. It is not a reverence unto God, but is an emotional fright that paralyzes you and makes you react with force, not at all an acknowledgement that God is Lord over all things, and in Him, I will not fear, or be frightened and alarmed. Why? Because I trust in His love and protection over me, and I will always walk in peace and surety, loving Him as He loves me.
So, this is what we should be taking from what is happening with this eclipse. It is God showing forth His love for all the people of this country/world, and because of this love, we turn from our ways of darkness that we live in, or this darkness coming upon us will overtake us and destroy our faith in Him. It is His desire that all will turn from their wicked ways and come into His fellowship, but He will never force us, because that is not Love. Will we flee the Babylon religions that are so prevalent in the churches today, that are leading us away from the power of the Cross to save, and the power of the Holy Spirit given to us to overcome, though His love? Or, will allow ourselves to remain in them, allowing the sins of this Babylon to bring us into their judgement. In the love of God, He is calling us to come out of Her, and to come unto Him. Be blessed as you come unto Him.