Fear is one of the first products of sin. Adam had never experienced fear and had no reason to be frightened at the prospect of GOD's displeasure until he ate the fruit which GOD forbade him to eat. He had been placed in the idyllic setting of the Garden of Eden where there were plenteous fruits which were desirable for food, and crystal clear rivers to drink from. Also in its midst was the Tree of Life which he was never forbidden to eat of until he disobeyed the one command he was given, which was; not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Immediately upon his consumption of that forbidden fruit the scripture says that "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." (Gen 3:7) Shame was hardly the result that Satan had promised Eve in his lie which deceived her. Furthermore, whenever they heard the voice of the LORD they hid themselves and Adam confessed the reason why when GOD questioned him. "And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." (Gen 3:10) He knew that he had no covering before GOD.
Thus, fear was introduced to mankind whenever sin entered the picture. Now we are quite certain that Adam's sin did not take GOD by surprise but was as much a part of HIS ordained purpose as was man's creation. The antidote to the poison of sin which now coursed through the veins of Adam and consequently to all of his posterity was already prepared before the sin ever occurred.
In order to manifest the glory of HIS grace in the presence of all creation, it pleased the LORD to choose a people in CHRIST before the foundation of the world. Before Adam's creation HE had determined to redeem HIS elect sons and HE caused them to spring forth from the loins of Adam. In the same fashion in which those elect sons were placed in Adam, HE also placed those vessels of wrath which were fitted for destruction even as HE determined to destroy them, in place to spring from the same loins. So that by looking at the offspring of Adam one cannot discern the elect from the reprobate, for they all are "by nature (i.e.; by natural birth and action of the flesh) the children of wrath, even as others."(Eph 2:3)
Sin and natural birth are the only common denominators of the elect and the reprobate. Sin has its ultimate work in the death which GOD promised to Adam. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."(Rom 5:12) Even as death passed upon all men, so has fear which is a foretaste of the destruction which awaits those who are outside of CHRIST.
But there is an antidote already prepared for those who have been chosen in CHRIST before the foundation of the world. It is a remedy which is an absolute cure for the disease that has invaded these houses of clay. We speak of nothing less than the blood and righteousness of JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Of whom the scripture says, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." (Heb 9:12) The scripture says that "Herein is our love made perfect, (i.e.; mature, fruitful) that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us."(1John 4:17-19)
This is the exact reason that GOD has sent men into the world to preach the gospel to every creature. GOD has a people among the sons of Adam who have no reason to fear, nor to live their lives in such a state. It has pleased the FATHER to give them HIS kingdom and we are sent as ambassadors of CHRIST to "preach the gospel to the poor; --- to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."(Luke4:18-19)
There are many of the sons of Adam who are yet plagued with fear of every sort, for whom CHRIST has purchased a complete deliverance. Some HE has awakened from the slumber of spiritual death (see Eph.2:1) and some HE has not. Yet in HIS own good time HE will quicken every one of them and according as it pleases HIM, give to each one the measure of faith as HE determines. The preaching of the gospel is so that " by hearing" they may "believe". As HE is pleased to grant maturity and growth in the grace and knowledge of HIS great and precious promises the sons of GOD shall lay hold upon those promises and fear must be cast out, as they look upon HIM who gave HIMSELF for them and recognize that indeed HIS grace is sufficient.
But it is not so in the world. The multitude of the sons of Adam while plagued with fears of every sort have sought out many devices and remedies. They have listened to many counselors and physicians of no value. Yet the plague remains and their fears, while covered with a multitude of balms and salves are yet like a cancer which eats at their very vitals and shall one day overwhelm them. They have no remedy in all of their healing arts.
I claim to be no prophet nor even the son of a prophet, but it appears that there is likely to come upon our nation and even the whole world as a result, very trying times and troubles which shall shake the very foundations upon which our society stands. It appears to me that as far as can be seen by the eye of men we are facing a "perfect storm" which could sweep away all of those things upon which men so firmly rely, in an approaching economic earthquake of epic proportions. I hope that I am wrong. The sufferings that could occur as a result are not at all unlike those that befell Jerusalem in 70 AD when that city was utterly destroyed along with all of those things upon which its religion was built.
Of that time the LORD said that men's hearts would fail them because of fear. Any man whose hope is built on his houses and lands, his technology, or his life's savings shall surely perish in such a time as that. When the very fabric of society crumbles those whose confidence in placed in law and order and political parties shall be forced to flee to the mountains to escape the wrath to come.
The purpose of recording my somber thoughts here is to remind the sons of GOD that our confidence is not in Princes, nor in the chariots of Pharaoh, nor in the houses and lands which we may have been blessed to gather. May we ever be as Paul who said; "And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:" (Act 26:6)
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