The Rise and Fall of the Kingdom of Fear
Nov 3, 2016 1818
It seems like fear is inescapably part of this life. Fear is completely present in everything we see, touch, smell, hear and even imagine. There is so much fear and worry in this world, and good reasons for it too, that sometimes we wonder whether talks like this make any difference. Just see how fear makes us do crazy and unreasonable things. Out of fear, deadly weapons have been invented, and they end up taking more lives than are saved. Due to fear, ruthless and godless politicians eliminate their competitors. Fear invades us in our imaginations and even in our dreams. Fear catches up with us in our happy moments, as well as sad. Our first reaction after birth is a loud cry. From our infancy through to our old age, we live in fear of diseases, accidents and other tragedies that threaten our lives. We fear because, from that moment of birth, death constantly hangs above our heads until it takes us away from this life. Death inspires all our fears in ways that we may not see. So, if we dealt with death, most likely our fear would go away.
It all began in Eden, when our first parents sinned against God. Genesis 3:8 reads “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” If we take this evening stroll as something not out of the ordinary, then the couple must have been very free around the Creator, probably asking God questions about the many wonders that they had seen in the garden during the day. If there was any hiding before the fall, it must have been a hide and seek game. But after they sinned, the bond was damaged. It was never going to be the same again between God and man, as well as between man and nature. Animals that had been so friendly began to avoid them, and some even became violent, seeking the very lives of their former master, man.
First, fear is unreasonable and secondly it is evil. Unreasonable because: How long were they going to hide in those bushes? Did they hope that God would never find them? And was that a wise thing to do anyway? Why didn’t Adam walk to God and give him that hypocritical apology that he tried to pass across later? They couldn’t because when fear invades us, it first robs us the ability to think straight, sinking us deeper into our mess. Fear is evil because, before the fall, there was no fear. It comes with sin. Fear has no connection to God.
Therefore we now know the origin of fear, and its character. The kingdom of fear invaded God’s love. God’s love governed the unfallen world until fear showed up, and scared it away. Men, in order to survive, made deals with fear. By instilling fear into our children, we hope to make them better in school and at home. Our governments, apart from employing fear, have no better way to create an orderly community. Our religions and denominations have bowed to the graven image of fear. Often we are subconsciously moved by fear to attend church and perform good works.
While the devil would want us to live in hiding out of fear, the good news is that the kingdom of fear came to an end with the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ. Like in the olden days, he walked in the cool of human history, calling out for the sons and daughters, who, for 4000 years had been hiding from God. Jesus came calling in a gentle fatherly voice. Just like it was in Eden after the fall, he came to restore and not to condemn. Jesus in his earthly ministry attracted many people who had been hiding in sin because he never shouted them away. Then he went straight to the cross, and paid our debt with his own life. Having eliminated death, believers have nothing to fear. At the cross, he dared not leave us guessing, but with his last breath he proclaimed that “…It is finished…” (John 19:30)
Yes, it is over. Having discovered this fact, Apostle John made the following statement “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”
Fear no more. – Pr Bonifresh Muhollo
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