Be Not Afraid

        While listening to Identity Pastors like Jim

Wickstrom, Dan Jones, Pete Peters, Bob Jones and

others it is clear that from the few callers that

people are afraid to speak out. Why? Because they

fear the government has listening posts that will

capture their name and phone number and so get on its

hit list. Well whether they call or not, if they do

anything, and we mean anything; such as get a

speeding ticket, parking ticket, marriage licenses,

birth certificate, water company account, bank

account, or any other thing that gets them listed

somewhere, they are already on the government's hit

list. Especially if they are True Christians and try

to put their faith to work in their lives and the

lives of their children and grand children.

        Fear is a common human emotion, isn't it? Who

has not felt fear in a dangerous situation, a

momentary terror in a nightmare, apprehension about a

forthcoming test or trial? Who has not felt a

foreboding sense of evil in strange or unknown

surroundings?

        How often did the Angels of the Lord say

"Fear not" and "Be not afraid" to the virgin Mary at

the annunciation, and to the quaking shepherds at the

birth of the Christ‑child? Who has not seen, even

fleetingly, the specter of illness and death?

        The Book of Common Prayer contains a Litany,

or list of entreaties to Almighty God for deliverance

from lightning and tempest, fire and flood, plague,

pestilence and famine, battle and murder, and sudden

death. It also reminds us of the fear of the Lord,

when we beseech our Father to keep us from deadly

sins, the deceits of the world, the flesh and the

devil, as well as from false doctrine, heresy,

hardness of heart, and contempt of God's Word and

Commandments.

        In these days of apostasy and lawlessness

foretold by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1‑9, we have good

reason to pray for strength and guidance from the

Holy Spirit. Here is that familiar passage:

        "This know also, that in the last days

perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of

their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,

blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,

unholy, Without natural affection, truce breakers,

false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of

those that are good, Traitors, heady, high minded,

lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a

form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:

from such turn away. For of this sort are they which

creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden

with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning,

and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do

these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds,

reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall

proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest

unto all men, as theirs also was."

        This manifestation or revealing of folly

before all men is taking place worldwide as scandals

fill newspapers and TV screens. Truly the fear of the

Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.

        There is another aspect of fear, however,

which is God's attitude to fear. Remember how He told

Gideon to first dismiss from duty all his soldiers

who were afraid? There were 22,000 of them. This type

of anxiety can be caused by anticipation of peoples'

unfavorable opinion, consequences of disobedience,

persecution, suspicion, uncertainty, final events or

events of nature, and unexplained mysteries.

        These fears can cause demoralization,

defeatism, even paralysis as we have witnessed on TV

on the faces of captured criminals, handcuffed and

helpless. Our forefather Abraham expressed

apprehension of being slain for possession of his

beautiful wife Sarah, as also Jacob displayed great

distress at the threat of Esau's attack, praying for

deliverance from the hand of his brother.

        The word Panic could be used to describe the

Centurion and his companions in Matthew 27:54, as

they realized that they had witnessed the horrifying

crucifixion of God's own Son with supernatural

occurrences following.

        According to Revelation 21:8, the first

listed of those who are to be cast into the lake of

fire are the fearful and unbelieving. God rejects

those "of little faith," a rebuke which none of us

wants to hear.

        These who will be the first to be cast into

the fire appears to be the Jews and their boot‑licks,

and lap‑dogs, as related in the parable of the Wheat

and the Tares:

        Matthew 13:30: "Let both grow together until

the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to

the reapers, GATHER YE TOGETHER FIRST THE TARES, AND BIND THEM IN BUNDLES TO BURN THEM: but gather the wheat into my barn."

        Godly fear, on the other hand, is satisfying,

clean, sanctifying, and renouncing evil, motivated by

God's majesty, holiness, and forgiveness, as typified

by Noah, Abraham, Jacob and Joseph. Noah's obedience

and patience for one hundred twenty years of

Ark‑building saved the lien of Shem from which we

sprang. David's remorse and repentance overcame his

fear of touching the Ark of the Covenant, thereby

obtaining God's mercy and escaping the lethal

discharge of power.

        In the history of our nation Israel then,

what assurances of God's love and protection do we

have? We all remember the wonderful story of Joseph's

preservation in the face of his jealous and hostile

brothers. He later comforted them by saying, in

Genesis 45:4‑9:

        "Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with

yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send

me before you to preserve life. For these two years

hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are

five years, in the which there shall neither be

earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to

preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save

your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not

you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me

a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a

ruler throughout all the land of Egypt."

        Let us hope that we of Joseph's line display

the same sweetness and magnanimity when dealing with

our brethren. We wonder if Reuben is dwelling amongst

us ready to rescue us again?

        The wilderness experience with god's

miraculous provision of manna should alleviate any

fears of food shortages for His faithful people.

Daniel's deliverance form the ravenous lions assures

us of safety despite the plots and devices of our

enemies. The prospect of a nuclear holocaust can be

disregarded as we read of Shadrak, Meshak, and

Abednego emerging from a "multiple seven" fiery

furnace, with nary a whiff of smoke upon them, and

their Savior beside them to cool the flames. Elijah's

needs were met in a marvelous way, being fed by

ravens, a widow, and also angels. His exciting

translation by means of fiery horses and chariots

shows us how god preserves leaders in Israel for

future manifestation, as we may anticipate at this

time of the end. Will we also see an Elisha to take

on the mantle of Elijah with a double portion of the

Holy Spirit?

        The tender admonition, "Be not afraid" occurs

62 time in Scripture; "Fear not" appears 96 times

regarding alien nations and men. Have you heard the

oratorio, "Elijah" by Felix Mendelssohn? One chorus

proclaims this text:

        "Be not afraid, thy help is near. God, the

Lord thy God sayeth unto thee, be not afraid. (Isaiah

12:10) Though thousands languish and fall beside thee

and tens of thousands perish, yet it still shall not

come nigh thee." (Psalm 91:7) Also in Elijah, we hear

"He, watching over Israel, slumbers not nor sleeps.

Shouldst thou walking in grief, languish. He will

quicken thee."

        Did Almighty God preserve His people from the

tenth plague of Egypt, the first Passover which we no

commemorate in our Communion, only to abandon or

desert us in our final struggles against Satan, the

accuser of the brethren? "Comfort ye, comfort ye my

people saith your god." And hear these words from

Psalm 27:1:

        "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom

shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of

whom shall I be afraid?"

        From Isaiah 41:13:

        "For I the Lord will hold thy hand, saying

unto thee, Fear not: I will help thee."

        From Psalm 34:7:

        "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about

them that fear Him, and delivereth them."

        From Luke 12:32:

        "Fear not...for ti is your father's good

pleasure to give you the Kingdom."

        From Proverbs 22:4:

        "By humility and thy fear of the Lord are

riches and honor and life."

        From Joshua 24:14:

        "Now therefore fear the Lord and serve Him in

sincerity and truth."

        And finally from Daniel 10:19:

        "Oh man, greatly beloved, fear not: peace be

unto thee, be strong."

        We have God's covenants and promises to us,

His children. We have faith and trust in His Holy

Word. What a glorious inheritance, for which we give

humble and hearty thanks.

        "In Thy Power Almighty;

Trusting, did our fathers build of old,

        Strengthen then O Lord their children;

To defend, to love and to hold,

        That the heritage thy gave us;

For our children yet may be,

        Bondsmen only to the Highest,

And before the whole world free;

        As our fathers trusted humbly,

Teach us Lord to trust Thee still;

        Guard our land and guide our people,

In Thy Way to do Thy Will."

        (Taken in part from Thy Kingdom Come, P.O.

Bod 1478, Ferndale, WA 98248; Gospel Ministry News,

Pastor Bob Hallstrom, P.O. Box 9411, Boise, Idaho

83707, Issue #2006, December 2000‑January 2001)