Deep Reverence and Awe

(A)nd he said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give Him glory because the hour of His judgement has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters." Revelation 14:7 (NASB)

The word "fear" in this verse has always made us a little uncomfortable. Doesn't it make you a little uncomfortable? Of course it does!😁

It seems incongruous with the God-man, Jesus, whom we read about in the Gospels. And it was Jesus who created the Earth (see John 1:1-5).

In the original Greek, the word for "fear" in Revelation 14:7 is "phobeomai" which has many meanings. One of them is fear as we know it in English. But another meaning is "a deep reverence and awe." So let's place that into this verse and see how it makes us feel.

(A)nd he said in a loud voice, "Have a deep reverence and awe for God and give Him glory because the hour of His judgement has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters."

It makes me feel a lot better than just plain "fear." And it draws us closer to God allowing for a deep relationship with him.

Now is the time for us to draw close to Jesus because this message is for our generation as God prepares to lighten the entire world with his glory (Revelation 18:1). This is exemplified in recent developments regarding the King of the North (the Papacy) warring against the King of the South (Atheism) (see Daniel 11) and how this phenomenon relates to the Gospel being "proclaimed throughout the whole world." Matthew 24:14 (ESV)

Photo by Jeremy Thomas