The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite

"The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies. What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry" (Nahum 1:1-10). For your information my friend, that is a valid and qualified statement of a prophet of God who was given direct revelation knowledge in a vision of the second coming of the Lord Jesus back to this world. It is a very encouraging statement to those who truly are trusting fully in God's grace and power, and an equally horrifying statement for any and all who are not. But whether encouraged or horrified, it should invoke godly fear and terror upon all.

So who is it that says God should not be feared? It certainly wasn't the writers of the Bible, all of whom were moved by the holy Ghost in the things they wrote: "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him" (Psm. 89:7). "Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you?" (Job 13:11). "Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread" (Isa. 8:13). Do the new testament writers agree with the old testament writers in regard to fearing God? The apostle Paul surely did: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men" (2 Cor. 5:10,11). So did Peter: "And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear" (1 Pet. 1:17). Maybe that is why the apostle Paul admonished us to "work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling" (Philip. 2:12). Just exactly why do we need to fear God? I believe it is fitting that we allow Jesus to answer that question for us: "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him" (Lk. 12:5). That leaves us with this question: What is it that would occasion us ending up in hell fire, as Jesus warned of? "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). To that we should add the following for clarity: "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). I believe that says it. Amen.