Isaiah 33:14 the sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath
surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring
fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ex 36, John 15, Prov 12, Eph 5
MEMORY VERSE: Genesis 3:1-8
Sin is one thing we must do away with. According to Jeremiah 5:25,
sin turns away blessings and withhold good from an individual. This is
why the psalmist says that the righteous shall flourish like the palm
tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon, Psalm 92:12. Asides from
the fact that sin robs us of good things; sin is also a major cause of
fear. Anyone who knows how fear works will fast and pray for the spirit
of faith.
In our bible studies Is a story we all know – the fall of man.
Before Adam sinned against God, he had a good rapport with God. The Most
High God would leave the heavens and visit him in the garden. Every
time Adam heard God in the garden he would rush out to meet his maker
and soak himself in the presence of God. The best moments in the life of
this man was when the Lord visited. Psalm 16:11 says thou wilt shew me
the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand
there are pleasures for evermore. Immediately Adam sinned he began to
dread the presence of God. He heard the voice of God in the garden and
began to hide. The man that would rush to meet God every time he heard
his voice suddenly began to hide due to disobedience.
There was no man like Saul in the land of Israel. He was the
definition of a perfect king. He stood shoulder high above everyone in
Israel. He was a strong and mighty man. He was the sort of man everyone
wanted to go to war with. Through the hands of Saul, God won many
battles for the people of Israel. Immediately Saul sinned against God by
disobeying Him, fear crept into his life. The same Saul who attacked
the Philistines and the earth shook suddenly heard the voice of a
Philistine soldier and began to shake. The bible actually records that
he was so scared that his knees shook, 1 Samuel 17:11. Isaiah 33:14 says
the sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the
hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among
us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? The God who the Israelite
gladly referred to as the God of our fathers suddenly became a devouring
fire to them all because of their sin. The reason why people fear the
second of Jesus Christ is the presence of sin. A child who knows that he
has behaved himself, clean the house and done all the assignments his
parents gave to him will be happy when he hears his father’s footstep,
but the child who has misbehaved or done something he should not have
done will begin to panic when he hears his father’s footstep. If every
time you hear of rapture you begin to panic and fear, it is a sign that
you are not ready and there are one or two things you need to sort out.
Not only that, it is a sign that you are lacking behind in God’s plan
for your life.
ACTION POINT: Ask God to prepare you for rapture.
