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15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” ~ Revelation 6:15-17
After all that takes place after the opening of the sixth seal, the great earthquake, the sun turning black, the moon turning blood red, the stars falling out of the sky, the heavens receding like a scroll, and every mountain and island removed from its place, fear will grip all the unsaved upon the earth.
The mind does something interesting when we experience fear. The brain tries to find the quickest way out of the discomfort. But, the problem is we can not escape our court date with the truth. The truth is we were all conceived sinful. And, as a result the penalty for that which separates us from all that is true and good must be paid or we will pay the penalty for our sinfulness for eternity.
In v.15-16 we read, "15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!"
Notice that in v.15, all of humanity is broken down into seven groups: the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, the slave, and, the free. They will be certain that all of these cataclysmic happenings are the expression of their separation from God. And, His wrath will be poured out upon all humanity. No one will escape. And, in the final analysis, it will be a payment that will be final and full.
No one will be able to hide from God. No one will escape the horror of the inequity of our sinfulness. No one will be able to capitalize on race or status. And, all who have not received the free payment for their sinful condition will experience such terror as described in today's text. This will happen because they refuse to believe in the Lord Jesus and receive His free gift of forgiveness.
Deceived totally by the devil, the unsaved will reach a point where they will not be able to believe. They will be defined by unbiblical fear to the point that they are driven away from all that is true and good. They will sadly feel at home with isolated darkness, but, darkness is not a place anyone would consider home. Isolated, and all alone, there will be no one present with the unsaved in eternity. This aloneness will not warrant relationship with anyone, and they will experience an eternity of closing in of the madness. This is where unbiblical fear leads.
But, there is a fear that is healthy. It is the type of fear that directs us back to the Lord. In fact, we read in Proverbs 9:10 that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." The Bible uses the word fear at least 300 times in reference to God. Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous.
We can not have a biblical understanding of sin until we understand the holiness of God. When we see God for who He really is, we would never think of trying to solve our sin problem ourselves. Biblical fear realizes we can trust God and run to Him. And, when we do, we discover the embrace of the loving of the loving Father.
In Genesis 42:18, Joseph wins his brothers' trust when he declares he is a God-fearing man. According to Exodus 18:21, Moses chose leaders to help him on the basis that they feared God and wouldn't take bribes. Leviticus 19:14,32 cites the fear of God as a reason to treat the vulnerable well.
In Matthew 10:28 the Lord Jesus states this stronger than anyone when he says, "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
And then, in 2 Corinthians 7:1, Paul urges us to work toward complete holiness because we fear God.
But, for those whose choose not to fear the Lord, the great day of His wrath will come, and no unforgiven person will be able to withstand it. You see, someone has to pay the penalty for that which separates us from God and we can't. We do not have the moral constitution to measure up to the truth. But, the penalty the Lord Jesus paid was enough for all who willingly receive His free gift. The difference is the Lord Jesus is the perfect God-man, and His perfect life and sacrifice will always be sufficient.
When the Lord Jesus came to earth for the first time He did not come to judge or to condemn the world. He came to offer the free gift of pardon. But, when He returns, He will come to judge the unwilling, the unmoved, and the ungodly. It is my prayer that you will be found trusting in Him, clothed in His righteousness alone, on that day when He returns.
