Though I have always loved the Bible, if I’m honest, I was a little afraid to read the book of Revelation. I mean, things get really real in there. It tells us what is next. It also delivers some pretty stern warnings. Would it feel too heavy, too eternal for my finite mind? Would I understand it, know what to make of it? Would I take it out of context? Would my questions exceed others’ willingness to go there? Would I become fixated on what I read?
Well, it turns out, it is very, very good to be fixated on the Bible, if we are obsessed about anything. And more recently, at the encouragement of the pastors I work with, I have begun diving into Revelation. Whereas, before, I had barely dipped my toe in the water.
So far, what I have learned is, it is really, really important we go there… that we dive in, that we strive to understand, that we continue pondering and chewing on it, and continue asking our questions. After all, don’t we want to know what comes next after this life? Don’t we want to know what Jesus says to His bride – the church? We need to know. And it turns out that we gain great confidence in knowing.
Yesterday I read, and reread, and reread Revelation 21. So many things struck me in it — the beauty of the New Jerusalem, when Jesus comes back and inhabits the earth with us; that there will be no need for a tabernacle because God will be here with us, as our ruler; that the light there radiates from Jesus, the Lamb; and we will have no need for night or closed gates.
In all of the beauty and splendor of this chapter, a single word really stood out to me, one that is causing me to wrestle. The word is, “cowardly.”
In Revelation 21: 5-8, God, “He who was seated on the throne,” says,
“’I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’
“He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.”
Stunningly beautiful! He then continues and says,
“‘But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
What? The cowardly were lumped in with murderers, the sexually immoral, liars and idolaters? It kind of startled me in this day and age that serves up anxiety for every course. As someone who has silently, privately, struggled with anxiety and struggled with taking a bold stance on some seriously hot topics, it really got me thinking…
We must rectify our fears, like we do our sins, before our Father, for the cowardly, like murderers, will not inherit all things from God. They will not receive from the fountain of the water of life or walk streets of gold. Instead, the cowardly – those who lack courage, the spineless – shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.
Fear is not just a typical symptom of living here. Fear – that which creates cowards, shrinking in the background – is actually our foe. This foe cannot just wound us with a bad day, loneliness or sweaty palms. It cannot just bribe or blackmail us. Fear, the foe that works to attack us daily, carries with it eternal ramification. Fear, which comes from the devil himself, strives to knock us into the lake of fire for eternity.
Fear isn’t just a passive, silent irritant in each of our lives. There is nothing innocent or personal about it. It is our enemy, and it must be fought.
Fear distracts our focus from God. It impacts how we see the world and others. It taints what we think, how we feel, what we say, and how we interact with those around us. Not only is fear an attack that must be managed, it is a distraction – a wall, that keeps us from the good and the Kingdom work we are called by God to do.
I will no longer just manage fear, nor will I make agreements with it. I am removing it and laying it at the altar, the feet of Jesus, and claiming freedom for 2021. Jesus died for my freedom, and I am picking up the forgiveness and healing He gives.
As we prepare for 2021, I want to invite you to join me and others in laying our burdens at the feet of Jesus. This year will be different. This year will be one of freedom in Jesus’ name.
Sarah Guldalian 