Have you ever looked up the names of God in the Bible? I thought I knew most of them until I did a search on the internet and ran across a website that left me speechless. Here’s the link: https://www.allaboutbible.com/names-for-god-in-the-bible/#:~:text=
The author had posted a list of 270 names, yes, 270 names of God in the Bible. As I read through them I was in awe. With names such as Everlasting Father, Counselor, Anointed One, King of Glory and Comforter, how could I not be? That is just a small fraction of the names I read from the Bible. Truthfully, I have always wondered why Moses was told by the Lord in Exodus 3:14 “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” What does that even mean? But as I looked through all those different names, I began to have a tiny bit of understanding. Like Job however, I started to realize, “By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, And how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?” Job 26:13-14.
Indeed. Even with all those names to describe Himself, I feel as though I understand only the edges of who He really is. I think He is too wonderful for any of us to truly grasp. And that brought me to another question. If He is that big, that powerful, and that wonderful, then why do I fear the wicked? Why do I watch them boast about their plans for humanity, their cruel schemes to destroy the righteous, and feel afraid? Yes, I am being very careful with my words here. These days one has to be. If you don’t know what I am talking about, search for a certain conference that took place in Switzerland this January, 2023 and read all about their meetings and speeches. They have amazing plans for humanity. If I didn’t know any better I would be afraid, very afraid of their plans.
As I opened my Bible this morning, as is my custom, I began to read Psalm 52 and I realized as I pondered on the words of King David, that I have no reason to fear the wicked, for I know their end. God has already told me the end from the beginning! Let me share some of David’s words:
“Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually.
Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. You love evil more than good, lying rather than speaking righteousness. You love all devouring words, you deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, and uproot you from the land of the living.
The righteous also shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.”
If you think I’m being dramatic with these words of David, you haven’t heard these leaders devise their destructive plans with their tongues. They have no shame. These rich and powerful people boast about becoming gods and living forever.
I think one of the reasons why so many people are afraid these days is because the church has portrayed God as only a God of love and grace. But, like two sides of a coin, church leaders have for the most part forgotten to mention that He is also the Judge! “He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.” Psalm 96:13
We are told in Revelation that there is a judgment coming called “The Great White Throne Judgement”. John describes it in Revelation 20:11-15
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
The sad thing is that it will not only be the rich and famous who devise these evil plans for us, who will stand before that throne one day, (unless they repent), it will also be all those who reject God’s plan of salvation for them now, while they are still alive. You see, God is not keeping score of different sins. He doesn’t have a balance and if you did more good deeds and committed less bad deeds, you get into heaven. He has told us in Scripture that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Romans 3:23 None of us is righteous, not even one. We might not be murderers, or thieves, or adulterers, but it doesn’t matter. We are all sinners and we are all in need of a savior. And that Savior is Jesus Christ, who died on a cross 2000 years ago. Here are the words of the prophet Isaiah (Isa 53:3-6) describing the coming Messiah who would die for the sins of the world:
“He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
King David (Psalm 22:16-18) gives us another graphic description of the crucifixion, a death sentence that would not even be invented until many years later, by the Romans:
“For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”
So what are we to make of all this? Jesus the Christ fulfilled hundreds of prophecies when He came to earth as the suffering servant the first time. He has given us hundreds of prophecies that describe His second coming as well. If you are born again, and trusting in Jesus Christ for your salvation, then I will encourage you to not be afraid. God is in control; He has a plan and it is His plan that will prevail. If you want to know what His plans for the wicked are, just read the book of Revelation.
If you are reading this and you don’t know Jesus, but my words have put the fear of the Lord on you, then take heart. He loves you and has provided the way of salvation for you through Jesus Christ His Son. Repent of your sins, ask Him to forgive you and tell Him that you want to know Him. He will reveal Himself to you. He is a good Father to those who seek the truth.
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