“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”
2 Cor. 5:10-11
Discussion
We preach the gospel and persuade all men to live righteously and carry-on good works in the kingdom of God. You hardly can turn any direction online or physically without encountering the preaching of the kingdom of God in one way or another. In many places, churches are within a walking distance, while in other places where there aren't churches, everyone can connect to a church through their electronic devices. The gospel is spreading through every godly ministry and the kingdom of God is swallowing up the whole earth. Hallelujah! Yes, I know there are fake churches and false preachers, but they are only proof of the true ones, for there cannot be fake without original. The truth will outlive the lie; the false will expire while the truth endures forever.
The reason we keep preaching all over the earth and keep earnestly persuading men in every place is because we know the terror of the Lord. The terror of the Lord is not wrath, brimstone and repugnant sulphur as many have thought. The terror of the Lord is not the tortures of violent flames as many presume. Death, hell and the lake of fire are real but aren't the terror of the Lord but are the judgment of the wicked. The scriptures reveal to us what the terror of the Lord is; 2Cor.5.10-11; "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..." So, what is the terror of the Lord? It is the judgment seat of Christ where everyone will be rewarded for what he or she did while in their body. Thus, the terror of the Lord is His reward system. This is one area we have greatly undermined in our day. We talk much about heaven and hell, so everyone just wants to escape hell and make heaven, and all it takes to do that is to believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God who rose from the dead. We often fail to realize that the reason we're still left on earth to carry out the works of the kingdom isn't for the purpose of making heaven, but for the purpose of getting rewards. It's called the terror of the Lord because it is righteous and cannot be influenced by your emotions or weeping. These are eternal rewards we will receive in our new bodies. These are not gifts but rewards, therefore what you do now will determine the rewards you will receive at the resurrection of the just. If you understand this, you will never need anyone to encourage you to serve God today. Be devoted to your local assembly; preach the gospel in your environment; heal the sick, cast out devils, help the poor, support the planting of churches, strengthen the weak, etc. You will receive eternal rewards for these things. There will be no mix ups or oversights, you will be rewarded for what you did, so get busy and quit giving excuses. Eternal rewards are at stake. Shalom Uvracha!