The Most Frightening Verse in the Bible

Scared of the Bible

The Bible teaches that our fundamental purpose in life is to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). This fear of God, coupled with obedience, is necessary for one to be accepted by Him. Peter told the household of Cornelius, “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him” (Acts 10:34-35).

Besides just telling us that we need to fear God, the Bible provides us with enough information for us to appreciate the fact that “it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). Notice just a few examples:
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When Will the Lord Return?

ClockThe “end times” are an intriguing topic to many people. They wonder what will happen and speculate about when the end will be. Throughout the years, some have even tried to predict the date of Christ’s return; yet every one of these dates has come and gone. This is not a sign that the end of the world will not happen, just that there are false prophets who erroneously claim to know the “secret things” of God (Deuteronomy 29:29).

The Scriptures do not provide us with a date for the Lord’s return, nor are we given signs to look for that will signal that the end is approaching. However, the New Testament certainly provides a description for when the Lord will return. So in this article, we will use the Bible to answer this question: When will the Lord return?
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Testing God

Moses Strikes the Rock

The Hebrew writer quoted the psalmist’s description of the Israelites testing God in the wilderness (Hebrews 3:7-11; cf. Psalm 95:7-11). Testing God is directly connected to one’s faith. Immediately after mentioning the Israelites testing God, the Hebrew writer warned about the danger of “an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). He closed the chapter with a statement about the “unbelief” exhibited by those who tested God (Hebrews 3:19).

In this article, we will briefly consider three examples given in Scripture that show how one can be guilty of testing God. After noting these examples, we will also consider the severe consequences of testing God so we might learn not to do this ourselves.
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Whose Place Did Jesus Take on the Cross?

Crosses

Jesus’ death on the cross is part of the foundation of our faith. Yet for an event so important and familiar, many have misconceptions about it. One common misconception is the idea that Jesus died in our place or in our stead. We sometimes hear the terminology that calls this sacrifice the vicarious death of Christ. Vicarious simply means a substitute. This is the idea that many have – Jesus died in our place as a substitute for us.

Let us notice a common illustration that is used to emphasize the presumed vicarious nature of Christ’s sacrifice. [I say this is a common illustration because I have personally heard it, or something very close to it, used on multiple occasions by gospel preachers from the pulpit.] The illustration goes something like this: You are a defendant in a court of law and, being found guilty, are sentenced to pay some outrageous fine that you could never be able to pay. Since you cannot pay, you are going to be sent to prison. Then someone you do not know steps forward and agrees to pay the debt for you. He takes your place. It is as if he was the one who committed the offense because the punishment for your offense fell on him. Your debt is transferred to and paid by him. As a result, you are free.

The parable described above is used to depict Jesus as one who willingly took our place and acted as a substitute for us. The punishment we were due for our sin, He endured. We are thus free from the penalty for sin. This is a heart-warming metaphor. But as we shall see, it is not Biblical.
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