“How would you react if you were suddenly face-to-face with God?” inquires Bible expositor John MacArthur in a blog post he penned over at Grace to You. When Isaiah saw a vision of God he fell prostrate before Him and cried, “Woe is me! For I am undone.” Isaiah felt his guilt and shame in the presence of a holy God. MacArthur reminds us that “We ought to be shaken to our roots when we see ourselves against the backdrop of God’s holiness. If we are not deeply pained about our sin, we do not understand God’s holiness at all.”
Now listen to Dr. MacArthur’s teaching on the Fear of the Lord…
While many Christians today think of the Lord in friendly, passive terms, the truth is that none of us would be leaping into the arms of our Father. The testimony of Scripture is clear: All sinners—even strong believers with mature faith—are right to cower in the light of God’s holiness.
For example, in Genesis 18 Abraham confessed in the presence of God that he was dust and ashes. Similarly, Job said after his pilgrimage, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5–6). Ezra 9 records the high priest’s profound sense of shame as he came before the Lord to worship. Habakkuk had a vision of God’s power and majesty, and his knees began to knock: “I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me” (Habakkuk 3:16 ESV).
Isaiah’s Encounter with God
In Isaiah 6:1, Isaiah describes how he saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. He heard the seraphim cry back and forth to one another in antiphonal response, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory” (v. 3). God’s holiness fills all—even when it is hidden from our view.
As Isaiah perceived the holiness of God, he cried out: “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).
Some might think that Isaiah did not have a very good self–image. He was not thinking positively; he was not affirming his strengths. Surely, Isaiah knew that he had the best mouth in the land! He was a prophet of God! He was the foremost spiritual leader in the nation. And yet he cursed himself. Why?
The answer is very clear. We find it in the words “My eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.” Isaiah had seen a vision of God in His holiness, and he was absolutely shattered to the very core of his being by a sense of his own sinfulness. His heart longed for purging.
Perceiving God’s Holiness and Our Sin
When we see God as holy, our instant and only reaction is to see ourselves as unholy. Between God’s holiness and humanity’s unholiness is a gulf. And until a person understands the holiness of God, that person can never know the depth of his or her own sin. We ought to be shaken to our roots when we see ourselves against the backdrop of God’s holiness. If we are not deeply pained about our sin, we do not understand God’s holiness at all.
Without such a vision of God’s holiness, true worship is not possible. Real worship is not giddy. It does not rush into God’s presence unprepared and insensitive to His majesty. It is not shallow, superficial, or flippant. Worship is life lived in the presence of an infinitely righteous and omnipresent God by one utterly aware of His holiness and consequently overwhelmed with his own unholiness.
You and I may not have a vision of God like Isaiah’s, but nonetheless, the lesson is true that when we enter into the presence of God, we must see Him as holy. Our sense of sinfulness and fear is proportional to our experience of the presence of God. If you have never worshiped God with a broken and a contrite spirit, you’ve never fully worshiped God, because that is the only appropriate response to entering the presence of holy God.
My heartfelt concern is that there is too much shallowness today with regard to God’s holiness. Our relationship to God has become too casual. In the modern mind, God has become almost human, so affable and ordinary that we don’t understand His holy indignation against sin. If we burst into His presence with lives unattended by repentance, confession, and cleansing by the Spirit and the Word of God, we are vulnerable to His holy indignation. It is only by His grace that we breathe each breath, is it not? He has every reason to take our lives, because the wages of our sin is death. We have lost our sense of that fear, and too many people approach God with a casual familiarity that borders on blasphemy.
Much that is done in the name of worship today clearly does not genuinely regard God as holy, and thus it falls woefully short. A lot of catchy songs are being sung, poignant feelings are being felt, congenial thoughts are being thought, and pleasurable emotions are being cultivated. But too often these things are merely self-indulgent exercises masquerading as worship without any serious acknowledgment of the holiness of God. That kind of worship bears no relationship to the worship we see in the Bible. It may be more psychological than theological, more fleshly than spiritual.
The response of a true worshiper to a vision of God should resemble Isaiah’s. We should be overwhelmed with our own sinfulness and consequently consumed with a sense of holy terror. I am certain that if the people today who claim to have seen God really saw Him, they wouldn’t be lining up to get on the latest Christian talk show; they’d be lying prostrate on the ground, grieving over their sin. Continue reading
When ever I hear people mention John MacArthur I cringe. There are so many discernment ministries out there calling out false teachers, and it amazes me that it does not concern them (discernment ministries) that mentioning specific false teachers in commentary’s in a good light would cause people to listen to them, especially the fear of the LORD. Would it not? John MacArthur speaking on the fear of the Lord should have read very carefully Revelation 14: 9-11. Specifically “WHOSOEVER receiveth the mark of his (the beast) name.” “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth forever.” Psalm 111:10. Seems to me you would be breaking the command of God by taking the mark in which Mr. MacArthur says that you can repent of. Excuse me? Who’s right Mr. MacArthur and I’ll add Jimmy DeYoung , and Brandon howse (who laughed about it) or God? “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that NO MAN deceive you.” Matthew 24:4
What makes God holy is that He is Creator. This is what makes Him separate from creation. And, by extension, what makes us holy is the fact that we recognize it and respond in faith toward Jesus’ sacrifice.
Holiness has nothing to do with how sinful(naughty) we are/were nor how unsinful God is.
Jesus did not die to make bad people good. That idea comes from legalistic theology.
He died to make dead people ALIVE.
Blessings:-}
Amen Nannette, I was one of those that for years read all that JMA published. He did say some things that are biblical, called out seeker sensitive heresy, spoke against Romanism on the radio, back in 1994 he called out “CATHOLICS AND EVANGELICALS” ecumenical treatise signed by many “evangelicals” like OS Guinness, who has turned out to be a Roman lackey and apostate, he called out Rick Warren for what he is. But the mark of the beast remark is just beyond comprehension, maybe JMA tripped up and showed his true self? The bible is so clear on the mark of the beast, how can he have said that? It puzzles me to no end! Needless to say. I stopped listening to JMA a while ago. I am saddened though, for many years he was very vocal against charismania and false teaching infiltrating the church.
As for the question “Whatever happened to fear of the Lord?” It was replaced by seeker friendly jargon, it was swept under the apostasy rug by the wolves behind the pulpits such as Warren, McLaren, Hybels and all those that have trampled His character underfoot. The “god” of these apostates is not the God of the bible. God is to be revered, loved and worshipped in truth…….the “if it feels good it must be God” crowd is headed for a shocking surprise. Look at all the apostates that claim God speaks to them with crayola crayons and markers, or visions or through esoteric signs only they can decipher for the lesser sheeple! This disregard for the reverence of our God, lack of respect and the outright lies said about Him are part and parcel of The Great Apostasy, a sign of the times if you will.
Manny, might I add to “What happened to the fear of the LORD? Answer: The doctrines of men! Calvinism. Lest we forget John Calvin was only 8 years old during the reformation. The doctrine of Calvinism in which MacArthur holds could have the answer to why he revealed his true heart. If God is the author of evil in which He chooses who goes to heaven and who goes to hell in which no person has free will then taking the mark has no meaning, other than it’s God’s fault. We hear that all the time. “U” is for “Unconditional Election” another phrase that is not found in the Bible-“necessarily follows from total depravity.” This doctrine is declared to be the heart of Calvinism. Herman Hanko writes, “No man can claim ever to be either Calvinistic or Reformed without a firm and abiding commitment to this precious truth.” Sproul, though a staunch Calvinist, fears that the term “can be misleading and grossly abused.” (pg. 91 T.U.L.I.P. and the Bible, by Dave Hunt). So, what I’m getting at is this. Calvinists are chosen by God and no matter what they do they are going to heaven even if they take the mark because the are the Elect. The dammed are going to hell because that is what God preordained. How frightening! How can a Calvinist have the ‘fear of the Lord’ then if they are chosen? Here is what Dave Hunt also said on page 43. “Ever since Dort, Calvinists have hailed these Canons as “a bulwark, a defense, of the truth of God’s Word concerning our salvation. We have already quoted a variety of Calvinist leaders, to the effect that Calvinism’s Five Points are the gospel. Such opinions should cause concern in the church today in view of the resurgence of Calvinism through the efforts of esteemed evangelical leaders.” end of quote. The gospel according to Calvinism: Total depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints. The Gospel according to Scripture by which we are saved “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” 1 Corinthians 15 3&4. Calvin’s is by works and we may want to read Galatians 1:8-9 because when I read that, I fear!
Amen Nannette, thanks for this post. Like I thought, JMA and his exegetical approach when no one was doing it, sounds correct, convincing and as if it came straight from the apostles. Many, many cannot see through the finer points that negates his preaching, I know I was one of them.
Good stuff Nannette. Well said and well received.
Blessings:-}
I’m no expert but I believe there is a difference in Calvinist teachings, with some on the extreme and rigid end of doctrine. Not all Reformed churches hold to exactly the same beliefs. JMA’s statement about taking the mark of the beast is troubling: I don’t understand why he hasn’t addressed the concerns over this matter.
So help me out here. Just when I think I’m making progress by removing my family from a mega(seeker friendly) church and getting them into a Church that teaches sound biblical doctrine in an expository fashion I’m confronted with yet another claim that my new pastor is probably a heretic too. I don’t go to JMA’s church but we have been attending Tom Pennington’s Church (a JMA protege, so their doctrine is very similar). There is a night and day difference between my old seeker church and this new Bible based church in so many respects. I’m so excited about the future my family could have at a true Church that teaches the scripture. Are they perfect? I doubt it, but who is? Where do you people go to Church? Have you found the perfect pastor who is without error? Are we suppose to find the one fault in the pastor and then use that as the excuse to leave the church and call them a heretic? How will we ever build fellowship in a church body if we act that way?
Jesse,
Before I settled into my current church, I did my due diligence in finding out all I could before even attending a service. When I attended, I was initially hyper-vigilant in all that I heard and saw at the church. In time, I was able to relax once I found I was in agreement with the important doctrines. It also encouraged me to learn that the pastor had good reasons biblically for his understanding of matters that differed from my understanding. In hindsight, I think the pastor was initially keeping an eye on me too. I was showing battle scars (PTSD?) from previous bad experiences with churches (one being a house church which turned out to be NAR), and it took time for the pastor to discern my true motivation and intentions. To expect Christians to be in agreement on the smallest matters is unrealistic and smacks of a cult-like mentality. We are all at different points in our walk in Christ, and optimally we are learning together and spurring each other in faith.
Thanks for the comment, Maggie. That’s what I’ve been doing too (checking things out thoroughly) and I get the sense the Church is doing the same of me too…which I really respect. I have asked the pastor about the newer topics that I’m not 100% convinced of yet and in each case he can point me to in depth sermons he’s given on each topic where he makes his case straight from the Bible and even gives the apposing views as well.
Jesse, Are you saying the “one fault” of JMA is not a serious one? It’s very serious. How many Christians will take the mark because JMA said that they could repent? The last church I went to which was earlier this year seemed fine at the start, and I was enjoying the fellowship until I checked out the bulletin title of the pastors year long teaching of Genesis. Guess what he plagiarized the entire sermons from another pastor from on-line for the entire year! That’s stealing. By the way your pastor in this link is doing a teaching on the gifts not being for the church today, called ‘cessationism’ see here: http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/TM13-7/a-case-for-cessationism-tom-pennington Which could be why the pastor of the church I left had to steel sermons from on line. They were Calvinist too, most Baptist churches are. Just sayin. What we have done is started a home church. We are reading through the Bible (not in order), we talk about current events and how it lines up with today in with Bible prophesy, and have communion, etc. “All believer’s in Christ are qualified to do whatever the original disciples did including ministering baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Christ’s own words effectively destroy the fiction of a special clergy class lording it over a laity.” (p.189 T.U.L.I.P and the Bible)
Nannette,
Are you refering to Luke 22:25,26 when you said “Christ’s own words effectively destroy the fiction of a special clergy class lording it over a laity”? If so you are hitting on all cylinders here too.
Blessings:-}
I’m going to quote J. Vernon McGee on Luke 22:25-26. “The Lord is telling them that He has taken the lower position. That is what He did when He took my place on the cross. It is like a master getting up from the table and telling his servant. “You sit down and eat, and I will serve you. ” When Jesus Christ came to earth, all mankind should have been His servant! In stead, He served mankind. He set a table of salvation and has invited us to this great feast of salvation.” Jeremiah 23
Excellent Nannette,
I always enjoyed J Vernon when he was alive and still do. Some believe this teaching would leave us with a leaderless church. But nothing could be further from the truth. As Christians we are all lead by the Holy Spirit. This way the body functions as it is meant to. Under His direction.
Blessings:-]
Nannette – with this thread, you have become a true hero of the truth. Great work…all of it.
Nanette,
Concerning your comment about plagiarizing sermons, sadly it is a common practice these days for pastors to get canned sermons because they are “too busy” to prepare the sermons themselves. This is a red flag to me, but some think nothing of it as long as it’s scriptural. What is missing in my mind is the direction of the Holy Spirit in what the pastor should be teaching that particular body of believers.
Maggie, I’m thinking if a plagiarizing pastor has time to memorize a sermon he stole he has time to read scripture and prepare his own. That is what the church that I left said, “it’s scriptural” but they did not condemn the pastor for stealing a sermon he never gave the author credit for while he compared himself to Spurgeon, instead I was called a Pharisee. When I confronted the pastor about it, the next Sunday morning the thugs (Elders) were outside ready for me. He totally missed prophesy, taught the ‘doctrine’ of Calvinism, and the sheep just sat there and listened without their Bibles open cause they didn’t bring them. Blessings
Nannette–
Been there, done that. It just took my asking questions to be treated like a troublemaker. :o(
Hirelings probably find it too challenging to teach Scripture line by line because they are not able to gloss over the challenging or controversial passages without revealing how ill prepared they are. I also wonder how many in the congregation would remain to be taught this way, instead of the more “relevant” topical sermons that are done so well by the seeker sensitive churches.
Good afternoon Jesse, be a good Berean, ask your pastor pointedly. You’re entrusting your family’s well being to a stranger, so ask as you would a doctor. Ask him about eschatology, tell him you are concerned with JMA’s statement regarding receiving the mark of the beast and its implications. Ask regarding salvation, sanctification and what it means. No one is perfect, but sound theology is indispensable in the dark days we live in. You yourself saw the apostasy in your last congregation, a pastor is unique, that’s why James said let not anyone want to be a teacher as they will be held to a stricter judgement (James 3:1) so if James warns about the seriousness of being a teacher (pastor) shouldn’t the pastors be sure of what they’re teaching? If a pastor is not teaching bliblically sound doctrine, yes you are to leave, that’s biblical. The Bereans did not care about famous and controversial Paul’s credentials, as he preached they checked scripture to see if what he preached was correct, are we above the Bereans? I personally was out from a congregation for about four years as my formerly conservative church went seeker friendly, to the point the assistant pastor said he kept The Purpose Driven Life next to his bible and it’s something all Christians should do. The church I’m attending regularly has been error free….so far. The bible says in the last days truth will become scarce, well here we are……in my opinion, as the years pass, the move to small group churches, home churches and tiny congregations will be the norm, it’s happening already. As you say if we are to find “the one fault” to leave, well that depends on what that fault is. Saying you can take the mark of the beast and it’s perfectly fine, when the bible says you will condemned to hell is a big deal, wouldn’t you say? Read Revekation 14:9-11, it’s very clear.
I agree with Manny that we should take individual responsibility in respectfully asking questions of the pastor and what he is teaching. That is a healthy environment to be in, and questions keeps the pastor “honest” and not lording it over the congregation. I have a lot of respect for a pastor who has dedicated himself to learning and teaching sound doctrine, as well as in learning biblical Greek and Hebrew in order to give correct interpretation of Scripture.
Appreciate the perspective, Manny
It’s amazing that the post was about the holiness of God and the fear of God; yet, that very important topic has been largely dismissed in these comments solely because the post was written by JMac.
Now, to the point that seems to be most hotly contended: the mark of the beast. I haven’t read JMac’s comments on Revelation, so I have no idea what his premise is. In trying to put myself in JMac’s shoes, I would say that there are two things going on, beginning in Revelation 13:15-18. First, there is the worshipping of the image of the beast; second, there is the mark of the beast. Those who do not worship the image shall be killed by the beast regime; futher, the beast causes all people to take the mark as part of his global economic system.
In Revelation 14:9-11, we see that those who receive (lambano) the mark AND worship the beast will be condemned. There are two things going on here. First, lambano is the Greek for “get a hold of;” it implies a willingness and desire to receive. Second, this desire to receive the mark is couple with the worship of the beast. Those who are condemned are those who willingly participate in BOTH actions.
Nothing is said about those who may unwillingly be branded with the mark; nothing is said about how the worship and the mark are to be regulated and administered. Here is where I could see JMac’s reading of it. Is it possible that there will be those who are forced to take the mark? As well, are there those who take the mark out of fear, but who then refuse to worship the beast image? We don’t know, but JMac seems to take this ambiguity as room for Grace.
Then, in Revelation 20:4, we again see reference to the image and the mark. Note that those who did not worship the image AND did not take the mark lived and reigned for a thousand years. This does seem to imply that the worship and mark are not mutually exclusive but causitive so that, perhaps, only the one who worships the beast can receive his mark. If this is the case, JMac is wrong and should publicly say so. However, because this one verse is not explicit, perhaps JMac, while ill-advised to make such a statement, is technically correct.
What is most important to see in this verse, however, is that the Apostle is only talking about those who were killed for their testimony AND their refusal to worship the beast AND take his mark. These believers are killed specifically because of their public preaching of the Word, along with their refusal to worship the beast and take his mark. The Apostle is NOT addressing those who have survived the Tribulation. It is in this group, the survivors, that we may find those who have unwillingly taken the mark but have not worshipped the beast so that they will then enter into the Millennial Kingdom, although not as those who rule and reign.
I’m not a JMac apologist, but it would be good if those commenting on the subject would critcially examine ALL of the pertinent Scriptures, not just Revelation 14:9; and, even if one only reads that one verse, he should see that it explicitly says that those who worship the beast AND take the mark will be condemned. I believe the emphasis in this verse is on the worship, not the mark. I would not dogmatically state that one can take the mark and be saved, but I would say that we need to be better at studying what is actually written in the Scriptures.
Hi B!
Scripture says many will lose their heads for not taking the mark, the mark is a sign of allegiance, it will not be forced upon anyone who does not want to be a follower of the system, they will be hunted, persecuted running from city to city, some beast flowers out of shame and sympathy will give shelter and water to these folks. Could these folks be the ones that were not raptured, perhaps deceived Christians thathat enough truth, but never came to Christ? Perhaps caming to faith from the preaching of the two witnesses and the 144 thousand and the angel flying through the air proclaiming the gospels?
Sorry for my typos! My iPad cannot keep up sometimes or it pops in a word on its own! Lol!
Hey B, read this, copied it from another thread I posted on….. What do you think of Mr.Johnson’s explanation?
“Let’s be Bereans, read Revelation 14:9 “9And a third angel followed them, calling in loud a voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or hand, 10he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.”
John McArthur says: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iU3tjRq6tX4
McArthur associate Phil Johnson says:
“Revelation 19:20 indicates that multitudes will take the mark of the Beast because they are deceived. Scripture does not say that they are thereby automatically hardened forever against repentance. That is not the point of the strong warnings.”
https://www.gty.org/blog/B131030
Exactly Maggie! If we ask pointed questions to doctors, attorneys, etc., why not a pastor? I want to know what he teaches and what he believes! Church is not a place to be comfortable, we are to be progressing in our walk with The Lord. I don’t want entertainment, I don’t want to “feel” good, I want the truth preached, I want the conviction of The Holy Spirit to keep me straight in my walk. I want to know the word is being handled correctly and there is reverence for The Lord. If a congregation doesn’t meet the minimum why stay?
I don’t agree with what John MacArthur said. He’s using OT example here. Scripture tells us there is now no condemnation for those in Jesus. So, why would we be cowering in fear? The people in the OT would still be fearful of a Holy God, but Jesus came and reconciled is to the Father. Did Adam and Eve start out cowering in fear? No, it only happened after the fall…..
Also, can’t follow anyone too closely, John’s encouraging people to repent after taking the mark is evil!!! People are gonna follow what he says.
Dear Lisa, I agree with you about John MacArthur, but I looked in my concordance and looked up the word fear, and it’s mentioned 400 times. The word fear means: A distressing emotion aroused by an impending pain, danger, etc. A specific instance of such a feeling. Excessive anxiety. Reverential awe. Something of which on is afraid or that causes fright. To be frightened of. To have reverential awe of, etc. (The Random House Dictionary). In the New Testament fear is mentioned about 84 times. See Eph. 5:21, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”, Eph. 6:5, “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness (sincerity) of your heart, as unto Christ.” Phil. 2:12 “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” 1 Timothy 5:20 “Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.” 1 Peter 2:17 “Honor all men, Love the brotherhood, Fear God, Honor the king.” Jude 1:23 “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh,” Rev. 19:5 “And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.” Of course all these should be used in context but you get the idea. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Psalm 111:10a -Truly! Blessings
I want to add this: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby be may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29. The problem with our day is that there is not much fear of anything, or anybody. Our world is lawless. Have you seen cars and pickup trucks with stickers on the back of their windows that say, “NO FEAR” Most people do not have eternity in mind. It truly is frightening as we as born again (John 3:3) believers know judgment is coming! Blessings