Come, Lord Jesus!

by Pastor Paul Wolff 

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”
Revelation 22:20

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The second coming of Jesus will be different from the first.

Some people have a hard time understanding why Christians are so eager for Jesus to return. They read about the war and the plagues and God’s judgment in the Revelation that Jesus gave to Saint John, and they fear what is coming. This is what happens when people read the Bible out of context, and without understanding.

For some people there is much to fear from God’s judgment. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke; his lips are full of fury, and his tongue is like a devouring fire; his breath is like an overflowing stream that reaches up to the neck; to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray.” (Isaiah 30:27-28) The anger of the almighty, righteous God is certainly something to be feared for all who are the objects of that anger. Isaiah also writes in 40:10, “See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.” This also could cause fear in anyone, but the very next verse describes the “reward” and “recompense” that the Lord brings with Him: “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” (Isaiah 40:11) This is not the “wages of sin” (i.e. “death”) that Saint Paul describes in the first part of Romans 6:23, but this is the “gift of God” which is “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (the second half of Romans 6:23).

We need to remember that Isaiah was writing to the Kingdom of Judah who had turned away from God in favor of idols. They were essentially unbelievers – pagans – in God’s eyes, and so God treats them like pagans. However, God did send Isaiah and other prophets to call them to repentance, and warn all who would be willing to repent to do so before it was too late. Sadly, not enough repented, and God sent the Babylonians with His power and wrath, and they came and destroyed Judah and Jerusalem, and carried away the survivors to Babylon, over 500 miles away. This was harsh, but it was also part of the mercy of God. God could have had the Babylonians destroy the Jews, but God spared a small remnant so that He could keep the promise He had made to His people (notably, to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Jacob (Israel), King David, and others) that He would send one of their descendants to come and redeem the world from sin and make everything all right with God again. Because this promise comes by faith (see Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4:3), all who believe in God’s Messiah (Jesus Christ) are considered by God to be His beloved children and they receive God’s forgiveness and favor.

The only people who need truly fear God’s wrath and judgment, and fear Christ’s coming are those who reject Christ and His forgiveness and salvation. Jesus certainly died for them, too, and paid for their sins also, but because they reject God’s gift of forgiveness, they don’t benefit from it at all. These are the ones who ought to fear the return of Jesus, but they don’t (except on a subconscious level) because they either don’t care, or they don’t think they need Jesus to save them. Christian heretics misinterpret Christ’s Revelation in order to make Christians fear His return. Jesus warned his disciples about such things when He taught, “False Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible.” (Matthew 24:24)

Jesus came humbly as a baby with minimal fanfare, except to the local shepherds.

When the Son of God arrived on earth the first time as a baby born in Bethlehem, He was not threat to anyone. He was a helpless baby born in a small town, away from the centers of power and worldly influence. Jesus later taught, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:17) Yet, King Herod felt threatened by this baby so much that he ordered soldiers to go to Bethlehem and kill all the baby boys two years old and younger, so that this one baby would die.

In His earthly ministry, Jesus never claimed political power or threatened those holding such offices. He called sinners to repentance, including those in authority, but Jesus never called for revolution or that specific political leaders should be overthrown. Yet those who lusted after power were jealous of the adoration and praise that Jesus rightly received from the crowds. This jealousy was so bad that they plotted to kill Jesus even though (or possibly because) they knew Jesus had the power to heal all kinds of sickness, injury, and disease; and He would cast out demons and raise the dead back to life. They also knew Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, yet they plotted to kill Him. This is what happens when people listen to the lies of the devil and demons.

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. His righteous judgment is the gift of forgiveness for ALL who trust in Him for forgiveness.

You might think that this poor treatment of Jesus might make Him angry so that when He returns He might come in vengeance. This would be a possibility if He were anyone other than the sinless Son of God, whose mercy endures forever. Jesus knew what people were like long before He went to the cross to suffer and die for sinners. Since He knew how bad we were, and still offered His life as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, then we can have faith in Him and confidence that when He returns, He will come with salvation and healing for all who belong to God by faith. This is why the prayer of the church has long been, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

The Symbolism of September 11, 2001 and God’s Judgment and Mercy

by Pastor Paul Wolff 

Disclaimer: Unlike my other articles in this blog, this article is not the Gospel truth as revealed in the Bible. This is my own interpretation of the events of history, and should be read as such. I could be right, or I could be wrong. There is no way of knowing from the Scriptures. This is not an interpretation of Scripture, but an interpretation of history. Discriminating readers should be very careful to distinguish between the two. Yet, I present these ideas here for contemplation and discussion, and as a call to repentance and to trust in God’s mercy in Christ Jesus. 

(All photographs by Pastor Paul Wolff)
 

One of the last photographs of the World Trade Center before the attack on September 11, 2001 This photo is on display at the 9/11 Memorial Museum

I remember hearing an audio clip of a speech where President John F. Kennedy noted that everyone in his generation remembered where they were when they first heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This became ironic when President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. The generation who were adults in 1963 had a similar reaction – they remembered where they were when they heard the news. In our generation the day was September 11, 2001. 

Twenty years ago today (as of the day this article was published) I was a pastor at a Lutheran Church in Detroit. It was a beautiful late summer day in Detroit with a perfectly clear blue sky and not a cloud in the sky. The weather was exactly the same as we saw on television in New York City. Our Lutheran school was beginning the day with a chapel service for the students and staff. Most Lutheran schools hold their chapel services on Wednesday mornings, and we usually did, too, but that year there was some scheduling conflict which caused us to hold the chapel services on Tuesday mornings. I did not lead the chapel service that day, but it was led by the school principal. I was sitting in the back of the church during chapel when the school secretary came and whispered in my ear that airplanes had crashed into the World Trade Center Towers in New York. I asked, “Both towers?” When the answer was “Yes” I knew immediately that it was no tragic accident, but was a terrorist attack. 

On Tuesday September 11, 2001, nineteen Muslim terrorists simultaneously hijacked four airplanes in the Eastern United States and flew (or attempted to fly) them into significant buildings to murder and cause terror among the freedom loving people in the United States, and around the world. Those of us who are old enough to remember will never forget that day. It was such a shock that wicked people would do such evil things to cause so much senseless death and destruction against innocent people. Like the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, our nation was not at war with anyone, but someone was at war with us. The man who planned this wickedness in 2001 was Osama Bin Laden, the son of a Saudi construction magnate. 

These watercolor paintings are from New Yorkers answering the question, “What color was the sky on 9/11?” From this we see that subjective feelings cannot be trusted to give an accurate representation of the truth.

Bin Laden had also been the guiding force behind a bombing eight years earlier in a failed attempt to destroy one of the World Trade Center buildings in New York, though he had escaped justice. In the investigations of the 2001 attacks it was discovered that Bin Laden chose his methods and targets specifically for their symbolism as well as their murderous and destructive potential. The hijacked airplanes were from United Airlines and American Airlines, both of which symbolized the United States of America. The targets chosen were the twin skyscraper towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon building in Washington D.C., and another Washington target which was most likely the White House or possibly the Congress building. These targets were also chosen for their symbolism. The World Trade Center was the symbol of American business and wealth. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States military, and symbolizes the military strength of the United States. The White House or Congress buildings symbolize the political power of the United States. Thus, in these three coordinated attacks, Osama Bin Laden was attacking the political, military, and economic power of the United States. 

However that was not the only symbolism at work on that day of evil and destruction. Osama Bin Laden intended to cause equal chaos and destruction in each of his targets, but he was only partially successful, and that has symbolic import from another perspective. One of the most shocking things about the attacks of 9/11/2001 was that we in America now felt vulnerable. Because of our geography we are distantly separated from Europe and Asia (and Africa, if any African enemy would ever desire to cause us harm). The great oceans of the Atlantic and the Pacific keep us far away from most foreign enemies and have done very well to protect us historically. The one exception before 2001 was December 7, 1941, and that attack was not on the North American mainland, but on a Naval base in Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. However, the attack on Pearl Harbor brought out the hidden strength of the still developing United States. It is common military wisdom that says that a nation cannot win a war by fighting on two separate fronts. In World War II, Germany, despite its great power, was stretched thin by fighting on a western front against England and France, and an eastern front fighting against the Soviet Union. However, once the United States entered World War II, we did not just fight a war on two fronts, we fought a world war against Germany in Europe, and another against Japan in Asia, and were instrumental in victories against both. The victories of World War II gave us a sense of invulnerability that was hardly questioned until 9/11. Yes, there were Cold War fears of an attack by the Soviet Union, but the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) successfully prevented either country from ever directly attacking the other (though it didn’t stop both from fighting proxy wars). The MAD threat had kept us safe from our most obvious enemy, but the Soviet Union fell in 1987 due to the unsustainable nature of Socialist Communism. The attacks of 9/11 showed another level of insanity and evil that few had thought possible. 

The other perspective of symbolism that I mentioned above is God’s perspective. I am not talking about the god that Osama Bin Laden would have given credit for the limited success of his terror plans. The Allah of Islam is a false god created by a man who wanted to steal other men’s wives and daughters for himself, and to steal their wealth as well. The Allah of Islam has no real power and is no threat, except what Jihadists may do in his name. The true God is the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons in one God. He has real power, and is truly in control of all history. God had protected the United States and given us great power and success, such as had not been seen since the Roman Empire, but the events of September 11 showed that God was beginning to withdraw His protection from the United States, at least partially. In looking at the events of 9/11 I can also see symbolism in how God allowed Bin Laden to accomplish some of what he intended, and in how God caused him to fail. 

Plaque commemorating the dedication of the World Trade Center Towers April 4, 1973 recovered from the wreckage.

The most successful attack of September 11 was the attacks on the World Trade Center buildings in New York. Osama Bin Laden intended for this to be a symbolic attack on the wealth of the United States. The WTC symbolized the economic power of the U.S. and of its profitable trade with the world. The fact that God allowed this to be the most successful of the attacks could be a sign that our greatest weakness as a nation is that our greatest idol is our trust in our money and wealth. We think we are invulnerable because we are wealthy. This is actually where we are most vulnerable, and where Osama Bin Laden was most successful. God did not cause this evil, but He allowed it, to attack our idol and bring us to repentance. That was only partially successful also because people are stubborn, and we do not part with our idols easily or willingly. 

Here some people may ask why God allows such evil. They may imply that God is either unwilling or incapable of stopping evil, or that God is, in fact, evil Himself. These speculations are not true. God is more than capable of stopping evil, but in order to get rid of evil totally He would have to kill us all because our sin makes all people evil. God is merciful and loving, and He has provided for all people to be saved through faith in Jesus. God sets limits to the evil which afflicts us, but He allows evil to play out in some respects so that we can see that sin is deadly and that we cannot save ourselves, but must turn to Him for rescue, which He freely provides. Some ignorant atheists say the existence of evil is proof that God is uncaring or evil, but God has rescued us all from the evil effects of sin and death through the life and death of Jesus Christ, who redeemed us from our sin, and has promised to rescue from death all who believe in Him. There is no one who needs to be condemned because all who trust in Jesus will be saved. 

The next most successful attack on September 11 was the attack on the Pentagon. This was a partial failure. The plane did crash into the Pentagon, and killed a couple hundred people on the ground, as well as the innocent passengers in the plane, and the evil hijackers, but the damage to the Pentagon (the world’s largest office building) was relatively limited (especially compared to the WTC), and the overall effect on the United States Military was negligible. Here I believe God was showing that the U.S. military was partially vulnerable, but still a strong force not easily destroyed, but yet to be reckoned with. One could easily argue that much more damage was done to the United States Military several years later by U.S. President Barack Obama, corrupting the military from within by introducing wicked ideological requirements of the leadership and faulty training of the soldiers, rather than attacking it from without, but that is a topic for another time. In the years following 9/11 the U.S. military conquered Iraq and Afghanistan, but neither did they impose Christianity nor even religious freedom on the countries, and so these conquests were doomed to fail in the long run. I thought that the same constitution that was imposed on Japan after WWII should have been established in Iraq and Afghanistan, but no one asked me, and even that may not have worked in the long run either, because of the established Muslim authorities in those countries. Islam is not just a religion, but also a form of totalitarian government. That is why the establishment of democracy did not bring freedom, because the people simply voted to subject themselves to Islam. 

Flight 93 was headed toward Washington D.C. When the passengers tried to regain control the hijackers flew the plane into the ground in Pennsylvania.

The least successful attack on September 11 was Flight 93, which was presumably headed for a target in Washington D.C. Because the passengers were able to disrupt the plans of the hijackers that plane was not able to reach the target intended by Osama Bin Laden, and the hijackers just crashed it into a forest in Pennsylvania, killing everyone on board, but no one on the ground. The greater symbolism of this tragedy was that Bin Laden intended to attack the seat of political power in the United States, which he saw symbolized by the President or the Congress. Osama Bin Laden viewed the United States as a Christian nation and wanted to make it look like the god of Islam was greater than the Christian God. Bin Laden’s failures showed that the true God is still in control, and although there is much idolatry in the USA that make our nation subject to God’s judgment, there is still a strength here that cannot be shaken. That strength is not in the seats of power of the government or the military, however. The authority of the United States does not reside in the Office of the President, nor in Congress, nor in the Supreme Court (or lesser courts). The true power and authority of the United States rests in the citizens. The government was established by “We, the people” not the other way around. The strength and goodness of the United States has always come from the strong Christian influence which permeated all aspects of American life for so long. This could not be destroyed by terrorist attacks in 1941 nor in 2001. 

However, the Christian foundations of our country are more vulnerable to attacks from within. False teaching such as Neo-Gnosticism (and more) has, over the past century, slowly and steadily worn away the foundations of the Christian influence which helped make the United States a superpower working for peace, prosperity, and good throughout the world. From the beatniks to the sexual revolution; from the destruction of the family through divorce, birth control, wicked incentives for women to enter the workforce, and the insidious spiritual effects of child day care where children are brought up by people who don’t love them; we have become a nation of bastards who feel we are not loved, and are easily triggered to anger and despair. Even if we know better, we cannot act on it because we don’t believe we are loved by God and by our parents because so many of us have not known such love. The wicked abomination of abortion also must anger God, and September 11 may have been the beginning of God’s judgment against this national sin. These dysfunctional national sins are combined with a wicked Marxist–based education system which has not educated several generations of Americans to rule themselves justly, but has instead indoctrinated them to be subjugated and to submit to tyrants, rather than to unite with one another to fight against tyrants like free people. This is further combined with Christian denominations which have been compromised and weakened with false worldly doctrines so that even those who yet still profess Christianity, have a wrong idea about what Christianity is all about, so that, when persecution comes, many who profess Christianity will not have enough of Christ to hold on to, and will seemingly quickly fall away, rather than suffer with Christ. 

Saint Luke’s Gospel tells us in chapter 13 that Jesus was asked a question about a group of Galilean Jews who had been slaughtered by Pontius Pilate as they offered their sacrifices to God. Jesus responded that although they died in this way they were not worse sinners than other Galileans, but He also mentioned a tragedy where a tower fell and killed eighteen people, and said, “... unless you repent, you, too will all perish.” The thing we ought to take away from tragedies is that we are all sinners in need of forgiveness, and unless we repent of our sins, we will all perish. This is also what we ought to remember when we remember September 11, and when other great tragedies come upon us. 

New York Fire Department Ladder Company 3 Fire Truck damaged when the North Tower collapsed. All 11 responding members of Ladder Company 3 were in the building and killed when it collapsed.

Despite the weaknesses and sins of the citizens and government of the United States, God is not the cause of evil, but He is still in control. This is neither a patriotic boast, nor is it a logical conclusion based on evidence. The evidence shows that we live in a wicked world run by evil sinners, and it seems like they can get away with anything they want. This is not true, it is just an illusion, at best; or a great lie of the devil, at worst. God is still in control, though He may let sinful consequences play out from time to time to show us the tragic reality of sin, so that we may truly know the wickedness which lies in the hearts of sinful men, and that we may repent and trust in Christ all the more fervently to save us and rescue us from all evil.  

 
The fact that God is in control and that Jesus Christ is ruling over heaven and earth does not come by seeing the signs, or interpreting the evidence. It comes by faith in God’s Word. Often the evidence seems to contradict God’s Word, but Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) Christ’s obedience to God, the Father, earned Him the right to rule heaven and earth, because He is the perfect mediator between God and man, because He is fully God and fully man in one person, and because He paid the price to redeem the world from sin through His innocent suffering and death. The result of Christ’s rule and authority is shown when Saint Paul wrote, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) If this were not true, then Jesus would not have suffered and died for us, but because He did suffer and die, we know that He will protect us from all lasting effects of sin and evil in the world, even when those effects claim our temporal lives.

Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This would not be a comfort unless “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

It can be a frightening thing when evil seems to win out over good in the world. King David noted this in Psalm 2:1-6. “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. ‘Let us break their chains,’ they say, ‘and throw off their fetters.’ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, ‘I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.’” I like the idea of God laughing at the wicked plans of evil people on earth. In recent years in the United States we have seen much more brazen wicked acts, and more and more the perpetrators are becoming bold enough to begin to be open about their wickedness, and brag about getting away with such evil. They think they are something when they are nothing. God will have the last laugh, though in the meantime we mourn and weep (along with God – see John 11:35) for the death and destruction wrought upon the earth. Psalm 94:11 also tells us, “The Lord knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.” We pray to God in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” God’s good and gracious will is always done in His heavenly kingdom, and it is a blessing even here on earth whenever God’s will is done. Psalm 33:10-12 also tells us, “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”

In the Revelation that Jesus gave to the Apostle John, the angel who was explaining the imagery he was seeing told him, “They (the ten kings) will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” (Revelation 17:14) The “Lamb” is Jesus because He offered His life as an atoning sacrifice (like the sacrificial lamb) for the sins of the world. He is the King over all kings of the earth, and Lord over all rulers. This passage is a great comfort to God’s people because it shows that although the rulers of the world will make war against Christ and His followers, Christ will overcome them and bring with Him His faithful followers. This vision that Saint John saw also shows that the ten kings which make war against the Lamb (Jesus) also hate the prostitute, Babylon the Great, and “They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.” (Revelation 17:16) This is interesting because it shows that God allows these kings to come to power so they can destroy the evil city, Babylon, whose downfall causes the kings of the earth to “weep and mourn over her” (Revelation 18:9), but these ten kings also try to make war against Christ and His people, but Christ will overcome them. 

God can use evil men to accomplish His greater purpose, but limits the evil that they can accomplish, lest everyone is destroyed. We see that also in the Old Testament where God used King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to bring His judgment against the Idol worshiping Kingdom of Judah, but then God lets the Persians conquer Babylon lest they think too much of themselves. Then God moved King Cyrus to let the exiled remnant of Judah to return to their homeland, rather than keeping the Babylonian slaves (such as Judah) as his own slaves. 

Osama Bin Laden was a wicked, evil man who used people to cause murder, chaos, destruction, and terror. He convinced 19 young men (plus one more who had been arrested and was in jail on September 11, 2001) to kill themselves in a horrific way to murder thousands of innocent people. Osama Bin Laden lied to his followers and told them that it was the will of their god that they commit these vile acts of murderous destruction against unarmed innocent people who could not defend themselves, and who were not their enemies. Bin Laden promised his gullible, murderous followers that their god would reward them with honor, comfort, riches, and 72 virgin women for their pleasure, even though all such things are immoral, wicked, evil lies of Satan. Osama Bin Laden thought he was something when the events of 9/11 played out. Yet, God (the true God) still had mercy on him. Despite the whole population of the United States, and much of the civilized world, wanting Osama Bin Laden to be called to justice for the evil he had done, and despite a $25,000,000 reward for his arrest, God (the true God) allowed him to live nearly ten years longer before he was killed in an attempt to arrest him and bring him to justice. If you or I had a $25,000,000 reward for our arrest and capture, we wouldn’t remain free for a week, much less nine and a half years, but God allowed Osama Bin Laden to live because Jesus Christ truly is merciful. God does not approve of suicide, murder, and destruction, but God tells His people, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways!” (Ezekiel 33:11) God gave Osama Bin Laden nearly ten years to repent of his wicked, murderous sins, but in the end he still was a murderous, evil man who preferred the lies of Satan to the mercy and forgiveness of God in Jesus Christ. He died trying to kill those who were sent to bring him to justice. 

There is forgiveness in Jesus Christ for even evil people like Osama Bin Laden. Jesus lived and died an innocent death so that He could redeem all sinners, even the most wicked and evil people. God does not condone such acts of murder and terror, much less approve of them, but God is merciful and forgiving. It is a great comfort to Christians that Jesus offers free forgiveness to all who repent and trust in Him to save them. This includes even the most despised, wicked, servants of the devil, like Osama Bin Laden. I know that even some Christians have a hard time comprehending the full extent of God’s mercy and love, but it still is a great comfort that Jesus could forgive the worst sinners. If Jesus could forgive Osama Bin Laden, then He certainly will forgive me, who has not killed anyone, but who is nonetheless guilty of the commandment against murder by my occasional hateful thoughts against my neighbors. 

God is a loving father who forgives his disobedient children.

God’s will is that all sinners repent and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of all their sins, so that they will receive that forgiveness and be saved. Jesus said, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7) Jesus shows the love and mercy of God in that He was willing to die for the worst of sinners. This is why Jesus will be praised for eternity. Every redeemed sinner in heaven will give eternal glory to Christ for rescuing him or her from death, and for generously giving them an eternal life without sin, suffering and death. 

Though Osama Bin Laden certainly deserved punishment in hell for the innocent lives he took, and the suffering he caused so many people, yet, I, too deserve the same punishment for my disobedience of God’s commands. It is actually a shame that Osama Bin Laden did not likely repent of his sins. Had he repented, he could have given great testimony of God’s love in Christ for forgiving the worst sinners, and Christians around the world, and in heaven itself, would have rejoiced in his redemption and salvation. If Osama Bin Laden had repented and believed in Jesus he still would have had to face temporal punishment for his crimes, but he could have been saved eternally. I published an article in November 2001 about a Biblical example of a terrorist who repented and became a Christian. The beneficial lesson is that sin causes sorrow, destruction, chaos, and death, and we are all guilty. Only Jesus Christ can overcome sin and death, and He has done so through His innocent suffering and death. Jesus lived and died so that we, sinners, can receive full forgiveness and the eternal life and salvation that He offers us freely through faith. Repent, sinner, and trust in Jesus and live. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.” (Psalm 22:27-28)

A Christian View of Primitivism and Primitive Cultures

by Pastor Paul Wolff

Darwinists, or those who see macro-evolution as a viable theory, have always had a strange fascination with primitive cultures. Since they believe that people have evolved over time, and advanced from lower, inferior beings and creatures, they think that all civilized people advanced from a primitive state to a sophisticated, evolved, civilized state. This makes a somewhat (though not completely) plausible and compelling story. People want to believe this story because it makes us look better than the primitives (both ancient and contemporary). “We are the more advanced people. We have evolved. We are better, and are only getting better.” One major problem with this is that it views the primitive peoples as inferior, and lesser, and even less human, which quickly leads to racism and hatred. If some person is inferior, then they can be treated as of less worth than those who are seen as superior, and “less worth” is quickly seen as “worthless” and those people are soon viewed as less than human. And if some people are less human, then they can be exploited and enslaved, and sometimes killed at will. This has all happened in the past two centuries, as I will show below, but this is not the only problem with the evolutionary view.

The Darwinist view is completely backward.

Civilization began on the Sixth Day of Creation with the creation of Adam and Eve

There is another way to look at primitive cultures which is, perhaps, not quite as compelling to people who want to see themselves as “evolved” and “advanced” and better than other people, but it has the advantages of having better historical evidence, and better fitting the facts we see in people who live in primitive cultures. The Christian view tells us that we all descend from the first two people God made, Adam and Eve. When God made Adam and Eve He made them in His image. They were fully formed adults (husband and wife) from their first breath, and perfect in body and soul. They not only were given language skills and understanding on the day they were made (Day Six of creation), but their intellectual capabilities were untainted by sin and guilt until they rebelled against God by disobeying His simple, clear command. Adam and Eve were also created to be immortal. As long as they did not disobey God they would not have diminished in their health and strength nor “grown old” as we understand it, nor would they have died from illness or injury. This also suggests the reason why the first generations of people in the antediluvian (“pre-flood”) period lived such long lives. Many are described as having lived hundreds of years, as the effects of sin only began to accumulate as the generations went by and took hold in people to limit their maximum life spans.  

Adam and Eve were civilized people from the beginning. They were husband and wife, and formed a family unit from their creation. Adam was the head, and Eve was the helper, and together they were a family. This is the basis for civilization. They were curious about the world around them and wanted to learn all they could about God’s wonderful creation. Even after the fall into sin, the Scriptures show that although the murderer, Cain, was destined to be “a restless wanderer on the earth” (Genesis 4:12), yet, he built a city for his son. Cain’s descendants also raised livestock, developed musical instruments, and learned to forge tools of bronze and iron, all within about six generations (see Genesis 4:17-22). After that, the descendants of Cain seemed to descend into violence and murder. (See Genesis 4:23 and 6:1-13) So already here we see civilized people becoming uncivilized. The Canites also seduced the descendants of Seth (Genesis 6:2) into their sinful depravity, and the whole world became so violent and evil that God was determined to destroy them all, except that He spared Noah and his family to keep the promise He had made to Adam and Eve to send a savior.

Brilliant thinkers like Martin Luther Come from a well educated civilized society.

The history that the Bible gives shows that civilization comes first, and then, as the people fall into idolatry and rebel against God, they become more violent and less civilized. We can also see this in the study of modern primitive peoples, if we view the evidence with an open mind. Primitivism is a dead end. You don’t get great civilizations rising out of primitive cultures. You get primitive cultures out of great civilizations that have been destroyed by war or disease or famine and infected with idolatry and violence. Remember that the European “Dark Ages” followed the fall of the Roman empire. You don’t get great thinkers like Plato, Euclid, or Aristotle, and those like them, from primitive cultures, even though the people themselves are genetically just as capable of producing intellectual and artistic brilliance as any other people. The problem isn’t that the people are inferior, but the social structures that have been put in place discourage the development of great thinkers and the development of greater societal structures. This discouragement is primarily in the form of false teaching, or if that doesn’t work, then there are stronger societal pressures to conform or be punished, and if those don’t work, then there is always violence and murder. Thus, primitive cultures persist for centuries without advancing to become greater civilizations.  

If you read writings from ancient civilized peoples you will see that, though they have different cultures and different ways of looking at things, they are in many ways just like modern people. The ancients had very similar wants and desires as modern people. They viewed the world in similar ways as modern people, and are very relatable to modern people. We all can learn much by studying ancient writings. Conversely, there is not a lot that we can learn from primitive cultures that survived into the 20^th century and beyond. Whatever wisdom those people once had, was lost. Wisdom and learning are discouraged and driven out of such societies, so that most of what is left is bare subsistence for survival.  

I recall hearing a missionary to New Guinea tell of the effects of bringing the Christian Gospel to the cannibal savages of that island. Not all the people and tribes accepted the Gospel, but those who did were set free from the tyranny of their false gods and the fear that their “ancestors” would haunt them and punish them if they didn’t do what the spiritual leaders (shamans, or witch doctor figures) told them to do. The Christians lived better, built better homes and better communities. They ate better and cooperated better so that they trusted each other, and could band together for mutual support and protection against enemies, and also for building their communities and providing food and education for their neighbors. Those who did not embrace the Christian teaching, but held on to the idol worship and ancestor worship continued to live a primitive existence, closer to animals than civilized people. The idol worshipers weren’t animals, and they had some basic rules for civilization, but their cultural structures prevented them from developing a more complex and functional society as their Christian neighbors did. The missionaries did not come to teach the people “civilization” or “Democracy” or 19^th and 20^th century technology. That would not have worked. The people were first set free from the tyranny of their false gods, and only then were they able to leave behind their primitive lifestyle.

The Past is Prologue.

Progress or Regress?

The irony of the Darwinist fascination with primitive cultures is that although they imagine that such a culture is where they came from, it is actually where they are going! Look at the tactics that progressive Darwinists use: false teaching, societal pressures to conform or be punished, violence and murder. The result of evolutionary thinking is not progress, but regress to primitive animalistic barbarism. Progressivism is not progressive, but is actually regressive. George Santayana wrote in the early 20^th Century: “Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” {The Life of Reason (1905-1906) Vol.1, Reason in Common Sense} Santayana was no Christian, but he could see that a healthy society builds on the successes of the past, and learns from the mistakes and the accomplishments of history. If you forget the past, or if your society forbids you from remembering the truth of history, then you have to start over from scratch with every generation, and are likely to make the same mistakes that were also done in the past. However if you learn from history, then you can avoid or overcome the mistakes, and move forward. 

We saw something like this in a developed country in the early 21^st century. When U.S. President, George W. Bush, conquered Iraq, he set up a democratic government, but without imposing Christianity or even establishing freedom of religion, so that those who wanted to become Christian could openly do so. The result was that the people were quickly re-conquered and dominated by the most violent and radical Islamic groups, and the benefits of democracy in a free (and Christian) country were destroyed. President Bush and his advisers were extremely naïve in this, and it was tragic for many in Iraq.

 

I recall seeing a documentary on the sinking of the cruise ship, Titanic, around the time of the 100^th anniversary of its sinking (2012). The producers documented the excessive pride of the builders who wanted to believe that their ship was unsinkable, despite some serious design and manufacturing flaws built into the ship. The summary statement at the end was unintentionally full of irony when they proclaimed, “One thing is certain, this will never happen again.” This is ironic, because not only did they fail to show that the prideful attitudes that led to the design and operational errors were removed from human thinking, but their final statement was exactly the same prideful error that produced the mistakes which led to the sinking of the Titanic. It is not certain that such a thing would never happen again. Actually, such things happen all the time when people think too much of themselves, and their capabilities, and get careless. It happens even more often in eras where the manufacturers and overseers are greedy and corrupt, and take shortcuts to increase short-term profits at the expense of safety. Such corruption was once rare in the United States, but now in the early 21^st century it seems to be the standard way of doing business for many large companies.

“Scientific” Fear Mongers

We also see moves toward primitivism in the scientific community in the global warming/climate change/environmental movement fear mongering that has been going on at least since I was a child in the 1970’s. This climate fear mongering is really anti-science in the name of science. It is anti-science because true science welcomes and encourages challenges to theories in order to show their weaknesses so that better, more accurate evaluations can be made and the theories can better describe all the evidence seen in the physical world. However, the environmental activists are actively opposing scientific inquiry that challenges the political desires of the radical fear mongers. They say that their premature conclusions are “settled” and that true scientific challenges to their untested proclamations are heretical. But there ought to be no concept of heresy in science. All theories ought to welcome challenges based on new evidence either to prove them correct, or to show their weaknesses so that they can be improved. Orthodoxy and heterodoxy are concepts of religion, but now that science has become a religion, true scientific inquiry has become heterodox, and that will lead to tragedies like the Titanic, and a regression as scientists are less able to conduct free studies, but must only do “approved” work which does not challenge the prevailing religious views of the scientific community. If you can’t see how this leads to primitivism, then you haven’t understood what I have written above to this point.

Science tells us that, because of entropy, things tend to move toward a state of chaos and disorder. Civilization works against chaos by ordering society into a functional place in which people work together for a common good. This is always a struggle because there are always forces which are working to move things toward chaos. Primitive cultures are chaotic cultures with only minimal organizational structures. Christians know that God is an orderly God. 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, “God is not a god of disorder, but of peace.” A large part of God’s creative work in the seven days of creation was ordering the chaos so that He could make a paradise for His beloved people to live. God accomplished this and after creating man on the sixth day evaluated all He had done and proclaimed creation “very good.” However, man’s disobedience and rebellion corrupted God’s creation and reintroduced chaos into our lives.

Karl Marx and Primitivism

Karl Marx was strongly influenced by the atheistic worldview of Charles Darwin. The concepts of progressive evolution and “the survival of the fittest” lead to a favorable view toward a totalitarian ruling class which enslaves those deemed less fit. Marxist fascists must eliminate free speech because in a free society people would never choose to be enslaved, nor submit to those who want to enslave them. Free speech also includes knowledge and application of history as a guide to what is the best course of action to deal with problems in society. Those who seek to dominate or enslave others cannot permit such inquiry, so they feel compelled to destroy books and ideas. Santayana shows that this leads directly to primitivism. If good, constructive ideas are banned, then there can be no good progress, and the society either remains stagnant, or it deteriorates.  

War, disease and famine can move societies toward a primitive existence.

Venezuela and Cuba were both once thriving societies, but Marxist regimes came in and murdered the freedom-loving leaders. Many fled the country if they were able. The revolutionaries took control of businesses and all physical representations of wealth which was in the country, and the people were impoverished and unable to provide income for themselves because the businesses were controlled by the government. Totalitarian Marxist governments cannot provide for the needs of the people because they don’t care for the people. They only care about acquiring power and control for themselves. The people are seen only as “workers” or (more honestly) “slaves.” The “workers” are only valued for what they can do to provide comfort and wealth for the tyrant class. The tyrants don’t care if the people starve and live in poverty.  

I have taken up photography as a hobby, and I like to look at photographs by other photographers for inspiration and education. Every now and then I will see pictures from Cuba, and they almost all look the same. Shabbily dressed people are hanging around dilapidated buildings, but not seeming to have anything constructive to do. There are hints of former glory, like American cars from before the Castro revolution period sitting around. These recall the days when Cuba was wealthy and thriving, and was a favored tourist spot for Americans. I saw one documentary where it was shown that some of these 1950’s era American cars were using boat engines which were adapted and installed after their original engines wore out, and replacement parts were unavailable. There is still some ingenuity among the Cubans left in Cuba, but they are generally impoverished, idle, and only a shadow of what they could have been in a free country.

“Race” and Racism

Noah

I mentioned above that evolutionary thinking necessarily leads to racism. The Christian view of race is that everyone has descended from the same two people, Adam and Eve. All the different “racial” characteristics are just superficial variations of the same genetic code. This view also corresponds very well with the scientific data on the issue. There is only one human race. Any further distinctions are only false and serve only to divide one people into many groups and turn them against each other. The evolutionist sees things in terms of progress, and advance, and it evaluates everything (including people) in terms of progress or regress. However, this thinking puts blinders on the evolutionist because while they are busy looking for signs of progress, they don’t stop to consider where they are progressing to. I could be happily progressing down a path that leads to my destruction, and if I am so focused on my “forward” progress that I don’t look where I am or where I’m going, then I won’t see that I am on the wrong road. I could be making great “progress”, but if I am progressing in the wrong direction then the result could very well be tragic. 

The anthropological evolutionist evaluates people only in terms of their function and utility: advanced or primitive, useful or not, profitable or unprofitable, good or bad, friend or enemy. This view dehumanizes people because it evaluates worth based on what someone can do for me, not how valuable people are in themselves (or for others who are not me). I have shown elsewhere that racism doesn’t begin with hatred, but it begins with just wanting what is best for a group which I identify with. But in creating this artificial distinction between people it introduces value judgments as to the worth of what is seen as “different” groups. One group (usually “Mine”) must be better than others, and if one is better, then the other is worse, and it is not long before “better and worse” become seen as “good and evil”. This is the point where racism becomes hatred. If the other group is evil (as racists imagine it must be) then those belonging to that “evil” group must be subdued and destroyed. Don’t be fooled by people who only say, “I only want what is best for (my group).” That is racist and will soon lead to hatred and violence. Since I first wrote my article on racism (January 2010) I have seen this in action many times.

The Downfall of the United States of America

During the summer of 2020 in what was once the United States of America we saw several moves toward chaos and primitivism. Tyrannical governors imposed draconian lock-downs by unlawful mandates, and closed free businesses over fears of catching a bad cold. Lawlessness ran rampant by governors, judges, election officials, news media, large corporations, and other rioters. In several cities across the country rioters ran unchecked by police, with the blessing of tyrant mayors and governors, and destroyed significant sections of once prosperous cities. Anarchist Marxists tore down statues of historical figures with complete contempt for the history, in a clear attempt to reshape the historical understanding to fit their revolutionary goals, and thus condemning us all to have to repeat the mistakes of forgotten history.  

It is clear that this puts us on a path toward civil war. Such a thing is not certain, as there are many ways to avert it before it comes to that, but the question is, “Will we be able to to turn from a well-funded path manned by people hell-bent on destruction?” With war comes hardships which force people to live a primitive existence to survive. Venezuela was a prosperous wealthy country, but was reduced to poverty in just a few short years by a Marxist takeover of the government. Such prospects are somewhat frightening, but Christians have hope for the future. History shows us that countries can survive the devastation of civil wars, though much is lost in lives and material prosperity. Even more, we know that Christ is in control of all of history, and will work even the greatest evil out for His good (in spite of the evil desires of the revolutionaries). This is a matter of faith to have this confidence, because for a time it will not seem as if there is much hope for reconstruction as the devastation mounts. Mechanized and computerized persecution as seen in China is quite frightening especially when wielded by uneducated and mal-educated people who don’t realize and don’t care that what they are doing is evil.

The Solution to The Descent into Primitivism

Humility and repentance before God to receive Christ's forgiveness is the best way for true healing.

There is a fascinating story in the Bible in Daniel 4. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon wanted to take credit for the victories that God had given him, so he is cursed by God to lose his mind and live a primitive existence like an animal for a certain period of time. He was “driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws.” Then God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to regain not only his sanity, but also his rule as King. When this experience was over the King issued this statement, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” God has the power to humble the proud according to His will. This is why the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Those who seek to destroy God-given rights and freedoms for transient worldly domination and power are fools, and will be humbled sooner or later.  

God’s humbling of King Nebuchadnezzar shows us how to avoid regressing to primitivism – at least on a personal level. Nebuchadnezzar was humbled and then repented of his hubris and arrogance. He acknowledged God as the Lord and his sanity and his kingdom was restored to him. God has his ways of humbling those who need to be humbled. Unfortunately not all repent of their sins. Some foolish people would rather hold on to their sins and try to save themselves rather than trust in God to save them through the life and death of Jesus Christ. However, it is impossible for sinful people to save themselves and these unrepentant people are driven mad by their sinful pride and regress toward primitivism in ways not unlike Nebuchadnezzar. Yet, for all who repent of their sins there is forgiveness and healing in Christ Jesus. Because Jesus has paid the price of death for our sins we are set free from the threat of punishment, and the guilt of our sins need not torment us longer. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

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Psalm 119:136 “My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.”
 

Psalm 119:158 “I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands.”
 

2 Peter 2:4-10 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.”

Be Strong and Courageous in the Lord

by Pastor Paul Wolff

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

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God told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous for I am with you wherever you go.”

The context of Joshua 1 is that the prophet Moses has just died and God was giving directions to his successor, Joshua. Four times in Joshua chapter one God tells Joshua to “be strong and courageous,” and a few chapters earlier in the book of Deuteronomy (chapter 31) Moses tells Joshua twice to “be strong and courageous” and God tells Joshua the same thing once. One gets the idea that Joshua was neither strong nor courageous that he needed such encouragement.

One might think this despite the fact that 40 years earlier Joshua and Caleb were the only Israelite scouts of the 12 who scouted out the land of Canaan who were not intimidated by the Canaanites and their fortified cities and who courageously told the Israelites, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14:7-9)

In an article from 2014 (Perfect Love Drives Out All Fear) I showed how courage comes from love, especially from the love of God above all things. Whether Joshua needed such encouragement or not, I do not know. Perhaps God was only reminding Joshua of His love for the Israelites to strengthen Joshua’s courage to do what needed to be done to take the land that God was giving to His people to prepare for the day when all His promises will be fulfilled and the Messiah would be born in that land who would save the world from their sins.

Jesus shows how God loves us like a loving father loves his children.

The courage that God gives to Joshua and the Israelites is not a generic courage to not be afraid in any circumstance. It is a very specific courage. It is a courage to remain faithful to the One True God in the face of all doubt and temptation that the world may use to try to turn you against God, or to fear something above God, which is idolatry. There are so many temptations in the world to doubt God, and to fear what the world could do to us. When Christ’s followers were turning away from him because they found His teaching hard (John 6), Jesus did not beg His disciples to stay. He gave them the opportunity to leave, too, saying “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Peter answered for the disciples, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Likewise Saint Paul had a similar courage from the love of Christ when He wrote to the Romans, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39)

If God is with us, as He has promised (See Matthew 28:20 where Jesus said, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”), then what can the world do to us? The most the world can do to us is to make our lives a little more painful for a little while, and take away our lives, but as sinners we already suffer and we will all die at some point, but all who love Christ belong to God as His children and will live forever with Christ who saves us. Why should we fear the world? Why would we ever turn our backs on Christ who lived and died to save us from the wickedness of this sinful world?

Do not be tempted by the world’s sinful pleasures. Do not be afraid of their empty threats. Do not be discouraged. God has come down to earth to be with you and to save you from sin and death. Jesus lived and died to pay for your sin so that you will live forever with Christ in His heavenly paradise. Be strong and courageous through faith in Christ, for He is the Lord God who will be with you wherever you go.

God is Your Great Reward

by Pastor Paul Wolff

“The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.’” Genesis 15:1

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Abram Believed God and He credited it to him as Righteousness

It is natural for people to think that we have to do something to make God think favorably toward us. This is yet another way that our sinful nature has corrupted our thinking and our attitude toward God. This is the pagan way of thinking about God. The pagan must manipulate his god in order to get something good, but in doing so, the pagan thinks he is greater than his god because if he gets what he wants, then the pagan is telling the god what to do. Then he views his god as his servant and he is the master.

The True God is much different than the pagan view of god. God tells Abram (later renamed “Abraham”), “I am your shield.” That is to say that God is the one who protects His people, of whom Abram is one. God needs no protection because God is almighty, but in His mercy and love He protects His people who are weak and vulnerable to the evil plans of sinners in the world.

God also tells Abram, “I am your great reward.” In the context of Genesis 15 Abram had just rescued his nephew Lot after he was kidnapped by evil armies. Abram assembled a small army of his household workers and defeated the armies of the four kings that overthrew the five kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and the nearby kingdoms. Abram did not accept a reward for this valuable service, but gave honor and praise to God who gave him the victory. In return, God tells Abram, “I am your great reward.”

Abram recognizes that God is saying that He will give Abram some great blessing, but Abram knows he is old, and whatever good thing that God gives him will pass to his heir, of which he has none, and because of his advanced age, and the age of his elderly wife, he is not likely to produce an heir. Yet God promises Abram that his wife, Sarah, will give birth to a son and Abram’s descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Then the Scriptures say that “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”

Jesus said, “Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life.” Jesus is our very great reward.“”“”

The blessing that God promised Abram was not only worldly wealth, though Abram was a somewhat wealthy person in worldly terms. The great blessing God gave to Abram was God, Himself. God said, “I am your great reward.” One of Abram’s descendants would be God in the flesh who would be the savior of the world – the salvation of all who trust in God to save them from their sins. This promise was first made to Adam and Eve on the day that they rebelled against God and fell into sin, and here it was repeated to Abram.

Scriptures say “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” This is why Christians look to Abraham as our Spiritual ancestor, even though he may not be our physical ancestor. We believe in the same God that Abraham knew and trusted. We recognize Jesus as the Christ, the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all faithful people since Adam and Eve fell into sin.

God, Himself is our great reward. He is our savior from sin and death. He became incarnate as a man to take the punishment that we deserved because of our sin. Jesus endured God the Father’s wrath over our sin, and suffered the death that we deserved. He did this to rescue you from that same fate. We receive this salvation through faith, just as Abram was considered righteous by believing God’s promises. Do not be afraid. God is your shield and your very great reward.