As of lately I have taken a keen interest in kings and
kingdoms. I guess that comes from watching to many medieval television shows. I am intrigued with their systems of
governance, the positions that various people held, and how the people viewed
and responded to that system. Surprisingly, this interest of mine has helped me
understand the Bible a bit more, especially when studying the Pharaohs, Kings,
Queens, the Roman Empire in the days of Jesus, etc . . .
As I was studying the book of Daniel, the question came to
me; “Is it better for a king to be loved or feared?” As I began to ponder the question I began to
inquire with my Heavenly Father about it. Below, is what immediately poured
into my mind.
As of lately I have been hearing so many people in the Body
of Christ talk about the wrath of God on a sinful world. They also speak in the
manner that if someone fails to submit to God, then that person is destined to
feel the punishment of God’s wrath and suffer the fate of a burning hell. Now,
I personally believe that both, Heaven and Hell are real, but by no means will
I ever try to share my faith with someone by saying if you don’t submit to God,
then you will be condemned to hell for eternity, and then say, “God loves you”
in the same sentence.
This is NOT
proclaiming the gospel of Christ. This is called persuasion to obedience by through
use of fear. We all know that the spirit of fear is not of God, so why would I
want to scare someone into His LOVING kingdom. The sad part about it, many use this tactic
to try and draw others to God. Sadly, the ones who are persuaded begin their relationships
with God on the basis of fear and not love and grace. This in-turn breeds
erroneous mindsets that wrongly interpret God’s word and as a consequence it
becomes a chain reaction that reaches many others. Before you know it you have
the makings of a cult that persecutes the world instead of going into it and
loving on the people within it, who are in need of God’s love the most. In
addition, those people operate their daily lives from a position of terrifying
fear towards God and not out of the position of reverential fear.
DANIEL 3:4-7
“Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples,
nations, and languages, “that at the time you hear the sound of the horn,
flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall
fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzer has set up: “and
whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst
of a burning fiery furnace.””
The above account regards the command of King
Nebuchadnezzer. At the time he had created a golden image and forced everyone
to worship it. If someone failed to submit to it, then that person was threatened
with being cast into a fiery furnace. The people worshiped out of terrifying fear.
We all know the story; the three Hebrew boys did not submit to the golden image
and were thrown into the fire. Amongst the fire everyone saw four shadows
walking in the furnace, free and unbounded. The fourth shadow was that of
Jesus.
This sounds peculiarly familiar with some of the messages
that have been coming out of the Body of Christ for many generations. “If you don’t submit to God, then you will be
condemned forever in the lake of fire.” Did King Nebuchadnezzer take a page out
of God’s book by forcing people to serve a golden image? Certainly not!
God is not looking for a people to submit to Him out of terrifying fear
or force. This is why He gave us free-will. I receive the most pleasure out of
my relationship with God by knowing what He has done for me, and knowing that I
serve Him because I freely choose to, not because I am forced to or because I
fear going to hell.
Again, I do believe that Hell is real and that sadly, some people
go there. However, I do not believe we are to go around condemning others that
at the time do not share in our beliefs. Right now the world needs to
experience the love of God like never before, so much condemnation is already being
spewed: “you’re bad because you are a republican or democrat, you are hideous
because you are gay or lesbian, you are worthless because you didn’t attend a
certain school etc . . . As a member of the Body of Christ let’s not fall into
this same trap. Let’s not focus on the fiery furnace, but rather turn our
attention to the fourth shadow amidst the fiery furnace that delivered the
three Hebrew boys from death.
There’s a time and a place for everything. The realization of hell should be TAUGHT to
people, it should not be used in a manner in which we are making first
introductions about God to someone.
So, the answer to the question, I think it is better to be
loved than feared. When people serve out of love they serve genuinely. When
people serve out of fear they serve out of obligation and angst. The King who
is loved may not be loved by all but in the end he will have a faithful
following, willing to serve no matter what. The King who is feared will be obeyed
by all but in the end will be resented.
Pastor Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Christian Center
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