FEAR, A SIGN OF THE END OF THE WORLD
«Men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the power of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:26).
Fear entered the world when sin entered, and it will accompany humanity until sin is extinguished. That is why one of the signs of the end of the world is fear: it will dominate people more and more as they stray further from the fear of God. “The fear and love of God have almost left the world.”—In Heavenly Places, p. 313, November 2. The signs of the end of the world described in Luke 21:25 —28 have almost all been completely fulfilled. Significant events occur on a greater and greater scale, with greater frequency and intensity, and they are accompanied by terror, stress, and anxiety. And om the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring (verse 25). The word “distress,» from the Greek synochē, appears twice in the New Testament; in 2 Corinthians 2:4 it is translated as “Affliction and anguish of heart”*
The word ‘perplexity,” aporia in Greek, is a description of a person in a confused state and only appears in this text.** Luke 21:26, “men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken, mentions three emotions: failure, fear, and expectation. “Failing,” in the original New Testament Greek apopsychō, means to exhale one’s life, expire, faint, lose consciousness, lose control; or stop breathing. »Fear,” phobos in the original Greek: fright, terror, panic, fear. Expectation, prosdokia in the original Greek: worry about the future, generally associated with fear.**
These three words define the most common psychological problems: stress, phobias, and anxiety. Phobias have to do with fears in the past, stress has to do with the fears of the present, and anxiety with the fears of the future. According to data from the World Health Organization in 2016, 350 million people all over the world suffer from depression, and 25% of the world’s population has had one or more mental health problem in their lifetime. In the U.S., 19 million people suffer from anxiety, 2.4 million have panic attacks, and 5.2 million suffer from stress-related illnesses. All of that became even worse with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fear is certainly a sign of the end of the world, but Jesus told us, ‘Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).
If we fear God, there will be no room for these negative feelings.
Put all your worries and anxieties in God’s hands, because He will care for you (see 1 Peter 5:57).
*Blue Letter Bible, Lexicon: Strong’s G4928- synochē, at https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4928/rvr60/tr/0-1/,consulted in March of 2022.
**Ibid, Strong’s G640-aporía, at https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g640/rvr60/tr/0-1/.
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Taken from: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2023
“DAUGHTER OF MINE” Do Not Be Afraid
From: Arsenia Fernandez-Uckele
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Esteban Cortes