The Lord does not mark or account for sin instantly or immediately, but he visits sons of men on daily, weekly and periodical basis to judge and meted out justice (the just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he fails not, but the unjust knows no shame: justice and judgments are the habitations of thy throne. Zephaniah 3:5. Psalms 89:14) against man’s refusal to make use of the extended but overdue patience of his goodness to repentance, but failed to make changes before the cup of their iniquity is filled before him: evil men do not understand judgment, but they that seek the Lord understand all things. Proverbs 28:5.
 
 
I’m quite sure that if Adam and Eve were given another opportunity to come face to face for rematch contest against the serpent or to reset the button like it was before the fall, they will prefer above any logical reason to choose obedience as precaution to avoid God’s threat of death against the underlying prospect of independent from him with enlightened equality of power like God to know good and evil as presented by Satan. Note: men will make themselves victims to the hot displeasure of unbearable consequences when they failed to tremble to the word of God and to serve him reverential in godly fear for the respect and submission worthy of him as the great, mighty and terrible Creator who does not have respect of persons or receives gifts to pervert justice. Deuteronomy 10:17.
 
 
Apostle Paul of all people was in a good position to make the expression ‘knowing therefore of the terror of the Lord’ having partially experienced and witnessed little part but significant terrible act of God toward him before his conversion on his way to Damascus by legal pursuant of the saints of God to be put to death; but was opposed from heaven and was made blind for three days before the restoration of his sight and commissioned to preach the gospel he once sought to destroy.                                                                                                                                                
The imminent righteous judgment of God and future retribution for all men (righteous as well as for the sinner) is the motivational force behind apostle Paul’s plea to men, imploring them to reconcile with God: that those who are presently in Christ should walk and live accordingly in respect to their future hope and expectations (by faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. Hebrews 11:24-26) of their future glorification: not to live or walk blindly and thoughtless like the unsaved sinners that cannot see afar off, forgotten that as a believer, you have been forgiven and purged from your old sins.
                                                                     
Here, the word terror of the Lord refers to the fearfulness, breathtaking and overwhelming righteous judgment of God: it is comprehensive that we must all appear before the judgment seat: the impartiality of his just retribution of reward: the awfulness and frightfulness of that final horrific day for sinners, but joyous day for the saints of the MostHigh, for the Lord shall be the hope of his people when he shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executes his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it at the time the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up: wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Joel 2:11. 2 Peter 3:10-12.
Little is heard and nothing is known about this awesome and unpredictable – terrible Omnipotent loving God (oh that thou would rend the heavens, that thou would come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, as when the melting fire burns, the fire causes the waters to boil, to make thy name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou came down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. Isaiah 64:1-3) who is terrible in his dealings toward the children of men showing mercy to the merciful, and to the pure he is pure, to the upright, they shall found him unchanging, but to the devious and wicked, they shall found him smartest and unbeatable and unavoidable (say unto God, how terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall your enemies submit themselves unto thee. Psalms 66:3) in his wonderful dealings with the children of men (by terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea: Psalms 65:5) to inspire reverence as the God with terrible majesty (fair weather comes out of the north, with God is terrible majesty: for the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. Job 37:22. Psalms 47:2) these are part of the ways and doings of the terrible God out of his holy places, but how little a portion is heard of him? But the thunder of his power who can understand? Job 26:14. Psalms 68:35.
 
The doctrine of eternal judgments (Hebrews 6:1-2) and the revelations of events after man has passed away from time zone to eternity either by present death’s curse or by partaking in the rapture of the living saints at Christ second coming or through the second resurrection of the unjust was made known from the scriptures concerning all that are going to transpire at the judgment seat of Christ and at the white judgment throne of God. Though Daniel spoke of this as if these two resurrections and judgments are at the same time, nonetheless, there is a gap of time (Revelation 20:4-5) separating these two events apart. The good news for those that shall have part in the first resurrection to appear before the judgment seat of Christ is that they have passed from death unto life in the actual sense of it, and the second death shall have no power over them, except for the loss of rewards of works for some believers which do not originate in Christ, sort of vain glory works which are not done accordingly after the pattern from the word of God. They are saved and forever shall they be priests and kings unto God and Christ, never to be summoned to the great white throne for any questioning whatsoever. The over-comer believers who have sown to the spirit while on earth shall reap in-corruption, and physical death shall be swallowed up in victory, and mortal shall put on immortality for a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens; which means a new spiritual, glorified and celestial body shall be theirs: but as for the lost and damned souls, they shall also be given a spiritual body adaptable and suitable for the condition of their eternal realm and habitation to live and stay in hell-fire where their fire is never quenched and their worms shall never die to reap corruption as the reward of sowing to the flesh while they lived of earth, and is the second death. Daniel describes it as everlasting shame and contempt (and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.Daniel 12:2) but the earthly word for this is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. It is spiritual capital punishment of incarceration of eternal judgment and retribution of sinners and unjust.
The Bible describes the terror of the Lord as chilling and nightmarish sight of the fiery of his indignation of judgment which shall devour his adversaries: this speaks of the shame and everlasting sorrow and contempt for those that refused the love of the truth that they might be saved (and they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. Isaiah 66:24) and not exclude the Christians whose ways and doings are contrary to the ways and doings of the Lord to live and walk on the earth in craftiness while holding the truth in unrighteousness.
Scrutiny and judgment must begin from the house of God; and if by cross-examination the righteous is scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and sinners appear? Yes, we are not saved by any good works of self-righteousness on our part, except by the righteousness which is by faith in Christ Jesus; but any one of them in the Christ who is not doing things that accompany salvation (Hebrews 6:9) with careful attention to the conversations as it becomes the gospel of Christ, warnings, and instructions of the Lord as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in their hearts is damned. Though many are presume to be in the church, they are not actually in the vine, rooted and grounded in Christ to be a healthy fruit-bearing branch among the branches of the tree (I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that bears not fruit he takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15: 1-6) it is unlikely the Lord will keep them forever but are closer to final curse and destruction from the presence of the Lord if they don’t live up to divine expectations to make their calling and election sure in every spiritual conducts and responsibility before the Lord. Hebrews 6:7-8. Note: God has not called us unto wrath but to obtain salvation; nonetheless, his threats requires instant attention and careful observation on our part: they are meant to stir our sense of duty and to awaken us to spiritual obligations to avert possible painful consequences of failed stewardship and Christian lifestyles against the time to come: meanwhile, any threat against us from Satan is an empty threat which is directed not against us, but against the greater One that is living in us and shall be taken care of by Christ if we are pursuing the cause of the Lord to walk after him in the lifeline pathways of righteousness, and in the pathways thereof, there is no death. Proverbs 12:28.
The devil has once successfully played down on God’s concept and warning of spiritual death before Adam and Eve, and to assure them that they shall not die, and it was just an insignificant word from God not to be taken into consideration. We all see the outcome that not only did they died spiritually, but God included physical death in addition which has an impact upon everyman to suffer mortal death. Now, with the same lie in the evil heart of unbelief, Satan is hardening men in sin, binding them with diver lusts to understate the impossibility of a loving God to put anyone into the second death situation (and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14-15) enslave them gratifying the flesh to indulge in the pleasure of sin. The Lord’s threats are credible as the manifesto of his views and intention to prevent present dangers of unfruitfulness and profitless as the result of individual’s unpreparedness and non compliance to his will that we should be justified from any future’s liability of wasted grace and salvation: but Satan’s threats are craftily designed to remove us from the will and purposes of God.                                                                                                        
Apart from the blameless and exceptional church of Philadelphia shinning as light in the world, harmless and walking blameless and was spared from any rebuke from the Lord; six different other churches were threatened and warned by the Lord Jesus if they should not meet certain criteria and standard with obligations as model for relationship, worship, services or labor, and stewardship in him with grave consequences. Revelation 3:7-11.                                                                                                                                                         
Against the church at Ephesus who has become slothful in business and wane in zeal and enthusiasm to serve the Lord with great commitment and consecration as when she first began, here are the Lord’s threats to wake and warn her to action: nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place (I will stop and cease to acknowledge you as a recognized church in my registry book. Revelation 1:20) except thou repent. Revelation 2:4-5.                                              
To the Smyrna church, the Lord threatens those brethren with second death (eternal shame and condemnation in hell – once saved can forever get lost – beware) but encouraged them to bravery and fearlessness in the face of suffering reproach for his name’s sake: I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shall suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death. Revelation 2:9-11.                                                                                                                        
Against the worldly sexually immoral and false doctrine Pergamos church, here are the Lord’s threats: but I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Revelation 2: 14-16.  
Against the church at Thyatira promoting feminism in the church for world acceptance and conformity to it: ignoring her overlapping spiritual speed, great faith and love for the Lord and labor of service in Christ, here are the Lord’s threats against her: I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee because thou allows that woman Jezebel, which calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searches the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. Revelation 2: 19-23.                                      
Against the passive, sedentary, dormant and inactive people at Sardis church which is now dwelling on the past harvest, laborious and glory; but not on any present achievements, here are the Lord’s threats: I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou lives, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shall not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shall not know what hour I will come upon thee. Revelation 3:1-3.
Against the half-hearted, smugness and unenthusiastic Laodicea’s church, deficient and inadequate in the amount of zeal and ardent requires to serve the Lord, here are the Lord’s threats against her: so, then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knows not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou may be rich; and white raiment, that thou may be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness does not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that thou may see. Revelation 3: 16-18.
It is work and expertise of the devil to paint and present the words and works of God as fantasy and unrealistic, but God has the final say and the countdown ticking before the great and terrible day of the Lord shall come: it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Believers or unbelievers repent now and change their ways and doings before God.