Why were the they terrified?

Hello friends!

"While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus." ~Matthew 17:5-8

When the disciples heard the voice of God they were terrified. You may say that this was simply because it is not every day that you hear a voice from the sky. Yet I think there was a bit more to it than that...
The first chapter of Romans states that everyone is aware of God, everyone knows His divine nature, and everyone knows the penalty for dishonoring Him. This seems strange to us, as we all know many people who show no signs of any such beliefs. The explanation given in Romans is that people have suppressed the truth and, in doing so, their minds have become darkened. Yet, according to the Apostle Paul, on some level everyone knows the truth. We lie to ourselves because the truth of who God is is terrifying. God is majestic, holy, and perfect in righteousness. It is indeed terrifying.
I believe what Paul was saying about this "suppressed truth," and I think that this helps us understand what was going on in the minds of the disciples when they heard the voice of God. You see the disciples, like many of us, had spent their entire lives suppressing and denying this obvious truth about who God is. Yet on that day they were forced to recognize what they already knew. They were forced to experience God's awesome and perfect presence. When they heard that voice they were forced to recognize that they themselves deserved judgment. They fell facedown in fear because they could no longer hide. And it was at this time, when they were trembling with the fear of God's wrath, that something amazing happened: Jesus touched them.
He touched them and he spoke to them. He told them not to be afraid, and when they looked at Him, they saw that the terrifying presence of God was gone. In the face of Jesus God was still there, but not in the same way. Jesus had taken away the need to be afraid.
Jesus. How we, sinful men, can know a perfect and righteous God.

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." ~1 Peter 3:18

With His Love,
Charlie