Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
The Antichrist’s false prophet performs “signs and lying wonders” (II Thessalonians 2:9) during the Tribulation: “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast [the Antichrist]; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Revelation 13:13-15). This passage, like so many in the book of Revelation, is disturbing. Some suggest that the “image” here is something like computer-driven robotics. That interpretation is possible, given the clear statement that the false prophet “deceiveth.” However, the language employed here is not figurative (using like or as or similar comparison words), indicating that it is possible that this animation is a literal miracle. Some flatly state that Satan does not have this degree of power, and perhaps they are correct. The key, of course, is that all of the activities of Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet are deceptive in that they lead people away from the truth that is found in Jesus Christ. However, even at that terrible time, some will refuse Satan’s way, “be killed,” but inherit life eternal. The extraordinary evil of the Tribulation reign of the Antichrist cannot overcome the everlasting goodness of our Savior God.