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.)
In the midst of the terror of the Tribulation, the grace of God continues to be abounding unto sinners. In Revelation 14:4, the 144,000 sealed Jewish believers are called “the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.” This designation is a profoundly encouraging one for all of us. In the Old Testament, the feast of firstfruits involved specific offerings to God (Leviticus 23:9-14). These varied offerings together symbolized the total consecration to God of the expected harvest. In a similar way, each of the 144,000 is separated to Jesus and set apart for the evangelical work ongoing even in the Tribulation. Furthermore, there is a harvest to come – a great harvest. Romans 11:26 confirms, “And so all Israel shall be saved as it is written, ‘There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.’” This quotation of Isaiah 59:20 tells us that in the most difficult time ever and in the most unlikely of circumstances, people will be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. Certainly the principle applies to believers today. If we will yield ourselves to God (Romans 6:13, 19), He will employ us to help others see the truth about Jesus, Who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6).