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 fourth vial or bowl judgment at the end of the Tribulation is recorded in Revelation 16:8-9: “And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given him [the sun] to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, [Who] hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give Him glory.” This reality of divine judgment – actual, extreme, immediate global heating – should cause any sober-minded person to sprint into the mercy and grace of God. Instead, the unbelievers at that time not only will not repent but also will actively and openly blaspheme the character (“name”) of God. This illogical, irrational response is an indicator of the grip that sin has on mankind. No matter what secularists try to say, man’s nature has not changed for the better. Each of us has a sin nature that completely separates us from God, Who is immutably holy. If we will not rush to respond to His kind call, we are in increasingly grave danger. As one commentator from the 1800’s succinctly stated, “Affliction, if it does not melt, hardens.” Lord, soften our sinful hearts and stubborn heads now, so that we do not reject the eternal salvation that is freely available through faith in Christ Jesus.