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.)
As we have seen this week in our brief review of Revelation 20, Jesus keeps the books. As the Keeper, He is both faithful and fair. Moreover, Jesus’ recordkeeping is final. There will be no audits, boards of review, or legal shenanigans. His integrity is unquestioned, and His authority is absolute: “And death and hell [hades] were cast into the lake of fire [hell]. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire [hell]” (Revelation 20:14-15). The finality of Jesus’ pronouncements is a warning to all and a blessing to all Christians. For example, Paul rejoiced in the finality of his salvation: “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day” (II Timothy 1:12). At the end of his brief epistle, Jude breaks out in exuberant benediction: “Now unto Him [Who] is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (verses 24-25). Paul’s words in Philippians 1:6 also rejoice in this blessed finality: “Being confident of this very thing, that He [Who] hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” When I read the word “whosoever” in Revelation 20:15, I immediately think of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” It is up to each individual to decide which “whosoever” he wants to be. Either way, the decision is final.