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 Revelation 21:9, the Apostle John records, “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues and talked with me, saying, ‘Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’” This “bride” is the Church (Revelation 19:7-9). Since a bride is a symbol of absolute purity, we see that one of the characteristics of the heavenly city is the absence of sin. Verse 10 adds, “And he [the angel] carried me [John] away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” The designation “holy” confirms that sin has no place in our future home. The “light” of the city is described as “clear as crystal” (verse 11), indicating that even “the shadows flee away” (Son of Solomon 4:6b). This state of sinlessness is seen in that “the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass” (verse 18), with no dross or imperfections. Even “the street” that we will walk upon will be “pure gold, as it were transparent glass” (verse 22). For those who are troubled by ecological issues, Revelation 22:1 provides the answer: “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Thus, even the environment will be free of impurity. Since our new home will be pure, a simple application for us is that we should strive for purity in our homes now: “Every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” (I John 3:3).