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.)
We return today to our comparison and contrast of Genesis and Revelation, the beginning and ending of human history on earth. Genesis 3:23-24 records the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden: “Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” This garden was the place especially prepared by God for Adam and Eve; it is profoundly sad that they could not enjoy it as a grand gift from God. However, God is not ultimately thwarted: all of the heavenly city is a paradise, an eternal garden, the place prepared by God for His own: “And they shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5d). The angels (including “cherubims”) will welcome us there, just as the angel speaking to John in this passage welcomed him. The glorious Garden of God awaits us.