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 song of the Tribulation saints (Revelation 19:1-3) is joyously joined by the elders and angels around the throne of God: “And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, ‘Amen; alleluia” (verse 4). As we have previously studied, the “elders” are representatives of the entire Church, all the believers saved from the time of Christ Jesus until the Rapture prior to the Tribulation (see Revelation 4-5). The “beasts” are angels: the King James Version’s translation is substantially improved by the New American Standard Version’s “living creatures.” We should note the echoing “amen”: all of the residents of heaven are in perfect agreement about the necessity of Babylon’s absolute judgment. The elders and the angels then add their own “alleluia,” praising God intelligently and fervently. I think of a line from a song by old friend Ken Fernald: “In one accord, we praise Thee, O Lord.” Certainly, this heavenly harmony is a model for all Christians at all times. May our worship accurately and effectively focus on our Savior God.