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 Bible confirms that Jesus is returning for His people (I Thessalonians 4:16-17), keeping us from the time of the Tribulation (Revelation 3:10) and from His holy wrath (I Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9). We must also consider II Thessalonians 2, which tells us that the Antichrist (the world leader during the Tribulation) will not rise to power until after the removal of the indwelling God the Holy Spirit – a removal which can occur only if indwelt Christians are no longer present on earth. Verses 7-9 state, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only He Who now letteth [restrains] will let [restrain], until He be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him [the Antichrist], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” Logically, since each Christian is indwelt by the Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19), this promised scenario must involve the absence of the Church before “that man of sin be revealed” (verse 3). Only after Christians are raptured can the forces of evil gain a rapid but brief ascendancy. In verse 5, Paul reminds the believers in Thessalonica, “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” Let us also remember and rejoice in God’s goodness in taking us to be with Him in heaven.