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 unprecedented earthquake at the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 16:17-21) affects all of the “cities of the nations” (verse 19). However, “the great city” is singled out for catastrophic destruction. Some consider this city to be Jerusalem, based upon Revelation 11:11, where Jerusalem is called “the great city,” and upon Zechariah 14:4, where the Mount of Olives splits in half. Some think that it is Rome, based upon an improper interpretation of Revelation 17:9 (which we will study later). However, the immediate context clarifies that “the great city” is “great Babylon” (verse 19). Although the Babylonian Empire vanished more than 2500 years ago, the city of Babylon has never ceased to exist. It is located about 58 miles southwest of Baghdad, the current capital of Iraq. Why will Babylon become so important at the time of the Tribulation? Part of its appeal to the world leader (Antichrist) will be its connection to Babel. Genesis 10:10 tells us that Nimrod, a religious rebel, constructed “Babel” and in defiance of God endeavored to establish an alternate religion (Genesis 11:1-9). God intervened powerfully then, and He will again when the Antichrist tries to combine a new religion (Revelation 17) and a world government/economy (Revelation 18), both centered in Babylon. History will repeat itself, for God does not change.