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.)
An event is coming that will be unexpected even though we know that it is coming – the Rapture of the Church. I Thessalonians 4:13-18 prophesies this coming of Jesus for His own (see also I Corinthians 15:51-53). Even if we fully believe the predictive Word of God – and I trust that we all do – we will still be surprised for at least two reasons. First, “of that day and hour knoweth no man” (Matthew 24:36). If anyone says that he can pinpoint the time of Jesus’ return in the clouds, do not believe anything that he says (see also I Thessalonians 5:1-2). Second, because we have never experienced anything akin to the Lord’s coming for His people, we have no frame of reference, nothing to compare it to. However, this doctrine is presented to us as great encouragement: “Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (verse 18). The consistent unexpectedness of Jesus is a source of great expectations for all of us – even if we don’t like surprises.