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 eternal existence of God and His eternal glory, particularly as manifested in the substitutional atonement of God the Son, Jesus Christ, are two reasons given in the book of Revelation to believe the almost unbelievable promise that believers “shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5d). Another reason given in this final book of the Bible is the eternal punishment of unbelievers, those who choose to reject our Lord’s saving love. Revelation 14:9-11 clearly teaches that this righteous justice is literal, not metaphoric, and includes the cautionary clause, “The smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever” (verse 11a). Some suggest that this deserved judgment is too harsh. However, we recognize that logically God’s Word cannot fail: “The word of the Lord endureth for ever” (I Peter 1:25a). In His Word, we find that all people are created to live forever, for we are all created in God’s image: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them” (Genesis 1:27). If we were not made to live “for ever and ever,” we could not inhabit eternal heaven. Isaiah 57:15, though, tells us that we can: “For thus saith the high and lofty One [Who] inhabiteth eternity, Whose name is Holy, ‘I will dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’” We have been fairly and fully instructed by the Eternal God in His Eternal Word that we are made for eternity. May each one of us choose to spend it with Him through a simple faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus.