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.)
Our heavenly home, “the holy Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:10), is described in verse 11 as “having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” We have previously seen in verses 3-7 that the most profound aspect of heaven is the immediate presence of God. The emphasis on “the glory of God” reminds us of this central truth. His “glory” is a visible manifestation of all of His attributes (more properly, His perfections); it is His majesty on full display. As we are right now – even though we are redeemed by God the Son and sealed for eternity by God the Holy Spirit – we could not survive this revelation of the fullness of God’s glory. The words of God to Moses are clear: “Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live.” The eradication of our sin nature (“Behold, I make all things new” – verse 5b) will remove the barrier that presently exists: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (I Corinthians 13:12). The dim reflection in a polished metal mirror (the meaning of the imagery of “a glass, darkly”) will be replaced by a face-to-face meeting. Finally, we will be able to fully see our Savior God in all of His “glory” for all of eternity.