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.)
Revelation 16:4-7 records the third vial or bowl judgment at the end of the Tribulation: “And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, ‘Thou art righteous, O Lord, [Who] art, and wast, and shalt be, because Thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy [they deserve it].’ And I heard another one out of the altar say, ‘Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments.’” The particular reason for this specific judgment is the principle of sowing and reaping found in Galatians 6:7: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” This principle, sometimes called poetic justice, is operative when people reject God’s mercy and grace. For example, Pharaoh tried to drown Jewish baby boys, but the Egyptian army drowned in the Red Sea. Similarly, in the book of Esther, Haman planned to hang blameless Mordecai and exterminate the Jews, but he died on his own gallows instead. The killers of God’s “saints and prophets” will be surrounded by “blood.” The prayers of the martyrs (Revelation 6:9-11) will fully and finally be answered.