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 15:6 describes the angels who will pour out the judgments of chapter 16: “And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.” The “girdles” are sashes and are symbolic of priestly functions, appropriate since these angels come “out of the temple,” the inner Holy Place of the tabernacle. Hebrews 8:2, 5; 9:23-24 clarify that the earthly place of worship was based upon this heavenly original. These angels are “clothed in pure and white linen,” indicating their innate righteousness and reminding us that their task of judgment is also righteous and holy. Thus, their pouring out of “the wrath of God” (Revelation 15:1) is consistent with the righteous and holy character of God Himself. We must not think that their necessary work is somehow lesser than, say, their worship in heaven. No, they remain righteous as they do both – as they do all of the things that they are appointed to do. A simple lesson for us is that we can trust our Savior God at all times, including when He calls us to perform challenging tasks.