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 17:6 records the worst activity of Babylon: “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration [literally, ‘wonder’].” As an actual place where the worship of the Antichrist is centered, Babylon will be in vitriolic, vicious, and violent opposition to all who choose to trust in Jesus Christ during the terrible time of the Tribulation. Rather than be impressed and intrigued by the staunch faith of “the saints” and “the martyrs of Jesus,” Babylon will persist in its slaughter of these innocent Christians. The totalitarian regime of the Antichrist will seek to exercise the uttermost in control – the execution of blameless people. We can contrast this bloodthirstiness with the sacrificial atonement of Jesus, Who said, “This is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many” (Mark 14:14). None of us deserve this kindness, of course. Unlike Satan, who gleefully seeks the destruction of God’s saints, our Savior has “no pleasure” even “in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). Satan seeks to destroy; Jesus seeks to save, and He does so through His shed blood.