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 transcendence of our Savior is on full display in “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). The curious activity of a “mighty angel” (10:1) is delineated by John in Revelation 10:2-4: “And he had in his hand a little book open, and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, ‘Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.’” It might seem odd that this part of “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” is sealed up. It is not likely that what is sealed up is worse than what has already been revealed (more than half of the world’s population is dead by the end of chapter 9) or what is revealed later (including the final judgment of chapter 20). Why, then, is John not permitted to “write” these words? An answer is given to us in Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Part of the transcendence of God is His omniscience. He knows all things and communicates to us what we need to know. We do not and cannot know all things. Some things, probably many things, must be withheld from us, for otherwise we would be overwhelmed with information. This verse also teaches us that we are responsible for what is revealed to us. God is thus gracious in not adding additional responsibility to us. He knows our limitations and is realistic in His assessment of our abilities. We struggle to “do all the words of this law,” even with the indwelling power of God the Holy Spirit. Our Savior God will not give us more than we can comprehend and keep.