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 angelic pronouncement of Babylon’s destruction in Revelation 18:21-24 is a solemn occasion and a call for sober self-evaluation now. As we discussed yesterday, its desolation is complete. It is also deserved. There are many reasons for its devastation. Foremost is its rejection of Jesus as Savior. In this passage, two other compelling factors are presented. One is Babylon’s part in murdering people of faith (something we considered in detail earlier this week). A second element is in verse 23: “For by the sorceries were all nations deceived.” The translation of “your magic spell” by the New International Version rather misses the point. In Scripture, sorcery is always associated with illicit drug use. The current explosion of drug addiction (and not just in the United States) is increasing support of governments for this drug abuse, for a population that is sedated is more easily subdued. Christians will be raptured to heaven before the events outlined in Revelation 4-22. Thus, we will not be subject to this narcotic control. Certainly, though, we should be sufficiently warned about the dangers of drugs now and should flee from the world’s wicked ways.