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.)
A verse that could easily be misunderstood is Revelation 22:11: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” We should not interpret this verse to suggest that it is saying, as we might sometimes be tempted to say, “He made his bed; let him lie in it.” First, this statement follows the events of the end: it is chronologically yet future. Thus, people still have the opportunity to repent now: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2c-d). Second, if the message of God’s Word, culminating in the book of Revelation, is ignored or outright refused, there are no other words that can convince anyone to turn from rebellion against God. If the precise fulfillment of prophecy joined with the vivid warnings of Scripture (especially Revelation) go unheeded, God has no words left that are more compelling and convincing. Revelation 22:11, then, is telling each of us to make the decision to follow the Savior, Jesus Christ. Anyone who chooses otherwise remains “unjust” and “filthy.”