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 end of Revelation 19:3 is evocative and intriguing: “And her [Babylon’s] smoke rose up for ever and ever.” We know that Jesus will create “a new earth” (Revelation 21:1); now, then, can the destruction of Babylon smoke “for ever and ever”? The answer is twofold. First, the song of the saints in heaven will be sung many times as eternity unfolds. Thus, the vivid imagery will never be forgotten. In this sense of ongoing knowledge of this specific event, the metaphorical smoke will continue to rise forever. Second, the righteous judgment of God against those who made Babylon a synonym for wickedness is everlasting. This eternal justice includes “a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20). No matter what false teachers say today (particularly those who call themselves postmodernistic Christians, a term which is an inherent contradiction), the Bible is clear that hell is a real place of separation from God and thus a place of real suffering. Jesus, speaking of those who reject His goodness, said, “These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:46). In the original Greek, “everlasting” and “eternal” are the same word. The conclusion is inescapable and irrefutable: the lake of fire burns forever. May each of us “flee from the wrath to come” (Matthew 3:7) and rush into the loving arms of Jesus.