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 Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1) reveals that He loves us: He “loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (1:5). This love is directed to His Church in part through His messages of commendation and exhortation. For example, Revelation 2:11, written specifically to the Christians in first-century Smyrna, is also written to us: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; ‘He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.’” Hebrews 9:27 is succinct: “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” No one disputes the reality of the first death, but many do not want to think through its implications. That refusal to prepare for the inevitable is also a rebellion against the clear teaching of Scripture: there is a second death. Revelation 20:13c-14 is precise: “They [unbelievers] were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” We cannot avoid physical death (unless Jesus raptures us first, as will be the experience of millions of living Christians at some future but unknown date). However, all of us can avoid spiritual death – eternal separation from the loving presence of God – by trusting in God the Son, Jesus Christ, for His salvation. The promise of Revelation 2:11 is profound, for it is absolute. Satan cannot have us, and the second death cannot hurt us.