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 evangelical call of Revelation 21:8 warns, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” This passage does not teach that “murderers” cannot be saved to live in the heavenly city for eternity. David is a prominent example of a murderer who repented of his sin and found full forgiveness (see II Samuel 11-12; Psalm 32; Psalm 51). The usage in Revelation is of a settled decision, of a way of life that sadly and ironically promotes death. One older commentator cogently pointed out, “It is a solemn thing to meddle with that which peculiarly belongs to God – human life.” We also should remember that in the immediate context of Revelation, these “murderers” are guilty of killing God’s people, His “saints” (17:6; 18:24). Such callous disregard for the sanctity of life is a rejection of God Himself, the Creator of life in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). May each of us staunchly value each life. In so doing, we are joining with Jesus, the Creator (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-18) and the Redeemer of life – “the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).