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.)
Revelation 16:3 details the second vial or bowl judgment toward the end of the Tribulation: “And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul [thing] died in the sea.” This judgment is analogous to the first of the plagues against Egypt, which killed the creatures in the Nile River and made its water undrinkable for seven days (Exodus 7:14-25). We should not be surprised that this plague afflicts part of God’s creation, for mankind’s sin affects the entire creation. Romans 8:22 says, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” This powerful judgment is a vivid visual lesson to everyone alive at that time. All of us are saddened by the loss of sea life, but we should remember the precise promise of God: “The creature [creation] itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). The full and eternal redemption of God’s creation must be kept in mind as we read of temporal judgment.