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 sixth vial or bowl judgment at the end of the Tribulation is delineated in Revelation 16:12-14: “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan], and out of the mouth of the beast [Antichrist], and out of the mouth of the false prophet [Antichrist’s chief aide]. For they are the spirits of devils [demons], working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” Small details in Scripture intrigue me. In the midst of this sweeping overview of massive military movements, John describes the demons directly involved as being “like frogs.” John, a devout Jew who became a Christian, knew the Old Testament well. In the Mosaic Law, frogs were categorized as unclean animals, for they “have not fins and scales” (Leviticus 11:10). Is this designation arbitrary? Of course not! Aquatic animals with fins and scales are able to swim and are thus much more likely to be parasite-free. Frogs, as mud-dwellers, are much more prone to carry disease. Thus, God’s prohibition was actually a provision for His people, protecting them against parasites, bacteria, and viruses that would have been unknown and undetectable at that time. John’s description of the demons as “like frogs” and also as “unclean” reminds us that the enemies of God are implacably evil and can never be trusted. Conversely, our God is immutably good and can be trusted, even in the smallest, seemingly inconsequential things.