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 details of the seventh vial or bowl judgment are found in Revelation 16:18-21: “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” We know of earthquakes that have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. However, this temblor will be even more destructive, “such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.” It will impact the entire world, for “the cities of the nations fell.” If we put our faith in the seemingly solid – terra firma – instead of the Solid Rock – Jesus Christ – we are on shaky ground, eternally shaky ground. Even though this overwhelming earthquake is clearly prophesied, it will still be a surprise when it occurs at the end of the Tribulation. How much better it is to be pleasantly surprised by Jesus’ offer of eternal life! May we all be ready for the “things to come” (John 16:13).