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.)
In Mark 13:27, Jesus speaks of one result of His bodily return to earth to end the Tribulation: “And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” From wherever they may be one earth, these Tribulation believers will be brought “together” – with each other and with the Lord Jesus Christ – to enter into the promised Millennial Kingdom on earth. Its capital will be Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-4), the very place of Jesus’ death on the Cross. This kingdom will be one of prosperity and peace (Isaiah 11:1-12 – note the lovely language of verses 6-7, the basis for the traditional Gospel song “Peace in the Valley”). Of course, its leader will be Jesus Himself, the “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16); for a kingdom must have a king, and this Kingdom must have the King. We know from Revelation 20:1-9 that this period is indeed one thousand years long. The details are precise and cannot be treated as allegorical; no, a literal fulfillment is the only possible interpretation if we take the Bible seriously. Quickly, Jesus will rescue these persecuted believers and will restore the earth to beauty and fruitfulness. The contrast between the reigns of the Antichrist and of Christ will be absolute; the juxtaposition of the two kingdoms will demonstrate anew the goodness of our Savior God.