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 20:7-9 records the fleeting, final, and futile rebellion of Satan: “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” The mention of “Gog and Magog” immediately brings to mind Ezekiel 38-39; the context there and historical geography indicate part of modern-day Russia. However, the invasion outlined there takes place during the Tribulation rather than at the end of the Millennium. There are Scriptural differences between the two conflicts. For example, the Tribulation invasion come “out of the north parts” (Ezekiel 38:15), whereas the latter engagement comes from all directions. Also, no mention of earthquakes or hail is found here, unlike in the Tribulation (Ezekiel 38:18-22). Furthermore, Satan is not mentioned in the Ezekiel prophecy. Perhaps the people of the region of Russian play a prominent role in both battles, even though they are separated by centuries, or perhaps Gog and Magog are used symbolically in Revelation, much as we use Waterloo, an actual historical defeat, to categorize any catastrophic defeat. What cannot be debated is that opposition to Jesus must fail. Personal application of this truth now is crucial as we make daily decisions about how we will live.