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 19:15 provides a powerful picture of our Savior God: “And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” There are three symbols of righteous justice employed in this passage. First, the “sharp sword” denotes immediate punishment, as predicted of the Messiah in Isaiah 11:3-4. The unusual location of the sword (in the mouth, not in the hand) emphasizes that Jesus defeats His enemies by the power of His word, certainly appropriate for the One Who is called “The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13b). Second, the “rod of iron” indicates His righteous governance, as found in the Messianic prophecy of Psalm 2:9. Third, “the winepress” represents the fullness of Jesus’ holy “wrath,” as prophesied in graphic terms in Isaiah 63:1-6, another Messianic passage. It represents the eternal nature of the righteous justice of Jesus. Together, these three images should prompt all of us to run into the willing and welcoming embrace of Jesus as Savior. We are safe there – forever.