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.)
Because Jesus is beautiful in all that He is and does, His followers should place aside worldly ideas and living and begin to reflect His beauty. The 144,000 sealed during the Tribulation certainly are transformed by the Savior: “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:4-5). The moral purity of these men should be understood in the context of idolatry, which includes ritual prostitution; the Greek word translated “defiled” is used in this specific way in Revelation 3:4. These men refuse to take part in the lasciviousness and licentiousness which will be rampant during the Antichrist’s brief reign. Instead, their steady practice is obedience to the “Lamb,” Jesus Christ. “No guile” is found in them, indicating that they have nothing to do with the lies of Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. These men are “without fault”; that is, they are without blame in regard to the Antichrist. No one is perfect, of course, except Jesus. Still, the consistent, exemplary behavior of these 144,000 believers is a present encouragement to us; for if they can flourish spiritually during the Tribulation, we can “live godly in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 3:12) amidst today’s swelling evil.