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.)
As the Antichrist increases the intensity of his insidious and invidious invasion of the inhabitants of Israel and elsewhere during the Tribulation, Jesus will not be thwarted. His call will continue to go forth: “If any man have an ear, let him hear” (Revelation 13:9). The message that follows in verse 10 is unmistakably clear: “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” This outcome is sometimes called poetic justice; another designation is divine retribution. Simply put, it is justice consistent with the eternal principle of Galatians 6:7-8: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” A helpful application of these truths is to refrain from revenge and retaliation, for God will ensure that His justice will prevail. As Romans 12:19b reminds us, “’Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ saith the Lord.” He will take appropriate care of these things. Our part is to exercise “patience” and “faith.”