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 16 has been called “the great chapter of the Bible” because “great” is used eleven times in its twenty-one verses. This usage builds on the “great and marvellous” statements of Revelation 15:1, 3. In view is the powerful, surpassing character of Jesus. In Revelation 16:1, John proclaims, “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, ‘Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.’” The greatness of God is absolute: all He has to do is speak, and it is done. In Genesis 1, we repeatedly read, “And God said.” What He says then immediately is done. From the Cross, God the Son, Jesus Christ, declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30), and the great work of our salvation was completed. Here, the “great voice” of our Savior God initiates the necessary destruction of Satan’s temporary earthly kingdom. An old Gospel song states this truth: “’Satan, your kingdom must come down. Satan, your kingdom must come down.’ I heard the voice of Jesus say, ‘Satan, your kingdom must come down.’”