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 16:12 introduces the sixth vial or bowl judgment: “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.” The “great heat” of the fourth bowl judgment (verse 9) has already had a worldwide environmental impact. Now, this specific judgment targets the important Euphrates River, located in modern Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. These nations are currently implacable in their opposition to Israel, a fact which should prompt serious consideration by skeptics of the accuracy of the Word of God. The removal of a significant barrier such as the Euphrates will facilitate the movement of troops from “the east.” The majority of the world’s population lives in Asia (which includes the Middle East), providing the numbers needed for a massive invasion force. All of these details are sobering, reminding us today that we are called to be sober-minded in our thinking: “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (I Peter 4:7).