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 18:4 calls all from the malign clutches of Babylon: “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.’” Verse 5 then explains the extent of Babylon’s transgression: “For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” The expression “reached unto heaven” reminds us of the high-handed and hubric construction of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). The intent of those builders was to establish a world religion in direct defiance of God, just as the Antichrist will attempt to do during the Tribulation. The Greek of Revelation 18:5 translated “reached” is literally “glued together” or “welded together” and evokes the image of bricks being piled one on another. This incremental increase in sin seems inexorable, but God is fully aware of Babylon’s “iniquities.” Even as God in a moment ended the building of Babel, He will end Babylon’s brief power. Man’s rejection of God leads inevitably to God’s rejection of man. May we be thankful today that Jesus has called us so purposefully and powerfully to Himself.