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.)
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1) gives prophetic detail about a future confederacy of nations which the Antichrist will use as a power base and which he will dominate: “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power unto the beast” (17:11-12). A comparison to Daniel 7, especially verses 7-8 and 24-27, indicates that John is employing the prophetic imagery of the Old Testament. This seventh kingdom had “not yet come” (Revelation 17:10) by the end of the first century when John was writing, and it obviously has not yet come today. While the preceding six kingdoms each lasted for many years, this last one will exist for only a brief period (the meaning of “one hour”). Many people have tried to pin down the ten nations that are involved, but this exercise is speculative. Geopolitics is always changing. For example, our key enemies in World War II (Germany, Japan, and Italy) are now considered allies. Prior to 1979, Iran was a staunch supporter of the United States; now it calls us “the Great Satan.” Nations and alliances come and go, but “for ever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).