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 12:7 brings us to the end of the earthly Millennial Kingdom: “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.” This release is in fulfillment of the prophecy of Revelation 20:3b: “Till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” “Must” is a strong word in the original Greek, indicating the determinate will of God. We might wonder why this divine “must” is applied to Satan’s brief release. In Isaiah 55:8, God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.” Thus, there are probably reasons that we cannot understand now, but there are some that we can. First, man’s sinful nature is again revealed, for even in the perfect conditions of the Millennial Kingdom the essential nature of man is unchanged. Second, Satan’s incurable wickedness is demonstrated; one thousand years of punishment has no remedial effect upon him. Third, the need for eternal punishment is confirmed by Satan’s continuing rebellion. Fourth, the full foreknowledge of God is in view, for the acts of man and Satan are no surprise to Him. Our Savior God is always completely aware of every situation, and His purposes are righteous and holy.