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 Lamb” (Revelation 6:1) is authoritative. This chapter provides several specific examples of the absolute authority of Jesus. In addition to earthquakes (6:12), we find unsettling cosmic disturbances: “The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto earth, even as a fig casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places” (6:12b-14). Some find these details hard to believe. Because they are unprecedented, we do not have a frame of reference, as we do with earthquakes. Two theological points are helpful and necessary in our understanding of these extreme events. First, man’s sin has affected the entire universe: “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22). Thus, the cosmos will likewise be affected by God’s final judgment (and will ultimately be redeemed – see Romans 8:21). Second, this “sixth seal” judgment differs significantly from the first four. Those seal judgments used man, led by the antagonistic Antichrist, as instruments of God’s righteous justice. With “the sixth seal,” our Lord is unleashing the forces of nature, reminding high, haughty, and hubristic men that they are not in control. No, our Savior is, for full authority belongs to Him.