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.)
During the Tribulation, a fierce false prophet will seek to force “the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast [the Antichrist], whose deadly wound was healed” (Revelation 13:12b). The use of “worship” points to the religious focus of the Antichrist’s aide. Many commentators reasonably suggest that he will become the head of a burgeoning worldwide religion that unifies false philosophies and faiths and includes the apostates specifically referenced in II Thessalonians 2:3: “Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” “That day” refers to “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him” (verse 1) – that is, the Rapture of the Church. Before that blessed event occurs, there will be “a falling away first” – literally, “the apostasy.” This is a decisive and determined revolt against Jesus from within churches that call themselves Christian but preach universalism rather than the need for a personal, saving faith in Jesus Christ alone. A growing number of churches today embrace social agendas that are completely contrary to God’s Word. Because these people are not Christians, they will not be raptured. After the Rapture, these unbelievers will be easy dupes for the dogma of the duplicitous false prophet who promotes the Antichrist, the “man of sin”. As believers in Jesus Christ, we must serve in churches that are faithful to the Bible and that clearly present the Gospel message. Peter, speaking of Jesus, made this absolute statement: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). This is the true Church’s message. There is no other.