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) tells us that the heavenly “holy city” (21:2) “had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel” (21:12). In John’s day, a walled city was a place of security and permanence. The description of the walls of this “holy Jerusalem” (21:10) as “great and high” depicts an unassailable place of safety. Could the “twelve gates” be successfully stormed? No, such a breach is impossible, for “twelve angels” – mighty servants of the Almighty God – stand guard. Of course, all of the enemies of God are imprisoned in hell (20:14-15; 21:8). Thus, these barriers are there not for protection but for assurance. They are tangible expressions of God’s concern and care for His people. He knows that in this life we are often assailed in a myriad of ways – governmentally, physically, emotionally, relationally, spiritually, financially. He wants to allay our fears now. One way that He accomplishes this goal is to provide this glimpse of our heavenly home.