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) is blessedly precise: Jesus is coming again. He is coming to gather up all Christians (I Thessalonians 4:16-17) to be with Him forever. Revelation 3:10 promises that we will not go through the time of trial known as the Tribulation: “Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation [testing], which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Some suggest that this verse means that we will be protected during the Tribulation, but note that the promise of Jesus is that we will be kept from “the hour of temptation”; that is, we will not be on earth at the time of this great judgment. It is not possible, then, that Jesus will place us in big bubble wrap so that we can casually and serenely watch divine judgment upon others, impervious to the horror of that “hour.” No, we will be kept out of this judgment because Jesus wants us to be with Him. The Rapture of the Church is presented as a great motivator to all Christians: “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:11). May we hold fast to the promises of our Savior, including the promise of His return for His people.