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.)
Much of Revelation 15 hearkens back to the experience of the Jewish people during the Exodus: “the song of Moses” (verse 3), the use of “plagues” (verses 1, 8), and the mention of “the tabernacle” (verse 5) are three prominent examples. Another is found in verse 8: “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” The book of Exodus records the appearance of the presence of God to lead His people out of slavery: “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people” (13:21-22). I have often thought of how comforting it must have been for the Israelites to see this Shekinah glory of God as they passed through the Sinai Peninsula, strangers in a strange land. Even at night, a simple lift of a tent flap would provide the reassuring glimpse of God’s closeness. Later, in Exodus 40:34-35, when the tabernacle was completed, we read, “Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Verse 38 adds, “For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.” The similar picture of Revelation 15:18 is a reminder of the unchanging nature of our Savior God “Who liveth for ever and ever” (Revelation 15:7b).