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.)
Mark 13:26 records Jesus’ promise to return to earth in the future: “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” The parallel passage in Matthew 24:29-30 clarifies that it is “immediately after the tribulation” (verse 29) that Jesus comes. Logically and theologically, only the return of Christ to earth can end this period of “tribulation,” for only He has the “great power” to defeat Satan and his horrible horde of haters. This coming is not the Rapture of the Church, which will occur before the Tribulation. “All the tribes of the earth mourn” (Matthew 24:30) when Jesus comes to earth, for they have opposed Him and know that He is coming with righteous judgment. No one will be able to stand before the “glory – the “great glory” (Matthew 24:30) – of Jesus. As we studied about a month ago, the glory of God departed from the Temple and Jerusalem in the 500’s B. C. (Ezekiel 8:4; 9:3; 10:4, 18-19; 11:22-23). Ezekiel 43:1-5 predicts the return of this glory, and Revelation 19:11-21 makes it clear that this glory is manifested in the person of God the Son, Jesus Christ. When He sets foot on earth, the Mount of Olives (right where He is sitting in Mark 13) will split in half as He defends the Tribulation believers and defeats the forces of the Antichrist (Zechariah 14:1-9). This “great power and glory” of Jesus will prevail against all foes and protect all of the new believers.