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.)
As we have considered for some time now, Revelation 18:5b starkly states, “God hath remembered her [Babylon’s] iniquities.” He has, of course, never forgotten these terrible transgressions, but now He acts upon this knowledge: “Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double” (verse 6). Is God unfair in meting out “double”: punishment? Certainly, He is not. We know that Babylon deserves great punishment based upon the universal principle of Galatians 6:7: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” The mayhem, including murder, caused by Babylon requires divine judgment. Furthermore, we must not overlook what the Bible teaches about the outworkings of sin. Romans 1:24-32 is a detailed passage about the hardening effects of habitual evil. It closes with a reminder of the far-reaching results of such sin: “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (verse 32). Babylon’s sin is not self-centered; it ensnares many. Thus, a double dose of divine justice is fully merited. May we never be people who lure others into sin, and may we never encourage others to do what God calls wrong – and what He must punish.