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 think of the overwhelmingly positive character of Jesus in Revelation 19, we come to verses 17-21, where we find that He is overwhelming in His power. This brief picture of Armageddon bothers many people, for it includes much bloodshed. We need to realize that Jesus is bothered even more than we are. He says in Ezekiel 33:11, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” The New Testament teaching is, of course, the same: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9). We should note that at Armageddon Jesus does not line up against Satan, the Antichrist, the false prophet, and their foolish followers. The reverse is true: “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army” (verse 19). These enemies are the instigators; they are in high-handed, defiant rebellion against the One Who shed His “blood” (verse 13) to make salvation available to all. Jesus’ defense of His people (including the nation of Israel) thus meets all of the criteria of a just war. It is His last option, and it is the last and necessary option.