Jesus was a man with awesome eyes

JESUS WAS A MAN WITH AWESOME EYES
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Revelation1:14 14The hair on his head was white like
wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing
fire.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(14) His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow.—The
whiteness here is thought by some to be the tokenof the transfiguration in
light of the glorified person of the Redeemer. “It is the glorious white which is
the colourand livery of heaven.” This doubtless is true; but it appears to me a
mistake to say that there is no hint here of age. It is argued that the white hair
of age is a tokenof decay, and that no such token would have place here; but
surely this is straining a point, and making a mere emblem an argument. Age
and youth alike have their glories;the glory of young men is their strength;
the hoary head, too, the token of experience, dignity, authority, is the glory of
age. Physically, white hair may be a sign of decay; typically it never is, else the
effort to produce the appearance ofit in the persons of monarchs and judges
would never have been made. The white head is never in public sentiment
other than the venerable sign of ripe knowledge, mature judgment, and solid
wisdom; and as such it well betokens that full wisdom and authority which is
wielded by the Ancient of Days, who, though always the same in the fresh dew

of youth, is yet from everlasting, the captain of salvation, perfect through
suffering, radiant in the glorious youthhood of heaven, venerable in that
eternal wisdom and glory which He had with the Fatherbefore the world.
(Comp. Daniel 7:9.) “He was one,” Saadias Gaonbeautifully says, “withthe
appearance ofan old man, and like an old man full of mercies. His white hair,
His white garments, indicated the pure, kind intentions He had to purify His
people from their sins.”
His eyes were as a flame of fire.—Comp. Revelation19:12;Daniel10:6. The
eyes of the Lord, which are in every place, beholding the evil and the good, are
here describedas like unto fire, to express not merely indignation (He had
lookedonce on the Jewishrulers in indignation) againstevil, but
determination to consume it; for our God is a consuming fire, purging away
sin from those who forsake sin, and consuming in their sin those who refuse to
be separatedfrom it. (See Revelation20:9;Daniel 7:9-10; Jude 1:7.)
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
1:12-20 The churches receive their light from Christ and the gospel, and hold
it forth to others. They are golden candlesticks;they should be precious and
pure; not only the ministers, but the members of the churches;their light
should so shine before men, as to engage others to give glory to God. And the
apostle saw as though of the Lord Jesus Christ appearedin the midst of the
golden candlesticks. He is with his churches always, to the end of the world,
filling them with light, and life, and love. He was clothedwith a robe down to
the feet, perhaps representing his righteousness andpriesthood, as Mediator.
This vest was girt with a golden girdle, which may denote how precious are his
love and affectionfor his people. His head and hairs white like wooland as
snow, may signify his majesty, purity, and eternity. His eyes as a flame of fire,
may representhis knowledge ofthe secrets ofall hearts, and of the most
distant events. His feet like fine brass burning in a furnace, may denote the
firmness of his appointments, and the excellenceofhis proceedings. His voice
as the sound of many waters, may representthe powerof his word, to remove
or to destroy. The sevenstars were emblems of the ministers of the seven

churches to which the apostle was ordered to write, and whom Christ upheld
and directed. The sword representedhis justice, and his word, piercing to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, Heb 4:12. His countenance was like the
sun, when it shines clearly and powerfully; its strength too bright and dazzling
for mortal eyes to behold. The apostle was overpoweredwith the greatnessof
the lustre and glory in which Christ appeared. We may wellbe contentedto
walk by faith, while here upon earth. The Lord Jesus spake words ofcomfort;
Fearnot. Words of instruction; telling who thus appeared. And his Divine
nature; the First and the Last. His former sufferings;I was dead: the very
same whom his disciples saw upon the cross. His resurrectionand life; I have
conquered death, and am partakerof endless life. His office and authority;
sovereigndominion in and over the invisible world, as the Judge of all, from
whose sentence there is no appeal. Let us listen to the voice of Christ, and
receive the tokens of his love, for what canhe withhold from those for whose
sins he has died? May we then obey his word, and give up ourselves wholly to
him who directs all things aright.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow - Exceedinglyor
perfectly white - the first suggestionto the mind of the apostle being that of
wool, and then the thought occurring of its extreme whiteness resembling
snow - the purest white of which the mind conceives. The comparisonwith
wooland snow to denote anything especiallywhite is not uncommon. See
Isaiah1:18. Prof. Stuart supposes that this means, not that his hairs were
literally white, as if with age, which he says would be incongruous to one just
risen from the dead, clothed with immortal youth and vigor, but that it means
radiant, bright, resplendent - similar to what occurredon the transfiguration
of the Saviour, Matthew 17:2. But to this it may be replied:
(a) That this would not accordwell with that with which his hair is compared
- snow and wool, particularly the latter.
(b) The usual meaning of the word is more obvious here, and not at all
inappropriate.

The representationwas suited to signify majesty and authority; and this
would be best accomplishedby the image of one who was venerable in years.
Thus, in the vision that appearedto Daniel Dan 7:9, it is said of him who is
there calledthe "Ancient of Days," that "his garment was white as snow, and
the hair of his head like the pure wool." It is not improbable that John had
that representationin his eye, and that therefore he would be impressedwith
the convictionthat this was a manifestationof a divine person. We are not
necessarilyto suppose that this is the form in which the Saviouralways
appears now in heaven, anymore than we are to suppose that God appears
always in the form in which he was manifestedto Isaiah Isa 6:1, to DanielDan
7:9, or to Moses andAaron, Nadab and Abihu in the mount, Exodus 24:10-11.
The representationis, that this form was assumedfor the purpose of
impressing the mind of the apostle with a sense ofhis majesty and glory.
And his eyes were as a flame of fire - Bright, sharp, penetrating; as if
everything was light before them, or they would penetrate into the thoughts of
people. Such a representationis not uncommon. We speak of a lightning
glance, a fiery look, etc. In Daniel 10:6, it is saidof the man who appearedto
the prophet on the banks of the river Hiddekel, that his eyes were "as lamps
of fire." Numerous instances ofthis comparisonfrom the Greek and Latin
Classicsmay be seenin Wetstein, in loco.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
14.—Greek,"But," or "And."
like wool—Greek,"like white wool." The coloris the point of comparison;
signifying purity and glory. (So in Isa 1:18). Notage, for hoary hairs are the
sign of decay.
eyes … as … flame—all-searching and penetrating like fire: at the same time,
also, implying consuming indignation againstsin, especiallyat His coming "in
flaming fire, taking vengeance"onall the ungodly, which is confirmed as the
meaning here, by Re 19:11, 12.
Matthew Poole's Commentary

His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow:whiteness
signifies purity; whiteness ofhair signifies old age ordinarily, which
commonly is attended with more prudence, as having most experience:hence
this appearance ofChrist may denote both his purity and wisdom, and that he
is the Ancient of days; see Daniel7:9,13,22;though there the term of Ancient
of days belongs to God the Father, yet it also agreethto Christ, who is equal
with the Father, as to his Divine nature.
And his eyes were as a flame of fire; such an appearance is applied to God,
Ezekiel1:27 Daniel10:6; and to Christ, Revelation19:12, to denote either
Christ’s knowledge, wisdom, and omniscience;or his grace in purifying souls,
as fire doth metals; or his wrath and angeragainsthis enemies.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow,....In allusion to
the white head and hairs of old men, said to be hoary, or like the hoar frost,
and comparedto an almond tree in bloom, Ecclesiastes12:5;and here to wool
and snow for whiteness;see Ezekiel27:18;and according to the Jews (p), ,
"white wool", is the woolof a lamb just born, about which a cloth is bound,
that it may not be defiled; now these metaphors are expressive of the antiquity
of Christ, who is the everlasting Father, and whose goings forth were of old,
even from everlasting;and of his senile gravity and prudence, for with the
Ancient is wisdom; he is the wisdom of God, in whom all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge are hid; and also of his glory and majesty, being the
brightness of his Father's glory; and likewise ofhis true and proper deity,
since this description is the same with that of the Ancient of days in Daniel
7:9; for by his head is not here meant either God the Father, who is sometimes
calledthe head of Christ, 1 Corinthians 11:3, nor his divine nature, which is
the chief and principal in him, nor his headship over the church; nor do his
hairs intend his elect, which grow upon him, and are nourished by him, and
are so calledfor their number, weakness, andpurity:
and his eyes were as a flame of fire: see Daniel10:6; which may design the
omniscience ofChrist, which reaches to all persons, and things, and is very

searching and penetrating, and discovers and brings to light things the most
dark and obscure;and also Christ's eyes of love upon his own people, which
have both heat and light; Christ's love never waxes cold, and, being shed
abroad in the hearts of his people, warms theirs; and in the light of his
gracious countenance do they see light; and his love, like flames of fire, melts
their souls into a true and genuine repentance for sin: or else, rather his eyes
of wrath and vengeance, as setupon his enemies, are here meant: which will
be fierce and furious, bring swift and sudden destruction on them, before
which there is no standing, and from which there is no fleeing. It is said of
Augustus Caesar, that he had fiery eyes (q),
(p) T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 54. 1. Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Sabbat, c. 5. sect.
2.((q) Servius in Virgil. Aeneid. l. 8. p. 13. 55.
Geneva Study Bible
{8} And I turned to {k} see the voice that spake with me. {9} And being
turned, I saw sevengolden candlesticks;
(8) The exposition, declaring the third and last point of the proposition (for
the other points are evident of themselves)in which is he first speaks ofthe
author of his calling (till verse 17), and secondly, of the calling itself Re 1:17-
20. First of all the occasionis noted in this verse, in that John turned himself
towards the vision, and after he sets down the description of the author, in the
following verses, Re 1:13-16.
(k) To see him whose voice I had heard.
(9) The description of the Author, who is Christ: by the candlesticks that
stand about him, that is, the churches that stand before him, and depend upon
his direction. In Re 1:13 he is describedby his properties, that he is provided
with wisdom and dexterity for the achieving of greatthings, and in Re 1:14
with ancient gravity and most excellentsight of the eye. In Re 1:15 he is
describedwith strength invincible and with a mighty word, and in Re 1:16 by
his ruling of the ministry of his servants in the Church by the sword of his
word, and enlightening all things with his countenance, and mightily
providing for everyone by his divine providence.

EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Revelation1:14. To the generalconceptionἡ δὲ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ, the part which
properly pertains to the description is attachedby the more accurately
determining καὶ.[763]Thus there is a dependence on the ἡ δὲ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ,
corresponding to which are the specialparticulars, eachof which is
designatedwith the addition of αὐτοῦ;viz., οἱ ὀφθ. αὐτοῦ, οἱ ποδ. αὐτοῦ, and ἡ
φων. αὐτοῦ, while the καὶ αἱ τριχ. is without the αὐτοῦ.[764]The order of
thought is not, therefore, as De Wette proposes, first concerning the whole of
the head, to which also face and beard belong, and then especiallyto the hair
of the head.
The whiteness ofthe hair signifies neither the freedom from sin of Christ’s
earthly life,[765]nor in generalthe holiness peculiar to him;[766] nor does it
designate merely the heavenly light-nature.[767]Christ rather appears here to
the Christian prophet in the same divine brilliancy in which Daniel[768]
beheld not the Son of man, but the Ancient of days, whose eternity is
designatedby the whiteness ofhis hair. This interpretation[769] is justified
not only by the type in Daniel, but also by the fact that Christ represents
himself as the EternalOne, like the Father, Revelation1:4; Revelation1:8, in
his words, corresponding to his manifestation, Revelation1:17-18;cf.
Revelation2:8. The eyes, “as a flame of fire,”[770]are, as all the other
features, not without significant reference to the revelationitself.[771]By
Revelation2:18, Revelation19:12,[772]the idea is presentednot of
omniscience in general,[773]also not of punitive justice,[774]orof holiness
consuming all that is impure[775] without regard to omniscience, but of
omniscience combined with holy wrath directed againstall that is unholy.
[763]Cf., also, Bengel, Hengstenb., Ebrard.

[764]In Daniel 7:9, according to the LXX., there stands, on the other hand,
καὶ ἡ θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ.
[765]Areth., Coccej., Vieg.
[766]Hengstenb., who, however, understands at the same time, “the majesty
of glory.”
[767]De Wette.
[768]Revelation7:9.
[769]Cf., also, C. a Lap., Calov., Vitr., Storr., Diss. in Apoc., quaed. loc.;
Commentatt. ed. Velthusen, etc., iv. 439;Stern, etc.
[770]Revelation19:12;Daniel 10:6; cf. Virg., Aen., v. 647 sqq.: “Divini signa
decoris ardentesque notate oculos—quivoltus vocisque sonus” (“Note the
marks of divine beauty and the glowing eyes;what is the countenance, and
sound of the voice”). Hom., Il., xix. 365 sqq.: τὼ δὲ οἱ ὄσσε λαμπέσθην ὡσεί τε
πυρὸς σέλας (“The eyes shone like the brightness of fire”).
[771]On the other hand, De Wette:“An exaggerationofthe spirited, fiery
glance of human eyes, to the penetrating, consuming gaze of such eyes as
belong to celestialbeings, as the Greeks also ascribe to their gods, and as the
Son of God has it in an unparalleled way.”

[772]Cf. Psalm 18:9; Psalm97:3; Deuteronomy 4:24; Deuteronomy 9:3;
Hebrews 12:29.
[773]Vitr., Calov., Beng., Stern.
[774]Hengstenb.; cf. Ribera, C. a Lap.
[775]Ebrard.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Revelation1:14. ὡς χ.; another conventionalsimile for celestialbeings. ἡ κ. κ.
αἱ τ., a pleonastic expression;either = “his head, i.e. his hair,” or “his
foreheadand his hair”; scarcelya hendiadys for “the hair of the head”
(Bengel). Jewishtradition rationalisedthe white hairs into a proof of God’s
activity as a wise old teacher(Chag. 14, cf. Proverbs 20:27 f.), and the Daniel-
vision might suggestthe fine paradox betweenthe divine energy and this
apparent sign of weakness. Butsuch traits are probably poetical, not
allegorical, in John’s vision; they body forth his conceptionof Jesus as divine.
In Egyptian theologya similar trait belongs to Ani after beatification. The
whole conceptionof the messiahin the Apocalypse resembles that outlined in
Enoch (Similitudes, xxxvii.–lxxi.), where he also possesses pre-existenceas Son
of man (xlviii) sits on his throne of glory (xlvii. 3) for judgment, rules all men
(lxii. 6), and slays the wickedwith the word of his mouth (xlii. 2); but this
particular transference to the messiah(Revelation 1:14; Revelation1:17-18,
Revelation2:8, Revelation22:12-13), ofwhat is in Daniel predicated of God as
the world-judge, seems to form a specificallyN.T. idea, unmediated evenin
Enoch (xlvi. 1), although the associationofpriestly and judicial attributes with
those of royalty was easyfor an Oriental (it is predicated of the messiahby
Jonathanben Usiel on Zechariah4:12-13). ὡς φλὸξ πυρός, like Slav. En. i. 5,
from Daniel 10:6; cf. Suet. August. 79, “oculos habuit claros et nitidos, quibus
etiam existimari uoluit inesse quiddam diuini uigoris; gaudebat-que si quis

sibi acrius contuenti quasi ad fulgorem solis uultum submitteret”. Divine
beauty was generallymanifested (Verg. Aen. ver. 647 f.) in glowing eyes
(insight and indignation), the countenance and the voice;here also (Revelation
1:15) in feet to crush all opposition. The messiahis not crowned, however(cf.
later, Revelation19:12). χ. = some hard (as yet unidentified) metal which
gleamedafter smelting. The most probable meaning of this obscure hybrid
term is that suggestedby Suidas: χαλκοίβανον·εἶδος ἠλέκτρου τιμιώτερου
χρυσοῦ, ἔστι δὲ τὸ ἤλεκτρονἀλλότυπονχρυσίον μεμιγμένονὑέλῳ καὶ λιθείᾳ
(ἤλ. actually occuring in LXX, Ezekiel1:27). The reference then is to amber
or to some compositionlike brass or (copper) bronze; only, it contains gold
(cf. vulg. = aurichalcum, a valuable and gleaming metal). Abbott (201)sees a
corruption of some phrase like χαλκὸνἐν κλιβάνῳ, while others suggest
χαλκός and ‫ןבל‬ (i.e., glowing white brass). Haussleiterwould upon inadequate
grounds omit ὡς ἐκ. κ. πεπ. (219–24).
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
14. like wool, as white as snow] Either these words are to be takentogether,
‘like woolwhite as snow’ or we must punctuate “were white like white wool,
like snow.” Thoughthe Personseenis the Sonof Man of Daniel7:13, the
description is more nearly that of the Ancient of Days, ibid. 9. We need not
wonder that Their union was made more plain to the later Prophet.
Bengel's Gnomen
Revelation1:14. Ἡ κεφαλὴ καὶ αἱ τρίχες) ἕν διὰ δυοῖν: that is, the hair of His
head. Thus John saw it.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 14. - His head. From the garments of the greatHigh Priest, St. John
passes onto himself. What he had seenas a momentary foretaste ofglory at
the Transfiguration, he sees now as the abiding condition of the Christ. In
Daniel 7:9 "the Ancient of days" has "the hair of his head like pure wool."
This snowywhiteness is partly the brightness of heavenly glory, partly the
majesty of the hoary head. The Christ appears to St. John as a sonof man, but
also as a "Divine Personinvested with the attributes of eternity." As a flame

of fire. "The Lord thy God is a consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24). "I the
Lord searchthe heart, I try the reins" (Jeremiah17:10). The flame purifies
the conscience andkindles the affections.
Vincent's Word Studies
White (λευκαὶ)
See on Luke 9:29. Compare Daniel 7:9.
Wool- snow
This combination to represent whiteness occurs in Daniel 7:9, and Isaiah1:18.
Snow, in Psalm 51:7.
Flame of fire
Compare Daniel 10:6. Fire, in Scripture, is the expressionof divine anger. The
figure may include the thought of the clearand penetrating insight of the Son
of Man; but it also expresses His indignation at the sin which His divine
insight detects. Compare Revelation19:11, Revelation19:12. So Homer, of
Agamemnon in a rage:"His eyes were like shining fire" ("Iliad," i., 104);also
of Athene, when she appears to Achilles: "Her eyes appeareddreadful to
him" ("Iliad," i., 200).
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
CHRIS BENFIELD
C. His Eyes (14b) – His eyes were as a flame of fire. This pictures the
omniscient, all seeing eyes ofChrist and the infinite wisdom He possesses. He
is able to see and discernall things, even the inward desires of the heart.
Heb.4:13 – Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but

all things are naked and openedunto the eyes of him with whom we have to
do.
 These eyes saw Adam in the garden, Moses atthe Red Sea, Jobin his ashes,
Peterby the fire, Stephen being stoned, Paul on the Damascus road, as wellas
you and me. They wept for Lazarus and Jerusalem. Nothing escapes the
eternal gaze of Christ. He knows our hearts tonight!
ALAN CARR
v. 13b-16 He Is Majestic In His Appearance – Here is where John begins to
attempt the impossible. He is going endeavor to describe The Lord Of Glory
in terms that we canunderstand.
1. v. 13b His Garments – Jesus appears “clothedwith a garment down to the
foot, and girt about the paps with a goldengirdle.” This is the attire of both a
King and a Priest. As a King, Jesus is the SovereignLord. He is in absolute
control and He rules today, even though the world does not recognize Him,
Rev. 17:14. Jesus is sovereignover His churches and over His world.
As a Priest, Jesus is our “man on the inside”. He is our Intercessor;the
One Who prays for us in Heaven day by day, Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 Tim.
2:5; 1 John 2:1. When we see Him, we will see our High Priest and our King.
2. v. 14a His Head and His Hair – This speaks ofHis purity and of His
antiquity. We are reminded that He is sinless, Heb. 7:26; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet.
2:22. We are also reminded that He is ageless! This vision of Jesus identifies
Him with “The Ancient of Days” in Dan. 7:9. He is the One Who has always
existed! The baby Jesus Who was place in that manger in Bethlehem is the
same One Who stoodon nothing and createdeverything in the beginning! He
is timeless and eternal!

John talks about his head. That head was laid on Mary’s breast for
comfort as a child. That head had no place to rest itself as an adult. That
head was crownedwith thorns and His Own blood mixed with the spittle of
His enemies. Thathead was laid in a cold, dark tomb and coveredwith a
napkin. One day, one glorious day, that head will be adorned with many
crowns!
3. v. 14b His Eyes - They speak of His omniscience;intelligence and
perception, Heb. 4:13; Pro. 15:3. Nothing is hidden from His gaze! Not a
Zaccheaus in a tree, not a Peterby a fire, not the heart of a critical Pharisees!
No, He sees everymotive, sin and secretin our hearts and in our lives. Those
eyes were damp with tears for Lazarus, for Jerusalemand for us. Those eyes
still see everything in our lives today!
4. v. 15a His Feet – Brass, orbronze, in the Bible speaks ofjudgment. The
“brazen serpent”, Num. 21, was a symbol of the sin of the people being judged
by the chastisementof God. Jesus appears here in the midst of His churches
as One having the authority to judge. He sees alland when He sees thatwhich
displeases Him, He exercise His authority as King and Lord and He moves in
judgment to setthings right.
Those precious feetof the Lord Jesus touchedthis earth for the first
time when He was but a baby. They carriedHim along the dusty pathways of
Israelas He ministered and preachedto the people. They carriedHim to the
top of Calvary where those feet felt the searing pain of the nails driven
through them. Those feet were last seenas He ascendedback to His father’s
throne. For the last two thousand years those feet have felt nothing but the
golden streets ofthat city. Soon, those feet will ride the clouds back to this
world when Jesus calls His bride to Himself. Than, one day, those feet will
againtouch this world. He will come in powerto judge sin, Satanand sinful
man as He treads the winepress ofthe fierceness andwrath of Almighty God.
He comes as a Judge!
5. v. 15b His Voice – When John first hears the Lord, His voice is described
as sounding like a trumpet, v. 10. His voice came demanding John’s attention.
Now, John describes the voice of the Lord as “the sound of many waters”. I

have never been to Niagara Falls, but those who have tell me the sound of
those waters drowns out all other noise. 12 million cubic feet of water per
minute flows over that cataractandas that water crashes onto the rocks
below it becomes the only sound that is heard, and the only sound that
matters.
Thus it is with the voice of Jesus. Today, men turn a deaf earto His
voice;but there is coming a day when He will speak and His voice will be one
that will and cannot be ignored. One day, every knee will bow and every
tongue will confess Him as Lord at the sound of that voice. This is the same
voice that spoke this world into existence. This is the same voice that declared
redemption’s work complete, John 19:30. This is the same voice that will call
the Bride up to glory, 1 Thes. 4:16-17. This voice will be most cruel to ever
fall upon the ears of a lost man, Matt. 7:23. But, it will be the most precious
ever heard by those who have been savedby grace, Matt. 25:23.
I am gladthat I heard that voice callme to come to Him one day. I am
glad that I hear that voice day by day as I travel toward glory. I am grateful
that I will hear that voice at the end of the way as He says, “Welcome home!”
6. v. 16a His Hand – In His right hand, the hand that speaks ofpower, Jesus
holds the sevenstars. These stars are identified in verse 20. They are the
“angels ofthe sevenchurches”. Some people believe these stars refer to a
guardian angel that is given charge overeachchurch. Others feel that the
stars refer to the pastors of these churches. I personallylean toward the latter
interpretation.
Jesus is pictured as holding His servants in His hand, protecting them
by His power. The people John was writing to were undergoing severe
persecution. Theyneeded this reassuranceas they struggled. But, so do you
and I! It comforts my heart to know that I am safe in His hand, John 10:28-
29! Those hands that formed man from the dust of the earth; touched the
lepers; openedthe blinded eyes;fed the multitudes and were eventually nailed
to the cross are the same hands that hold you and me today! When you are in
His hand, you are in a place of absolute safetyand protection!

7. v. 16b His Mouth – We are told that a “sharptwo-edgedsword” comes
from the mouth of the glorified Christ. This reminds us that He is coming not
with words of peace and blessing;but with words of righteousness and
judgment. When Jesus came the first time, He came with a messageofpeace
and salvation. The next time He comes, He will judge the world with a word
from His mouth. Like the thrust of a sharp sword that can slice to the bone
and bring instant death; one day Jesus will speak and His enemies will be
utterly destroyed, Rev. 19:15. Just as He said, “Let there be light” and light
appeared; He will speak and it will be done!
The Word of God, reviled by the atheist, the agnostic, the infidel, and
the liberal will one day be the standard by which all men are judged! The
Word of God will judge man some day, Rev. 20:12; John 12:48.
THE VISION OF OUR GLORIFIED LORD
Dr. W. A. Criswell
Revelation1:10-16
4-23-61 10:50 a.m.
You are sharing with us on televisionand radio the morning service of the
First Baptist Church of Dallas. This is the pastor bringing the message
entitled The Glorified Vision of the Lord Jesus. In our preaching through the
Bible, we are in the first chapterof the Apocalypse. And the messageis taken
from verses 10 through 16. Beginning at verse 9:

I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the
kingdom and patience of Jesus, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the
Word of God, and for the testimony of Christ.
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and heard behind me a greatvoice, as of
a trumpet,
Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last: and, What thou seest,
write in a book, and send it unto the sevenchurches which are in Asia; unto
Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos,and unto Thyatira, and unto
Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw
sevengolden lampstands;
And in the midst of the sevenlampstands One like unto the Son of Man,
clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the breastwith a
golden girdle.
His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow;and His eyes
were as a flame of fire;
His feetlike unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as
the sound of many waters.
And He had in His right hand seven stars:and out of His mouth went a sharp
two-edgedsword:and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength
[Revelation1:9-16].
This is the first vision of the Apocalypse. And significantly and appropriately,
it is a vision of our reigning Lord Christ. On the isle of Patmos, anexile for
preaching the word of God, somewhere onthat rocky mount rising out of the
AegeanSea, on the Lord’s Day he was in the Spirit of worship, and praise,
and adoration. And while he was worshiping God, he heard behind him a
greatvoice as of a trumpet [Revelation1:9-10]. And the One who speaks first
identifies Himself [Revelation1:11]. This is all-important because ofthe

amazing, incredulous chronicle that is to follow. These apocalyptic
revelations of the consummation of the age are beyond what mind could
imagine or heart could conceive. And it was vitally important that the author
of these apocalyptic revelations first be identified.
Who is the authority for this unusual open door that gives to us in these words
the vistas of all of the future ages? And who is it that says that He executes
this divine plan and in time it will faithfully come to pass? The signature, the
Author, the authority, the greatvoice that speaks as a trumpet is the voice of
the Lord God, eternal Christ Himself [Revelation1:10]. And twice in these
few words, in these few verses, does He identify Himself. Here in verse 11
[Revelation1:11], and He did the same thing in verse 8, the voice of as of a
trumpet [Revelation1:10], "I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the
Ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the
Almighty" [Revelation1:8].
So the author of this greatApocalypse is the eternal God, Christ Himself, "I
am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending" [Revelation1:8]. All of
the words of wisdom from heaven and all of the revelations from God are in
Him. He is the great absolute and the only touch that we have with heaven
lies in the revelation in Christ. He is the sum of the words and the wisdom
and the revelation of God. The Alpha, the first of the alphabet, the Omega,
the lastof the alphabet, and all of the words in between, "I am," then He
describes Himself, "which is, which was, and which is to come" [Revelation
1:8].
In the first chapter and in the fourth verse is the greeting, "Johnto the seven
churches in Asia: Grace to you . . . from Him which is, which was, whichis to
come, the Father; and from the sevenSpirits . . . and from Jesus Christ"
[Revelation1:4-5]. Then in that greattrumpet voice, this Christ identifies
Himself as that holy God, the Father "whichis, which was, and which is to
come." He is the greatI AM [Exodus 3:14], "the same yesterday, today, and
forever" [Hebrews 13:8], the unqualified, unchangeable God[Malachi3:6],
the Almighty! And that is the final and conclusive name, the Almighty, the
Pantokratōr, beyond which there is no other one. This is the author of the
Book, and this is the voice that speaks like a trumpet [Revelation1:10].

Then He also said, "What thou seest, write in a book" [Revelation1:11]. In
the nineteenth verse He repeatedthe same mandate, "Write the things which
thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be, meta
tauta, after these things, hereafter" [Revelation1:19]. Daniel was
commanded not to write, "Sealup the revelation, until the appointed time"
[Daniel 12:9]. But John is commanded to write [Revelation1:19]. It is now,
in Christ, an open vision. Write it so that every man can look upon its page
and see.
And the commandment came in the voice of a trumpet [Revelation1:10].
That means an all-important message, anall-important revelation. When
God spake from Mount Sinai, the mountain that burned with the presence of
God, He spake to them in a voice of a trumpet. When the door was opened,
the greatdoor was openedin the temple, and the people were called to
worship eachmorning, it was with the sound of a trumpet [Exodus 20:18-19].
When the greatand final resurrectionday of the Lord shall come, it shall be
with the voice of the trumpet of God. The greatDay of Jubilee was
announced by a trumpet [Leviticus 25:9]. And when that final silence of the
dead, of the grave, of the tomb of the sepulcher is broken, it shall be with the
voice of a trumpet calling God’s people to the great, final, and eternal jubilee
[1 Thessalonians4:16-17]. The voice ofa trumpet, "Write these things for the
people of God." Then he said, "and send it to unto the seven churches which
are in Asia" [Revelation1:11].
The sevenchurches in Asia are a rough geographicalcircle, locatedin a rough
geographicalcircle in the Roman province of Asia. The first church is
Ephesus, the capital of the Roman province. And all of them were connected
by those ancientRoman roads. And the messengerwho carriedthe document
from one church to another could easilymake the journey by the day, going
from one church to the other over the Roman roads:from Ephesus, to
Smyrna, to Pergamos,to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, to Laodicea, and
back to Ephesus [Revelation1:11].
And you have here in this Revelation, the apocalyptic vision of what God’s
intention is for His churches in this church age, in this present age, until He
shall come again. There are sevenchurches. There were many more

churches in the province of Asia, but these seven – and if you do not have
those sermons on the symbolic meaning of numbers, go to the library and get
them, there are two of them, and without an understanding of the symbolic
meaning of numbers, the Bible does not mean as much to you nearly as it
ought – seven, that word seven, the sevenchurches of Asia, that is the whole,
the whole complete. It represents all of them, the divine, full and completed
number. When He addresses the message to the sevenchurches of Asia, that
is the churches of all ages andof all time.
There was one greatgovernment in the Roman province of Asia, but there is
no such thing as the church of Asia. There are churches of Asia just as there
are churches of Judea. There are churches of Macedonia, there are churches
of Galatia, there are churches of Asia, but no church of Judea, no church of
Macedonia, no church of Galatia, no church of Asia. There is no such thing in
the Word of God. The only time that the Word of God will use the word
church as such is like we use a word to symbolize the abstractidea of an
institution. Like a greatorator in his speechwill refer to the family or to the
home or to the state or to the school, so he may also refer to the church, that
is, the idea of the institution of the church, like it is used in Matthew 16:18,
",onthis rock I will build My church." But when the church is actually
materialized, when the idea comes out of the abstractinto an organizedform,
it is always a localindependent congregation, the churches of Asia, the church
at Ephesus, the church at Philadelphia, the church at Thyatira, or at
Laodicea. And in these churches there is individual responsibility with their
pastors, with their deacons, with their people.
And any time churches cooperate ithas to be voluntary. There is no such
thing as a hierarchy in the New Testament. And there is no such thing as a
bishop in the New Testament. And there’s no such thing as an over-
organizationin the New Testament. These churches are all free, independent,
localcongregations, andthere is nothing else in the Word of God except those
individually organized and responsible churches. "Sendthe message,"He
says, "to the churches of the Roman province of Asia" [Revelation 1:11]. Just
like this is one of God’s independent congregations, in its pastor, in its deacon,
in its organization, responsible to God alone, chargeable to no man that lives,
whether he is high in government or high in princely, self-arrogated

authorities. This church is free, is independent, and is responsible to God
alone, just like the church in Ephesus, the church in Smyrna, the church in
Pergamos,the churches, plural, of the Romanprovince of Asia. That’s God’s
conceptionof His church for all of this age.
"And I turned to see the voice that spake with me" [Revelation1:12]. "And I
turned to see the voice," you could preach a sermon there, our eyes on the
wrong things most of the time, and especiallynow. How easyit is to fall into
despair and into discouragement. And especiallyfor people like us, who
believe as we do, whose greatprinciples are such as we have found in the
Word of God and almost stand alone defending in this modern world. But
don’t get your eye on a crack-potNapoleonora batty dictator or a prince who
arrogates to himself these lordly virtues overthe house of God. Get your eye
upon the Lord, turn and look!
And I turned . . . And being turned, I saw . . .
in the midst of the churches, in the midst of the sevenlampstands, for the
lampstands are the churches [Revelation1:20], I saw in the midst of the seven
lampstands, I saw, and this is the apocalyptic vision of the Son of God, of the
Lord in glory in the midst of the churches, I saw One like unto the Son of
Man.
[Revelation1:12-13]
Every syllable of that is meaningful. This vision,Johnhad not seenthe Lord
for oversixty years. The lasttime he saw Him, He was ascending up into
heaven [Acts 1:9-10]. And he sees in the midst of the churches, the
lampstands, he sees "One like unto the Son of Man" [Revelation1:12-13].
And there are two things most emphasized in that little passage, "One like
unto the Sonof Man" [Revelation1:13]. First, he saw the humanity, the
human form of God: the Son of Man. Eighty-five times that phrase is used in
the gospels. And eighty-three of those eighty-five times Jesus uses it Himself,

referring to Himself, the Sonof Man, God in His humanity, in His human
form. And yet he says, "One like unto the Son of Man." This is highly
mystical and highly symbolical, deeply so.
In the description that follows, whichis the only description you will find of
the Lord in the New Testament, in the description that follows no man can put
it on canvas. No man can translate it into light, and delineation, and into
color. ForGod is unrealizable by a finite mind, inconceivable by a finite
heart, and undelineable by howevergenius of a painter’s brush. Isn’t it
strange there is no description of the Lord in the Bible? None. None. In the
days of His flesh, no word as to how He looked. And in this description we
have of Him in glory, "One like unto the Son of Man" [Revelation1:13], a
semblance, a mystery, a symbol, glorious beyond compare. This is the way
that He shall look when we look upon Him. But it is beyond what a man could
describe or what he could put down on canvas. And that figure that he saw in
glory is the "Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, which was,
which is, which is to come, the Almighty, the Lord God Pantokratōr," God
Himself [Revelation1:8].
I often wonder at these people who think that in heaven they are going to see
three Gods. If you eversee three gods then what the Mohammedan says
about you is true. And what the Jewishneighbor says about you is true. You
are not a monotheist. You are a polytheist; you believe in a multiplication of
gods, plural. "Hear, O Israel:The Lord thy God is one God! [Deuteronomy
6:4] One God! And we know God as our Father, we know God as our Savior,
and we know God by His Spirit in our hearts. But there are not three Gods!
The true Christian is a monotheist; there is one God! "I and My Fatherare
one [John 10:30]; He that hath seenMe hath seenthe Father" [John 14:9].
And the Lord God-Pantokratōris He that speaks. And it is He that John saw
when he turned about and lookedin the midst of the churches of the Lord
God [Revelation1:12-13]. The only God you will ever see is the Lord God-
Pantokratōr, whomJohn saw in the vision of the lampstands. And the only
God you will ever feel is the Lord God’s Spirit in your heart. And the only
God there is, is the greatFatherof us all; the one Lord God, Christ. In the
Old Bible we called Him Jehovah. In the New Testament, the New Covenant,
we call Him Jesus:the one great God, standing in authority, and in judgment,

and in judicial dignity among His churches, here today, watching over us. "I
saw One like," a great mystical symbol, "like unto the Sonof Man"
[Revelation1:12-13].
Then in the description he describes Him with a symbol of function and then
with the symbols of character. The symbols of function, "clothedwith a
garment down to the foot, and girt about the breastwith a golden girdle"
[Revelation1:13]. Clothedwith a long, flowing garment; that refers to His
dignity, that refers to His judicial authority, that refers to His kingly mien and
presence. "Inthe year when King Uzziah died," saidIsaiah, "I saw the
"Lord,high and lifted up, and His train," His robes, His dress, His skirts,
"filled the temple" [Isaiah 6:1], the dignity of the presence of God. And He
was clothed with a garment, a flowing garment down to the foot [Revelation
1:13]; the priestly dress of a priest, the regalrobes of a king, the judicial attire
of a judge. This is His celestialmajestyand His judicial authority and His
kingly priestly presence.
"Girt about the breast with a goldengirdle" [Revelation1:13]. Thatrefers to
the waythey dressedin that time. When a man was to serve, when he was to
run, when he was to work, he girded up his lions. He gathered the skirts of his
flowing garments underneath the girdle in order that he might serve or work.
But this girdle is about His breast. He is in repose, the kingly repose of the
Son of God who sits down upon the throne of the Almighty. And it refers to
His affection, and His understanding, and His sympathy, and His love for His
people. Though exalted, glorified, and immortalized, His heart is still the
same, the same Lord who took babes in His arm and blessedthem [Mark
10:16], who put His [hands] upon the blind and they could see [Matthew 9:27-
30], who forgave sin [Matthew 9:1-7], "girt about the breast, the heart with a
golden girdle" [Revelation1:13].
Then you have seventhings in these symbols of character. His head, His hair,
white like wool, white as snow [Revelation1:14]. That refers to the purity,
and the elevation, and the nobility of His thought, and it refers to the eternity
of His character, "the Ancient of Days" [Revelation1:14]. Here is patriarchal
honor and here is eternal dignity: His head, His hair, white, white as snow.
"And His eyes were as a flame of fire" [Revelation1:14], the all-knowing

omniscience ofthe Almighty God. As the author of Hebrews says in 4:13, "for
all things are opened and nakedbefore the eyes of Him with whom we have to
do" [Hebrews 4:13]; the knowledge, the omniscience, the eyes, the burning
flame.
"And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace" [Revelation
1:15]. All of the instruments in the outer court were made out of brass
because they had to do with the judgment of God upon sin. The altar where
the fire burned, brass. The laver where they washed, brass. The tongs and all
of the instruments made out of brass, the judgment of God upon human
iniquity [Exodus 38]. "And His feet likenedunto fine brass, as if they burned
in a furnace" [Revelation1:15]. No man could look upon the holy
righteousness ofthe presence of God. And here He treads upon His enemies,
He walks upon sin, He condemns iniquity. "His feetlikened to brass, as if it
burned in a furnace . . ." treading the winepress of the wrath of Almighty God
[Revelation19:15]; the judgment of Christ upon human sin.
"And His voice as the sound of many waters" [Revelation1:15];many waters,
many messages, many messengers,many prophets, but one greateternal
Word: one greatvoice. As a greatriver falling over the falls is gathered from
many streams and many sources, so His voice is as the sound of many, many
waters. The greateternal Word of God, "God, who in times past spake unto
the fathers by the prophets in divers manners and in different times, Hath in
these last days spokenunto us by His Son," the inheritor of all things, by
whom He createdthe whole world, "the express image" ofthe invisible God,
many others, many others, many waters, but one greatvoice [Hebrews 1:1-3].
"And He had in His right hand sevenstars" [Revelation1:16]. And the seven
stars are the aggeloi, translated"angels, messengers, pastorsofthe seven
churches [Revelation1:20]. And He had in His right hand the sevenstars
[Revelation1:16]. In the hand of authority, in the hand of command, in the
hand of might and skilland strength and power, God holds up, God holds out,
God holds fast His servants. Maybe wayout there, twinkling somewhere,
maybe waybeyond yonder, nobody observes, in obscurity, no matter, He is
held up by the right hand of God, and is dear to the heart of the Lord God-
Pantokrator.

You have a vision here of the ministry of the servants of Christ in all of this
church age. There he stands as a star [Revelation1:20], upheld by the hand of
Christ, the star to guide through the tracklesswaste, the star heralding the
morning, the Morning Star [Revelation22:16]. Thatis the greatcommission
of a true preacherof Christ, heralding the coming of Christ: coming the first
time to die for our sins [Romans 4:25], coming the secondtime in victorious
splendor and in triumphant amazement to rule over this creationand to take
God’s people home Himself [1 Corinthians 15:24-25]. A star, as they look
upon a star, Mars or Venus, reflecting the light of the glory of God. The
minister does not create the light; the lampstand just is a place to hold it up.
And the star [Revelation1:20] reflects the glory of the light of the Son of God;
preaching Christ, preaching the Lord, preaching Jesus the Savior and the
hope of the world, held in the right hand of the Sonof God.
One of the most effective pieces ofstatuary I have ever lookedupon in my life
is that of Phillip Brooks, setthere by the side of Trinity Church in Boston.
There is a pulpit, there is an open Bible, and there stands Phillip Brooks with
his hands outstretched, preaching the gospelof the Son of God. And back of
him, the man who createdthe piece placed a picture, a statue, a likeness of
Jesus. And the right hand of the Lord is placed on the shoulder of Phillip
Brooks, God’s preacher! And He had in His right hand the sevenstars
[Revelation1:16], and the stars are the pastors of the churches [Revelation
1:20].
"And out of His mouth went a sharp two-edgedsword." Thatis the power of
the delivered messageofChrist. Did you ever think of this? You could bring
any, any, any, any comedian, any actress,any politician, any economist, you
could bring anybody you could name and sethim in an auditorium this large,
and there would be somebodythere to hear him, one time. And they would
come back another time, and they would come back a third time and maybe a
fourth and a fifth, but after that the sixth or seventh or eighth or ninth or the
tenth, they would get so tired of his jokes. And they would getso weary of his
stale theories, that they would be like Jesus saidto Laodicea, "Youmake Me,"
He said, "spew thee out of My mouth!" [Revelation3:16]. The Greek is, "You
make me vomit!" We are that way about anything. You can listen to a
comedian, and listen to him, and listen to him, and listen to him, until you are

sick of him. And you can listen to an economistand a politician until you are
sick of him. And the most astonishing and amazing thing in this world, you let
any faithful preacher, any faithful preacher, stand up anywhere, in a theater,
in an empty store building or a vacantlot, under a tabernacle with sawduston
the floor, let him preach the gospelofthe Son of God, and let him do it
faithfully, and they will be back there and come again. And they will be back
there the next Lord’s Day and come again. And like this congregation,
seventeenyears, and it grows and it grows and it grows;the powerof the
preachedWord of Christ!
How to reach the masses, menof every birth,
For an answer, Jesus gave the key:
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
Will draw all men unto Me."
["Lift Him Up," by JohnsonOatman, Jr.]
"And out of His mouth a sharp two-edgedsword, the word of God"
[Revelation1:16].
The word of God is quick, living, powerful, sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and is a discernerof the thoughts and intents of the heart.
[Hebrews 4:12].
The Word of God, "a sharp two-edgedsword" [Hebrews 4:12]. There is a
judicial process in the preaching of the Son of God that is inevitable. It is the
word of life unto life to them that believe; it is also the word of death, unto
death to them that refuse [2 Corinthians 2:15-16];a sharp two-edgedsword.

And the sixth chapterof Ephesians, "the swordof the Spirit, which is the
word of God" [Ephesians 6:17]. In the secondThessalonianletter, and I will
smite that Antichrist "with the spirit of My mouth" [2 Thessalonians 2:8]. In
the Revelation, "lestI come quickly and destroythee with the swordof My
mouth" [Revelation2:16]. "And out of His mouth a sharp two-edgedsword"
[Revelation1:16]; the Word of God, the living, burning Word of God.
"And His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength" [Revelation
1:16]. The stars [Revelation1:20], preaching the word; but Christ is the
power, and the glory, and the triumph, and the victory, and the life and light
of it all. "And His countenance, as the sun shineth in his strength"
[Revelation1:16]. And on the Mount of Transfiguration, and His face was as
bright as the sun, "His face did shine as the sun" [Matthew 17:2]. And on the
road to Damascus whenSaul of Tarsus met Him, "above the brightness of the
sun" [Acts 26:13]. And in the New Jerusalem, there is not any starry sun, and
there is not any moon that shines, and there is not any other light, "Forthe
light of the Lamb is the glory thereof" [Revelation21:23]. And we shall walk
in the glory of His presence, worldwithout end [Revelation2 1:24]. "ForGod,
who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts,
to give the light of the knowledge ofthe glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ" [2 Corinthians 4:6].
,and His countenance was as the sun shineth in its strength.
And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand
upon me, and said, Fearnot; I am the First and the Last: I have the whole
world, its destiny, its future in My hands,
I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and I,
I have the keys of Hell and of Death.
[Revelation1:16b-18]

And we will start there next Lord’s Day morning, as we lay before our Lord
Christ the tribute of our bestthinking, of our deepestemotions, and of the
consecrationof our lives. While we sing this hymn of invitation, in this
balcony round, somebody you, giving your life in trust to Jesus;on this lower
floor, somebodyyou, coming into the fellowshipof the church, placing your
life with us in this incomparably precious and glorious congregation, would
you come on the first note of this first stanza? If you are in the balcony, to the
last row, there is a stairway on either side at the front and at the back. In this
lowerfloor, a family you, or one somebodyyou coming, giving your hearts to
Christ, or putting your lives with us in the fellowship of the church, while we
sing this invitation hymn, would you make it today? Make it this morning.
Make it now.
We are still on television and on radio. If you have been driving in a car,
listening to the sermon, pull to the side of the road, bow your head over the
wheeland give your heart, give your life to the greatGod who made us, and
calls us, and died for us, whose face some day we’ll see again. And if you have
been listening to television, kneel by the side of the chair or the bed, and give
your life now and forever into the keeping care of the Son of God. "He is able
to save to the uttermost them who come unto Godby Him" [Hebrews 7:25].
And here in this greatthrong this morning, somebody trusting Jesus as
Savior, or a whole family of you coming into the fellowship of the church,
while we make appeal, while we sing the song, while we prayerfully wait,
make it now. We look for you, we invite you in the name of Christ, "The
Spirit and the bride say, Come" [Revelation22:17]. "And here I come. Here
I am"; while we stand and while we sing.
TONY GARLAND
eyes like a flame of fire
His eyes are singled out as being like a flame of fire. This evokes the image of
a gaze which instantly pierces the deepestdarkness to lay bear all sin. It is a

reference to His omniscience, omnipresence, andjudgment. There is no evil
activity of men which Jesus does not see (Job 28:24;Ps. 90:8; 94:9; 139:23;Pr.
15:3). There is no den of iniquity so dark that Jesus is not there (Job 34:22;
Ps. 139:7;Jer. 23:24;Amos 9:2). There is no work of man which will go
unjudged by His piercing gaze (1Cor. 3:15; 2Cor. 5:10;Heb. 4:13). Truly, God
is an all-consuming fire (Num. 11:1; Deu. 5:25; 9:3; 2K. 1:10; Ps. 50:3; 78:63;
Isa. 33:14; Luke 9:54; Heb. 12:29;Rev. 11:5‣ ).
When speaking to the church at Thyatira, after mentioning His “eyes like a
flame of fire” (Rev. 2:18‣ ), Jesus continues, “I know your works” (Rev.
2:19‣ ). He says to the same church, “all the churches shall know that I am He
who searchesthe minds and hearts. And I will give to eachone of you
according to your works” (Rev. 2:23‣ ).
His piercing eyes are an identifying description in Rev. 19:12‣ . It is
impossible to escape His gaze!“And there is no creature hidden from His
sight, but all things are nakedand open to the eyes of Him to whom we must
give account” (Heb. 4:13).
IRONSIDE
1. “His eyes were as a flame of fire” (14). John did not know Him in that way
on earth, except perhaps as He rebuked the Pharisees;but remember that all
who do not acceptHim now are going to see His eyes like a flame of fire.
There will be nothing hidden from those eyes. They will discerneverything
that you would try to hide. All will be out in the light and brought into
judgment. Oh, have everything out with Him now. Do you realize that the first
time you meet God, you must meet Him with all your sins on your soul? Have
you had a meeting with Him yet? If the first time you meet Him is at the day
of judgment, it will be too late. You can have your first meeting with Him in

this world. You canmeet Him by faith. Do not try to improve or to make
yourself better. Come just as you are, without one plea, except that He is the
sinner’s Savior and invites you to come. You will find that those eyes, that are
as a flame of fire and look into the depths of your soul, will become filled with
tenderestlove and will draw you to Himself.
J HAMPTON KEATHLEY III
His eyes (14b)— “were like a flame of fire.” This speaks ofHis penetrating
vision, searching righteousness, and judgment into the affairs of the church
and mankind as a whole. Perhaps there is in this a connectionwith the Bema,
the judgment seatof Christ for believers, and the Great White Throne
Judgment (GWTJ)for unbelievers. The fire which will try men’s works at the
Bema and prove the condition of their heart at the GWTJ will be the
penetrating and holy gaze of Christ (1 Cor. 3:12f; 2 Cor. 5:10,11; Rev. 20:11-
12 and Rom. 3:23; 4:2).
BIBLEHUB
Revelation19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many
crowns;and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(12, 13) His eyes were as a flame . . .—Or, rather, And His eyes are (as) a
flame of fire, and upon His head many diadems—(He) having names written,
and a name written which no one knows but He Himself—and clothedin a
vesture dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. On the

description here and in Revelation19:5, comp. Notes on Revelation1:14-16.
There is no doubt who is before us in this vision. These flame-like eyes have
been fixed upon the moving scenesofhuman life, and have been reading the
hearts of men, and the true meaning of all events and actions. All things have
been nakedand open to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do” (Hebrews
4:13). He wears many crowns—diadems—crowns ratherof royalty than of
victory. Some have thought that the crowns He wears are crowns takenfrom
the heads of the kings who have made war with Him (Revelation19:12-13,
and Revelation19:19). It is needless to suppose this; their crowns were His
before they were discrowned. The diadems He wears proclaim that not only
over a worldwide empire He is king, but of all nations He is truly king. He is
not as an emperor among kings, the head of a federationof princedoms; but
He is truly King—King of history, King of life, King of human hearts, King
everywhere, over eachrealm and over all realms, King of kings, and Lord of
lords. He has names written, and a name. The clause having “names written”
is omitted in the English version. The authority for its insertion is not entirely
satisfactory;but perhaps the balance of evidence is in its favour. He has many
names which may be understood, besides a name which no one knows. This is
fitting in One who is knownto men as Shepherd, Redeemer, Saviour, Prince
of Life, but the fulness of Whose love and power none canexhaust, and the
depth of Whose wisdomnone can fathom. “He knows our names. Thanks be
to God, we cannot fathom the depths of His.” There is more yet to be known
of Him in the world to which we go. His vesture is dipped in blood. The
prophet Isaiah(Isaiah 63:2) probably supplied the foundation of this
description. (Comp. Revelation19:15.)The blood-red vesture is a fit token of
the work. He comes to destroythose that destroy the earth—to tread the
winepress of the wrath of God; but we cannot forgetthat He who comes for
this came first to shed His ownblood. He is, too, “The Word of God.” Again
we hear this name; it is a name which is, besides other things, significant of
Christ’s mediating work. He is the Word who was with God, who was God,
and who declares Godto man. (Comp. John 1:1-4; John 3:13; John 14:9.)The
title the Word, the Word of God—usedhere and in the Gospelof St. John
(Revelation1:2; John 1:1; 1John1:1)—is a tokenof their common authorship.
(See Introduction and Excursus A: The Doctrine of the Word, in Commentary
on the Gospel.)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
19:11-21 Christ, the glorious Head of the church, is described as on a white
horse, the emblem of justice and holiness. He has many crowns, for he is King
of kings, and Lord of lords. He is arrayed in a vesture dipped in his own
blood, by which he purchased his power as Mediator; and in the blood of his
enemies, over whom he always prevails. His name is The Word of God; a
name none fully knows but himself; only this we know, that this Word was
God manifest in the flesh; but his perfections cannot be fully understood by
any creature. Angels and saints follow, and are like Christ in their armour of
purity and righteousness. The threatenings of the written word he is going to
execute on his enemies. The ensigns of his authority are his name; asserting
his authority and power, warning the most powerful princes to submit, or
they must fall before him. The powers of earth and hell make their utmost
effort. These verses declare important events, foretold by the prophets. These
persons were not excusedbecause theydid what their leaders bade them. How
vain will be the plea of many sinners at the great day! We followedour guides;
we did as we saw others do! God has given a rule to walk by, in his word;
neither the example of the most, nor of the chief, must influence us contrary
thereto: if we do as the most do, we must go where the most go, even into the
burning lake.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
His eyes were as a flame of fire - See the notes on Revelation1:14.
And on his head were many crowns - Many diadems, indicative of his
universal reign. It is not said how these were worn or arranged on his head -
perhaps the various diadems worn by kings were in some waywreathed into
one.
And he had a name written - That is, probably on the frontlet of this
compound diadem. Compare the notes on Revelation13:1; Revelation14:1.
That no man knew but he himself - See the notes on Revelation2:17. This
cannot here mean that no one could read the name, but the idea is, that no one

but himself could fully understand its import. It involved a depth of meaning,
and a degree of sacredness,and a relation to the Father, which he alone could
apprehend in its true import. This is true of the name here designated - "the
Word of God" - the "Logos" -Λόγος Logos;and it is true of all the names
which he bears. See Matthew 11:27. Compare a quotation from Dr. Buchanan
in the Asiatic Researches,vol. 1, vi. p. 264, as quoted by Rosenmuller,
Morgenland, in loco.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
12. Identifying Him with the Son of man similarly described, Re 1:14.
many crowns—Greek,"diadems":not merely (Greek, "stephanoi")garlands
of victory, but royal crowns, as King of kings. Christ's diadem comprises all
the diadems of the earth and of heavenly powers too. Contrastthe papal tiara
composedof three diadems. Compare also the little horn (Antichrist) that
overcomes the three horns or kingdoms, Da 7:8, 24 (Quære, the Papacy? or
some three kingdoms that succeedthe papacy, which itself, as a temporal
kingdom, was made up at first of three kingdoms, the exarchate ofRavenna,
the kingdom of the Lombards, and the state of Rome, obtained by Pope
Zachary and Stephen II from Pepin, the usurper of the French dominion).
Also, the sevencrowns (diadems) on the sevenheads of the dragon (Re 12:3),
and ten diadems on the ten heads of the beast. These usurpers claim the
diadems which belong to Christ alone.
he had a name written—B and Syriac insert, "He had names written, and a
name written," &c., meaning that the names of the dominion which each
diadem indicated were written on them severally. But A, Vulgate, Origen, and
Cyprian omits the words, as English Version.
name … that no man knew but … himself—(Jud 13:18;1Co 2:9, 11; 1Jo 3:2).
The same is said of the "new name" of believers. In this, as in all other
respects, the disciple is made like his Lord. The Lord's own "new name" is to
be theirs, and to be "in their foreheads";whence we may infer that His as yet
unknown name also is written on His forehead; as the high priest had
"Holiness to the Lord" inscribed on the miter on his brow. John saw it as
"written," but knew not its meaning. It is, therefore, a name which in all its

glorious significancycan be only understood when the union of His saints with
Him, and His and their joint triumph and reign, shall be perfectly manifested
at the final consummation.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
His eyes were as a flame of fire: see Revelation1:14 2:18. This denoted either
his piercing knowledge,orhis infinite wisdomand understanding.
And on his head were many crowns;and there needs must be so;for,
Revelation19:16, he is said to be the King of kings, and Lord of lords.
And he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself; this denoted
the incomprehensibleness ofhis Divine essenceandperfections.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
His eyes were as a flame of fire,.... Which denotes the perspicuity and
penetration of them, the omniscience ofChrist to look into and discoverthe
secretmachinations, schemes, anddevices of his enemies againsthis people,
and his exercise ofit in favour of them, his eyes, like a flame of fire, running to
and fro on their behalf; and also this may signify the fierceness ofhis anger
againstthe enemies of his people, the eyes of his glory being provokedby their
cruelty and wickedness;and likewise the suddenness of their destruction, and
the inevitableness ofit.
And on his head were many crowns;for he has not only a crown, as the
Creatorand Governorof the universe, in right of nature, but he has one
which his Father has put upon his head, when he sethim as King over his holy
hill of Zion, Psalm21:3 and there is another which his mother, the church,
crownedhim with in the day of his espousals, Sol3:11 and besides these, every
believer puts a crownon his head, gives him the glory of their salvation, and
all of them casttheir crowns at his feet: to which may be added, that the
crowns of all the kings of the earth are his; they reign by him, and are
accountable to him. This part of the description may be expressive ofthat all

powerin heavenand earth, given to Christ at his resurrection, and exercised
by him ever since;and particularly of the extensiveness ofhis kingdom at the
time this vision refers to, when the kingdoms of this world shall be his,
Revelation11:15 for this vision, and the seventhtrumpet, are contemporary;
and it may be a symbol of the many victories obtained by him, and of the last
and closing one that should now be obtained by him.
And he had a name written that no man knew but he himself; which seems to
be his name, the Son of God, as the unknown name of the overcomer, in
Revelation2:17 is a child of God; and the sense is, that his divine nature, in
which he is the Son of God, is incomprehensible, and that the begetting or
generationof him, as such, is ineffable, Proverbs 30:4 and that without a
divine revelation the name itself could not be known; or it could not be known
that God had a Son, and that Christ is he, and bears that name, Matthew
11:27 or else his name Immanuel. The incarnate God may be intended, which
is a secretand wonderful name, and contains in it, without controversy, a
greatmystery, which cannot be comprehended by finite minds; or his name,
"wonderful, secret",Isaiah9:6. This name is said to be "written"; that is, in
the Scriptures of truth, in which it is revealedthat Christ is the Son of God,
and Immanuel. In Revelation19:16 the name of King of kings, &c. is said to
be written on his vesture, and on his thigh; and the Ethiopic version makes
this to be written on his crownor diadem, reading the words thus; "and upon
his head a crown, and there was written in his diadem a name, and no man
knew it, but he himself only"; as the high priest had "holiness to the Lord"
written on his mitre. The Syriac version inserts a clause betweenthe two last,
"having names written", and then follows, "and a name written", &c. and so
the Complutensian edition.
Geneva Study Bible
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns;and he
had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament

Revelation19:12. διαδήματα πολλά, bec. he is king of kings (Ptolemy on
entering Antioch put two diadems on his head, that of Egypt and that of Asia
(1Ma 11:13); cf. the ten goldendiadems of royalty in ancientEgypt). Once
crownedwith thorns, Jesus is now invested with more than royal rank (cf.
Barn. vii. 9, where Jesus, once accursed, is showncrowned). Eastern
monarchs wore such royal insignia when they went into battle (e.g., 2 Samuel
1:10). Jesus has far more than the four (of a goodname, of the law, of the high
priesthood, of the divine kingdom, Targ. Jerus, on Deuteronomy34) 5 or
three (omitting the first) which Jewishtradition assignedto Moses (seePirke
Aboth, iv. 13, vi. 5; Joseph. Bell. i. 2, 8, prophetic, priestly, and royal
honours).—ὄνομα κ.τ.λ.,cf. Ep. Lugd., “whenAttalus was placedon the iron
seatand the fumes rose from his burning body, he was asked, ‘Whatname has
God?’‘God,’ he answered, ‘has not a name as man has.” Contrastὃ οὐδεὶς
κ.τ.λ., with Matthew 11:27. The earlier words, πιστ. κ. ἀληθ., are a description
of the messiah’s characterandfunction, rather than a title. At this debût,
which is the only event in the Apocalypse at all corresponding to the second
advent (Revelation1:7), the messiah’s judicial poweris practically restricted
to the external work of crushing the last paganopposition to God’s cause on
earth; it becomes therefore almostmilitary. The divine commandant of the
saints is “faithful and true,” as he loyally executes the divine purpose and thus
exhibits fidelity to the interests of the faithful. The sense remains unchanged,
whether the two adjectives are taken as synonyms, or ἀληθ. assignedits
occasionalmeaning of “real”. Evenin the latter case, to be real would mean to
be trustworthy.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
12. His eyes, &c.]Revelation1:14.
many crowns]These are distinctively kingly crowns, see onRevelation4:4,
Revelation6:2. Their number marks Him as King of kings, Revelation19:16 :
perhaps also as both King and Priest, as in Zechariah 6:11 sqq., and in the use
of the triple crownby modern popes.

a name written] Probably on the forehead, as Revelation14:1. There is some
authority for the remarkable reading, “names written, and a name written
which,” &c.
that no man knew, &c.]Revelation2:17 : for the Lord having such a name,
see Revelation3:12, and notes on both places.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 12. - His eyes were as a flame of fire; and his eyes [are] a flame of fire.
Again as in Revelation1:13. "Fire" is the type of purity and judgment (see
Psalm97:3; Isaiah47:14;Isaiah 66:15;Amos 5:6; 1 Corinthians 3:13, etc.;
Revelation3:18). And on his head were many crowns;and upon his head [are]
many diadems. Διαδήματα, " kingly crowns " (cf. Revelation12:3; Revelation
13:1), because he now comes as a King to judgment. The plurality of
"crowns" points to his characteras King of kings (see Revelation17:14;cf.
Revelation13:1). And he had a name written, that no man knew, but he
himself; hath a name... no, one knoweth. Evidently the "new name" of
Revelation3:12, the significance ofwhich St. John is unable to comprehend
(see on Revelation2:7; 3:12). From the connectionwith the preceding clause,
we naturally infer that this name was written upon his forehead(cf Revelation
7:3); 16:1); but the writer does not explicitly state this. In B, twenty-five
cursives, and Syriac, the words, "names written and," are inserted before
"name."
His Eyes Were as a Flame of Fire
November 12, 2019
…His eyes were as a flame of fire.
— Revelation1:14

In severalprevious Sparkling Gems, we studied the revelation of Jesus that
John wrote while imprisoned on the island of Patmos (see January 27,28;
March 15;August 22,31;September 6,8,21;November 10,11). TodayI want
us to focus on another important part of this supernatural vision. As John
tried to focus his eyes on the brilliant image before him, one canonly imagine
how he might have strained to see through the bright light to the Person
behind it. In Revelation1:14, the apostle describedthe powerful moment
when he finally gazedinto the eyes of the risen Lord, declaring, “…His eyes
were as a flame of fire.”
The words “his eyes” are a translation of the Greek phrase ophthalmoi autou.
The word ophthalmoi is the plural Greek word for eyes, and it is where we get
the word ophthalmology. The word autou simply means of him. When the two
words are used togetheras one phrase, they carry a sense of wonder, as if to
mean there was something about Jesus’eyes that was unique and different
from the eyes of all others. The Greek structure should literally be translated
“the eyes of him” — emphasizing the fact that Jesus’eyes were unequaled,
unsurpassed, unmatched, and unlike anyone else’s eyes.
John says that when he lookedinto those eyes, they were “as a flame of fire.”
The Greek wordfor “flame” is phloz, which describes swirling, whirling,
flickering flames that bend, twist, turn, and arch upward. The word
translated “fire” is puros, the Greek wordfor a burning fire. Thus, the phrase
“flame of fire” depicts a brightly burning fire with flames swirling, whirling,
flickering, twisting, turning, and arching upward toward the sky. This, then,
is not a depiction of heat but of the characteroffire.
*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]
Many readers misread this phrase and conclude that Jesus had real fire in His
eyes. But John didn’t saythat. He said that Jesus’eyes were “as” a flame of
fire. That word “as” means like, similar to, or with the same effectas fire. To
understand what John was trying to communicate here, it is necessaryto stop
and think about the effectthat a campfire or a fire in a fireplace has upon a
person who stares atit for any length of time. The longer a person looks into a

fire, the more the flickering flames have a magnetic, mesmerizing effecton his
eyes, mind, and senses. Soonthe person gazing into the fire gets lost in the
swirling, turning, twisting flames that flickerback and forth as the wood
cracklesand pops and the flames reachupward and disappearout of sight.
The fire has its own character, both captivating and sedating, drawing people
near to watch the dance of its flames as it gives out its warmth.
These seemto be the qualities of fire that John thought of when he peered into
Jesus’eyes and became transfixed by what he saw. Although he had looked
into those eyes thousands of times nearly 60 years earlier, something was
different about these eyes. In the vision, Jesus’eyes were compelling,
irresistible, riveting, and gripping. They exuded intelligence and magnetism.
Like the flickering flames of a fire, those eyes drew John closerand captivated
him completely. John must have been drawn by the warmth and love pouring
forth from Jesus’eyes. Yet that wasn’tall John saw, for Jesus’eyes also
burned with a searching gaze, looking intently into the sevenchurches in the
book of Revelationto see and address their specific needs and problems.
“Fire” is an important symbol in Scripture and frequently represents
purification and judgment. Which effectof divine fire we experience depends
wholly on our response to God. If we as individuals, or as the Church at large,
submit to the pleadings of the Holy Spirit and “hearwhat the Spirit saith unto
the churches,” we will experience the first type of fire — a holy fire intended
to purify and to make us more like Christ. The first fire is unavoidable for a
Church that is submitted to the Lordship of Christ and to the dealings of the
Holy Spirit; however, cooperating withthis fire does not result in severe
discipline.
On the other hand, if we resistthe pleadings of the Holy Spirit and stubbornly
continue to act in ways that are contrary to Christ’s character, there is a
secondtype of fire that burns up chaff and consumes everything that stands
opposedto God. Of course, Godis merciful, and even this kind of fire is an act
of His love and mercy. Consuming everything that is wrong and displeasing to
Christ, this fire clears the way for genuine repentance so individuals or

churches can rebuild with proper methods and behaviors that are compatible
with Jesus’nature.
Jesus’intense, searching eyes, whichseemed“as” a flame of fire, captivated
John’s attention and signaledto the apostle that the Head of the Church had
examined the sevenchurches in Asia and was preparing to deliver a potent
message. Some ofthese churches were about to be encouragedby the words of
Christ — such as the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia, which receivedno
correctionat all. The other five churches — Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira,
Sardis, and Laodicea — were about to be warnedof impending judgment if
they didn’t repent. As King and Head of the Church, Christ had every right to
searchthe churches and require them to change.
This may explain why Jesus appearedto the apostle John first as King (see
Revelation1:5) and secondas the GreatHigh Priest (see Revelation1:13).
Five of the sevenchurches were on the verge of judgment, and Jesus, their
GreatHigh Priest, was interceding for them. The very fact that He came to
warn them meant He did not want to judge them. If they were willing to hear
the Holy Spirit’s voice and repent, they could avoid the fires that bring
judgment. What happened next would depend on whether or not the churches
chose to hear the Savior’s pleading and submit to His commands. The type of
fire these churches experiencedwould depend on their response — but the
fire of God was coming.
How we respond to the dealings of Goddetermines which kind of fire we will
experience. Will it be a fire that purifies and takes us to a higher level in the
Lord, or will it be a fire that burns up the chaff in our lives that we haven’t
been willing to surrender on our own? The choice is ours, but the fact is, that
divine fire will come, whether we like it or not.
So today I urge you to willfully examine your heart. If you find that you have
chaff that is destined to be burned, get rid of it yourself so that you can avoid
the fire that burns up chaff — and prepare yourself to acceptthe holy fire
that comes to purify and to take you higher in your walk with the Lord. I
know that this is the deepestdesire of your heart!
MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You that Your love for me is so intense that You want to burn
up the chaff in my life. Your highest will is for me to surrender these problem
areas to You so I do not have to experience that chaff-burning fire. Instead I
would experience the holy fire that comes to purify me and take me higher in
my walk in the Spirit. So today, Holy Spirit, I ask You to help me examine my
heart and willfully surrender those chaff-areas ofmy life that do not reflect
Your characteror Your purpose for my life. Open my heart to Your holy,
purifying fire, oh God, that I may be cleansedto ascendinto the high places of
Your glory!
I pray this in Jesus’name!
MY CONFESSIONFOR TODAY
I purpose in my heart to respond humbly to the dealing of God so that His fire
that kindles upon me will ignite me into a burning flame for His glory. Daily I
choose to walk before the Lord in a way that His holy fire will purify and take
me to a higher level in Him. I know that the fire of God will burn up the chaff
of self-willed works and ways that I wasn’twilling to surrender on my own.
The choice is mine, and I choose to yield to the refining fire because I know
that, whether I like it or not, divine fire will come. And when its fires try the
metal of my life, I want all that remains of me through the flames to be found
before Him as pure gold.
I declare this by faith in Jesus’name!
QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER
Have you ever had a time when the fire of God came to burn “chaff” out of
your life? Can you describe what that experience was like? Whendid that
happen? Is it something that you are going through right now?
The holy purifying fire of God comes to make us ready for higher realms of
God’s glory. Have you experiencedthat type of divine fire? Have you ever

been in a church service where it felt like the holy, purifying, sanctifying fire
of God fell upon the congregation?
When you think of Jesus’eyes being “as” a flame of fire, what does that mean
to you? https://renner.org/devotionals/his-eyes-were-as-a-flame-of-fire/
Revelation2:18 And unto the angelof the church in Thyatira write; These
things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his
feet are like fine brass;
Eyes Like A Flame Of Fire
I've often contemplatedwhat John the Belovedmeant when He described
Jesus as having "eyes like a flame of fire." Were His eyes like human eyes
with fiery irises? Was there just burning fire coming out of the holes where
His eyes should be? Did seeing His eyes captivate you the way staring at fire
does? Were His eyes just really bright? WHAT IN THE WORLD DID HE
MEAN?!! Then, I started thinking more about the person and less about the
eyes. Think about what it would be like to look into the eyes of One
WITHOUT AGE. The eyes of Someone who is INFINITE. Someone who
knows ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING about you. Eyes burning with the
fullness of DESIRE for your heart. Eyes setablaze with ZEALOUS,
JEALOUS LOVE for you. Eyes that you CANNOT ESCAPE from. Eyes that
you DON'T WANT TO ESCAPE from. Eyes that are so ALIEN,
UNNERVING, AND TERRIFYING thatyou're trembling all over with fear,
but at the same time are so FAMILIAR, COMFORTING, AND BEAUTIFUL
that you don't want to look away. Eyes that hold the very essenceofLOVE,
MERCY, AND TENDERNESS,but also the absolute potency of WRATH,
JUSTICE, AND ZEAL. The eyes that see into the deepestdarkestabyss of

your wickedness, sin, and filth, yet they are the same eyes that lookedupon
you in the epitome of desire and askedthe Fatherfor you to be with Him
forever. These are the eyes which radiate with the love that is strongerthan
the grave. These are the eyes kindled with the yearning that causeda perfect,
holy God to take on human flesh, live a human life, be bound by puny Roman
chains, scorned, spit upon, slapped, punched, beat, scourged, mocked,
humiliated, blasphemed, nailed to a tree, and to give up His very life for the
weak, broken, inconsistent, unfaithful, inglorious, unworthy, inferior, selfish,
pitiful love that we would give Him in return. These are the eyes of perfect
wisdom. These are the eyes of endless beauty. These are the eyes that we are
all meant to spend our lives gazing upon and loving. One glimpse of these eyes
is worth highestprice, the greatestsacrifice, the fullest surrender. One
glimpse of the eyes of this Man is all that I am living for.
https://johncameronblank.blogspot.com/2011/05/eyes-like-flame-of-fire.html
EYES LIKE A FLAME OF FIRE
Postedon November 13, 2017
by Tebeth
“… his eyes were as a flame of fire” (Revelation1:14).
Many things canbe said with eyes. A story is told of Napoleon, Emperorof
France. There was in his army a company of soldiers who were rebelling
againsthim. So Napoleonpitched his tent and gave an order, “Bring those
rebellious soldiers into my tent one by one”. The Emperor sat in his tent, and
according to command, the soldiers were brought before him one by one. He
did not say a word, but he just sat and lookedat eachof them one by one,
from head to foot, and sentthem away. From that day none rebelled against
him. Napoleondid not speak. He did not say, “Look here, you have done
something wrong”. The soldiers could see from his eyes that he was very

angry. So they feared him and said to themselves. “If we do not obey him, he
will punish us”.
A wealthy man in America had one goodeye and one glass eye. The glass eye
was so beautifully made that nobody could tell which was the glass eye and
which was the real one. One day he calleda child and askedit, “My child,
which of my eyes is the real one and which is the glass one?” The child at once
pointed out the glass eye correctly. The man said, “How do you know?” The
child answered, “Becausethere is no love in it.” The glass eye was only shining
but there was no love in it.
In God’s Word I see the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are full of love:
divine love, eternal love. In Jeremiah 31:3 we read “… Yea, I have loved thee
with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.”
The fire in the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ is not to terrify you but to pour
His love into you. He wants that divine fire to come into you. God wants you
to be holy. But how canwe be holy? It is by looking into his eyes of the Lord
Jesus Christ and by seeing Him face to face. In the beginning it is not pleasant,
because the fire will burn awayevery dross of sin in you. But as you continue
to look into His eyes, divine love will be poured into you.
B.S. https://tebeth.wordpress.com/2017/11/13/eyes-like-a-flame-of-fire/
Eyes Like A Flame of Fire
Series:Behold, A Throne
Sermon by David Strain on May 1, 2016
Revelation2:18-29
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Please take a copyof God’s Word in your hands and turn with me in them to
the book of Revelationchapter 2, at the eighteenth verse!If you’re using one
of our church Bibles, you’ll find that on page 1029. Revelationchapter2 at
verse 18. We’ve been working our way slowly through the book of Revelation
and we’ve come to the fourth of sevenletters sent by the risen Christ through
the Apostle John to sevenchurches in Asia Minor. The first, if you will
remember, was the church in Ephesus whose problem was that they were a
church in the throes of backsliding. They had losttheir first love for Jesus
Christ and they were being called, in Jesus’letterto them, to repent and to
recovertheir lost first love. And then there was the church in Smyrna, a
godly, faithful congregationwho were enduring sharp and prolonged and
painful suffering. Their trials were already severe and Jesus told them they
were actually going to get much worse. And then last time, we lookedin the
third place at the messagefor the church in Pergamum. This is a church that
had come to tolerate false teaching and it was being summoned to repentance.
Tonight, we have arrived at the middle church of the seven, the fourth church,
the church at Thyatira. Of all the sevencities listed in this part of Revelation,
Thyatira was by far the leastimportant. It was neither a major religious
centernor a regionalpolitical capital. It was simply a busy, minor Macedonia
trading colonynotable, if it was notable for anything at all, for the number of

trade guilds that provided the structure for civic societyand business life in
the city of Thyatira. And yet of all the sevenchurches, of all the seven letters,
the letter to the believers in Thyatira is the longestand the most involved,
which reminds us as we turn to read the Scriptures together, not to evaluate
the importance of a church by the importance of its locationor the influence
of its community or its context. Christ’s metric and ours are sometimes quite
different and the church at Thyatira, apparently, has a significance out of all
proportion to the city in which it is located. In many ways, the messageto the
church at Thyatira is the mirror image of the messageofChrist for the
church at Pergamum. Virtually the same problems with false teaching and
sexualimmorality have arisen in Thyatira as were found in the church in
Pergamum. But this time, whereas the believers at Pergamumwere given
their first warning, the church at Thyatira is receiving a final ultimatum.
Here’s what happens when you stop listening to the warnings that Jesus gives!
Before we read the text, would you bow your heads with me, first of all, as we
pray together?
O God, would You send us now, please, the Holy Spirit that we may hear the
voice of Christ and obey in repentance and faith and in reliance upon the
grace You give to begin to live in new obedience. Give to us ears to hear what
Your Spirit says to the church, for Jesus’sake.Amen.
Revelationchapter 2 at the eighteenth verse. This is the inspired Word of
Almighty God:
“And to the angelof the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of
God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feetare like burnished
bronze.
I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance,
and that your latter works exceedthe first. But I have this againstyou, that
you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is
teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexualimmorality and to eat
food sacrificedto idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of

her sexualimmorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who
commit adultery with her I will throw into greattribulation, unless they
repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches
will know that I am he who searchesmind and heart, and I will give to eachof
you according to your works. But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not
hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of
Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what
you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until
the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them
with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, evenas I myself
have receivedauthority from my Father. And I will give him the morning
star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
Amen, and we give thanks to God that He has spokento us in His holy and
inerrant Word.
Listening is a skillthat we all need to cultivate, but we all sometimes fail to
deploy. Isn’t that the case?This came home to me last week whenI read a
story from the BBC about Mr. Mark Patterson. Mark Pattersonis the
stadium announcer for the Dairy City SoccerStadium in Ireland. And as
often happens, I suppose it’s part of the daily duties, the regular task of a
stadium announcer, during the game, Mr. Patterson had to announce to the
crowds the numbers from a license plate of a car that was blocking an exit to
one of the stadium parking lots. And no doubt his frustration beganto grow
as over and over and over he repeatedly calledfor the owner of the vehicle to
move the carso that fans from the visiting team, some of whom were
attempting to leave early, could exit the parking lot. And still, no one came
forward. Fora full and frustrating thirty minutes, the final thirty minutes of
the match now, Mr. Patterson had been calling out the numbers over the
stadium’s speakersystemasking for the ownerof the offending vehicle to
move the car, and all without result. And then the realization finally dawned.
The numbers that he had been repeating for the last half hour finally
penetrated – he was the annoying delinquent who would not come forward
and the offending vehicle was his own. Mr. Pattersonlearned the hard way
that day that it is perfectly possible to hear all the information that we need,
unambiguously stated, with clarity and with precision, but simply hearing the

information is not enough if it does not penetrate and take rootand result in
action.
The church at Thyatira is another, albeit much more serious example, of the
same phenomenon. And to be sure, this time the stakes are much, much
higher. This is a church that is not listening and so Jesus comes andHe speaks
to the believers at Thyatira in His character, notice, as holy Judge. You see
that there in verse 18? Look how Jesus is described; His deity, Sonof God. His
incisive, penetrating sight, seeing clearlyto the true nature of things – “eyes
like flames of fire.” His immovable rule and His sovereigndominion as King
whose governance cannotbe shaken – “his feet like burnished bronze.” That’s
the startling imagery by which Christ introduces Himself in His letter to His
people in Thyatira. If they haven’t been listening before, clearlynow He wants
them to sit up and take notice. And if you’ll look down at the secondhalf of
verse 23, you will see Christ’s agenda as Judge, not just for Thyatira as it
turns out, but for all the churches. Verse 23, here’s what Jesus wants from His
dealing with the Thyatiran Christians – “that all the churches will know that I
am he who searchesminds and hearts and I will give to eachof you according
to your work.” We mustn’t think that because we are savedby free grace
alone that our obedience has no part to play! Certainly our salvationis based
in no wayupon the merit of our goodworks, nevertheless, we do need to
understand that the free and gracious characterof our salvation
notwithstanding, the disciplinary actionof Christ or the blessing of Christ
upon His Church, or for that matter, upon eachof us individually as Christian
believers, is basedon our behavior in obedience to Him. Our works matter,
both in life and in eternity!
And that comes out here. If you’ll notice the number of times that works are
mentioned in our passage. Verse 19, “Iknow your works. Your latter works
exceedthe first.” Verse 22, “Repent of her works.” Verse 24, “Iwill give to
eachof you according to your works.”Verse 26, “The one who conquers and
keeps my works to the end.” Our works matter a very greatdeal! “Let us sin
that grace may come,” is not an option for a child of God. Holiness matters
and without holiness no one shall see the Lord. Norought we to expect God’s
favor on our ministry and on our witness here as a church if holiness is not the
characteristic mark and the constantambition of our life together. And so this

is a solemn letter, urgent and full of warning, although as we will see, not
without marvelous encouragementand Gospelhope. And I want to explore its
messagewith you under two simple headings. First, we’ll considerthe
contradiction that Christ sees festering right in the heart of the Thyatiran
church in verses 19 to 21. The contradictionthat Christ sees.And then
secondly, the consequencesthat Christ supplies, verses 21 to the end of the
passage. The contradictionChrist sees, then the consequencesChristsupplies.
The Contradiction Christ Sees
Look at verse 19 to 21 first. The contradictionthat Christ sees.There are two
patterns that emerge as you carefully examine the life of the church in
Thyatira. On the one hand in verse 19, Jesus celebratesa clearrecord of
spiritual progress. And yet, in verses 20 and 21, on the other hand, Jesus
exposes a tragic pattern of spiritual regress. And both seemto exist at the
same time in the life of the congregation. Look atverse 19 first of all. There’s
a clearpattern, a clearrecordof spiritual progress. “Iknow your works, your
love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works
exceedthe former.” The first, that’s a remarkable description of spiritual
fruitfulness, isn’t it? It’s not just that they have a history of love and faith and
service and endurance. No, they are growing! They are moving on. Unlike the
church back in Ephesus that had lostits first love and were being called back
to “do the works it did at first,” the church in Thyatira is doing better now
than it ever has. Their latter works exceedthe first, which, by the way, is part
of the definition of perseverance and patient endurance in Scripture. It’s not a
static, defensive condition, holding ground, not retreating. No, patient
endurance and Christian perseverance means enduring in the pattern of
faithfulness and fruitfulness to which we are all called. As 2 Peterchapter 1 at
verse 5 and following puts it, “Make everyeffort to supplement your faith
with virtue and virtue with knowledge and knowledge with self-controland
self-controlwith steadfastness andsteadfastnesswithgodliness and godliness
with brotherly affectionand brotherly affectionwith love. For if these
qualities are yours and are increasing, they keepyou from being ineffective or
unfruitful in the knowledge ofour Lord Jesus Christ.” What is Petersaying?
Grow! Make progress!Press on! That is the Christian life. And that was the
church in Thyatira – not static;growing. Their latter works exceededthe first.

I wonder if that could be said of you or of First Church as a whole? Do our
latter works exceedthe first or are our best days all in the past? Are you
perhaps stagnating or are you supplementing your faith with virtue and
knowledge and self-controland steadfastnessandgodliness and brotherly
affectionand love? Have you settled into a comfortable groove or even slipped
back some and diminished in your zeal for Christ and your devotion to His
cause? Whata thrill! Can you imagine hearing the risen Christ commend you
as He commended the church in Thyatira saying, “Your latter works
exceededthe first?”
Thyatira’s Tragic Spiritual Regress
But then look at verses 20 and 21. Right there alongside this recordof
spiritual progress there is this tragic pattern of spiritual regress.“Ihave this
againstyou, that you tolerate that woman Jezebelwho calls herselfa
prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual
immorality and to eatfoods sacrificedto idols. I gave her time to repent, but
she refuses to repent of her sexualimmorality.” Jezebel, you may remember,
was the queen of the northern kingdom of Israel, married to King Ahab. You
can read about her in 1 Kings 16 and 21. She was notorious for inciting Israel
to worship pagan deities and to indulged in the sexual perversions that were a
part of the cults of Baaland Ashtoreth. And like Jezebelof old, apparently in
the church in Thyatira there was a womanclaiming to be a prophetess whose
teaching, interestingly, is the mirror image of those errors we’ve noted
already cropping up in the church in Ephesus and in Pergamum among the
followers of Balaamand the Nicolatians – food offeredto idols and sexual
immorality.
Tolerationof Jezebel
But these two issues wouldhave been particularly problematic temptations in
Thyatira because ofthe trade guilds that I mentioned earlier that dominated
life in the city. It was virtually impossible to participate in business there
without taking part in the activity of the guilds, which often shared a sacred
meal dedicatedto their patron deity, Apollo, the son of Zeus, often ending in
debauchery and in sexual immorality. And Jesus’indictment of the church in

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