Tag Archives: fire

Eyes Like Fire

Revelation Commentary, ,

Revelation 1:14: “His eyes were like a flame of fire.”

The Book of Revelation contains so many references to fire that one can hardly fail to sense the importance of it to the basic message. It is almost as if the entire vision which John saw was illuminated by the fires of judgments on earth and the purifying fires from the heavens. The eyes of Christ are like fire, gold must be refined by fire, 3:18; fire is thrown into the earth from the altar in heaven, 8:5.

There are burning mountains, 8:8; fiery lightnings, 8:7; dragon-like creatures breathing fire, 9:17; as well as do the “witnesses,” (11:5). The beast has power to call down fire from heaven, 13:13; but he and his followers are to be punished with fire, 20:10, 14. The sea of glass is mingled with fire, 15:2; and the fire from heaven scorches evil men, 16:8. The great harlot is to be burned with fire by her lovers, 18:8. The lake of fire is the ultimate punishment of the evil ones, 20:14, 15.

“And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose fire [is] in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.”

The Holy Fire Restored

The traditions taught that the holy fire from heaven was one of the things that had been missing from the second temple period (CNT, vol. 4, 295). We see from this passage that the Revelator viewed the heavenly Temple as the true one wherein the Holy Fire still resided.

This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation in Context, available locally at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma or www.Amazon.com, or www.XulonPress.com.
Free downloads are also available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.

 

Visions of The Exalted Christ Part 2

Revelation Commentary, , , ,

Revelaton 1:11-20

IMAGES

In receiving the Visions of the Book of Revelation, we must be cautioned against concrete images of God for these were forbidden by the second commandment. There was ever, in the writings of the Old Testament, a care taken not to give the manifestation of God a form which could be taken for an idol. The fact cannot be overemphasized that God is a Spirit and therefore cannot be confined to any form. When God revealed Himself in a visible form, according to the Scriptures, He revealed Himself in mediums of Light which, while visible, could never be taken as an idol-form neither could it be made by the works of men’s hands. We may safely say that God is always revealed in some form of light and there is no other visible form in which He has revealed Himself.

Those revelations of light included color, reflections, and luminous displays such as that of fire, smoke, or shaped light such as the rainbow or the shining of precious jewels or the glow of precious metals. This manifestation of light in which God shewed Himself was His visible “glory.” (His glory, however, was also manifest in other than visible forms, for example, the audible Voice.)

Before sin brought about the necessity of the veil, God walked with Adam in an open way, but afterwards He only revealed His Light, or His “glory,” which might also be interpreted as His garment. Repeatedly we are told that no man hath seen God. Moses prayed: “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory,” (Exodus. 34:18), for he was afraid to ‘see God’ for it meant certain death. How marvelous it is when God breaks through the veil of our doubting flesh to shew us His glory. This Christ did in the Revelation, for He is “the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person.” (Hebrews 1:3)

Appearances of God in Light:

When God appeared to the seventy elders of Israel along with Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, they “saw the God of heaven” but amazingly, He is not described! Rather, the surrounding light is described: “There was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.” (Exodus 24:10)

Again, when Isaiah saw his wonderful vision, he, too, hesitates to describe the Lord Himself. He says:
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory…for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:1-3, 5d)

We marvel that the prophet evades the central subject of the vision and describes the surrounding scene instead!

Ezekiel’s Visions

Ezekiel also says: “As I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, …the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” (Ezekiel 1:1) He gives a lengthy description of the scene but when he describes the central figure it is in terms of light:
“And above the firmament over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire, and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness as it were of a human form. And upward from what had the appearance of his loins I saw as it were gleaming bronze, like the appearance of fire enclosed round about; and downward from what had the appearance of his loins I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” (Ezekiel 1:26-28, RSV)

In Ezekiel 8 he again describes the vision of God:
“A likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire: from the appearance of his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.”

Then in chapter 40 he simply states that: “Behold, there was a Man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass.” Brass is known for its glow.

Daniel’s Vision of God

When Daniel saw the Ancient of Days, he could but describe the light and colour:
“Whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him:” (Daniel 7:9-10)

Here the only thing not described as pure light is that his hair was like the pure wool. Although we might visualize the texture of the wool or its warmth, the writer here, in this context, no doubt had the whiteness of wool in mind, the colour or glow.

Next: Visions of God Part 3

This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation in Context, available locally at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma or www.Amazon.com, or www.XulonPress.com.
Free downloads are also available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.

Revelation 1:1 – He Sent and Signified It By His Angel

Revelation Commentary, , , , ,

1:1. “And he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” (KJV)

There are some forty-two references to angel/s in the Book of Revelation. It is therefore important to understand the term. The following references will make clear what angels are and what their ministry is:

“And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire,” (Hebrews 1:7 quoting Psalm 104:4).

“But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:13-14).

“Bless the LORD, ye his angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word,” (Psalms 103:20).

Angels are spirits and ministers who go forth ministering and doing God’s word. They are mighty in strength, do His commandments and obey His voice. These spirits/angels/ministers are made a flaming fire, which makes them appear as burning stars. Now we see these same relationships exist in the Book of Revelation.

It might help to clarify these relationships as: (1) On the material, physical level they were the Ministers in the literal Churches; (2) On the cosmic level, they were burning stars as lamps of fire in the heavenlies; (3) On the spiritual level, they were obedient emissaries of God to express and interpret God’s will to the physical, material world.

Stars Are Angels

Revelation 1:4. “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne.” (The seven spirits before the throne are the seven lamps of fire, as stated in Revelation 4:5 quoted below):

Revelation 1:16: Jesus is holding the seven stars/seven spirits in his hand: “And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength.”

Revelation 1:20. The seven stars are the seven angels: “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

Angels of the Churches

The “angels” of the seven churches were the ministering spirits of those churches. These ministering spirits indwelt the pastors, prophets, and others who were filled with the Holy Spirit. The messages to the Churches are addressed to these “Angels,” for example:

Revelation 2:1: “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; these things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.”

Revelation 3:1: “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.”

Revelation 4:5: “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”

Revelation 5:6: The seven eyes of the Lamb are the seven spirits: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”

1:1. And He Sent And Signified It By His Angel, (KJV)

Why did he send the Revelation by this Angel, and who was the Angel?  This and the next two lessons will answer this question.

This Angel was the interpreter. As in Nehemiah 8:5-8, Ezra read from the Book and the interpreters gave the “understanding,” the “sense.” The Hebrew language of the Scriptures was like a foreign language to them at this time.  In Revelation 1:1, the Angel is the interpreter; he “signified,” or ‘interpreted,’ what God was saying to John.

The “Angels of the Churches” were the interpreters as in the synagogues of that day throughout the Roman world, where the interpreter stood by the reader and interpreted in their mother tongue what was read from the Hebrew text.

Next Lesson: Who Was The Signifying Angel of Revelation 1:1?