Bible Studies

The Eyes of Christ

February 14, 2021

The Book of Revelation is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ". 1:1 -2 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 

When we look at the word construction of this verse your mind goes back to John 3:16, in the sermon that Jesus was preaching, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,  [So we automatically assume that He gave Jesus to us – but no Jesus is  The Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the World – Jesus is God's chosen sacrifice for sin – He gave Jesus for us, not to us] that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

In 1:1 you see again the Love of God: God the Father gave to Jesus Christ this Book of His Revelation. God the Father is the ultimate source of all that is to be revealed and Jesus Christ is to reveal them to His servants [bond slave]. It is the revealing of Jesus Christ to all, for all to hear and believe and serve.  Jesus Christ gives the Revelation and He is the Revelation. [1]

The word signified shown this book has signs, symbols, or word pictures to give a visual picture.

In the salutation of Revelation, He specifies the Churches, 1:4, 11, 20.  And then Chapters two (2) and (3) are devoted to the Church.  And in  Revelation 22:16 He looks back to the Churches, I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. This book is the unveiling of Christ and it the unveiling of Christ to the Church, His Body. Look at the wrap up of the Book: Rev 22:12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. His reward is the promise to the believer.

The Prominence of the Holy Spirit: 1:4, "…..and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;" I believe the seven Spirits finds it's origin in Zechariah 4:1-10, i.e.4:6&10 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. V10  For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth. 

 [4:10  For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.  It is certainly the ministry of the Holy Spirit as given in Isaiah 11:1-4, And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 

See the language of  Zech.4  fits with the language of Revelation  5:6 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. 

Zech. 4:2  And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:  = Rev. 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. 

What we see is the activity of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of the Word, to people. [Titus 2:11-14]. 

In Revelation 1:4-5,  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him [God] which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; [The Holy Spirit] And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,  You see the Father in Jesus and you see the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ, The Faithful Witness, The First begotten of the dead, the Prince of the kings of earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 

The Seven Churches existed at the same time.  Every generation since the time of John writing these letters has lived with the Hope they would be the generation in which Christ came back.  But generations have passed and here we are with the same hope! So the messages of the seven letters are relevant to every generation.  No one knows the day in which Christ will come therefore the messages show a daily evaluation of our life, preparing the believer for the JSOC.

In writing to the seven Churches, He was writing to the One Church, the Body of Christ.  He is writing to every believer.  You could say this Book of the Revelation is dedicated to the Churches, to the believer in Jesus Christ.  In every letter, we can find or see ourselves.  Each letter has a message for us.  After all, we are one in Him, Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. We are one in Him!

[[2]John was known by these churches and maybe was a circuit walking leader of these seven. [my opinion: maybe that is why these seven were chosen].  John was put in exile because of his faith and obedience to Christ.  This letter was written to encourage them, [1:9]

The seven churches have a practical meaning. The issues these churches would face will be the same issues that believers would face throughout the church age.

{[3]The seven churches have a  perpetual meaning, in that they are representative of all the different kinds of churches that will be present during the entire church age. There are seven churches mentioned because biblically, seven is the number of completeness or totality. These seven represent the totality of the basic kinds of churches that will always be present on earth during the church age.}

So every generation has lived in the hope they would be the generation that would see the end of the church age.  But yet generations have passed with no certainty of the time.  Therefore the message to the churches is relevant to every generation of the Church age.

These Churches are that to which we can compare ourselves:  a snapshot of a likeness to the Judgment Seat of Christ.  Churches are made up of people and the LORD searches the hearts of all. Pro_20:27  The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.]

"Blessed" means happiness will come to those who recognize the relevance of this Book to their generation and adjust their life accordingly."[4]  That simply means that this Book is relevant to you this day and for your time on earth and you can be blessed by hearing its message.

1 ) You see Christ amid the Churches, Rev. 1: 13-16.   The nearness of Christ to the churches. He is the Head of the Church.  The Church is His Body made up of believers and nothing can separate us from Him,

2 ) His description - The vision here reflects the vision of Daniel in 7:9-14. [Read]

V 14 "…and his eyes were as a flame of fire;  Rev 1:15  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. Symbols of Judgment.

This speaks of penetrating wisdom and justice,  See Revelation 2:18 And unto the angel of 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;

 I think because of chastisement they repented and their work was already turned around, 2:19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

Verse 20 and 21  is a warning to this particular person and to those who had follow her teaching. Rev 2:21  And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Rev 2:22  Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. Rev 2:23  And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. 

This picture of Christ is drawn from,  Daniel 10:6,  His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. 

[5]The eyes that see and the feet that judge do not overlook what may be praised in the Church, [Hebrews 6:10] That reminds us that His eyes see all,

They are penetrating eyes, all-seeing eyes, searching eyes,  eyes of discernment [penetrating intelligence]. Keep in mind that here He is speaking to the believers  Hebrews 4:13  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. These letters are letters of warning but also,  of encouragement to the believer.

[6]"The evaluation of the churches in these letters by Jesus Christ allows us a preview of what the Bema/Judgment seat of Christ will be like (Rom. 14:10–11; 1 Cor. 3:11–15; 2 Cor. 5:10). There is great comfort in the fact that the Lord never overlooks the good, even when it is mixed with what is not good. He will not fail to reward even feeble efforts,…."

He sees all and weighs all, as He knows the thoughts and intent of the heart.  He sees all and is able to make the right judgment.  2 Timothy 2: 11-13, i.e. V13,  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.   That is a very strong statement and it has a meaning of security for the believer.  Yes, the believer can have unbelief, and so there is a call for repentance and respect to the LORD [or fear toward the LORD].   Meaning Respect for the recompence [payment] of the reward, [Heb. 11:26]

  I want to share with you an overlooked scripture regarding this very subject, Psalm 103.   This Psalm has a message for the believer, See Verses 11-18. [Read]

But keep in mind they will be the eyes of fierceness when He comes in back in Judgment to judge the world when every eye shall see Him, Rev. 19:11-15. That is a warning for all who read, to hear, and believe the message of what is written in this Book.    

V 16 & 20, "And he had in his right hand seven stars: ….." V20 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. These are the words from the lips of Jesus.  I believe every Church has a recording angel – Everything is recorded, a book of remembrance,  Mal 3:16  Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.  

 There is a close relationship between the messenger and the Church,  Christ holds the messengers in His hand, the pastor and He walks in the midst of the Churches. The Lampstands and the stars are to give light.  Jesus said I am the Light of the World.  And He said to the believer in Him for eternal life,  Do all things without murmurings and disputings: Php 2:15  That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Php 2:16  Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. I think every Pastor wants to know that he has not "laboured in vain".

"Holding forth the word of life," speaks of perseverance. [ That is plain old grit]  Your faithfulness to Jesus affects the eternities of many people.  Think about that for a moment!  As a believer, we are either victorious or defeated.  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. The believer is called to be a soldier for Christ.  People need to hear the message of Christ, the Word of Life.

The Word of Life, is the Promise of life by Jesus Christ, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. He can make that promise because of Who He is and what He did,    I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.  That is a look back to the Cross a time more than two thousand years ago but it expresses a present tense, unto Him who loves us, a present-tense love.  Jesus, "I Jesus" who died for you and paid your sin debt says, today, I have loosed you from your sins – believe on me for everlasting life.

Our Saviour who knows and understands us all and there is nothing He does not see has a message for the one who is weary from their failure.  Failure has touched us all in some matter, and you can be sure of that, it has touched me.  From King David to the Apostle Paul and to all, and therein is the grace and mercy that is greater than all our sin. 1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That is His offer of total forgiveness!