Revelation

The book of Revelation contains three references to Yeshua (Jesus) having “fire in His eyes.”

This power, the “pyros” of God, is the same spiritual fire that appeared at the burning bush to Moses (Exodus 3), in the pillar at the Red Sea (Exodus 14), on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19), on the altar of the tabernacle (Leviticus 9 and 10), to Elijah on Mount Carmel (I Kings 18), to Ezekiel in the glory cloud (Ezekiel 1) and at the river from the throne of God (Daniel 7).

This heavenly fire also fell on the early disciples on Pentecost (Shavuot) in Acts 2. That fire did not simply rest on their heads momentarily like a birthday candle; it entered inside them. If someone had looked in Peter’s eyes, he might have seen the same fire that John saw in Yeshua’s eyes.

1. Passion

In the three references in the book of Revelation, the fire was the same, but their purpose was different. The first time, Yeshua appears personally to John, His beloved disciple and best friend. The fire is passionate love.

Revelation 1:12-14

I saw One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool… and His eyes were like a flame of fire.

Yeshua is not rebuking John. He is about to give him the greatest prophetic revelation in history. He loved John, as David loved Jonathan. Yeshua has this passionate love for all of us, all the members of His Bride. It is the fire of the Bridegroom in the Song of Solomon (Song 8:6). It is called in Hebrew, “Shalhevet-Yah”. It is jealous and zealous: it is love in its purest and most intense form.

2. Purity

The second one is found in Yeshua’s message to the congregation at Thyatira. Although He also loves the people there, He chastises them for moral compromise, particularly because they permitted sexual immorality, false prophecy and Jezebel spirits to go unchecked in their congregation.

Revelation 2:18-20

These things say the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass… “I have a few things against you, because you tolerate that woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality…”

The same fire of God that fills us with divine passion, also purifies us from sin. Obviously, the same fire that can cook your food, can also burn your hand. The power that enabled Peter to raise people from the dead at his prayers (Acts 9:40), caused others to drop dead at his preaching (Acts 5:5, 10).

3. Punishment

The third instance is even more awesome: the heavens opening and Yeshua descending at the Second Coming, leading the armies of God. Here He comes not to purify, but to punish. There is no more time left to repent. He has come to destroy the enemies of God.

Revelation 19:11-15

I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns… And the armies of heaven followed Him on white horses… He Himself treads the winepress of the wrath of Almighty God.

Ultimately, Satan, the Antichrist and all those who have opposed the will of God will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20; 20:10; 20:15). It is not the Devil who rules in the Lake of Fire. He will be tormented there. The fire of hell is the fire of the anger of God (Deuteronomy 32:22). The awareness of God’s punishment by fire kindles within us a pure, clean and eternal fear of our holy and awesome God (Luke 12:4-5; Psalm 19:9).

Window and Mirror

John saw fire in Yeshua’s eyes. The eye contains a hole in the middle – the pupil, which is like the aperture in a camera. It acts like a window. The source of fire is not the eye of Yeshua, but His heart. He has a fire burning deep inside His soul (Luke 12:49) and desires for it to be kindled in each of us.

The eye also has a clear lens covering the cornea. It acts like a mirror. When you look someone in the eye, you see your own image reflected. When we look in the eyes of Yeshua, the fire that is in His soul flows out of Him, through our eyes, into our soul. This energy transfer does not involve the physical eye, but the eye of the spirit (Ephesians 1:18).

Some people run from conference to conference, trying to get an impartation of the fire of God. Yet there is a direct, personal access to the fire of God that is available to us at any time. All we have to do is close our physical eyes, meditate on the Scriptures describing the fire in the eyes of Yeshua, imagining Him looking into our eyes, face to face; that spiritual flame will begin to flow from His soul into ours.

The eyes are located in the center of the face, halfway from the chin to the crown of the head. As we meditate on His shining face, we are transformed into the same image (II Corinthians 3:18). This spiritual transformation by meditating on the glory of God in the face of Yeshua is a key to understanding the priestly blessing, that “the Lord would make His face shine on you” (Numbers 6:25). The Aaronic benediction is fulfilled in Yeshua our high priest.

Try to spend time every day meditating on the fire in the eyes of Yeshua. May that beautiful spiritual fire of passion and purity be kindled in your soul!