January 18: DO YOU LOVE ME?
His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. Revelation 19:12
Names in the word of God are meant to represent character traits. We do not know everything there is to know about the Creator. We will continue to learn of Him throughout eternity, and it will be the greatest delight and joy of countless joys and delights! In the world as it is now, Satan’s influence has effectively sullied the beautiful name and character of Almighty God and of His Son, and of the Holy Spirit by insinuating his own wicked character traits into teachings about the Lord. Indeed, there is something—or perhaps many things—about Himself that He longs to reveal to each of us. Every false teaching about Him that is removed from our thinking makes way for greater revelations of His beauty, tenderness, graciousness, patience, purity, mercy, and depths of unfathomable love. Throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity, we will never cease to be enthralled by the Giver of every good … and perfect gift (James 1:17).
The many crowns, or royal diadems, on the head of the Lord symbolize His true authority, His rightful lordship, His power to rule and reign, and His right to judge. These provide us with an “answer” to the seven diadems (Revelation 12:3) of usurped authority that are claimed by the dragon, who actively seeks the allegiance of all earthly powers. The crowned heads of Europe exerted their power on behalf of the dragon throughout the Dark Ages, as described in the first ten verses of chapter 13. The rest of chapter 13 describes another power out of the earth (v.11), also known as the false prophet (16:13; 19:20; 20:10) that unites with the power out of the sea (13:1). Crowns are not mentioned in connection with the second earthly power, for presidents do not wear crowns. The dragon’s power on earth is dependent upon the cooperation of those who do not place themselves under the authority of Christ (see 13:8).
The descriptive words eyes…like a flame of fire portray the perfect vision of the-God-Who-Sees (Genesis 16:13). This description has appeared twice before in Revelation: in John’s initial description (1:14) and in Jesus’s description of Himself at the beginning of the letter to Thyatira (2:18). You may remember that as Daniel prayed for understanding of the prophetic visions given to him, the LORD appeared to him with eyes like torches of fire (Daniel 10:6). Not only does our Omniscient God know and see all that happens, He knows and sees it ahead of time and gives to us (Isaiah 46:10) in His word everything that we need to stay on the safe path while also being a positive influence upon others. The fire in the eyes of the Lord exhibits not only His passion for people, but anger at the sin that brings woe and death to them. Do you love Him for being angry over the things that would harm you?
“Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and their children forever!” Deuteronomy 5:29