Chapter 2 The Description of Jesus

This is one of the most amazing lessons in the Book of Revelation. This small section in chapter one is a rather lengthy description of Jesus. What a lot of people don’t realize is, this description is broken down and distributed among the seven churches. Why is it broken down and distributed? That repeats the lesson we have already read about and covered in the previous chapter. Gather all the facts and study them. Here we will list the example Jesus gave us to study.

Revelation 1:12-16 MKJV (12) And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. (13) And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the seven lampstands I saw One like the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and tied around the breast with a golden band. (14) His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were like a flame of fire. (15) And His feet were like burnished brass having been fired in a furnace. And His voice was like the sound of many waters. (16) And He had seven stars in His right hand, and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. And His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

It may be easier to make a list from the text above and put it together with the text from the letters to the seven churches.

And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the seven lampstands I saw One like the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and tied around the breast with a golden band.

Revelation 2:1 MKJV To the angel of the church of Ephesus write: He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, says these things.

Revelation 1:17-18 MKJV (17) And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying to me, Do not fear, I am the First and the Last, (18) and the Living One, and I became dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever, Amen. And I have the keys of hell and of death.

Revelation 2:8 MKJV And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The First and the Last, who became dead and lived, says these things:

and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword

Revelation 2:12 MKJV And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write: He who has the sharp sword with two edges says these things.

And His eyes were like a flame of fire. And His feet were like burnished brass having been fired in a furnace

Revelation 2:18 MKJV And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, He who has His eyes like a flame of fire and His feet like burnished metal, says these things:

I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the seven lampstands I saw One like the Son of man

Revelation 1:19-20 MKJV (19) Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be after this, (20) the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand and the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

Revelation 3:1 MKJV And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars says these things. I know your works, that you have a name that you live, and are dead.

Revelation 3:7 MKJV And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts; and shuts and no one opens, says these things:

Revelation 1:4-5 MKJV John to the seven churches which are in Asia. Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is coming; and from the seven spirits which are before His throne; (5) even from Jesus Christ the faithful Witness, the First-born from the dead and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

Revelation 3:14 MKJV And to the angel of the church of the Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Head of the creation of God, says these things:

Of course the description of Jesus is also scattered throughout the first chapter of Revelation as well as the entire Bible. The lesson being, we have to search to find all the descriptions and stories about Jesus. This may seem like a difficult task for some people. But how many people claim to love Jesus? Shouldn’t they put time and effort into that love affair? Doesn’t that make sense? Is that asking too much from a God who gave His life for you, me, and the rest of this planet? So we need to put in a little effort into collecting all the details about Jesus. I think Jesus used the perfect example at the beginning of Revelation to make the perfect point. Number one. Not many people have taken the time to study Jesus in Revelation. What does that tell you? Their mentality when the approach the Bible. They are more concerned with this planet than the God who created it. The Creator of this world is one of the descriptions included.

When we look at the letters to the seven churches we also see other sets of parallel messages. Among other things, we see what each church did right, what they did wrong, and a description of Heaven. We also see an emphasis on learning. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Since we studied the first chapter in Revelation, we know we have to learn at Jesus’ feet. There is no other source of reliable information. Now we will see how this study rule applies to other subjects in those letters to the seven churches.

Revelation 2:2-3 MKJV I know your works and your labor and your patience, and how you cannot bear those who are evil. And you tried those pretending to be apostles, and are not, and have found them liars. (3) And you have borne, and have patience, and for My name’s sake you have labored and have not fainted.

Revelation 2:9 MKJV I know your works and tribulation and poverty (but you are rich), and I know the blasphemy of those saying themselves to be Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Revelation 2:13 MKJV I know your works, and where you live, even where Satan’s seat is . And you hold fast My name and have not denied My faith, even in those days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwells.

Revelation 2:19 MKJV I know your works and love and service and faith and your patience, and your works; and the last to be more than the first.

Revelation 3:2-3 MKJV Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. For I have not found your works being fulfilled before God. (3) Remember then how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.

Revelation 3:8 MKJV I know your works. Behold, I have given before you an open door, and no one can shut it. For you have a little strength and have kept My Word and have not denied My name.

Revelation 3:18-20 MKJV (18) I counsel you to buy from Me gold purified by fire, so that you may be rich; and white clothing, so that you may be clothed, and so that the shame of your nakedness does not appear. And anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see. (19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; therefore be zealous and repent. (20) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me.

Once we put all the good aspects of every church together, we get a much better view of what a good church is. I know a lot of people and denominations claim, they are the last day church, the church of Laodicea. By doing that, they omit the lessons recorded for the other churches. The first church had patience. Isn’t patience still a factor today? What about their works and labor? I know words and labor are bad words for some denominations. Maybe that’s why they choose to take another route by creating a new way of viewing the letters to those churches. Then we hit a big one. Ephesus knew how to test and verify people were false apostles. In other words, they knew the scriptures. They knew the Old Testament and knew what Jesus’ real apostles wrote and taught. They had the truth and knew how to compare the truth to lies and half lies Satan was spreading around. Is that attribute dead and gone? Is that type of knowledge and dedication a thing of the past? Is that old fashion? According to some preachers it is. According to them, Ephesus is a thing of the past and should be ignored.

I wish one of those teachers could present a shred of evidence proving their theories. They make claims that those seven churches reflect the history of the church, but only point to Laodicea, the last church. When we look at those two chapters, and chapter 1, there is no evidence of time setting. There is no timeline involved. The invention of a timeline is man made and built upon a foundation of speculation.

The last day church should reflect at least a few of the attributes recorded in the letter to Laodicea. The last day church should also display attributes listed for the other six churches. The last day church should have patience, know how to tell the truth from lies, they should have knowledge of all the scriptures, they should hold fast to Jesus, and keep the faith.

As a matter of fact, when we look at Laodicea, we don’t find a lot of positive traits. We see a church teetering on the brink of destruction because they lack the spiritual eyesight and fortitude to do the works the other churches are known for. So the last day church lacks spiritual eyesight like Laodicea. Does that mean they can’t study the scriptures because that’s the way its supposed to be? Was that Jesus’ plan? To withhold the ability to understand His written word? I doubt if that is true. But when you listen to some of those people preach about Laodicea, you walk away with that impression. And what good is that attitude? You skip over the letters to the other six churches. You don’t care what those letters said because you’ve been trained to ignore their message. You have 1/7 of the message and you are convinced, that’s the way it is supposed to be. You are happy being in a rut, because someone told you to stay where you are. So like a well trained dog, you sit and wait for the next command. You don’t see how works and other related words are mentioned eight times. People are telling you works is dead, gone, buried, only for the Jews, and other excuses to keep you away from those other letters. You ignore the instructions Jesus wrote to six churches, but concentrate on the pitfalls of one church. And where does that get you?

It seems the devil has been hard at work trying to keep as many people as he can away from those letters to the other six churches. And his work is largely successful. Those other letters warn about the devil creeping in. And tell us how to avoid that situation. Maybe that’s what the devil wants you to ignore. Maybe the devil doesn’t want you to see the Bible Study lesson involved in those seven letters. The last thing the devil wants is people collecting all the information in the Bible on a subject so it can be studied as a whole. That method of study can and will identify the fake apostles and false prophets. That study rule will expose Satan, his tricks, and plans. Satan wants to keep people away from that information. Jesus wants you to learn and use that study method. That’s why Jesus had John record this exercise in the first three chapters in Revelation. And will will use that study method throughout this book. That is what I want to base this book on. Collecting all the information on a number of subjects in Revelation.

The next set of subjects is a combination of the poor attributes those churches had and a set of warnings. What to watch out for. It takes a little time to copy and paste those sections into a set of lists. For some of the churches the information is a little off topic. For some churches Jesus listed some of the poor qualities they had to deal with. Jesus told some of the churches what to watch out for, because Jesus knew the devil’s plans, and saw what he was able to accomplish in other churches. Wouldn’t you consider all that that valuable information in the last days?

Revelation 2:4-6 MKJV But I have against you that you left your first love. (5) Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent. (6) But you have this, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Revelation 2:10 MKJV Do not at all fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the Devil will cast some of you into prison, so that you may be tried. And you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Revelation 2:14-16 MKJV (14) But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the teachings of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. (15) So you also have those who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. (16) Repent! But if not I will come to you quickly, and will fight with them by the sword of My mouth.

Revelation 2:20-24 MKJV (20) But I have a few things against you because you allow that woman Jezebel to teach, she saying herself to be a prophetess, and to cause My servants to go astray, and to commit fornication, and to eat idol-sacrifices. (21) And I gave her time that she might repent of her fornication, and she did not repent. (22) Behold, I am throwing her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of their deeds. (23) And I will kill her children with death. And all the churches will know that I am He who searches the reins and hearts, and I will give to every one of you according to your works. (24) But to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak, I will put on you no other burden.

Revelation 3:3 MKJV Remember then how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.

Revelation 3:9-11 MKJV Behold, I give out of those of the synagogue of Satan, those saying themselves to be Jews and are not, but lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. (10) Because you have kept the Word of My patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation which will come upon all the habitable world, to try those who dwell upon the earth. (11) Behold, I come quickly. Hold fast to that which you have, so that no one may take your crown.

Revelation 3:17-19 MKJV (17) Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, (18) I counsel you to buy from Me gold purified by fire, so that you may be rich; and white clothing, so that you may be clothed, and so that the shame of your nakedness does not appear. And anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see. (19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; therefore be zealous and repent.

The last set of details Jesus gave to the churches was a short vision of Heaven. This is one of the most amazing parts and examples using this form of study method. Each church received one little vision of Heaven. Put them all together and you have a much larger, more detailed vision of Heaven.

Revelation 2:7 MKJV He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:11 MKJV He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.

Revelation 2:17 MKJV He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give to him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows except he who receives it .

Revelation 2:26-29 MKJV (26) And he who overcomes and keeps My works to the end, to him I will give power over the nations. (27) And he will rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter they will be broken to pieces, even as I received from My Father. (28) And I will give him the Morning Star. (29) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 3:4-6 MKJV You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments. And they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. (5) The one who overcomes, this one will be clothed in white clothing. And I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (6) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 3:11-13 MKJV (11) Behold, I come quickly. Hold fast to that which you have, so that no one may take your crown. (12) Him who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will go out no more. And I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of Heaven from My God, and My new name. (13) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 3:20-22 MKJV (20) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me. (21) To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame and have sat down with My Father in His throne. (22) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

It’s not by accident that Jesus included a view of Heaven in each of the letters to the churches. The descriptions were meant to be gathered and studied as a whole. Christians should have a basic understanding of Jesus, how He communicates with us, and a vision of Heaven to share. What is a Christian without those three things?

When we have a vision of Heaven, we have an opening to begin a conversation with almost anyone. We are always prepared to share the Gospel, tell a story, let people know there is a better choice, and a better life ahead. We are always prepared to encourage fellow Christians. And we have a reason to approach God’s throne without fear.

It’s not surprising that every church is told, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Jesus repeated this for a reason. He wants the churches to listen to Him. He wants the churches to be trained, and ready to face every opportunity and trial. Jesus wants the churches to know, they are not in this fight alone. Jesus wants the churches to know about Heaven and tell the world about Heaven. The message is obvious. When we see words like that repeated seven times, we can’t help but pay attention.

What does it mean to have an ear and hear? The answer should be obvious on the physical as well as the spiritual side. Jesus is more than spiritual. Jesus is not an unknown, unseen entity we cannot see or hear. We can hear Jesus when we learn to listen. We can listen in prayer, life experiences, and of course when we read His messages. Our hearing is honed when we combine all three. And there may be other ways of listening to Jesus. We know listening requires work, time, dedication, and concentration.

That completes our study on two rules that Jesus established and wrote about to prepare us for the rest of Revelation. We just passed our elementary training. We know how to look for repeated words and phrases. We also know how to gather all the information on a subject, put it together, and study all the facts we are able to gather. Now we are ready to look at other subjects in Revelation.