- The searing perception of His vision "and His eyes are like a flaming fire" Revelation 1v14.
In contrast to His own whiter than white perfection, those piercing, all- seeing eyes, when focused on flawed human beings, not only expose evil but condemn it. The bible uses pictures to illustrate its truth, and the government of God in this world is described as being "eagle eyed" (Ezekiel chapter 1, and Revelation chapter 4). Those magnificent creatures who can soar to a height of 2,400 feet, and have peripheral vision of 340 degrees (the human equivalent is 180) and can see something as small as a rabbit from three miles away. Also they can take in five colours at once whereas we can only take in three. This supreme example from nature of perfect vision is used to describe the perceptive vision of the One who is judge of all the earth. In Revelation 4v6 the living creatures are said to be "full of eyes before and behind." In chapter 5v6 the Lamb is said to have " seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth." From these eyes there is no hiding place.
Proverbs 15v3 "The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good." Hebrews 4v13 No creature escapes His eyes "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." Psalm 139 v 1-5 A summary would go something like this; He knows us all, He searches us all, He knows all our movements, even to the smallest detail, He knows our thoughts before we think them and He knows all our habits and our ways. He knows every word in our tongues, He knows our past, He knows our future. His controlling hand is on our present.
In the gospel of John, the gospel symbolized by the eagle, we learn the all seeing perception of Jesus Christ.
- Chapter 1 v 42 He knew Peter's future
- Chapter 1 v 47 He knew Nathaniel's past and He knew his present.
- Chapter 2 v 24-25 He knew the hypocrisy of the people following Him. He knew most of them were not real.
- Chapter 3 v 10 He knew the status of Nicodemus and what was keeping him from salvation
- Chapter 4 v 1 He knew what the Pharisees had heard, without them uttering a word.
- Chapter 4 v 16 He knew all about the Samaritan woman.
- Chapter 6 v 64 He knew his disciples were murmuring together. etc. etc.
He knows all things about all men. As Judge He requires no witnesses. Isaiah chapter 40 v 13-14 "Who has directed the spirit of the Lord, or being His counsellor hath taught Him? With whom took He counsel and who instructed Him and taught Him in the path of judgement, and taught Him knowledge and showed to Him the way of understanding?"
Those all searching eyes are said to be "like flames of fire." Fire in scripture invariably speaks of divine judgement (read the judgements on eight nations in Amos chapters 1 & 2). He casts His penetrating eyes upon our lives. This process is in place now and will continue until He has expunged the universe of all sin, and His perfect vision can see no more sin. This characteristic of the Lord Jesus will not be a popular one, as we all love to think of Him as our loving Saviour and friend. However we must take both sides of the coin and a simple reading of the following scriptures will make it clear that He is at this very moment in time, and will continue to do, trying the hearts of all men. Psalm 7v9; Proverbs 17v3; 1st Thessalonians 2v4; Revelation 2v18; Revelation 2v23; Romans 8v27; and 1st Chronicles 28v9. All of these say more or less the same thing and a quotation from Proverbs 17v3 will suffice "The fining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold; but the Lord trieth the hearts."
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