1. Revelation 2:18 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What scriptural background do Jesus' self-descriptions have?

Revelation 2:18 (ESV)

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

Their background is found in Daniel 10:6. The man whom Daniel saw in Daniel 10:1–21 (his message is contained in Daniel 10:1 – 12:13) was obviously so glorious, so divine as to be able to tell what would happen in years to come. Persons later known to history as Cambyses, Smerdis, Darius, Xerxes, then Alexander the Great, the Seleucids, and Ptolemy all receive a mention in this vision, long before these men were born and their empires existed! That’s obviously because the God behind this man determined what would happen across the centuries of world history, for he’s almighty (see Isaiah 41:23). By borrowing terms used to describe the Man of Daniel 10:1–21, Christ Jesus tells the church of Thyatira that his statements of what he will do in their midst must be taken seriously; he has the power to execute his will.