Revelation 1:15

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Revelation 1:15 – Feet Like Unto Brass

Rev 1:15  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

As always, we are being taught to “keep the things written therein.” We are being taught the same things all the apostles were taught. What the apostles all learned was what Paul, Peter and John all called “the revelation of Jesus Christ:”

Gal 1:11  But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
Gal 1:12  For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1Pe 1:13  Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

… and of course this very book, penned by John himself:

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

What we are learning in this study is that as Christ’s elect we are to this world exactly what Christ was when He was in a body of flesh and blood.  We reveal Christ to others in this world through our lives, just as the Father was revealed to us by Christ and His way of life.

Joh 14:8  Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

As Christ is to us, the revelation of His Father, even so we are to this world “the revelation of Jesus Christ.” What we are learning is that the revelation of Christ takes place within each of us because we are told… “As He is so are we in this world.”

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

We are learning that as we come to see more of “the revelation of Jesus Christ,” what we are seeing is that the revelation of Jesus Christ has to do with Christ in us being Christ in this world.

Joh 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

So how is it that Christ’s feet are “like unto fine brass,” and why are we told that His feet are “as if they burned in a furnace?” Why are we not told that Christ’s feet are as gold, as if they were in air-conditioned comfort?

“And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace;”

All of these symbols of the book of Revelation come from the Old Testament. For example, Revelation 1:15 comes from Daniel 10:6.

Dan 10:6 His body also [was] like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

Many months ago we did a study on metals in scripture. That study is to be found in its entirety on iswasandwillbe.com, with the series beginning here. In our study on the base metal copper, we saw that the sockets of the feet of all the boards which made up the tabernacle in the wilderness, were all made of silver, except for the sockets which held the pillars on which the curtains hung, which formed the door of the holy place. What we learned in that study was that God had promised His overcomers that He would make them pillars in His temple, and it just so happens that the sockets which hold the pillars at the door of the tabernacle are not made of silver, but they are made of fine brass.

Exo 26:36  And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, [of] blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.
Exo 26:37  And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, [and] their hooks [shall be of] gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

What we learned in that study on metals is what we are learning in this study. We came to see that the only place pillars are found in God’s tabernacle were five pillars at the door of the tent and four pillars at the door of the holy of holies. Only the feet, or the sockets of the pillars at the door of the tent, were to be made of fine brass, which should have been translated ‘copper.’ The message we were given in that study was that it is only through God’s elect that anyone can come into the presence of God because “As He is so are we in this world.”

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

So there is a very good reason why Christ’s feet are “like unto fine brass” instead of fine gold, and there is a very good reason why we are told that they are “as if they burned in a furnace.” That reason has to do with the fact that Christ was “made sin,” and “took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham” and in that body of sinful flesh, He endured the fiery trials of resisting sin and false doctrines as a way of life.

“As He is so are we in this world” is true only because of the truth of the verses quoted in earlier studies concerning the fact that Christ “took not on Him the nature of angels, but He took on him the seed of Abraham.” That “seed of Abraham” was indeed the “the same… flesh and blood… seed of Abraham… made in the likeness of sinful flesh… as the children.” It was not some different kind of flesh and blood.

Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Heb 2:11  For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified [are] all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Heb 2:16  For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Heb 2:17  Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Here again is why Christ’s feet are “like unto fine brass” instead of fine gold. Here again those who deny the truth of Romans 8:3 and Hebrews 2:3-17 are called “that spirit of antichrist.”

1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

So while the whole world is looking for a certain man to come at the end of this age as the Antichrist, we are clearly warned that that prophecy is, was and will be being fulfilled every day that anyone denies that Christ has “come in… the same… sinful flesh and blood… as the children… of Abraham.”  This is a matter of spiritual life and spiritual death. Did Christ come as a man, or does this next verse of scripture contradict what we are told here in 1 John 4:3?

Mat 1:20  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

This verse has been used since the days of the apostles Paul and John to deny that Christ was really a son of Abraham and thus a son of Adam, as well as being “of the holy ghost.” The whole orthodox Christian world has taken it upon themselves to save Christ from being tainted with the sin that is in all flesh:

Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not.

If “no good thing” dwells in our flesh would that not also be true of Christ’s flesh? Let’s let Christ himself answer that question:

Mat 19:16  And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
Mat 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

These words out of the mouth of our Lord accord with the words of Hebrews 2… “the same flesh and blood…like unto sinful flesh…not the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham, flesh and blood,” which it “behoved Him in all things to be like unto His brothers.” Just as men could not see how Christ could be both “out of Judah” and at the same time be “out of Nazareth”, neither can carnal men understand how Christ can be “born of the holy ghost” and also be “the Son of Man.” Until this very day mankind cannot see how our Savior can be “made sin who knew no sin,” and yet that is the doctrine which is according to godliness, as contrasted to the spirit of Antichrist. Here is a second warning against this millennial old doctrine which has always dominated orthodox Christianity.

2Co 5:21 For the man who knew no sin was made sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

2Jn 1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist

Just as the Adversary has always done, he speaks with a forked tongue. He admits that God is love, and with the same tongue and in the same breath, he tells you that this loving God and heavenly Father, will burn His children in hell for all eternity. So it is with this doctrine of Christ coming in “the same flesh and blood as the children of Abraham.” All of orthodox Christianity proclaims that Christ came in the flesh, and with the same forked tongue of their father the devil (Joh 6:44) they deny that it is “the same flesh as that flesh and blood of the children of Abraham.”

Here is the doctrine of a dear brother who bought into this body the heretical doctrine which denies that the flesh of Christ is the same as ours:

“Your point about Psalm 51:5 is again out of line with the scriptures. You say my take on this scipture is “Catholic orthodoxy”. No, Mike, that’s just plainly not true. It is you that deny the Gospel of Matthew, and the Gospel of Luke and call those Gospels’ “false doctrines.” The Gospel accounts of both Matthew and Luke tell us that Christ was born of a virgin mother, not conceived in sin as you state. Christ was born Holy, not shapen in iniquity as you state, and both of those statements by Matthew and Luke are in line with all the prophecies of Christ in the O.T. Psalm 51:5 is clearly David talking about himself, and about all of mankind. It is not in reference to Christ. Christ did not come in the “same” flesh as we do, he came in the LIKENESS of our flesh.”

“There is no scripture anywhere that says Christ was either carnally minded, sinful, conceived in sin or shapen in iniquity. Jesus Christ is, was and will be our spotless, unblemished sacrifice and savior, He was perfect just as His Father is in Heaven.”

That is how the phrase “likeness of sinful flesh”  is twisted to make it say that “Christ did not come in the same flesh as we do.” Compare those words to these words of our Lord, and then try the spirits to see whether they are of God:

Mat 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Do any of those scriptures say “[Christ] was perfect just like His Father in heaven”? I think not!

Why are Christ’s feet as brass? Because they represent “His body… in the likeness of sinful flesh.”

Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Christ’s body, His true church, is always walking in fiery trials:

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of [the] Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Christ is now in “our flesh.” We are now His body and His feet, which move his body. We are now “His flesh and His bones”:

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Isa 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

As if they burned in a furnace, Christ’s feet are what move “His body” as He walks. Christ is now walking in the same sinful flesh and blood in which He came to this earth. He is now in you and in me, and if we are faithful to His doctrines, we are even now “as if we were in a furnace.” Here is the scripture which tells us this is so:

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

What day is “the day?” “The day” is the day of judgment. It is a fiery day which will burn up all that cannot withstand the fire. It will burn out all of the “wood, hay, and stubble” that is in our lives.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 4:14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy [ are ye]; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

God’s word is the ‘fire’ which judges all flesh. Yes, it even declares that the flesh and blood of our spotless Savior cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and even Christ had to be “perfected on the third day,” the day of His resurrection.

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

It takes time for the wood, hay and stubble to be burned out of our lives, to bring us to perfection. When we read that His feet burned in a furnace, it is interesting to note that the only other place that this Greek word translated ‘burned’ appears in the book of Revelation is in Revelation 3:18, and here it is translated ‘tried’.

Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried [G4448: ‘puroo’]  in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Rev 1:15  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned [G4448: ‘puroo’] in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

The same word is also translated ‘fiery’ in Ephesians 6:15-16.

Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

The ‘fiery’ in 1 Peter 4:12 is also from the root of this same Greek word.

1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

Rev 1:15  … And his voice as the sound of many waters.

What is meant by the phrase “many waters?” Why is the voice of Christ said to be “as the sound of many waters? The scriptures demonstrate that the phrase “many waters” is another way of saying the people of God, whether God’s people are being ruled over by a “great whore” or whether they are around the throne of God in heaven. Wherever we see this phrase, we are seeing a reference to the people of God. Here is how the spirit has inspired this phrase to be used:

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

That is the negative application of this phrase. Look now at these entries for this phrase:

Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

As we will soon come to see, “the voice of many waters and the voice of a great thunder and the voice of harpers harping with their harps” are all one and the same. All three are symbols of God’s people.

Rev 19:6  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Once again, “the voice of a great multitude and the voice of many waters and the voice of mighty thunderings” are all the voices of God’s elect “ saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”

Conclusion

Rev 1:15  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

We have seen that the feet “as fine brass” are the feet of Christ and His Christ. We have seen that the feet of Christ are always “as if they burned in a furnace” as we carry the body of Christ through the fiery trials which are “the things which are written therein.” We have also seen that the sound of many waters is also Christ and His elect, speaking the fiery words of Christ which judge this world in us and burn out of us all that cannot withstand that fire.

We have seen that “as He is so are we in this world” (1Jo 4:17).

Does the world need Christ?

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Yes, the world needs Christ. No matter how popular Oprah may be, the Truth will always remain that the name of Jesus Christ is the only name by which men can be saved.

Act 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

What does “the name of Christ” mean? What does “as He is so are we in this world” mean? Can we carry that thought through to the extent that we can be called saviors? Yes, we have already established that fact with these verses:

Neh 9:27  Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

“You gave them saviors.” Is this the only verse which brings this out? No, it is not. Here it is again:

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

What kingdom shall be the Lord’s? Is this talking exclusively about the millennial kingdom, or do these “saviors” include you and me as that “kingdom of God within you?”

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

If ‘saviors come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau’ and if “the kingdom is the Lord’s” and if that “kingdom is within us,” then it follows that mount Zion and the mount of Esau, must also be within us, the former judging the latter, within us. Is this not what we are being told in these verses of God’s Word?

Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:15   I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Joh 17:16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Joh 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Joh 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Joh 17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Joh 17:23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

In our next study, Lord willing, we will discover what is the meaning of the symbolism of our next verse:

Rev 1:16  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength.

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