Each of the seven letters in Revelation 2-3 corresponds to a period of Israel’s history. Jesus’ identification, the assessment of the church, and the promised reward all link together in a complex Old Testament scheme.

Believe me for now, because I’m not going to try to prove it. But the letter to Thyatira is the royal letter, corresponding to the Davidic period. Jesus’ self-introduction is royal through and through. He is the “Son of God,” a title that the Old Testament uses for the Davidic king (2 Samuel 7).

As Son of God, His eyes and feet are particularly prominent. Eyes are organs of evaluation and judgment in Scripture. Jesus’ eyes, though, are special: He has fiery eyes, eyes that light up dark places for inspection and eyes that scorch His enemies. He is like Yahweh, whose eyes inspect the righteous and wicked (Psalm 11). He is the righteous king who disperses with His eyes (Proverbs 20:8).

Kings use their feet too. Subjects bow at their feet; enemies are trampled under their feet, and become footstools; kings put a foot on the neck of the vanquished; where the feet of kings walk is where a king rules. Jesus is the Lord to whom Yahweh says, “I will make your enemies your footstool.”

Like his eyes, Jesus’ feet are special: They glow like bronze, like a fired altar. When a subject bows at the bronze feet of Jesus, he is at an altar; when an enemy becomes a footstool for the feet of Jesus, the enemy is placed under the altar. Jesus is king, but he is a king that is worshiped, a king who is also the temple of God, God the Son indwelt by God the Spirit, whose body has become the place of worship.