Eye Salve

What do I imagine when I hear the expression "eye salve"? It most likely reminds me of some medical remedy in a tube, bottle, or jar that can be applied to the skin around the eyes or to the eyeballs themselves.

What does the eye salve from the Book of Revelation symbolize, which Christ advises me to buy and anoint my eyes with?

We read Revelation 3:18: "...and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see." Jesus offers me something from the Heavenly treasury to anoint my eyes, after which I will begin to see what I did not see before. Before this, the Lord declares that I am blind. And He means not physical, but spiritual blindness. The Savior assures me that His salve will heal me of this ailment. Once, Jesus healed a blind man by making a salve from a mixture of saliva and earth. And after anointing the blind man's eyes, Christ commanded him to wash. After this, the man came seeing.

What blinds a person? We read Ecclesiastes 2:13-14: "I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness: The wise have eyes in their head, while the fool walks in the darkness..."

Spiritual blindness means sin, which blinds and makes a person foolish. When the serpent tempted our ancestors, he declared that their eyes would open, and they would become like gods. In reality, when Adam and Eve's eyes opened after the fall, they saw themselves naked.

The problem of the Laodicean is that with all the abundance of light and knowledge, he chooses darkness, which makes him foolish and blind. How else can I be characterized when, having the fullness of truth, abundance of revelations, purity of teaching, depth of Word knowledge, I turn to the world and, falling under its influence, try to mix hot truth with the cold of spiritual Babylon?! Only a foolish and blind person is capable of such a thing. And Jesus calls me such, offering a way out of the situation. Acknowledging my blindness will not make me sighted. I need Divine anointing with the clay that He offers me. And the Lord advises me to treat my eyes. My eyes are a symbol of reason, which either chooses wisdom and light or foolishness and darkness. Proverbs 17:24: "Wisdom is before the face of him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth."

Eye salve is Heavenly wisdom given to me for a clear understanding of what is happening to me, where I am, whose I am, who I am, and what the way out of the current situation is.

The Lord advises not just to buy the salve but also to treat my eyes with it. The word "anointing" itself has a very deep meaning in the spiritual world. It means dedicating an anointed person to a service determined by God, to a special vision and understanding of what is happening. And wisdom declares itself in Proverbs 8:22-23: "The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was even a earth."

Wisdom possesses a special Divine anointing that makes wise those who accept it.

I had previously understood the symbol of eye salve as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit but could not decide why I receive this gift in such a special way. But it is precisely through the influence of the Holy Spirit that I saw my sins, repented, learned to fulfill the requirements of the law, cleaved to Jesus, realizing my true position. It is the Holy Spirit who is now guiding the writing of these words and then revealing their true meaning to those reading them. And without the influence and blessing of the Holy Spirit, all wisdom will become madness, lead to pride and vanity, and cast the soul into destruction and darkness.

When Jesus advises me to anoint my eyes with salve to see, He expects the Holy Spirit to transform my mind. This will happen when I give my consent to this action and begin to do something in this direction. Divine wisdom opens my spiritual eyes so that I can see and understand what I did not know before.

I realize what it means to have gold refined by fire, what it means to have white clothing. I understand the advantages these gifts give me. Wisdom, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, teaches me to love, strengthens my faith, reveals to me the depth of knowing God and the power of His authority in me and through me.

Heavenly anointing clothes me with Heavenly authority, which is my special distinctive mark for the spiritual world. The enemy of the soul also sees this anointing and in fury attacks me with all his temptations. He wants to cast me into Laodicean darkness, not hindering me from studying the truth but trying to keep my eyes closed so that I remain blind. And if it were not for God's protection, what would become of all of us?

Eye salve has healing properties for the human mind. It was damaged while under the influence of the world and fleshly nature, but God's Spirit makes the believer perceptive and helps him notice all previously hidden small details in the plan of his salvation.

God's Spirit uses a person to reveal to others the beauty of the plan of salvation, the beauty of God's character, the purity of God's holiness, the power of God's love and wisdom. The Lord is interested in having His faithful children sighted. Through such believers, He can pour His light into the lives of other people sitting in darkness.

Where can a blind person lead other blind people? Into the pit of sin and delusions. Laodicea is a city of blind, naked, poor, miserable, and wretched children of God who, having so many spiritual advantages compared to their predecessors, prefer to remain in the darkness from which they observe those trying to escape into the light. The greatest achievement of a Laodicean is that he agrees with the characteristics given to him by the Faithful and True Witness. He does not argue that he is naked; he does not mind being called blind and poor. But what can a sleeping person do for himself?

However, Jesus does not leave His people in such a state. He sends a message to Laodicea. The Lord comes to each son and daughter of God and knocks. He offers His goods and sends His messengers to those who are blind so that they can turn their gaze to Him.

The Lord knows what a storm of trials is approaching and what sorrow will soon overtake the whole world. And who will be able to stand? One must have the correct answer to this question to be among those who will endure the trials.

Once, our planet was sentenced to destruction by flood waters. All people were warned, but only a few were saved who heeded God's advice and entered the ark. The doors of grace were open to everyone; everyone heard the call to salvation, but those whose eyes were anointed with eye salve received deliverance. These people had faith in the fulfillment of God's prophecies about the flood, and their wisdom helped them make the right decisions at the right time. It saved them from death.

But as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the Coming of the Son of Man. They were eating, drinking, marrying, being given in marriage, and were not thinking...

Not thinking!!! What are Laodiceans thinking about now? How to become richer and survive in this world of sin. But the wise among them took oil in their vessels.

All of Heaven is now watching the world sleeping in sin. Vanity has engulfed everyone. Sin stands on a pedestal, and the kings of the earth make people worship and serve it. And the Lord offers a means to live. And who will hear this voice?

Reflection Questions for this Chapter

1. What new did you learn from this chapter?

2. How do you understand the expression "eye salve"?

3. Why is it so important to have this salve in the last time?

4. Why did Jesus call the sleeping virgins wise and foolish?

5. What does "anoint your eyes" mean to me?

6. Please read Isaiah 61:1; Ezekiel 16:8-9; John 9:5-7; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 1 John 2:20; Proverbs 8:1-21 in light of this chapter.