See Revelation, 1:14-16
1:14
His head, hair and eyes are described here. First of all, it's important to realize that what John was seeing was indeed, the actual person of Jesus Christ, in His current state. This is what He will look like when we see Him. This is how He looks at this moment, seated at the right hand of God.
Three things here. Head, hair and eyes. Both His head and hair are said to be "white like wool" Speaking of, or reminding us of His spotlessness, and His purity. He is the pure, righteous one, in whom there is no sin. His eyes were like " a flame of fire" This speaks of power. Fire gives light, and is powerful. Jesus is the light of the world of course, and is the most powerful person we know. He is pure, and He is powerful.
1:15a
Now, to His feet. "like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace" Brass is commonly seen throughout the Bible, and is often associated with the judgment of God. God has judged our sins at the cross, and they are now gone and forgotten. Jesus will bring judgement when He comes again.
The pure, powerful, judge is the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:15b
His "voice as the sound of many waters" John was trying to describe what His voice sounded like.
We will one day hear for ourselves, but here it's said to be like "Many waters" Or a massive and powerful roar. That's what we hear when we are near the ocean, and the waves are coming upon the shore. There is a tremendous and powerful sound. A roaring.
1:16a
Here's what He had in His right hand. Seven Stars. The stars here in this section of Rev, seem to speak of the leaders in the churches. And, here we see that they are being held by Jesus Christ. What a comforting and encouraging thought to know that they are in His hands. If you are a leader in the church ( in fact, every christian can say this about themselves ) they are in the hands of Jesus Christ. He has a firm grip on you.
1:16b
Out of His mouth "went a sharp two-edged sword" This again is John's description of seeing and hearing Jesus talk. Swords are used both defensively, and offensively. Jesus is the Word of God. He is our defender, and He is our victor in battle over the enemy of our soul. His Word cuts and pierces to the depths of our being. His Word is creative, it's powerful to destroy. We have heard His voice in the Holy Bible, and we will one day hear it with our own ears right in His visible presence. We will hear Him speak to us personally, and throughout all of eternity. For all we know, we may have what would be very private and personal conversations with Him, where we become very familiar with the sound of His voice.
1:16c
The last thing in this verse, "His countenance was like sun shining in it's strength" Very massive, and encompassing is what the sun is like. You walk outside, and the sun is so powerful you can't even look directly at it, and in a sense you don't have to, to be affected by it. It light's up the world, at least the half that is in the daylight time. Countenance, is a word in the Bible speaks of the face, or the outward appearance, the look. So, this is what the look of Jesus will be like, or when we look at Him, it will be bright like the sun.
There are numerous things that have already been said about Him, and will be said throughout this letter. These are but glimpses of what He looks like. John was affected by what He saw, as we will see in our study tomorrow. We are affected by seeing Him through the eyes of faith.
Seeing Him, leads to the transformation of our lives.
As we read the Bible, we see God revealed to us. The book of Revelation, is just that, an unveiling, a revealing of Jesus Christ. He is pure, powerful, piercing and is the Lord of Lord's. He is coming back to the earth, bringing judgement upon it, and then will rule on it for 1000 years, before taking us into the eternal future with Him.
May God's grace, mercy, peace and love be multiplied in our lives this very day.
In Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
