"Fear Not; I am the First & the Last" (Rev 1:14-20), Part 1/2

John’s vision in Revelation 1 is not gentle art for the wall. It is a confrontation with the living Christ, standing in the middle of His churches like the true Priest who keeps the lampstands burning and the true Judge who cannot be fooled. We slow down and read the symbols the way Scripture teaches us to read them, so the scene stops feeling strange and starts feeling steadying.

We dig into Revelation 1:14 and the line that sparks so many arguments: His head and hair are “white like wool, as white as snow.” We explain why the point is not hair texture or ethnicity, but purity, wisdom, eternity, and the Ancient of Days glory that belongs to God alone. That leads to a needed warning about turning race and culture into spiritual status, and a reminder that worship “in spirit and in truth” has nothing to do with skin tone and everything to do with the Savior who changes souls.

Then we face the phrase that should make every church sit up straight: His eyes are “a flame of fire.” We connect it to Hebrews 4:12-13 and argue that the “Word of God” who discerns thoughts and intentions is not merely printed text but Jesus Christ Himself, living and powerful, before whose eyes everything is exposed. We also trace the next images, feet like refined brass and a voice like many waters, showing Christ’s immovable strength and unmatched authority in a world full of loud competing claims.

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Transcript

Lampstands And The Priestly Picture

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Revelation chapter 1 verse 14. And in the last few uh passages prior to, we were dealing with in verse 12 how John turned to see the voice that spoke with him, and being turned, he saw seven golden candlesticks. That was verse 12. And it says, In the midst of the eleven seven candlestick, in the midst of the seven candlesticks, like one unto the Son of Man, clothes with a garment down to the foot, and gird about the paps with the golden girdle. And this speaks to the priestly attire that the priest would have. And this is what is John is sort of envisioning in this image of Christ. And he said in verse 13, In the midst of the seven golden candlesticks was one like the Son of Man, clothed with garment down to the foot, and girded about the paps with the girdle. And I read it again because I want to highlight the point where it was where we went over last week that Christ is here pictured as being in the midst of his church, being in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, and he is always with them. And we talked about how the priests, it was their responsibility, responsibility of the priest to keep the candles lit in the temple so that their light, so that the light will always continue to shine. And so this imagery should be something that is not unfamiliar to the apostle in that this was a practice in the temple, now being shown in this symbolic form, showing that Christ is always in the midst of his church, and he is the one that is always keeping their lampstands lit. He's the one that's always trimming the wick. He's always the one supplying the oil, and he's always the one that is keeping their lights shining bright in this world. And this is what is being communicated throughout this symbolic language.

White Hair As Purity And Eternity

SPEAKER_01 2:12

So now in Revelation chapter 1, verse 14, we come to the next verse, this verse here, where it says, speaking about Christ, the Son of Man, it says that his head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were a flame of fire. His hair was white, and his head and his hair were white as snow, and his eyes were a flame of fire. So let's start with the whiteness of his head and his hair. Now, the whiteness of his hair and his head signifies, it signifies purity. That's what it shows. His purity. And it speaks to his wisdom. And it also speaks to his divine majesty. And so you have purity, eternity, and wisdom, and all of these are part of what make up his divine majesty. He is the ancient of days. And that's what this is showing. And then it goes on to say that the whiteness of his head and the hairs, it says that they were white like wool. White like wool. Of his hair is emblematic of his age. The whiteness of his hair is emblematic of his hair. I mean of his age. Of his age. The ancient of days. My mother, eighty-two years old. Her hair is white. And it reminds us of her age. People with white hair, we look at them, we immediately associate age with the whiteness of their hair. Now,

Why Skin Tone Misses The Point

SPEAKER_01 4:45

there are many folks in my own ethnic community that sadly like to make a case about this as speaking with regard to the texture of his hair, indicating that he's black. That is not what this is saying. That's not what he's saying. This is emblematic of his age. He's eternal. It's the hair of an aged person. It has nothing to do with texture. It's all about the color and what it means. And the color of his hair is symbolizing, and his head, as a matter of fact, it is showing his age, that he is the ancient of days. But to add to this whole thing, it doesn't matter what color our Lord was, what tone his skin was. That has never been the issue. It is never a matter of importance. Because what he is looking to do is change souls, and he is looking at us to refer to him and to worship and honor him, spirit in the spirit and in truth. And there is nothing that your skin color can aid in that worship. Black or white, that is not the issue. It's never been the issue. And if you're going to waste your time coming to me telling me, oh, this and that and the other, I don't need to hear it. No one cares what color Jesus' skin was. I think there was the providence of God that made sure, it was the providence of God that made sure that Christ came to earth when he did. There were no cameras, there were no cell phones, there was nothing that was able to capture what he looked like. And because it did not matter. Could you imagine if we knew exactly what he looked like? Could you imagine? Everyone will be claiming a body part, saying it looks like theirs, so therefore he must be their God, their Messiah. It's so silly how cultural antics have weaved itself into people's religion, into their faith, making issues, these stupid issues, out of the dumbest ideas. This is speaking about his glory. The whiteness of his head and his hair is speaking about his glory, the glory that belongs to the only one who has ever been and ever shall be referred to as the ancient of days. In this ancient of days emblem here that we see here, this symbol, it shows that this symbol is manifest in one person and one person only, the Son of Man, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Christ is not merely a messenger of God, but it shows here, being the ancient of days, that he shares divine glory and all authority with his Father. This is what this is speaking about: his wisdom, his eternity, his divine presence, his divine equality with his father and the Godhead. The wisdom of God is clearly displayed, having anticipated the foolishness of those who would worship an idolized race, whether black or white, or any rate in between. Our worship, our salvation, has nothing to do with our cultural affiliation, our ethnic affiliations, or any other privilege that we might deem something of which that makes us closer to God or brings us to God. These things matter none at all. It

Eyes Like Fire And True Judgment

SPEAKER_01 9:48

says here that in verse 14 that his eyes were as a flame of fire. And notice before I go on that it says his hair and his head were white like wool. Like wool. Not that it was wool, it was white like wool. And then it says, as white as snow. As white as snow. This is what it is speaking about. And then it says, and his eyes were as a flame of fire, reminding us that we are looking at John's vision. We're seeing these symbolic characterizations that show forth the glory and the magnitude of the greatness of our Lord and Savior. But it says here that his eyes were as a flame of fire. And what does this mean? It means that it is his eyes being a flame of fire is showing us that he has a penetrating knowledge of all of us. And in addition to that penetrating knowledge, there is judicial discernment. Flame of fire. He judges. And he sees. And what he sees, he judges. Like Sister Terry says, he rightly judges. It speaks to his ability to judge and to see all of these things so that he can judge rightly, as Sister Terry correctly laid out. It also indicates that there is nothing in the churches of whom he is in their midst. There is nothing amongst the churches that is hidden from him. Shall the one who supplies the light to the church not use that very same light to judge the church? Well, this is what he is speaking about.

Hebrews 4 And The Living Word

SPEAKER_01 12:19

When you look at Hebrews chapter 4, you get a great picture of this. And to me, it's unfortunate to me that this passage in Hebrews 4 is so often not examined for what has actually been said there. And I'm not going to be adding a whole lot of what is new to many of you if you read Hebrews chapter 4. But if you look at chapter 4 in Hebrews, verses 12 and 13, if you turn there, if you have your scriptures, take a look at it. Because this passage is often misconstrued as saying something that it is not really saying, but even though what it is being said, what has been said by so many, is not altogether wrong. But to be biblically precise, we must look at it for what it actually is saying. So in Hebrews chapter 4, verse 12, keeping in mind that the eyes of our Lord, the eyes of our Lord are as a flame of fire in John's vision. But in Hebrews chapter 4, verse 12, this is what it says. It says, For the word of God, the word of God is quick, meaning living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. In verse 13, neither is he, neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight. But all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him, the eyes of him with whom we have to do. So listen, Christians, listen to me here. Notice in verse twelve of Hebrews. Notice what it says here. It says this. Let me get back. For the word of God is living. Pages on your Bible, ink and print do not live. Ink and print and words on a page do not live. And it says here that the word of God is living and alive. And it's interesting that this is the same words that is used in John chapter one, where it refers to Christ in the opening verses as the word of God. Jesus Christ, our Lord, he is the word of God. And in Hebrews 4, verse 12, it is speaking about Him. Not the Bible, not the words of the Bible, even though it is true. But what it is speaking about is Jesus Christ Himself, our Lord and Savior. He it is who is the Word of God. And we know this. The Word. And it says that He's alive, He's living, is talking about Christ. And then it goes on to say in Hebrews 4.12 that he is powerful. And it says that he is sharper than any two-edged sword. And that he pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. He judges. His eyes are as a flame of fire. And the joints, end of the joints, and marrow. And listen, and is a discerner. And is a discerner. He discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. Your Bible itself, the book, cannot determine your heart. The book itself is text and paper and ink. So it itself doesn't discern the thoughts and intents of your heart. This is reserved for one, an individual, who is able to judge. Rationale, people with rational thinking. We are able to judge, but in this context, it is speaking specifically about he who we refer to as the word of God. The word of God, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Now notice something else. You might ask yourself, well, I've always been told this is speaking about the Bible, about the word itself. Well, Christ is the word that is talking about. How do I know? Look at verse 13, Hebrews 4, 13. It says, Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight. In his sight. All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him, with whom we have to do. Hebrews 4, 12 and 13 is speaking about the one, the word of God, whose hair and head are white as wool, and whose eyes are a flame of fire. And this is what Hebrews, the writer of Hebrews, is referring to this person, the Word of God, who is alive and powerful, who is the discerner of the thoughts and tents of the heart. He's able to judge because he can judge rightly. And there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight, and all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. The word of God in Hebrews 4, 12 is him with whom we have to do. The word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And verse 14, seeing, in Hebrews 4, verse 14, seeing that we have a great high priest, the word of God, as his clothing intimates, as we talked about when we looked at his garb, his clothing that John has seen. So when it says here that his eyes were as a flame of fire, we understand that he has this meticulous gaze. This meticulous, fiery, judgmental gaze that pierces into the hearts and the intents of men, all creation, all creatures. But this meticulous gaze, it comforts the faithful, us, believers, it comforts us, but it should terrify the hypocritical and unbelieving. His eyes were a flame of fire. Flame of fire.

Feet Like Brass And Unstoppable Power

SPEAKER_01 20:42

John goes on, verse 15. He says, and his feet like unto fine brass, like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. His feet like refined brass signifies firmness. Signifies firmness. It speaks to his strength. It also, like previous aspects of what we've been reading about him, it speaks of purity and an irresistible judgment. His feet, being like fine brass, also speaks of his immovability. And he treads down all opposition. Purity, judgment, strength, and crushing all of his opposition. Christ is painting this picture. That shows us in the apostles' vision. It shows us that he who represents us is the Almighty God Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ in his glory. And it shows him in this in this under the symbolic language in a way that could not possibly be expressed the way that it actually is. But he uses this this vision, these these these terms to relate to man's limited and restricted and finite understanding. And he speaks anthropomorphically in order to accommodate the limited understanding of men. He uses language men will understand. We see and read about his majesty. And the whole book of Revelation is about reliance on the fact that He is on the throne and in control, and that we as believers should always be comforted in that understanding. And when you get this description, you begin to realize that nothing that would afflict us can nothing that can afflict us is able to stand against him, whose eyes are a flame of fire, whose hair and head are like white as wool, whose feet are like fine brass, as if they were burned in a furnace, and whose voice is as a sound of many waters. What enemy Christians, what enemy that attempts to oppose us can stand before a Lord with this description? No one, no one, no one. The church, we may be unstable. We may feel unstable as we as our lives may be often characterized. We may be unstable throughout the history of the world. But the Lord always stands in the midst of his church with an unshakable, immovable power that gives nothing to his saints except for absolute certainty and security and hope that our faith will never fail, no matter how egregious the trials and the afflictions and the tribulations may be. This is a book about comfort in the midst of the worst of times, the worst of hardships, the worst of affliction. That's what this book is about.

A Voice Like Many Waters

SPEAKER_01 24:47

His voice. His voice as the sound of many waters. Again, it speaks to majesty and authority and overwhelming power. One of the great things about my naval experience is seeing the strength of the ocean and the sea. It is unmatched. And when you're out at sea and the waves are are are crashing on one another, the sound is beautiful. But it's intimidating. When you go into the Atlantic Ocean and those waves are in the Mediterranean, and those waves are blown by the wind, and the water is splashing, and the sound of it, it's majestic. You get an understanding of what it means here when John says that the word that Christ's voice sounds like the voice of many waters. The voice of Christ is not weak. It's not a fragile council among many competing voices. When he speaks, it it shuts it shuts up all other sounds, all other voices. There is nothing else to be heard when he speaks, and everything is silent. Everything. When he speaks, he overwhelms. He overwhelms. The sea of men. But it is the voice of our sovereign Lord, to whom we hold out every morsel of our being to extend to him and to extol his glory, to render to him the worship that is due to him, that he deserves to have, and that he elicits from all. Jesus Christ, he upholds all things by the word of his power. What does it mean? He upholds all things by the word of his power. The term word here means command. So it says here this that Christ upholds all things by the word or by the command of his power. Everything is sustained, order is maintained, all things are preserved, held together by him, by his divine command. The word of his power, the command of his power. That's what it's speaking about.

Group Reflections And Cross References

SPEAKER_01 29:10

So at this point, as our custom is, I will ask all of you so far for your opening remarks, your opening thoughts, and what we're talking about so far in this book. I'll start with you, Sister Meg. What are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_06 29:26

Yeah, this is great. I think, I think the anthropomorphic language really, you know, after explaining it, we really understand the Lord in this way. I think what's also cool is in Daniel chapter 7, when the Ancient of Days is being spoken about, it's Daniel 7, 9. The Ancient of Days did sit whose garment was white as snow and the hair of his head was like pure wool. We see the reference to the father, which is also applied to the son here in the very first chapter, which just goes to show the unity of the father and the son in that verse as well. So I really, yeah, I'm ready to roll.

SPEAKER_01 30:04

Excellent. I like bringing up that reference. Brother Jeff, what are your thoughts? Man of God.

SPEAKER_00 30:09

Yep. I mean, it's it's pretty awesome. But you know, the other thing is too, I was just reminded, you know, in the passage in Isaiah, you know, talking about he's a wonderful counselor. He's also referred to as the everlasting father, and I've seen people argue about that. Jesus is not the father. Wait a minute, let me tell you something. God is one.

SPEAKER_02 30:32

Right.

SPEAKER_00 30:33

You know, Jesus is not necessarily the father in person, but essentially in unity and purpose, they're the same.

SPEAKER_02 30:42

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 30:43

And so I think it's it's it's a literary thing, not as much as saying, oh, all three members of the Trinity are identical, so therefore there's no trinity. Right. I I mean, I agree. I think the ancient of days imagery is clear from Daniel 7, and Jesus is being portrayed here as the Ancient of Days, also. Right. Uh but uh, you know, I mean, I I I think it's important to understand that we we're getting a mere glimpse, something that would make us all fall on our face. But due to his majesty, not because we're afraid he'll kill us or anything. I mean, Jesus has nothing but love for us, but I mean, definitely for his enemies and everything, he would strike fear, real fear, not awe or reverence, real fear. And that's what I and that's what I think so far. Thanks.

SPEAKER_02 31:33

I think that's great. I think that's great. Sister Lisa, your thoughts. And good evening.

SPEAKER_03 31:38

Hey, good evening. I love the imagery in these verses. It it's it just blows my mind. And I love the imagery of his hair being white like wool. I mean, the first thing you think of, and I love that you brought it up, is his age. I mean, it's telling us this is he who has always been. He has been, you know, and I, you know, some people don't picture the Lord Jesus that way. You know, they see him, well, they see him differently. You know, we all picture him a certain way in our mind, but I love this imagery, and I'm it it displays his power and his, you know, all and so deserving of our reverence. And I don't I don't even have enough words to to describe the you know how it makes me feel seeing this imagery. So yeah, I'm excited.

SPEAKER_01 32:37

Amen. Sister Barbara, how how are we gonna go on for your inaugural comment?

SPEAKER_07 32:44

Hi, Jonathan. Thank you. I'm with everyone else with with this imagery. I don't think people typically think of the Lord in these terms, which is actually frightening. And we don't even, even in these words, we don't, we're not even seeing the true, the true God, the true Lord. And, you know, even one of the passages, as far as his eyes, it just reminds me of like an x-ray machine that, you know, there's all deceit, all hypocrisy, everything. There's nothing, nothing that's going to be hidden that he sees, he sees all.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

Right. Amen, sister.

SPEAKER_01 33:21

Absolutely. I mean, you you think about it, I I think, you know, when you look, at least when I when I envision when I read these, these, these verses, it's like this is like this would be akin to a bottom of the barrel description, simply to accommodate man. I think what we're gonna see is so much more magnificent, infinitely more magnificent. And and and we understand with these with these these words what they mean, but I think that when we see Christ, we're gonna see something that is unbelievable.

SPEAKER_07 33:53

Yeah, completely, completely grander than what we're even being told here. Right. And somebody had uh made a made a point before that I that I listened to, and it said, have if you've ever visited Niagara Falls, you can't even speak to the person next to you. It is so overwhelming. It's it's you're in awe when you're there because just actually, just because of the noise, it's you know, it's over, it's overwhelming.

SPEAKER_02 34:20

It is, it really is. Absolutely. Sister Terry, your thoughts, opening remarks, and good evening.

SPEAKER_05 34:25

Good evening, everyone. I I love this because it makes me so proud of my savior. And I feel like my daddy's bigger than your daddy. I feel so secure, you know, like you're in the schoolyard and you nobody can bully, you know. I know who my daddy is. And I I also love it because I feel as though he showed John exactly what he wants us to hear and know.

SPEAKER_00 34:58

Right.

SPEAKER_05 34:59

The the description, this is a revelation that he is personally giving to us of himself, and all the attributes you mentioned are clearly attributes he wants us to put our faith in and believe in. And he also wants us to have his attributes, he wants us, we're we're predestined to be conformed to his image. And that's another reason why I love this imagery, right?

SPEAKER_01 35:32

Even if it's only to a little tiny degree, we'll take what we can get this month. Yes, we'll take what we can handle.

SPEAKER_05 35:41

Yes, Mr.

SPEAKER_01 35:43

Mariah.

SPEAKER_02 35:44

Good evening, sister.

SPEAKER_04 35:46

Good evening, everyone. And if I haven't said or anybody's new here, happy Father's Day. I hope you had a wonderful day that the Lord had made for us. Uh, it reminded me of Proverbs, so I had to go find it, where it talks about gray or white hair.