THE TITLES OF THE RISEN LORD (1)

Revelation 1:14—19 (contd)

LET us look very briefly at each of the titles by which the risen Lord is called here.

His head and his hair were white, as white wool, like snow.

This, taken from the description of the Ancient One in Daniel 7:9, is symbolic of two things. (1) It stands for great age; and it speaks to us of the eternal existence of Jesus Christ. (2) It speaks to us of divine purity. The snow and the white wool are the emblems of stainless purity. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet,’ said Isaiah, ‘they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool’ (Isaiah 1:18). Here we have the symbols of the pre-existence and the sinlessness of Christ.

His eyes were as a flame of fire.

Daniel is always in John’s mind, and this is part of the description of the divine figure who brought the vision to Daniel. ‘His eyes like flaming torches’ (Daniel 10:6). When we read the gospel story, we get the impression that those who had once seen the eyes of Jesus could never forget them. Again and again, we have the vivid picture of his eyes sweeping round a circle of people (Mark 3:34, 10:23, 11:11); sometimes his eyes flashed in anger (Mark 3:5); sometimes they fastened on someone in love (Mark 10:21); and sometimes they had in them all the sorrow of someone whose friends had wounded him deeply (Luke 22:61).

His feet were like beaten brass, as if it had been refined by fire in a furnace.

The word translated as beaten brass is chalkolibanos. No one really knows what the metal is. Perhaps it was that fabled compound called electrum, which the ancients believed to be an alloy of gold and silver and more precious than either. Here again, it is the Old Testament which gives John his vision.
In Daniel, it is said of the divine messenger that ‘his arms and legs [were] like the gleam of burnished bronze’ (Daniel 10:6); in Ezekiel, it is said of the angelic beings that their feet ‘sparkled like burnished bronze’ (Ezekiel 1:7). It may be that we are to see two things in the picture. The brass stands for strength, for the steadfastness of God; and the shining rays stand for speed, for the swiftness of the feet of God to help his own or to punish sin.

His voice was as the sound of many waters.

This is the description of the voice of God in Ezekiel 43:2. But it may be that we can catch an echo of the little island of Patmos. As H. B. Swete has it in his book The Apocalypse of John: ‘The roar of the Aegean was in the ears of the seer.’ Swete goes on to say that the voice of God is not confined to one note. Here, it is like the thunder of the sea; but it can also be like a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12) or, as the Greek version of the Old Testament has it, like a gentle breeze. It can thunder a rebuke; and it can sing softly with the soothing comfort of a mother over her hurt child.

He had seven stars in his right hand.

Here again, we have something which was the prerogative of God alone. But there is also something lovely. When the seer fell in awed terror before the vision of the risen Christ, the Christ stretched out his right hand and placed it on him and told him not to be afraid. The hand of Christ is strong enough to uphold the heavens and gentle enough to wipe away our tears.

Barclay, W. (2004). The Revelation of John (3rd ed. fully rev. and updated., Vol. 1, pp. 56—58). Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press.

On this day...

• Consecration - 2009
• THE DISCIPLINE OF SPIRITUAL TENACITY - 2009
• Song of Solomon 5:2 - 2009
• The Noblest Weapon to Conquer With - 2009
• Proverb 18:21 - 2007
• Temporarily Ease Problems - 2007
• Ephesians 1:18 - 2007
• John 10:18 - 2007
• John 15:13 - 2007
• Hebrews 10:24-25 - 2007