HAIRS … LIKE WOOL … AS WHITE AS SNOW

From the Lord’s clothing, John’s eyes turn to focus upon His head. We rarely use much else to recognize individuals other than their face or head, sometimes their voice or a characteris­tic action but ultimately it is their facial features that confirm who it is.

John would have easily recognized the Lord of course and he would know the sound of His voice, but he does not respond immediately with any note of recognition. The One that he sees before him is one like unto the Son of man whose face is like ‘the sun’ shining in its dazzling brilliance! I feel the familiar ‘touch’ and comforting words, ‘Do not be afraid,’ would come with a welcome confirming assurance to him as to who this glorious Person was. The ascension scene may well have flashed across his memory. Then, He was ‘received up in glory’ and the word to them was, ‘This same Jesus … shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go’. Praise God, He is still the same Jesus and glory will never erase that!

The more vivid memory may well have been that of the transfiguration of which Peter says, ‘his majesty … honour and glory … when we were with him in the holy mount’. 2 Pet. 1. 16-18. This vision before John was of the same glory and whiteness of His figure that he saw then. The Lord had at that time linked the experience to His coming ‘in majesty and power in the kingdom’ and John cannot have failed to see this scene as firmly linked with that coming.

It is ‘his head and his hairs’ that we focus on now. The head always denotes ‘sovereignty’ and ‘authority’, whereas the hairs, so white, convey maturity and wisdom. Nothing here to do with increasing frailty, as in our ageing! Comparing His hair to ‘wool’ speaks of vigour in thick, soft, fine texture, and ‘as snow’, the purity of intense holiness.

With quickened hearts today, we too embrace the ‘glory’ of our Saviour afresh, and joy to know that the hands in which are the reins of future rule over the earth, are His hands. He it is who also walks among the lampstands of testimony and with every confidence we will trust in Him.