In Revelation 1 we see a vision of the glorious Christ in His heavenly ministry as the Son of Man, walking among the lampstands (the local churches), having an amazing appearance. He was clothed with a long garment reaching to the feet (He’s the High Priest), and He was girded about at the breast with a golden girdle (in love He cares for the churches).
Furthermore, His head and His hair were white as white wool and white snow. His eyes were like flames of fire, and His feet were like shining bronze. His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He had seven stars, and out of His mouth proceeded a two-edged sword. His face was shining. He is the First and the Last, the living One, having the keys of death and hades. Wow, what a Christ!
We have seen that He is cherishing the churches and the believers in His humanity, and He is lovingly nourishing them in His divinity (the golden girdle around the breast). We need to further see today that Christ as the Son of Man, the High Priest, takes care of the churches in His divinity with His divine love in order to nourish them.
Also, in this blog post we will see some of the aspects of what the glorious Christ is – His head and hair being white and His eyes being like flames of fire. The book of Revelation is not only deep, profound, and mysterious, but also many times misinterpreted.
We need to open to the Lord for His light to shine on us and reveal to us what is the meaning of all the items related to the glorious Christ that John saw.
Christ Takes Care of the Churches in His Divinity with His Divine Love
In His humanity, Christ as the Son of Man cherishes the churches and the saints, making them feel comfortable, happy, and open to Him. The goal of His cherishing in His humanity is so that He may nourish them in His divinity in love. In Rev. 1:13b we see that Christ has a golden girdle at His breasts – He takes a loving care of all the local churches in His divinity with His divine love in order to nourish them.
He nourishes us not only with Himself in the stage of His incarnation (His humanity and His God-man human living) and inclusion (His death and resurrection) but also with Himself in the stage of His intensification, so that we may grow and mature in the divine life to be His overcomers today!
Today the Lord is calling the overcomers, and we need to be those who answer the Lord’s call and overcome the dormant and dead state we are in. We need to overcome all things that are not according to His plan so that we may be up to His economy.
For this, Christ has intensified His organic salvation to produce the overcomers, those who accomplish His eternal economy and consummate this age. He does this by nourishing us in His divinity in love so that we may grow and mature in the divine life to be the overcomers that He needs and we aspire to become (as we see His need and the purpose of our human life).
Christ as the Son of Man is walking among the churches in order to know the condition of each church (Rev. 2:1, 7). He knows where we are, He knows our situation, and He walks with us both personally and corporately. As He walks with us, He speaks to us as the speaking Spirit. He knows our situation by walking with us and He trims us and adds the Spirit by speaking to us.
This is why we need to be in the local churches – it is here that we can participate in His move and it is here that we can enjoy His care. As He sees our situation, He speaks to us a word, and if we have an ear to hear what the Spirit is speaking to the churches, we will be trimmed and oil will be added to us for an intensified shining.
Christ’s Head and Hair are as White Wool, as Snow – He is Heavenly Ancient!
The Christ revealed to John in Rev. 1 is like no other, and we need the Lord to open our eyes that we may see this Christ and be infused with this Christ so that we may also be as intensified, invigorated, and vitalized as He is. In Rev. 1:14 Christ is depicted with His head and hair being white as white wool, as snow.
In Song of Songs 5:11 Christ’s hair is black, signifying His unfading and everlasting strength. White hair denotes ancient-ness – not oldness, but being ancient. It denotes experience, glory, durability, and holiness (see also Dan. 7:9; Job 15:10).
His head and hair are white as white wool (which issues from the nature of life) and snow (which comes from the heaven) – this means that Christ is ancient in His nature, He is not old, not stained by impurity or oldness, and He is both organic and heavenly.
Wow, what a Christ! He’s not “dyed white” but naturally white, ancient in His nature, and He comes not from earth but from heaven.
Christ’s Eyes are like Flaming Fire for Watching, Judging, and Infusing
In Rev. 1:14 we see that Christ’s eyes are like flaming fire. In the Gospels Christ has two eyes, but in the book of Revelation He has seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent into all the earth and the seven lamps of fire burning before God’s throne (see Rev. 5:6 and Dan. 10:6).
Just as we need an intensified light or lamp when we move in a dark place, so Christ needs the sevenfold intensified Spirit as His seven eyes to be the seven lamps of fire for His move and operation on earth. Footnote 3 on Rev. 1:14 in the Recovery Version Bible says,
In Song of Songs 5:12 the eyes of Christ are like doves. That is for the expression of His love. Here His eyes are like a flame of fire. This is for Him to observe and search that He may exercise judgement by enlightening. In this book His eyes are not two but seven (5:6). Seven is the number of completion in God’s move. Hence, Christ’s eyes in this book are for God’s operation. These seven eyes of His are the seven lamps of fire (cf. Dan. 10:6) burning before the throne, and the seven lamps are the seven Spirits of God (Rev. 4:5). The “fire burning” equals the “flame of fire” and is for observing and searching. The seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth (Rev. 5:6) also are for God’s move on the earth. Thus, the eyes of Christ in this book are the seven Spirits of God for God’s move and operation on earth today.
Christ’s eyes like a flame of fire are for watching, observing, searching, judging by enlightening, and infusing. On the one hand He is watching us and observing us, but on the other hand Christ is searching us, judging us by enlightening us, and He is infusing us with Himself. The purpose of Him looking at us, watching us, searching us, and judging us is so that He may infuse us with Himself.
In the book of Revelation, a book in which we see the fast paced move of God toward the consummation of this age and the bringing in of the next age, Christ as the seven Spirits is moving faster and faster to end this age and bring in the next age.
When we open to Him and ask Him to shine on us, Christ infuses us with Himself as such a One. As He looks at us, we will start moving one with Him in His move to end this age.This is the move of the consummation of the age of the church and the bringing in of the age of the kingdom. Just look at Him and turn your heart to Him, He will search you, judge you, and infuse you with Himself – and you will be one with Him in His move. Wherever He moves, you will move!
Also, His eyes as the flame of fire are judging us (see Rev. 7:9-10; Rev. 2:18; 19:11-12). Our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29), and fire is for the divine judgement (see 1 Cor. 3:13; Heb. 6:8; 10:27). The main significance of the Lord’s eyes being as a flame of fare is for His judgement – He takes possession of the earth by judging it!
It’s better for us to be judged by the Lord today under His intensified shining than to be judged later with the rest of the world! Under His shining today we can cooperate with Him and allow Him to remove by judging anything that doesn’t match His holy nature and His economy, so that He may both purify us and reconstitute us with His holy nature.
Lord Jesus, we turn to You as the sevenfold intensified Spirit with our spirit. Lord, we want to look to You and be infused by You for Your move today! You are moving toward the consummation of this age – infuse us with Yourself for Your move! Judge anything in us that doesn’t match Your holy nature. Infuse us with Yourself and make us one with You for Your move today. Lord, we are one with You in Your desire to end this age and bring in the age of the kingdom. Keep us looking in Your eyes to be judged by You and infused by You to be produced as Your overcomers in this age!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Andrew Yu’s speaking in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Revelation (pp. 104-106), as quoted in, in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Mending Ministry of John, week 4 / msg 4, The Vision of the Glorious Christ.
- Further reading: recommending ch. 14 in, The Mending Ministry of John. Also, Rev. 1:13-14 with footnotes in the Holy Bible Recovery Version.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Ancient One He is, yet fresher / Than the newly driven snow; / Eyes are as a flaming fire, / Feet as burnished brass aglow. / Tender eyes that gazed at Peter, / Now are as a burning flame; / And the voice that whispered, “Mary,“ / Many waters now became. (Hymns #1183)
# Come, O seven Spirits, come, / Thy recovery work be done! / Burn and search us thoroughly, / All the churches are for Thee. / Burn us, search us, / All the churches are for Thee! (Hymns #1122)
# The Spirit is a holy realm, / Divine and mystical; / We enter in and live by Him, / He is so practical. / Sevenfold intensified, / The Spirit’s final stage, / Will overcomers soon produce, / To consummate the age. (new song: the consummated Spirit)
# All hidden things that block my vision, / Rocks of self-ambition, pride; / Now expose and burn away, Lord / By Your look intensified. (new song: Lord Jesus, draw me)
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