Rev 1:14  "His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;"

This part of the description of the Lord concerns the head.  The head is the control center of the body.  If something is messed up in the head, then the whole body will be messed up.  The head is also the glory of the body.  It is the most beautiful part of the body.  When a person gives a description of someone else the main part of their description is of the features of the head.  Thus the features of the head identify the person.  It is said of the Lord that his head and his hears were white like wool, as white as snow.  God's elect are called sheep in the scriptures.  When Christ came he came as the Lamb of God.  The wool of sheep in its natural state is oily, dirty and filthy.  In contrast the head and hairs of Jesus while likened unto wool are said to be as white as snow.  It takes a lot of cleansing to make the wool of sheep in their natural state to be clean and white.  Jesus came into this world, holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.  He was conceived with a righteous nature and he lived uprightly, his whole stay on earth.  Snow is about as white as white gets here on earth.  Prov. 16:31 "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness."  Jesus Christ is that crown of glory as he was altogether found in the way of righteousness.

"And his eyes were as a flame of fire."  The "flame" in the scriptures is associated with judgment as the following verses indicate:

           1.  Num. 21:28 "For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of Arnon."

           2.  Judg. 20:38 "Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city. 39 And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle. 40 But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven."

           3.  Ps. 106:18 "And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.

           4.     Is. 5:24 "Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25 Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still."

The Lord looks upon us in judgment as stated in Heb. 4:13 "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."  While he looks down in judgment upon us, yet we can take hope in the first time the "flame" appeared in the scriptures: Ex. 3:2 "And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed."  This verse pictures to us that the Lord suffered the flame of God's judgment on behalf of his people, yet he was not consumed by that judgment, yet our sins were consumed by it.

Rev 1:15  "And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters."

 The feet of the body are that part on which we walk.  Walk is associated in the scriptures with how we live our lives:

           1.  Rom. 13:13 "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying."

          2.  Gal. 5:16 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." 

          3.  Gal. 6:16 "And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God."

           4.  Eph. 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

           5.  Eph. 4:1 "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,"

           6.  Eph. 4:17 "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,"

           7.     Eph. 5:8 "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:"

Brass is associated in the scriptures with suffering and affliction:

           Judg. 16: 21  “But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.”

The brazen altar was the place where the sacrifices were made. 

The furnace in the scriptures is associated with judgment:

          1.  Gen. 19:28 "And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace."

           2.  Ex. 9:8 "And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt."

           3.  Ex. 19:18 "And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly."

           4.  Ps. 12:6 "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."

           5.  Is. 31:9 "And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem."

           6.  Ezek. 22:22 "As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you."

           7.     Dan. 3:6 "And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."

Thus we can conclude that Jesus suffered under the judgment of God afflictions both as he lived his life on earth and as he died on the cross to redeem his people from their sins.

 "And his voice was as the sound of many waters."  "Many waters" are associated in the scriptures with the nations of the world:

           1.  Num. 24:7 "He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted."

           2.  Ps. 29:3 "The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters."

           3.  Is. 17:13 "The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind."

           4.  Ezek. 43:2 "And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory."

           5.  Jer. 51:13 "O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness."

           6.  Rev. 17:1 "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:"

           7.     Rev. 19:6 "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."

There are many languages spoken throughout the world.  The Lord speaks to his people in every nation in their own languages.  His voice is on many waters!  The Lord doesn't have anything to learn and he doesn't have to learn new languages in order to communicate with his people.  Furthermore, he doesn't require us to learn a different language in order for us to communicate with him.

Rev 1:16  "And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."

The "right hand" in the scriptures is the position of honor:

           1.  Gen. 48:18 "And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head."

          2.  Ex. 15:6 "Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy."

          3.  Deu. 33:2 "And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them."

          4.  Ps. 16:8 "I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."

          5.  Ps. 16:11 "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

          6.  Ps. 45:9 "Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir."

          7.  Ps. 110:1 "A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."

          8.  Matt. 25:33 "And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:"

The seven stars are defined for us in v.20 as the angels of the seven churches.  The word, angel, means messenger.  The seven angels therefore are the seven messengers of the seven churches.  The elders or pastors are the chief messengers of the churches.  The honor that the elders or pastors have is the honor that the Lord gives them in making them elders or pastors.  He holds them in his right hand in the position of honor that he gives them.  There is nothing about them that they would receive honor above any other man, but God has honored them when he calls them to the office of elder or pastor and enables them to preach the glorious gospel of the grace of Christ.         

"And out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword."  A sword is an instrument of war.  It is used to destroy the enemy.  One that has two edges is a piercing instrument.  Instead of whacking off a body part it is used to pierce a vital organ.  The sword is sometimes used in the scriptures to indicate the word of God.  Notice the following examples:

           1.  Eph. 6:17 "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." 

           2.  Heb. 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged 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."

           3.     Lk. 2:35 "(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

 In Ref. 1 the word of God is referring to the scriptures.  And we are to take them as the one offensive weapon of the whole armor of God.  In Ref. 2 the word of God is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  In Ref. 3 the sword which pierces through the heart is the convicting word of God.  In our text the word is the spoken word of Jesus Christ.  It is said to be a sharp two-edge sword, i.e., a piercing sword.  In the mouth of Jesus it is a instrument of judgment and pierces to the conviction and condemnation of sin. 

 "And his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."  In the book of Malachi the Lord is called the Sun of Righteousness who arises with healing in his wings.  The sun is often used as a symbol of the law.  The sun shines with strength.  It would not be advisable to look at the sun directly for any length of time because it would blind you.  The Lord is the judge of all the earth and he judges perfectly and righteously.  Every sin and disobedience receives a just recompense of reward.  Therefore the Lord is perfect in judgment and there is no such thing as anyone ever getting away with anything before him.  But because he is the Sun of righteousness he has redeemed his people thru his righteous keeping of the law and because he was made to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5:21).