In Revelation 1:14, John records that Jesus’ head and hair were white like wool – an allegory for His purity and righteousness.
This parallels Daniel 7:9’s description of the Ancient of Days; His clothing and hair symbolize his eternity and holiness.
Purity
Wool, with its naturally white hue and long history of associations with purity and righteousness in religion and society, has long been revered as a sign of goodness. Priests wore it as an outward sign of their righteousness – drawing parallels with Old Testament passages – so the imagery used here reinforces God as someone worthy of worship and reverence.
Daniel saw in this vision of the Ancient of Days his clothes and hair were as white as snow, symbolizing purity and cleanliness. Daniel noted this figure was described as being “venerable in age,” translating to eternal in English – emphasizing its divine nature further. Additionally, this image symbolized his authority as Lord over all creation.
The Ancient of Days could be seen seated upon a throne with thousands upon thousands of attendants who are likely angels. His throne served as a symbolic representation of divine power and authority, set upon fire wheels often associated with judgment. Thus his throne symbolizes His eternal nature while simultaneously representing His dominion over all creation.
Jesus’s resemblance to wool remains significant to Christians today, as it symbolizes purity and holiness. This symbolism encourages us to live a life free of sin while remaining firm in our faith – while also reminding us that He fulfilled Old Testament prophecies through Christ’s existence.
Faithful people to the Lord will find him to be both generous and reliable in protecting them from harm, offering peace in his place. Additionally, Psalmist stressed how the King is always watching over those who do righteous deeds; He will punish those who commit wrongdoing while rewarding those who act justly.
At His transfiguration, Jesus shone like the sun while wearing white garments that symbolized light. Unlike wool clothing which could refer to facial color rather than illumination of His face.
Holiness
Holiness is one of God’s hallmarks, signifying his perfect purity and moral goodness. Holiness should serve as the standard against which all other aspects of our lives should be judged, including relationships, actions taken towards others and beliefs about Him.
In Revelation 1:14, Jesus is described by Scripture as being holy – this term not being an adjective to describe his physical appearance, but more so to convey his divine nature and authority, while at the same time emphasizing his eternality and unchanging nature.
Being holy means being set apart for God’s use and purpose in the universe. Holiness is a spiritual quality that defines who we are as followers of Christ and is committed to upholding values such as love, forgiveness and mercy in daily living. Holiness also involves being unselfish and serving those in need.
In the Old Testament, “holy” meant both ceremonial and ethical sanctification. For instance, priests were considered holy because they were dedicated to serve God while Israel was considered sacred because it had been set aside by Him solely for His purpose (Leviticus 19:6) and used by Him (Leviticus 19:30). Israel called on its citizens to emulate its Godly ideal of moral holiness as its nationhood began (Leviticus 19:30). As for ethical sanctification modeled on Divine perfection by God’s ideal of ethical purity that Jewish people sought to imitate his perfection (Leviticus 19:30).
Jesus was depicted with white hair and eyes like flames in Revelation 1:14, symbolizing that He is completely pure and eternal, filling a moral space not seen anywhere else in creation. Understanding this concept of holiness allows one to better appreciate His power and divinity.
The Bible describes other physical characteristics of Jesus that serve to highlight his divine attributes and role as Messiah, such as feet made of bronze glistening in a furnace and his voice echoing like many rivers. While all these descriptions serve to symbolize Christ’s divinity and his role as Messiah, one particular description that stands out is when his head and hair were described as white like wool – this conveying purity, eternity and the fact that God gave his only begotten Son the same divine nature as Himself.
Authority
Bible writers frequently employ language that communicates power and authority when depicting God, such as using terms like white snow for clothing and woolen locks for hair. Such symbolic language reflects his divine nature while encouraging us to reverence him with reverence, reverence that draws out righteousness and faithfulness from us as followers of Christ – Jesus being described as The Ancient of Days is just an example that highlights this fact that he remains unspoiled by sinful behavior!
Wool is often associated with purity and holiness in the Bible, as well as being used for clothing and fabric creation. John saw in Revelation 1:14 an image of Jesus resembling woolly locks when Jesus appeared before him, alluding to Daniel 7:9 where Daniel described God wearing white garments with hair that looked similar. This signified His eternality and power over everything around Him – with wool as its counterpart also representing eternity and powerlessness over life itself.
Another symbol of Lord’s majesty and authority are his eyes, which were described as flames of fire – representing his omniscience and ability to see everything around him. Additionally, the light surrounding his head was often described as being bright like the sun’s brightness; reflecting how great was His presence.
Revelation 1:14 recounts John’s reaction when he saw this powerful being for himself; Ezekiel and Daniel similarly experienced God’s glory first-hand and responded in such ways.
As some have attempted to interpret Jesus’ hair description as a reference to his race, the text clearly states that his head and hairs were white like wool – this wording used is equivalent in Hebrew and Koine Greek languages. Furthermore, this passage makes clear that its description of Jesus’ hair refers to purity and holiness rather than literal depictions of his appearance – therefore making sure not to introduce modern-day ethnic connotations into biblical texts.
Power
The Bible presents God as having great power, using many symbols to illustrate this theme, including Jesus having hair similar to wool (white). This association between white wool and purity symbolizes divine authority while calling forth reverence and awe from its readers (especially Jewish believers in particular). This imagery may have had special meaning for their audience who studied this passage from scripture.
The description of Jesus’ hair in Revelation 1:14 recalls Daniel 7:9’s depiction of the Ancient of Days as well as reinforcing that Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and promised Messiah. This highlights His power and divinity while further proving this point.
In Revelation 1:14, John witnesses a vision wherein Jesus wears garments “white as wool and snow,” an allusion to Daniel 7’s Ancient of Days who wears white garments with flame-like eyes that symbolize His omniscience; His feet were refined bronze from an iron furnace; and His voice like cascading waters.
John could have focused his description of Jesus’ appearance on many aspects, but chose instead to highlight his hair. This decision is significant given that every detail in Scripture carries significance, especially as John was writing Apocalypse which often uses symbols and poetic language such as phrases “hair was white like wool”. Therefore the phrase should be understood to refer to its color rather than texture.
Some have asserted that Jesus’ hair being white like sheep indicates His race; however, this claim is untrue as no mention is made in scripture about this aspect of His appearance.
