"Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth." - Rev. 2:16
What is the meaning of this divine threat given to the Church of Pergamos? Some people don’t take it as a threat at all! They believe that this pictorial attribute of Jesus Christ is exclusively manifested spiritually during the Gentile Church Age.
“And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” - Luke 2:34-35
The sword-fighting of the Messiah certainly represents the zeal of our Lord to minister the word to everyone. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12). Of course, this is an act of divine love that should be welcomed by all men, even though it hurts the flesh to be reproved and corrected (Prov. 27:6, Ps. 141:5). Who could forget that our Lord “came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34; Jn. 7:7)? Every true Christian knows that “the sword of the Spirit” is the word of God (Eph. 6:17). Nevertheless, Christians need to consult the full counsel of God on this matter (Acts 20:27).
There seems to be something more to the vision, seeing that John was paralyzed with fear and forced into prostration at the sight of it: namely, that “out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword” (Rev. 1:16)! A message is being conveyed that everyone needs to understand (Rev. 2:12, 16). A similar threat was given to the Church of Sardis that clearly communicated imminent danger.
“Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a Thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” - Rev. 3:3
This is an alarming illustration! If a deity comes as a Thief, we can be sure that it is an unpleasant visitation. This is something that the Church of Sardis should avoid at all costs (Rev. 3:1-6). Apparently, this is something that all Christians should dread in the Last Days (Matt. 24:42-43, Lk. 12:39-40, 1 Thess. 5:1-5, 2 Pet. 3:10)! Why? This is the robbery of undying souls from their refuges of false security. A stormy tempest of divine wrath is coming (Matt. 7:24-27)! The same thing has been foretold for many generations (Jer. 23:19-20). Let the mockers of eschatology go and learn what this means: “prepare to meet thy God, O Israel” (Amos 4:12).
The Sword of the LORD is coming, and it’s not what you think (Hab. 1:5-10). You don’t want to be stabbed, cut, and hewn by this sword (Hos. 6:5)! If the Christ of God does brandish the sword before anyone in this respect, then you need to know that these people are being threatened with a terrible destruction. Our Lord does not say He will fight for the Church of Pergamos. No! Jesus Christ said, “I…will fight against them” (Rev. 2:16).This means that the Lord will not meet them as a Friend but as an Enemy (Isa. 63:10, Heb. 10:26-31, James 4:4)! If the sword is unsheathed, then our Lord intends to use it! This is the Sword of the LORD through Babylon (Ezek. 21:3-7, 30:22-25, 32:10-11, Jer. 12:12, 21:4-10, 47:6-7). This will come to pass through a new and improved Babylon in the near future (Rev. 14:8, 16:19, 17:5, 18:2, 10, 21). Are you ready to face it? The Prophets of old compelled the Jews to look beyond the visible presence of Babylon, as God said, "I, even I, am against thee" (Ezek. 5:8, 13:8), speaking on behalf of what God was doing to the backslidden Church through Babylon.
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