Revelation: Jesus’ Two-Edged Sword

In Revelation 1:16, John continued to describe Jesus as he beheld Him in the vision: “And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword….”

This image of a “sharp two-edged sword” coming from the mouth of Christ may at first seem to represent some kind of brutal attack. However, Jesus loves the Church. Even when He brings painful correction to His people, He does so to help them, not to attack or to kill them. The concept of brutality has no place in the character of Christ, nor does it have a place in this text. Hence, it is essential to explore the Greek words used in this phrase more deeply to discover the purpose and function of this “sharp two-edged sword.”

First, the word “sharp” is a form of the Greek word oxus, which was used to describe sour wine, sour vinegar, or a medical solution used to anesthetize people experiencing severe pain. It could also include the meaning of bitter.

This is the same type of solution offered to Jesus when He hung on the Cross (see Mark 15:36). In daily life, this solution was also used regularly to cleanse disease and infection or to cleanse dirty wounds. It was given to people who were sick with fevers or stomach problems. The solution might have been bitter to the taste, but after attacking infection and disease, it produced a subsequent healing effect.

The word oxus can also carry the secondary meaning of sharp. Most trans­lations of this verse render this word as “sharp” because of its connection with Christ’s sword, but oxus is rarely trans­lated that way. The most common New Testament usage of this word suggests that it refers to the sanitizing effect of a medicinal cleanser; an astringent intended to attack infection and remove disease; or an anesthetizing wine given to patients who were suffering with excruciating pain. This was precisely the solution given to a patient to anesthetize and numb him before a painful surgical procedure.

The use of the word oxus in this text suggests that because compromise with the world was spreading like a disease in some of these Asia churches, Jesus was preparing to perform a radical and poten­tially painful procedure to remove it. The sword was therefore positioned and ready to slice into the Body of Christ to extricate the disease.

No matter how carefully or how slowly Jesus proceeds in correcting His Church, there is no way to avoid the painful effects of judgment against sin or erring leadership. Correction is always a painful procedure, and often it is bitter to the taste. But to reveal Jesus’ compas­sionate heart and His desire to alleviate His people’s pain during this ordeal, His sword is shown as carrying the anesthe­sia of the Holy Spirit to numb the pain of the procedure. The purpose of divine judgment is not to wound but to cleanse and heal the Church, restoring individu­als who would otherwise be destroyed because they are infected with disease that is ravaging them from within.

In Revelation 2:6 and 15, we read that the doctrine of the Nicolaitans was attempting to gain a foothold in the Asia churches. This doctrine had been resisted by the church of Ephesus (v. 6), but it was spreading very quickly in the church of Pergamum (v. 15).

Above: The Greek word for the sharp, “two-edged sword” that came out of Jesus’ mouth in John’s vision is rhomphaia—a long, two-edged blade that was slightly curved and so razor sharp that it could cut through most armor.

In Revelation 2:12, Jesus addressed the church of Pergamum with a two-edged sword in His mouth, which implies He was coming to extract this spiritual disease before the church became entirely infected with it. However, Jesus also came with a merciful application of spiritual anesthetic to ease the pain of the procedure and to apply what was needed to bring healing once the extraction was complete.

The instrument of removal was the “two-edged sword.” It is significant to note that this sword proceeded from Jesus’ mouth — or from His words. The words of Jesus contain sanitizing characteris­tics that purge and purify, as described in Ephesians 5:25-27 regarding His loving relationship with the Church:

…Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the wash­ing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

But these words that proceed from the mouth of the exalted Christ not only purify — they also purge or extract by cutting or severing, as would a sword. We find this description of the Word operat­ing as a sword in Hebrews 4:12. The text defines the specific and intricate cutting or dividing that is accomplished by the sword, or the word, of the Lord:

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged 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.

The use of the word “two-edged” sword is significant in this passage because it indicates the serious intent of the one who wields it and the severity of the cut such a sword inflicts. The Greek word for a “two-edged sword” is the word rhom­phaia, which describes one of the most fearsome weapons of the ancient world.

Romans had a sundry of swords, but no sword was more feared than the rhomphaia. This was a sword that had been developed by Thracians, who were among the most aggressive fighters of the First Century. Thracian fighters used many weapons, which included a sword like that of the Romans, a sickle, a polearm, and a rhomphaia—the same word that is trans­lated as a “two-edged sword” coming from Christ’s mouth in Revelation 1:16.

The rhomphaia was a long-bladed weapon attached to a long pole. Its extraordinary length gave a fighter supe­rior striking power so that, if needed, it could replace the spear. A fighter with a rhomphaia was able to deal a deadly, slicing blow to an enemy with a wide swing from a relatively safe distance, and its two-edged blade was so razor sharp that it could cut through most armor.

Above: The rhomphaia was an effective weapon when a soldier needed to thrash or hack his way through a densely populated enemy line. Romans dreaded this two-edged sword, even adapting their armor with new mountings to protect themselves from its lethal slicing motion.

The blade of a rhomphaia was usu­ally slightly curved and therefore ideal for thrashing, slicing, and hacking one’s way through a densely populated enemy line. Its iron blade was sharpened on both sides to give it the most superior cutting action. If the slender curve of the blade was wrapped around an opponent’s mid­section and pulled, this sword could easily slice an enemy’s body in half. Romans dreaded this weapon so much that they adapted their armor with new mountings to protect themselves from the slicing and hacking motion of the rhomphaia.

When needed, the outer rounded edge of this sword was ideal for decapitation, which is a very important point I return to when we study Jesus’ message to the church of Pergamum in Volume Two, No Room For Compromise. As you will see in that discussion, the Roman proconsul who ruled from Per­gamum had the privilege to decide who lived and who died. If he ruled against a person and gave the order for some­one to be executed, the victim would be decapitated by the outer rounded edge of a rhomphaia.

It is interesting that this is the same word used in Luke 2:34,35 when Simeon came into the temple in Jerusalem at the time of the infant Jesus’ dedication: “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 [rhomphaia] shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” The word rhomphaia in verse 35 gives us a graphic picture of the pain Mary would feel as she beheld her Son on the Cross and saw the agony He was suffering for the sins of mankind. That hideous sight would “tear up” Mary’s soul as surely as a two-edged sword can rip through a human body.

With all this in mind, let’s consider Revelation 1:16, where John saw the exalted Christ with a rhomphaia pro­ceeding from His mouth. Since Jesus was preparing to address these seven churches in Asia, the image of the two-edged sword suggests that there were hostile opponents in those churches who were resisting God and His Word.

In this chapter, Jesus is portrayed as King and the Great High Priest who inter­cedes for the Church. But He doesn’t leave correction to happenstance. Taking one purposeful step at a time with His feet of brass, Jesus moved in the direction of the seven churches. He moved slowly enough to give the churches time to repent, but He kept moving in their direction to bring correction if they did not repent. Those who refused to hear what the Holy Spirit was saying to the churches would soon learn that Jesus will act in mercy and compassion to attack spiritual disease and cleanse it from the Church. Christ loves the Church so much that, if necessary, He will remove those who resist Him and eradicate any false doctrine or worldly compromise that has spread like a disease so His churches can once again be healthy.