And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
The speaker is Christ addressing the church in Pergamos as the one who has the sharp sword with two edges. The verse is part of Jesus's last testimony to John, given as one message after another under the command to write the things seen and present and future, standing in a series with the messages to Ephesus, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. As one of the messages to the churches in Asia, it portrays conditions existing in the churches of the religious world today, with the name Pergamos symbolizing the Christian church in a distinct period of the Christian era, the number seven indicating completeness to show the messages extend to the end of time and remain in force today, and the figures used symbolizing the condition of God's professed people. Its setting is where Satan dwells, yet faithful people hold to Christ's name and faith, while false testimony by false professors claiming to be Jews can lead to the righteous being killed for the truth.
It depicts wheat developing among tares, with truth standing on its own eternal basis in contrast with error. Christ's weighing of character in the message shows every individual is under His supervision, He knows the thoughts and intents of the heart as well as every word and act and each person's religious experience and whom each loves and serves, which calls for close self-examination. Together with the first three chapters of Revelation, it gives an earnest warning to prepare to meet the Lord coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, confronts indifference to the signs He foretold, and gives evidence that the end of the world is right upon us.
It carries a call to heed the messages to the churches and to understand what it means to lose first love. It means little faith must give way to seeking the Lord with all the heart, showing due respect for those who have borne the burden in the heat of the day for their works' sake, loving God supremely and neighbor as self, and humbling the heart before God. When this is done, truth prospers in the hands of God's people and goes forth as a burning lamp, and God sees it is safe to work with and for them.
The speaker is Christ addressing the church in Pergamos as the one who has the sharp sword with two edges. The verse is part of Jesus's last testimony to John, given as one message after another under the command to write the things seen and present and future, standing in a series with the messages to Ephesus, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. As one of the messages to the churches in Asia, it portrays conditions existing in the churches of the religious world today, with the name Pergamos symbolizing the Christian church in a distinct period of the Christian era, the number seven indicating completeness to show the messages extend to the end of time and remain in force today, and the figures used symbolizing the condition of God's professed people. Its setting is where Satan dwells, yet faithful people hold to Christ's name and faith, while false testimony by false professors claiming to be Jews can lead to the righteous being killed for the truth.
It depicts wheat developing among tares, with truth standing on its own eternal basis in contrast with error. Christ's weighing of character in the message shows every individual is under His supervision, He knows the thoughts and intents of the heart as well as every word and act and each person's religious experience and whom each loves and serves, which calls for close self-examination. Together with the first three chapters of Revelation, it gives an earnest warning to prepare to meet the Lord coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, confronts indifference to the signs He foretold, and gives evidence that the end of the world is right upon us.
It carries a call to heed the messages to the churches and to understand what it means to lose first love. It means little faith must give way to seeking the Lord with all the heart, showing due respect for those who have borne the burden in the heat of the day for their works' sake, loving God supremely and neighbor as self, and humbling the heart before God. When this is done, truth prospers in the hands of God's people and goes forth as a burning lamp, and God sees it is safe to work with and for them.