“And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:…”
Now, Jesus turns to the church in Pergamos with a special message to them.
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write
Pergamum, 45 miles north of Smyrna, was an ancient and prominent city in western Asia Minor (Mysia area). Today, Bergama, Turkey, covers part of the ancient site below the ancient city’s acropolis. Pergamum was a beautiful city built on terraces.
In 3 B.C., Pergamum became the center of an independent kingdom for many centuries. Attalus III bequeathed his kingdom to the Romans, which became the province of Asia in 133 BC. Augustus constituted the province as a senatorial province.
King Eumenes II (197-159 B.C.) instituted a library of 200,000 volumes given as a gift from Anthony to Cleopatra, second only to the library in Alexandra (founded by Ptolemy Philadelphus). A famous sculpture school is located there. Its economic base was agriculture, silver, livestock breeding, wool, and parchment.
In the lower city, the Romans built a shrine to Asclepius, the Greek god of healing. It was a spa where both natural and supernatural healing occurred. In 29 B.C., they built the first temple of the imperial cult in Pergamum in honor of Augustus and Rome. Pergamum was the center of the cults of Zeus Soter, Asclepius Soter, and Athena Nicephorus, which all had temples there.
Pergamum had already persecuted Christians (Revelation 1:11; 2:12).
These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword
Jesus depicts Himself with a different title for each church. Each title is relevant to that church. The title for the Lord Jesus to Pergamum is one of a judge. Jesus judged His people when they engaged in evil. His truth will slay evil in the local church.
The Greek word for “sword” here refers to a Thracian sword of considerable size (Re 1:16; 2:12, 16; 19:15, 21), which may symbolize the Lord’s judicial utterances. Christ carries ultimate authority with His sword over Rome and her sword. This “sharp” sword will cut cleanly into Rome’s rule and the church’s fallacies; He will decisively deal with His adversaries.
Principle:
Jesus is a warrior ready to judge.
Application:
Jesus judges His church because He possesses ultimate authority. He will not allow His church to go sideways without disciplining it.
Hi, I came across an article and didn’t realize it was By Rick Renner. Anyway, he made some comments on the word “sharp” and I was wondering if he is correct. He says,
“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. ”
https://harrisonhouse.com/blog/rick-renner-revelation-the-two-edge-sword-of-jesus
There is more but I’ll stop here. Would be cool if it were true.
Donnie, since I am currently expounding Revelation to Telugu speakers, I would rather wait to answer after I come to this passage.
Donnie, ὀξύςa does not have any other meaning than sharp other than “swift.”