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And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write,
“These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword.”
Revelation 2:12

This title calls to mind a terrifying vision of Christ that the Apostle John had of the Lord on the Isle of Patmos. Everything seemed on fire; His face and skin shone like the sun, and His feet glowed like molten brass. He had seven stars in His right hand, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword.

I’ve seen a number of paintings trying to depict this scene, and they are all spooky. Some almost have a comic book superhero quality about them. In the end, every human illustration is distracting, because it doesn’t paralyze the viewer in awe and fear.

To me, it doesn’t matter if this description of Christ is literal or figurative. Whatever John saw brought him to his knees in submission, and that was the desired effect. When Christ dictated the letter to the church in Pergamos, He told them it was from He Who Has the Sharp Two-edged Sword. The Lord was trying to invoke the same fear and trembling from a compromising Church. They were sacrificing to idols, committing sexual immorality, and allowing false doctrine in the church. The Lord was not happy.

The next time He Who Has the Sharp Two-edged Sword appears is in Revelation 19 when He is riding on a white horse with the host of heaven behind Him to make war on the Beast and His armies. Again, the sight of Him will bring terror to the hearts of the kings, captains, and mighty men that dare oppose Him.

This battle is in the future, not very long from right now, but the certainty of the outcome has already been written down for all to see. Not to faithfully fulfill this prophesy would make God a liar, and that’s not going to happen.

He who has an ear, let him hear what He Who Has the Sharp Two-edged sword says to the churches, “Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth” (Revelation 2:16).

 January 12 

For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one,
for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.
Hebrews 2:11

The one who sanctifies is a sanctifier. Common sense will tell you that, but common sense doesn’t tell you what a sanctifier does – He sets people apart for God’s service, makes them holy, and equips them for a holy work.

When the Apostle Paul gave instructions to his disciple Titus, he told him that Christ “gave Himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14 KJV). Salvation wasn’t given just to get us out of hell and into heaven; it was also with the purpose of making us Christ-like.

In both the Old and New Testament, we’re told to be holy, because God is holy. The nation Israel couldn’t do it, nor can we without a Sanctifier. In the New Covenant, Christ puts God’s laws in our hearts and writes them on our minds (Hebrews 10:16). Holiness becomes the outward result of the Lord’s sanctifying work in our lives.

In Romans 12:1 and 2, Paul exhorts the saints (those sanctified former sinners) to become a living sacrifice. Serving Christ, then, is just a holy, acceptable, reasonable response to being saved. As we agree with God and do what He wants us to do, we’ll understand that God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect.

All around us, there are dysfunctional people with broken lives who desperately want to change. The problem is that many druggies and alcoholics spend years taking only twelve steps, instead of walking hand in hand with the Sanctifier.

 January 13 

Which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they
known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.
1 Corinthians 2:8

Lord, the title of power and dominion. Usually there is some kind of modifier that goes with it to clarify exactly what the Lord has authority over. If I were to say “my Lord,” I’d be talking about my boss, the one who tells me what to do and I do it. The phrase “Lord of lords” refers to the highest authority, the one who orders around all the rulers and very important people on earth.

So, then, the Lord of Glory is in charge of glory. He owns it. It’s His, and He reveals that glory to those who manage to get a glimpse of Him.

Romans 3:23 says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It’s no wonder, then, that so many people are clueless as to what glory actually means and show a surprising lack of curiosity to understand it.

The word conveys a sense of beauty, majesty, and splendor. Early Jewish rabbis coined the term “Shekinah” glory to explain the presence of God on earth. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and then to the children of Israel in the pillar of fire in the wilderness. The “Shekinah” was the supernatural light of God when He appeared. It illuminated the Ark of the covenant and filled both the Tabernacle and the Temple at their dedications. This special shekinah glory of God was reflected on Moses’ face and caused it to glow.

When Christ was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds “and the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Luke 2:9). It was terrifying and beautiful at the same time.

Heaven doesn’t have night, dark alleys, or shadows. “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light” (Revelation 21:23). That makes total sense. After all, Jesus is the Lord of Glory.

 January 14