A CURIOUS WAY TO WIELD A SWORD
In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. Rev. 1:16, R.S.V.
Who ever heard of a great warrior holding his sword in his mouth? If one is going to smite his enemies properly with such a razor-sharp weapon, he holds it in his strong and agile hand. That's how all sword fighters do it.
But the apostle John doesn't miss any details when he records what he saw in vision there on the Isle of Patmos. The weapon wielded by our victorious Lord is most assuredly seen as issuing from His mouth, because it is the sword of truth. Our God vanquishes the enemy with well-established truth, not with superior force.
I can recall artists' conceptions, probably inspired by evangelists' descriptions, of the battle of Armageddon--that great final showdown between Christ and Satan. They vividly portrayed military tanks, rockets, and large guns. Today's technology would have suggested laser beams and well-placed nuclear warheads. But in either case the nature of the battle was seen as essentially force against force, with the winner having the best weapons and shrewdest strategies.
There are a number of religious persuasions today that are expecting a time of great trouble ahead, and their adherents are preparing for it much as many Americans in the late 1950s prepared for nuclear fallout. They are stashing food supplies, water, guns, and gold or silver for bartering. Some are preparing remote places in which to hide from the weapons that will stalk the land.
Though we can hardly expect an era of peace and tranquility ahead, such end-time scenarios detract us from the real preparation we must be making. That is the preparation of one's mind to discern truth from error. For Satan never has posed a military threat to the government of this universe. He is "the deceiver of the whole world" (Rev. 12:9, R.S.V.), who speaks words "against the most High" (Dan. 7:25) and whose reign of terror shall end only when " 'knowledge shall increase' " (chap. 12:4, R.S.V.).
How fitting it is that in the great prophecies of Daniel 7 and 8 the final showdown that at last delivers the eternal kingdom to Christ and His saints happens in a courtroom rather than on a battlefield. A courtroom is where issues are weighed, where swords of words, not of steel, are used to expose error.
In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. Rev. 1:16, R.S.V.
Who ever heard of a great warrior holding his sword in his mouth? If one is going to smite his enemies properly with such a razor-sharp weapon, he holds it in his strong and agile hand. That's how all sword fighters do it.
But the apostle John doesn't miss any details when he records what he saw in vision there on the Isle of Patmos. The weapon wielded by our victorious Lord is most assuredly seen as issuing from His mouth, because it is the sword of truth. Our God vanquishes the enemy with well-established truth, not with superior force.
I can recall artists' conceptions, probably inspired by evangelists' descriptions, of the battle of Armageddon--that great final showdown between Christ and Satan. They vividly portrayed military tanks, rockets, and large guns. Today's technology would have suggested laser beams and well-placed nuclear warheads. But in either case the nature of the battle was seen as essentially force against force, with the winner having the best weapons and shrewdest strategies.
There are a number of religious persuasions today that are expecting a time of great trouble ahead, and their adherents are preparing for it much as many Americans in the late 1950s prepared for nuclear fallout. They are stashing food supplies, water, guns, and gold or silver for bartering. Some are preparing remote places in which to hide from the weapons that will stalk the land.
Though we can hardly expect an era of peace and tranquility ahead, such end-time scenarios detract us from the real preparation we must be making. That is the preparation of one's mind to discern truth from error. For Satan never has posed a military threat to the government of this universe. He is "the deceiver of the whole world" (Rev. 12:9, R.S.V.), who speaks words "against the most High" (Dan. 7:25) and whose reign of terror shall end only when " 'knowledge shall increase' " (chap. 12:4, R.S.V.).
How fitting it is that in the great prophecies of Daniel 7 and 8 the final showdown that at last delivers the eternal kingdom to Christ and His saints happens in a courtroom rather than on a battlefield. A courtroom is where issues are weighed, where swords of words, not of steel, are used to expose error.
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