The Sword of Truth

2006-9-9 06:37:00

¹⁵And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

¹⁶And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword...
Revelation 19:15-16

What is the sharp sword and why does it come out of the mouth of Christ?

Because the sword is a symbol, not just of speech, or words, but the word of truth. There is nothing sharper and more penetrating than are words of truth communicated with such clarity that they cannot be resisted or confounded.

These words of truth, or eternal words, are spoken by disciples of the Master who share consciousness with him and thus the words of the disciple carry the same potency as the words of Christ.

Just as a powerful sword of a great warrior can overcome any foe, even so can words of truth, which convey true principles, destroy all the arguments of those in illusion to the confounding of all enemies.

...that with it he should smite the nations:

Whether the words are spoken by the Master himself or his servants it matters not, but when the time comes that such words are released, with freedom to circulate, then groups instead of a few individuals will be affected. Eventually entire nations will be reached and raised in consciousness. When this begins to happen great conflict will ensue. Some of this will be on the physical plane but the coming focus will be on the astral, or emotional plane, with some reaching into mind and reason.

Truth is never in conflict with itself but greatly disturbs illusion and from illusion and error arise many enemies to battle. These enemies only stand for a short moment for after the sun rises their arguments will dissipate as the morning dew.

...and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:

This almost sounds like the Master will rule with an iron fist as have many dictators of the past. Perhaps a misunderstanding of this scripture has inspired atrocities of the past such as the Conquistadors who fiercely ruled the American natives and Christian kings who ruled their people.

Will the gentle Christ or his servants rule with an iron fist then?

Not quite, but he will rule with a "rod of iron."

The rod of iron and the sharp sword are the same - after all a sword is a sharp rod of iron. This is a powerful way of telling us that in the coming age those with the Christ consciousness will rule with the force of truth rather than lies, illusion and fear.

A ruler or teacher speaking the truth in an atmosphere of freedom will have a much more powerful hold on the people than a tyrant ever will.

...and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

What is the symbolism of treading the winepress?

The regular winemaker of old pressed the grapes with his feet, which squeezed the juice into a lower trough to be made into a delicious wine. In this case the grapes, or fruit, are the people of the nations containing a strange mixture of good and evil people of all sorts. Such a mixture must be attacked with the sharp sword of truth and the attack must be with fierce and powerful feeling so as to cause the people to drink the wine or nectar of truth leading to peace on earth, goodwill to men.

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

First let us analyze the name which is, "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords."

Why is this name associated with a Christed one? The simple answer is that he rules with the sharp sword of truth and truth is the greatest authority in the universe. There is no king or Lord higher than truth. Therefore he who is infused with the Spirit of Truth is lord of lords and king of kings because he who knows only truth is the ultimate king and lord over his own universe.

He had a name written both on his vesture (clothing) as well as on his thigh. Why was it written two places?

The name on the clothing symbolizes recognition of the truth he teaches by the outer world and the name on the thigh represents recognition by the disciple himself that he is one with God and thus has access to all truth. The disciple and servant must see himself as an extension of the mind of God before others will give him any outward recognition.

True inner intelligence is always followed by the unfolding of the outer.

Here are the next verses to consider:

¹⁷And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

¹⁸That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

¹⁹And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
Revelation 19:17-19

The universal brotherhood of man is our most precious possession, what there is of it.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910), Following the Equator