Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.
Parallel translations
- WEB Repent therefore, or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth.
- KJV Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
- NKJV Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
- NASB Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.
- NLT Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Christ commands them to repent, or he will come and war against the false teachers with the sword of his mouth. It matters because unrepented compromise invites Christ's judgment.
Overview
The call to repentance is urgent, addressed especially to the church's toleration of error. The "sword of his mouth" recalls his judging word from verse 12. Christ's warning shows his determination to purify his people, whether through their repentance or his intervention.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- 2 Th 2:8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.
- Rev 1:16He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
- Rev 2:5Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
- Eph 6:17And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
- Rev 19:21And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse. And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
- Rev 19:15And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
- Isa 11:4but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.
- Isa 49:2He made My mouth like a sharp sword; He hid Me in the shadow of His hand. He made Me like a polished arrow; He hid Me in His quiver.
- Rev 2:12To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword.
- Acts 17:30–31Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.
- Rev 3:19Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.
- Rev 2:21–22Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.
- Rev 16:9And the people were scorched by intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues; yet they did not repent and give Him glory.
- Rev 22:7“Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Christ at the center
Revelation ends the story with the slain-yet-standing Lamb who is worthy, the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, the returning King who makes all things new and dwells with his people forever.
How Revelation 2:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.