Revelation 2:16
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
The Lord pronounced these words of threat against the church in Pergamos. He was displeased with their lack of doctrinal and moral integrity. He reproved that church, saying, “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate” (vv. 14-15). Being plagued with the heinous sins of fornication and heresies, their immediate repentance was a great necessity.
Thus, the Lord required them to “repent”. Repentance is the first act of souls who return to God from sin. By repenting, they acknowledge that they have erred and that they are truly sorry for their errors. It also demonstrates their willingness to separate from their sins. They then thereby yield themselves to holy living and to pleasing their Saviour and Lord, which are the signs and first endeavours of truly repented hearts. Yet, some adamantly refuse to repent while some others hesitate to repent quickly, citing that they have both time and grace available to them to repent. Delaying repentance could further harden their hearts, and the wrath of the Lord will come upon them when they least expect it. It is utterly foolish to delay repentance, especially in the light of the Lord’s unmistakable warning: “I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them”!
The Lord’s words, “I will come unto thee quickly”, warn the unrepentant people of the church that He will come against them in imminent judgment to deal with them for their unabashed continuance in sin. It also denotes that He is all set to deal with them. It is a forgone conclusion that the Lord will deal with the unrepentant at the time of His choice. This is not a reference to the final judgment at the Lord’s return, but to a judgment that He will bring upon a disobedient church or people at any imminent moment that He decides. He says that He “will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” He will fight them with the double-edged sword that proceeds from His mouth. His Word will be against them. He will not only reprimand them, but will also by His Word announce and seal their eternal destiny.