“And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And He said unto them, It is enough” Luke 22:38.
Why? Why would Christ permit, even sanction the carrying forth of two swords from the Garden to meet Judas and the others, knowing full well what was going to happen? Why permit Peter to cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest, and then perform a miracle in restoring the same. Was he only trying to straighten out Simon’s mess, or was there a Divine Purpose for the entire episode?
We observe the scene in Gethsemane: The band of men and officers followed Judas. They came with lanterns, torches, and weapons: they followed not his Light, but brought their own. They came, not to worship, but to seize Him, to accuse him, to crucify Him. They fell, not forward at His feet, but backward: a “falling away,” apostates so they were. Great was their falling: they fell to the ground when Jesus identified Himself: “I Am!”
A comparison of John 18 with Romans 11. The cutting off of Malchus’ ear is very timely: the final rejection of Messiah, His being “cut off” (Dan. 9:26,) now the “cutting off” of Israel as a nation, that the Gentiles might be graffed in. The touching, healing, restoring of Malchus’ ear portrays the yet future grafting of Israel into Christ the Branch; their “hearing” symbolically “cut off” shall be restored. “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off. . .”Dan. 9:26. This scripture now fulfilled in his being taken, tried, crucified: a final rejection. Likewise, the rejecting Jews find themselves rejected; cut off.
Let the comparison of scripture speak for itself!
| vs.3 “cometh thither with torches and lanterns" | vs. 8 “God hath given them [Israel] the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see." |
| vs.8 “Simon Peter having a sword...smote the high priest’s servant...cut off his right ear.” | vs.8 ”and ears that they should not hear...” |
| vs. 6 “they went backward and fell to the ground.” | “vs. 11 “have they stumbled that they should fall?”” vs. 15 “the casting away of them” vs. 17 “branches...broken off” vs. 20 “because of unbelief they were broken off” |
| Luke 22:51 “Jesus...touched his ear, and healed him.” | vs. 24 “These...the natural branches..” graffed into their own olive tree” |
| vs. 11 “Put up thy sword into the sheath." | vs. 26 “Israel shall be saved”; vs. 27 “My covenant with them...I shall take away their sins.”; vs. 31 “they...obtain mercy.” |
And still, there is a second sword, as yet remaining in its sheath. For what purpose was it brought forth?
“And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw my sword out of his sheath. . .that all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath; it shall not return anymore. . .it shall be upon my people. . .it shall be upon all the princes of Israel.” Ezek. 21:3,5,12.
“Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity. And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee. . .and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the Lord have spoken it” Ezek. 21:30-32.
“I will slay the last of them with the sword. . .shall not flee away. . .shall not be delivered. . . thence shall my hand take them. . .I will bring them down. . .I will search and take them. . .thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them. Behold the eyes of the Lord are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.” Amos 9.
The second sword then, is that one not yet drawn from its sheath: it is that sword reserved for Apostate Israel. Having turned from the Messiah, their final act of apostasy will be that of receiving the antichrist. “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” John 5:43. And if he, antichrist, be received, likewise will be his mark: he shall enter the temple as a christ; sacrifices and oblations shall cease as these apostates willingly cast aside Mosaic laws and ancient tradition in favor of another christ; one who they suppose will fulfill the scripture in making them the great and wealthy nation of which they seek.
Copyright 2007, by Darius Stewart
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