Muslim Brotherhood and the Two Swords
Recent news stories have been focusing on the Muslim Brotherhood. The symbol of the Muslim Brotherhood is the book of Allah (the Quran) between two swords. The swords symbolize jihad and the force that protects the words in "Allah's book."
When Christians criticize this symbol, Muslim clerics will reference Luke 22:36 and 38, "…and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one…Then they said, 'Lord, look, here are two swords.' And He said to them, 'It is enough.'"
We know that Jesus speaks in a figurative language. He makes spiritual applications out of physical things. He is not telling his followers to purchase physical swords. Paul states in Ephesians 6 that we are to put on the spiritual armor of God and fight against the rulers of the darkness of this age and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. We are to exchange our worldly garment (worldly way of living) for a spiritual garment (the ways of God).
Get Our Latest News for FREE
As mentioned in Ephesians 6, part of the armor is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. The Greek word used here is rhema. It means "That which is spoken." This sword literally means, "That which is spoken by the Spirit."
The other Greek word that is translated into English as "word" is logos. This word is used in John 1:1 and 1:14 in reference to Jesus as the Word of God. Logos means "A thing uttered, or expressed in words." Because of their similar meanings, both logos and rhema are translated into English as "word".
These swords stand for knowledge and understanding of the ways of God. They help believers develop within themselves the mind of Christ. These swords are not designed to strike terror into the hearts of disbelievers and to cut off the fingers and heads of unbelievers as written in the Quaran (Sura 8:12)
The two-edged sword mentioned in the description of the figure in Revelation 1 comes out of the mouth. Words come out of the mouth. These words are defined in Proverbs 2:6, "The Lord gives wisdom. Out of His mouth come knowledge and understanding."
To equate the swords of Islam with the two swords mentioned in Luke is a lack of knowledge and understanding of the ways of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the true way to eternal life with the Father. Christ is to peace and salvation as anti-Christ is to chaos and destruction.
Note: For more details on the two swords mentioned in Luke, read Chapter 1 of my book, Genesis 1 – The Design and Plan for the Kingdom of Heaven, or visit my website www.danacottrell.net.
