# 3 - :letter To The Church At Pergamos Series

Letter # 3 - Letter to the Church at Pergamos

Revelation 2:12-13 – “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”

The Two-edged Sword

In this, the third letter, the Lord Jesus introduces Himself as the one who has the shard two-edged sword. This is one of the images seen in the vision as recorded in Rev.1:16.

The word of God is referred to as a two-edged sword in Heb.4:12-13 – “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

By one look at the above verse it’s clear that the Lord’s word convicts us of sin – not just sins of word or deed, but even sins at a deeper level that pertain to our thoughts and intentions or motives. No one on earth can know another person’s thoughts or intentions, but God does, and He convicts us of such sins through His word. The verse goes on to say that we will have to give account for all such sins to the Lord when He returns.

Again in Ephesians 6:17 we see the word of God being referred to as a sword, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God;”

WORDS OF COMMENDATION

I know your works

The Lord begins, as always, by commending this church for their works, referring to their faith in Him and the corresponding obedience to His word in the way they live their lives.

Where you dwell, where Satan has his throne

Jesus goes on to say in the same breath that He’s aware of where they live – a place, “where Satan’s throne is.” Perhaps this city, which was the capital city of Asia Minor was known for its Satanic practices, apart from its worship of many so-called gods. This would mean then, that the church would have been suffering persecution on account of its faith in the Lord Jesus, especially since faith in one true God (as opposed to their many gods), was both believed and preached, and because people believed in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead – a belief that no faith in the world claimed or claims even today. Notice the words, “Where Satan’s throne is,” meaning that this was the place from which Satan seemed to rule and carry out his schemes and plans. This was like his office set up as it were. More on this later.

You hold fast to My Name

Jesus goes on to commend them for holding fast to His name, despite all the persecution they must have been undergoing at the hands of Satan’s emissaries surrounding them. Sounds like some of the countries in our world today.

Did not deny my faith

When persecution comes, or sometimes, even the fear of persecution, some people tend to deny their faith in the Lord, just so they protect their lives, but not the church at Pergamos – they were firm in their faith in the Lord and did not deny His name despite their persecution.

In the days in which Antipas was My Faithful martyr who was killed among you

Jesus mentions the name of a faithful martyr called Antipas whom He refers to as His faithful martyr, who was martyred for his faith in Him, and He commends the church at Pergamos for their faith in Him, even during such perilous times.

Often persecution comes by way of killing followers of Jesus publicly, so as to instil fear in the hearts of other believers, and Jesus understands this, and therefore commends this church for not backing down in their faith and not being overcome by fear.

Where Satan dwells

Jesus adds another little detail concerning the place where Antipas was martyred – He calls it the place where Satan dwells. It appears that Pergamos was the place from which Satan both had his throne as well as his dwelling place. It seems like a work from home situation back in the day. There seems to have been no rest for the saints in Pergamos, who were under constant attack by the enemy – from his throne, and from his home.