To Be One Means?
Revelation 2:12-17
Michael H. Koplitz
This letter to the church at Pergamum is just full of symbolism. Now that we have been examining the book of the Revelation, you were probably ready for me to say this. So let’s take a look at the symbolism in this short letter. First, he who has the doubled-edge sword is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have seen this imagery before. The double-edged sword is the word of God.
Pergamum is called the place where the throne of Satan is. Satan is truly alive in this city. Even in this time of persecutions and pagan worship practices, the church has endured. They are commended for their faith. A man by the name of Antipas is commended as being a faithful witness to Christ. The title of the faithful witness was used back in chapter one to describe Jesus to us. This tells us that Antipas was a saintly man who endured similar persecution as Christ did. Even though he was no longer with the church, he had a righteous place in Heaven with Christ. Those who follow God’s law without question, who do not leave the faith in trying times are promised by Christ that they will be with Him in Heaven.
Do you remember who Balaam was? His name is used quite prominently in this letter, along with the name Balak. Our Hebrew Scripture scholars will have clued into this symbolism as it was read this morning. The story of Balaam can be found in Numbers chapters 23, 24, and 25. As the Hebrews approached the territory of Moab, they gained a reputation of having their God on their side. The kingdoms of the Sinai and what is now Jordan feared Israel. Upon their approach, the king of Moab, Balak, instructed his high priest, Balaam, to go in front of Israel and to pronounce a curse on them. Not just any curse but one that would allow the Moab army to destroy Israel if Israel came into his lands.
Balaam traveled toward the Hebrews when the donkey he was traveling on stopped on the road. Balaam started to whip the donkey for not moving. After a bit, the donkey spoke to Balaam, telling him that an angel of the Lord was blocking the road. After the confrontation, Balaam did not curse Israel, but instead, he blessed them. Balak the King was outraged by this turn of events and sent his women with meats sacrificed to idols to lure the Hebrew men away from their God. He thought that by doing this, Israel might lose favor with their God. Balaam’s teaching was that of pagan idol worship where sexual immorality was considered a way of pleasing the Gods.
From this letter, we can see that the pagan worship of Asia Minor also included sexual immorality. There were some members of the church in Pergamum who were practicing this immorality.
The hidden manna that is spoken of in verse 17 references the messianic feast that will occur at the end of times that is on the day of judgment. The color white is the color of purity and is used extensively in Revelation. The new name that is engraved on the white stone is a reference to Isaiah 62:2 that when the Lord comes, all the righteous will be given a new name to distinguish them from those who are to learn about the wrath of God.
The Nicolaitans were followers of Nicholas, whom we meet back in the Book of Acts in chapter 5. The followers of Nicolas decided to alter their understanding of what the Gospel was about and were trying to influence some of the church members at Pergamum. Remember from last week, I mentioned four different heretical groups in Asia Minor at the end of the first century.
So what should have Pergamum and us learn from this letter? The Lord was saying that people who attended the worship at the church in Pergamum called themselves Christians, but they really weren’t Christians. Anyone can call themselves Christians. It is believed that approximately 70% of Americans call themselves Christians. However, only 40% of the population belongs to a church. Of that 40%, only 20% or so actually attend worship or church events.
Some churches, like ours here, have a higher percentage of members who do attend the worship times of the church. We have 159 members on our books, and this year we are averaging around 75 attendance on Sunday morning. That is 47% of our membership attends on Sunday morning. Where is the other 53%?
It is easy to say, “I am a Christian,” but it is difficult to really be a Christian. The church at Pergamum sat in Satan’s backyard. They must have had members who called themselves followers of the faith that really weren’t. Their actions would have determined this. That’s what the reference to Balaam is all about.
For those Hebrews in the desert to belong to God meant to act in a way different from the pagan tribes that surrounded them. The Lord didn’t tolerate those who decided to eat meat sacrificed to idols or engaged in sexual immorality. The Lord said to Pergamum and to us that He would not tolerate us doing the same things.
To be Christian means to follow Christian ethics and morality as best we can. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to make mistakes. After all, we aren’t perfect. But those of us who try as hard as we can to live by the double-edge sword from Jesus will find salvation and eternal life and blessing here in this world.
The Bible is our instruction manual for the life that God wants us to live. To call ourselves Christians means that we will follow the instruction manual as best as we can. We can not forsake the Bible as something that was written for people years ago. To do that would place us in the camp of Balaam. We need to heed the words and commandments of the Bible and live by them. Only then can we indeed call ourselves Christians with the assurance and hope of blessings in this life and a place in our Father’s house, that house not built by hands, eternal in the heavens.
