To the Church of Pergamum
In this series on the Seven Churches of Revelation, we have examined the Church in Ephesus and the Church in Smyrna. Today we will look at the Church in Pergamum and not only how our Church compares to it, but also how we as individual Christians compare to the Christians in Pergamum.
Let’s read:
Rev 2:12-17
12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
13 I know where you live-- where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city-- where Satan lives.
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
15 Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
(NIV)
The city of Pergamum was located north of Ephesus and Smyrna and about 15 miles inland from the Aegean Sea. It has been estimated that Pergamum had a population of more than 160,000. Pergamum was the cultural, religious and intellectual center of the region with a university that had a library of about 200,000 handwritten volumes. There were four major pagan temples located there: the temples to Athena (the goddess of wisdom and the arts), Asclepisis (the god of medicine, whose insignia was the entwined serpent on a staff, which is still the medical symbol today), Dionysus (the god of wine and orgy), and Zeus (ruler of the heavens and father of other gods).
Let’s look at the message for the Church at Pergamum.
Rev 2:
12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
Christ is representing Himself to the pastor of the church in Pergamum as one who has the authority to judge.
In:
Heb 4:12-13
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
(NIV)
Christ is saying that He sees everything that we do. He knows our hearts and our thoughts. We will one day have to give account of our actions, attitudes and thoughts to the One who has the power to divide soul and spirit. If we think that we can get away with anything without God knowing it, then we are deceiving ourselves. God is all knowing. He knows us better than we know ourselves.
The Commendation:
Rev 2:
13 I know where you live-- where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city-- where Satan lives.
Christ is commending the Christians for not renouncing their faith, even though they lived in a city controlled by Satan. Sin abounds all around them. Some of them like Antipas even lost their lives, because they refused to renounce their faith in God. This is even happening today all over the world. Christians are being murdered because they will not give up their faith in God. This is happening in Pakistan, Sudan and most of the Arab and Islamic nations. Sometimes as Christians here in the United States we say that we are not being persecuted, but all Christians make up the Body of Christ. When any Christian is being persecuted then the whole Body of Christ is being persecuted. We are all one body and we need to start praying for and supporting the other parts of the Body of Christ. Christ had a short commendation for the Church in Pergamum. Let’s look and find out why.
The Condemnation:
Rev 2:
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
15 Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Do you remember the story of Balaam and Balak in Numbers 22-25? Balak was king of Moab and he was afraid that the Israelites (who had just came out of Egypt) would attack and kill all of them. Balak sent for Balaam the prophet to place a curse upon the Israelites so that he could destroy the Israelites. God told Balaam not to curse the Israelites, but to say the words of blessings that God gave him. Since Balaam could not curse the Israelites, he taught Balak how to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. If you can’t outwardly defeat them, then inwardly infiltrate them and tear down their moral foundation. President Keruchev of Russia in the 1960’s made the statement that he did not need to attack the United States. All Russia needed to do was to sit back and wait for the moral foundation of the United States to crumble, and then Russia would be able to take over the US without firing a shot. Is this happening to us today? Our Christian principles and morals are being attacked everyday in this country. Will it be our downfall? The Moab women enticed the men of Israel to commit immoral sexual acts and to make sacrifices to their gods. The men of Israel ate and bowed down before these gods. God told Moses to kill all the leaders of Israel who have joined in worshipping Baal. As a result of this idolatry and fornication, which was caused by compromise, 24,000 Israelites died. Therefore, we find the doctrine of Balaam was a lowering of the standard of separation God expects from His people and a compromise with the world.
Christ also condemned the church for allowing some to hold to the teachings of the Nicolaitans. In the first sermon on the church of Ephesus we learned that the Nicolaitans were a sect of the Gnostic, who taught impure doctrines and followed impure practices. They were thought to have derived their origin from Nicolas, one of the seven deacons mentioned in Acts 6:5. The Nicolaitanes taught community of wives, that adultery and fornication were things indifferent, that eating meats offered to idols was quite lawful; and mixed several pagan rites with the Christian ceremonies.
Do we have the same problems in our churches today? Since September 11, I have heard and seen even religious leaders accept other religions as worshipping the same God that we worship. I have seen our government hold prayer services where religious leaders of other faiths were invited to pray to their gods as we prayed to our true God. I have read where the Catholic Pope on January 24, called all the religious leaders together to pray for peace. The Pope commented that they were all praying to the same god. Well, that isn’t the God that we worship. Jesus tells us that no one comes unto the Father except through Him (Jesus Christ). This is the same thing that some of the Christians of the church of Pergamum were doing. They were participating in the religious ceremonies of the Moabites. We as Christians cannot compromise our divine doctrine just to be politically correct and not to offend anyone. Jesus made it a habit to offend the Pharisees and Sadducees and we should also speak the truth from the pulpit concerning false religions.
Just as it was in the day of the church of Pergamum, Christians today are not only indifferent to adultery and fornication, but also many Christians are involved in it. With the privacy of the Internet, many Christians are viewing pornography and have become addicted to it. We are allowing the media and schools to teach our children that homosexuality and fortification is acceptable. Christians should be outraged over this, but are we? Are we doing everything in our power to stop this moral decline? Or are we like the church in Pergamum just sitting back and doing nothing. If we are looking for God’s blessings instead of God’s curses, then we had better turn from our complacency and strive to live righteous lives. Being saved by Grace doesn’t give us a license to sin. We all should read and study the book of Romans to learn what being saved by Grace really means.
The Command:
Rev 2:
16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
We will all stand before the Lord to give an account of our lives. What will you say to Christ when He asks "why were you involved in pornography?" or "why did you not speak out to others concerning false religions?" or "why didn’t you tell your neighbor about me?" We need to repent of any sin that we have in our lives. I don’t believe that just asking God to forgive me of my sins is enough. I believe that we need to be specific when asking for forgiveness. God knows our sins, but He wants us to realize what sins we have in our lives. When one of my children said "Daddy, I’m sorry." I would respond with "Sorry for what?" I wanted to be sure that my children knew exactly what they did wrong, so that they wouldn’t make the same mistake. I think God feels the same way.
The Reward:
Rev 2:
17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
Jesus is warning us to listen to what He is saying to the churches, because it also applies to us today. If we overcome our transgressions, Christ will give us life. The manna that God gave to the Israelites while in the dessert sustained them. It provided the nourishment needed to sustain life. Some of that manna was placed in a golden pot and put into the Ark of the Covenant as a memorial of God’s gracious provisions for Israel in the wilderness. The hidden manna may be spiritual nourishment to keep us going on the straight and narrow until we eat of the bread of life.
Look at:
John 6:57-58
57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."
(NIV)
Jesus is promising eternal life to those who overcomes. Jesus will also give us a white stone with a new name written on it. White and black stones were used in ancient courts of justice when a vote was taken as to the quilt of an accused person. Satan is constantly accusing us to the Father of our sins, but Jesus has cast a white stone showing that we have been acquitted of all guilt of sin, by the blood of Jesus Christ. We have been declared innocent and given a new heavenly name.
If you have unconfessed sin in your life, then come today and tell God what that sin is and ask for forgiveness. If you have been compromising and trying to have the best of both worlds, then you need to repent and let God know that you will stand and take up your cross and follow Christ.
With all that Christ has promised why do people continue to deny Him? If you are tonight and don’t know this Jesus that we have been talking about, then you need to meet Him. Even though He died on a cross 2000 years ago, He lives today and wants you to call on His name. You may think no one loves you, but there is one that does. Jesus loves you so much that He unjustly suffered and died on a wooded cross so that He could take your sins on himself. He lived a perfect life, but He was willing to take on your and my sins. Because God raised Him on the third day, He lives in heaven with our Father. He wants you to have eternal life, but it is a choice that you have to make. Christ all ready paid the price, but you have to accept the ticket to heaven. It isn’t by chance that you are here today. You are hear because God want you to accept His son Jesus has you Savior and Lord. Just ask for forgiveness of your sins and Jesus will help you with the rest. Come now and meet this Jesus that loves you so much that He suffered on that cross for you.
