THE LETTER TO THE CHURCH AT PERGAMOS
Revelation 2:12-17
In the early part of the last century, an American ship was wrecked off the Sicily Isles near the coast of England. The sea had been calm and the weather clear, but the vessel was caught in a treacherous current that slowly lured it off its course. Before the captain and the crew realized what had happened, the ship had crashed into the rocks. (Source:Dr Alan Carr: Thesermonnotebook.com)
If we are not vigilant, the powerful currents of compromise can lead the church to a place of shipwreck. If we take our eyes off of Jesus and lose our focus, great danger awaits us.
Pergamos was a church that had many positive attributes, but there were some major problems within that assembly. Jesus confronted them concerning these issues, told them how to correct them and warned of the consequences they would face if they did not heed His warning.
Likewise, we are a church that has many positive attributes, but we must be alert, watchful and always on guard against the destructive force called compromise. Simply put, we must remain faithful to Jesus and not allow the things of this world to infiltrate this assembly. I would like to examine “The Letter To The Church At Pergamos” with the hopes of learning from their error.
- We will begin as we have with the prior two letters by considering:
THE RECIPIENTS OF THIS LETTER
v12 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write,
This letter was written to the Christians in the church at Pergamos. Pergamos (or Pergamum) means high tower or “citadel”. The city of Pergamos was built on a 1,000 foot hill about twenty miles from the Aegean Sea. It once served as the capital of the Roman province of Asia Minor. Pergamos was also the center of Greek culture and education, and it housed a 200,000-volume library. This was long before the days of the printing press, so the books in this library were hand written with ink on parchment. In fact, Pergamos is the word from which we get our English word “parchment”. Parchment is a writing material that is developed from animal skin; and it is believed that parchment was originally developed in Pergamos.
Pergamos was the first city in Asia to build a temple to Caesar and it became the center of Caesar worship. Once a year, every Roman citizen was required to walk into the temple, place a pinch of incense on an altar and say “Caesar is god.” Pergamos was also the center of four major cults; the people of that city worshipped Zeus, Dionysius, Athene, and their chief god was Asclepius. Asclepius’ symbol was a serpent and who was considered the god of medicine and healing. This symbol portrays a serpent coiled around a rod and is still associated with medicine today, (it is usually seen on most ambulances). There was a famous medical school connected to Asclepius’ temple and their teachings combined medicine with superstition. People came to Pergamos from all over the world to seek healing from this false god.
In the midst of the secular and idolatrous society, was an assembly of faithful Christians; they were a people who refused to renounce their faith in order to avoid persecution. Jesus saw their faithfulness and praised them for it in this letter, however He also rebuked them for certain issues concerning their doctrine and He warned them of the consequences of not repenting of their sins.
- This leads us to:
THE AUTHOR OF THIS LETTER
v12b “these things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword”
Jesus identifies Himself as “the One who has the sharp two-edged sword.” This is a reference to the word of God. The writer of Hebrews tells us that “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.” (Hebrews 4:12). It was with the sword of His Word that Jesus would judge the evildoers in the church at Pergamos. He said “repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.” (v16)
The judgments of Christ are true, righteous, and accurate. He alone has the power and authority to judge His churches. This was true in each of the 7 Churches of Asia, and it is true concerning His churches today!
- Now that we have seen the recipients and the Author, let’s examine the content of this letter. We will begin with:
THE PRAISE IN THIS LETTER
v13 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.
As we saw earlier, Pergamos was the headquarters for worship of the Roman emperor, and it was a city consumed with the worship of idols. Because of this, Jesus declared that this was the place of “Satan’s throne”.
In the midst of this paganism and evil influence, the members of this church had remained loyal to Christ and “held fast to His name”; even after one of its members was martyred as a result of his devotion to Jesus. Jesus mentions the martyrdom of a man named Antipas who some believe was the pastor of the church at Pergamos. Antipas was the first known Asian to die for refusing to worship the emperor. Even though he died for his faith, the members of this church remained faithful and refused to compromise.
- Though this church received praise from Jesus, they also received a rebuke from Him. Notice:
THE REBUKE IN THIS LETTER
v14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
The Lord Jesus rebuked this church for allowing men who promoted heresy and evil doctrine to continue have influence in their assembly. Jesus goes on to describe the evil doctrine that was present in the Church at Pergamos; He referenced “those who hold the doctrine of Balaam” and “the Nicolaitans”. Not much is known about the doctrine of the Nicolaitans but many Bible scholars believe that these were libertines, teaching that those under grace were free to practice idolatry and sexual sins.
The “doctrine of Balaam” sanctioned eating things sacrificed to idols and promoted sexual immorality. The Book of Numbers tells of a King of Moab named “Balak”. Balak feared the large number of Israelites traveling through his country. In response, he hired Balaam to pronounce a curse on them. Balaam refused his offer at first, but eventually he gave into the temptation, took Balak’s money and tried to curse Israel. His attempts were unsuccessful, so he devised a plot to have the Moabite women seduce Israelite men into intermarriage. The result was the blasphemous union of Israel with fornication and idolatrous feasts.
It appears that there were some in Pergamos who (like Balaam) led people away from God for financial gain. The hirelings were a problem, but the church is also rebuked for allowing these false prophets to continue their evil schemes within their assembly.
- Jesus didn’t just rebuke the members of this church for what they had done wrong, He went on to tell them how to make things right. Notice:
THE COMMAND IN THIS LETTER
v16a Repent
Jesus calls on His people to repent. To “repent” means to have a change of mind and this change of mind will result in changed actions. Jesus expected His church to hear His rebuke and to respond accordingly. The proper response in this situation was to expel these evil teachers from their midst. Obeying Jesus’ command was the key to future success in the church at Pergamos; however, if they did not obey Him, then He would come into their midst and fight against these evil men.
- This leads us to:
THE WARNING IN THIS LETTER
v16b repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
The sword in Jesus’ mouth symbolizes the power and force of his message. His words of judgment are as accurate as a sharp sword. The Romans used their swords for authority and judgment; in the same way Jesus’ sharp two-edged sword represents God’s ultimate authority and judgment. If the people of Pergamos ignored the warning of Christ, He would fight against these evil men and the church as a whole would endure the consequences of their disobedience.
- On the other hand, great blessings were available to those who would heed His warning. Notice:
THE PROMISE IN THIS LETTER
v17 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 to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it." '
Jesus called on His church to hear and obey what He says to them through the Spirit. Those who hear and obey are referred to as “overcomers”. Those who overcome will be given “hidden manna” and “a white stone”. In the context of Pergamos, an overcomer was a Christian who refused to tolerate heresy and evil teaching within the church. These people will be given “hidden manna”. Manna was the food that God provided for His people as they journeyed through the wilderness; manna is a picture of the Lord Jesus. It seems that Jesus is drawing a contrast between the aforementioned “food that has been sacrificed to idols” and the Heavenly manna that God has for those who belong to Him. “Hidden manna” suggests the spiritual nourishment that the faithful believers will receive. Jesus is the bread of life, and He provides spiritual nourishment that can satisfy our deepest hunger.
There is much debate as to the meaning of the “white stone” that Jesus speaks of. A white stone was used as a token of acquittal in a legal case. A white stone was a symbol of victory in an athletic contest. A white stone was an expression of welcome given by a host to his guest. It seems clear that this white stone is a reward given by the Lord to the overcomer and it expresses His approval of their faithfulness. The stones are significant because each will bear the new name of every person who truly believes in Christ. They are the evidence that a person has been accepted by God and declared worthy to receive eternal life. (Life Application Study Bible: 2nd Edition)
The Christians in Pergamos were children of God living in a secular and wicked society. They remained faithful to Christ and refused to deny His name, yet they allowed the world to creep into the church. They were not an apostate church, but they were drifting away from the Savior. Jesus sent this letter to call them back towards the right path; He wanted them to be fully devoted to Him to and to endure until the end.
Members of Christ’s church today must be alert and resist the temptation to compromise the fundamentals of the faith. We must be doctrinally pure, constantly vigilant and refuse to allow the influence of the world to creep into the church. It is comforting to note that Jesus knew all there was to know about the Christians in Pergamos. Nothing escaped His attention; He knew about the good and He knew about the bad. He praised them for what they did right, and He told them how to correct what was wrong. He commanded them to repent and warned them of the consequences they would face if they refused.
In the same way, Jesus knows all there is to know about Stockdale Baptist Church; He knows the good and the bad. Furthermore, He will praise and bless us for our positive attributes, and He will rebuke us for the negative ones and He warns us of the consequences of disobeying Him. We are living in a day when we must take a stand against the evil that consumes our society and desires to infiltrate our church.
The Christians in Pergamos “held fast to Jesus name.” This is the key to success and progress for our assembly; we must ensure that Jesus is at the heart of everything we do. We cannot compromise, we cannot sell out, and we cannot allow this ministry to become about anything others than Jesus Christ. We must boldly proclaim the good news of our crucified, resurrected and soon coming King. We must hold fast to Jesus’ name, we must be grounded in biblical doctrine, and we must take a stand for Him no matter the cost. We cannot be intimidated by the potential persecution that we may face in this world, and we cannot allow the things and the people of this world to dictate how we worship and serve the Lord Jesus.
However, we must be prepared for the opposition that we will face if we are faithful to Jesus. If we refuse to compromise and if we stand against those who pervert God’s word for personal gain, then persecution is real possibility. (2 Timothy 3:12 “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”) This was true for those in Pergamos, and it remains true today.
Because they were faithful to Jesus, the Christians in Pergamos experienced severe persecution to the point that it even cost a man named Antipas his life. If you take a stand for Jesus you will automatically stand in opposition to the things and the people of this world. When opposition comes your way, always remember that Jesus knows all about it and He will reward your faithfulness.
Antipas did not die in vain, His death did not go unnoticed by the Savior, in fact, and Jesus even holds him up as an example of perseverance in the midst of persecution. If we remain faithful to our Master, if we overcome the obstacles that we will face in this world, we will be rewarded as well.
Jesus promised to reward the overcomers in Pergamos; He said “I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name”. Time does not permit me to tell you of the amazing blessings that await those who remain faithful to Christ in troubled times. However, this passage also contains a warning to those who would compromise and those who would harm Christ’s Church. He promises that those who refuse to repent will face His righteous judgment. This is a sobering warning; it is a very dangerous thing to come against Christ’s church. You see, the Church is the Bride of Christ and any good groom will not tolerate anyone trying to harm His beloved wife. Jesus loves the church so much that He gave His life for her; therefore, He will not stand by while anyone attempts to do her harm.
Perhaps you have never surrendered to Jesus, you do not belong to Him, and you are not part of His bride; if that is the case, I implore you to repent and believe in Him for salvation today. There is an important message for everyone here today in “The Letter To The Church At Pergamos”
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