In this article, we’ll be looking at the third church, the church at Pergamum, or Pergamus. We can refer to it as “The Lenient Church”
Introduction
Pergamum was about 100 miles north of Ephesus with Smyrna, located about halfway between the two.
Unlike Ephesus and Smyrna, Pergamum was not a port city. It was located about 15 miles inland from the Aegean Sea and it was not on any of the major trade routes.
It was, however, a beautiful city. The Roman writer Pliny called it "By far the most distinguished city in Asia."
By the time John wrote Revelation, Pergamum had been Asia's capital for almost 250 years, since 133 B.C.
Much of Pergamum was built on a large conical shaped hill towering some 1000 feet above the valley. That’s where the Acropolis stood.
Great buildings were built in Pergamum including a library containing over 200,000 items. The Egyptians, concerned that this library rivaled their own in Alexandria, refused to ship papyrus to Pergamum.
As a result, a new form of writing material, parchment, was developed.
Pergamum was an important center of worship for four of the main gods of the Greco-Roman world. Temples were dedicated to Athena, Asclepius, Dionysos, and Zeus
More than the worship of these false gods was Pergamum's devotion to emperor worship.
They built the first temple devoted to emperor worship in 29 B.C., in honor of emperor Augustus.
They later built temples honoring the emperors Trajan and Septimus Severus.
The city became the center of emperor-worship in the province, and there, more than any other city in Asia, Christians were in danger of persecution from the emperor-worship cult.
Pergamum exists today as the Turkish city of Bergama.
With that brief introduction, let’s look at the text of Revelation 2:12-17.
v.12, “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The one who has the sharp two-edged sword says this”:
- Jesus describes Himself as, "the One who has the sharp, double-edged sword”:
o This same description was also given to Him in chapter 1:16, “and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword.”
- The word “sword” is the Greek word that describes a large, broad-sword used for both cutting and piercing:
o Here, the sword refers to the double-edged character of the Word of God.
- A double-edged sword indicates two things:
o First, the sword, as the Word of God, separates the ones who are vessels of grace from those who are condemned.
o Second, the Word of God, with the promises and message of salvation, cuts loose the chains of sin and condemnation, which bind all sinners.
o Hebrews 4:12 notes that "the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and narrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
- Secondly, the same Word of God is the means of condemnation and rejection for those who refuse the message of grace.
- The Word of God is both, the instrument of salvation and the instrument of death:
o Eternal life and eternal death.
- And, just as the sword was a symbol of Rome's authority and judgment, Jesus’ sharp, double-aged sword represents God's ultimate authority and judgment.
- Only Christ has ultimate power over eternal life and eternal death.
v.13, ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith, even in the days of Antipas, my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”
- Because Pergamum was at the center of idolatrous cults, Jesus refers to it as the city where “Satan's throne is.”
- Idolatry is satanic because it causes people to worship false gods instead of the true God.
- Many suggestions have been offered as to the identification of Satan's throne:
o Some identified it with the magnificent altar of Zeus that dominated Pergamum's Acropolis.
o Others connect Satan's throne with the worship of the god Asclepius, the god of healing:
· People came from all over the ancient world to Pergamum, seeking to be healed at this shrine.
· Asklepius was depicted as a snake, and non-poisonous snakes roamed freely in his temple.
· People seeking healing either slept or lay down on the temple’s floor, hoping to be touched by one of the snakes, and thereby be healed.
o This type of symbolism would undoubtedly remind Christians of Satan, “that great serpent of old.”
o During the reign of emperor Diocletian, some Christian stonecutters were executed for refusing to carve an image of Asklepios.
o The cult of emperor-worship obviously posed a grave threat to the Christians in Pergamum. It was their refusal to worship the emperor, not the pagan gods, that caused many Christians to face execution.
o “Satan's throne” could easily be understood as a reference to the might of Rome. Under the "god of this world," blaspheming the true God throught the emperor- worship cult was commonplace.
o For any and all those reasons, Pergamum could justifiably be called the city “where Satan's throne is”
- In the first part of verse 13, Jesus says “I know where you dwell”:
o In the midst of all those difficult circumstances, the believers continue to “dwell” -- a word that speaks of permanent residence, as opposed to merely passing through. They weren’t leaving or abandoning their city or their faith.
- Not only did they “dwell” there in spite of the persecution and suffering, they endured, and continued to “hold fast” to the name of Christ:
o They didn’t deny the faith.
o They didn’t deviate from faithfulness to Christ or to the central truths of the Christian faith.
o The believers in Pergamum showed the truth of Christ's words in Matthew 16:18, "I will build my church; and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."
o No amount of satanic opposition can destroy genuine saving faith, whether in Pergamum or anywhere else.
- The church of Pergamum maintained its faithfulness, “even in the days of Antipas”:
o Jesus describes Antipas as “my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you.”
o Nothing certain is known about Antipas, apart from this particular text:
· According to tradition, he was roasted to death inside a brass bull during the persecution started by emperor Domitian.
o The word "witness" translates the Greek word martus:
· This word eventually became transliterated into English as the word “martyr,” because so many witnesses for Christ paid with their lives.
· He was a man who paid the ultimate price for his refusal to compromise.
o Because of his faithfulness, the Lord commended Antipas with a title used elsewhere to refer to Himself:
· Revelation 1:5, “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness”
· Revelation 3:14, “The Amen, the faithful and true Witness.”
- At the end of verse 13, Jesus again refers to Pergamum as the place "where Satan dwells”:
o This emphasizes that the devil had a real stronghold there.
v.14, “But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality.”
- The church of Pergamum remained loyal to Christ and Christian truth for the most part.
- It faithfully persevered at the very headquarters, as it were, of satanic opposition -- even in the face of martyrdom.
- But Jesus informs them, "I have a few things against you."
- His concern was that there were some, not all, who were holding to a false teaching, that is the teaching of Balaam.
- It appears that the majority of the believers in Pergamum were faithful and loyal to the truth. But there were some associated with the church who came to believe false doctrine.
- Let's take a look at the false doctrine that Christ is talking about.
- Jesus was concerned with two heresies being tolerated at Pergamum, one associated with an Old Testament character, the other with a New Testament person.
- First, from the Old Testament, some were following the teaching of Balaam:
o The story of Balaam, an Old Testament prophet, is found in Numbers chapters 22-25.
o Briefly -- fearful of the Israelites because of what they had done to the Amorites, Balak, the king of Moab, hired Balaam to curse God’s people. After trying unsuccessfully three times to curse Israel, Balaam came up with another plan.
o Since he was unable to curse the Israelites, he decided to corrupt them by "teaching Balack, the king of Moab, to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of sexual immorality."
o His plot included the use of Moabite women to lure the Israelites into sexual immorality and idolatry. This plot would disgrace the Israelites and destroy their spiritual power.
o Balaam’s plan succeeded, though not entirely, as God intervened and severely chastened Israel, executing 24,000, including many of the leaders.
o God’s extreme action halted the Israelites’ slide into immorality and idolatry.
- Like the Israelites, who were seduced by Balaam’s false teaching, some of the church at Pergamum, were lured into a mix with the pagan system.
- In 2 Peter 2:15-16 we read, “Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet."
- Just as God severely chastened Israel for immorality and idolatry, the Lord threatens to do the same in this passage.
- Despite the previous example of the nation of Israel and a clear teaching of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:14-17, some in Pergamum continued following Balaam’s teaching.
- They apparently believed that they could attend pagan feasts, with all their debauchery and sexual immorality, and still join the church to worship Jesus Christ.
- But that's not possible! James tells us in 4:4, “Friendship of the world is hostility toward God. Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God,”
- In 1 Peter 2:11, we read, "I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against your soul.”
- That gives you a background as to what the teaching of Balaam was all about, and how some in this church had apparently fallen back into idolatry and sexual immorality.
v.15, “thus you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans”:
- The second false teaching that was tolerated by some at the church in Pergamum involved the teaching of the “Nicolaitans” from the New Testament:
o Remember them?
- As we said earlier in our study of the church at Ephesus, the Nicolaitans derived their name from a man by the name of Nicholas, one of the seven men chosen to oversee the distribution of food in the book of Acts chapter 6.
- Abusing the biblical teaching of Christian liberty, the Nicolaitans, in addition to teaching Gnosticism, [matter is bad – spirit is good], also taught that Christians could participate in pagan orgies:
o They, effectively, seduced the church with immorality and idolatry.
- The vast majority of the believers in Pergamum did not participate in either of these heretical groups. They remained steadfast and loyal to Christ and to the Christian faith.
o But by tolerating these groups and refusing to exercise church discipline, they shared in their guilt, which brought the Lord's judgment.
Let me stop here for a minute and talk about the importance of Christian doctrine, biblical truth and theological error:
- Oftentimes these things are viewed as unimportant in many of today’s churches. Obviously, that is not the perspective of the Lord of THE Church.
- It's pretty clear that Jesus holds it against any in His church’s who look the other way when it comes to false teaching.
- Unfortunately, many churches today, like the church of Pergamum, fail to obey the biblical mandate found in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”
- In addition, too many churches fail to practice church discipline. The purpose of church discipline is to keep the body of Christ pure; free from unhealthy influences; and away from those who would teach a false gospel and lead others astray.
- The Church is called to be “set apart.” The Church is called to be unique in this world. The Church is the body of Christ and it’s not to participate in those things that would leave it sick or wounded.
- Jesus is clear: idolatry, sexual immorality and the teaching of a false gospel is to be steered clear of. Those who practice those things in the Church are to be lovingly, but firmly, confronted and corrected.
- The reason is clear: so that their sin doesn’t pollute or infect anyone else in the body of Christ
- Leniency is not something that Jesus approves of when it comes to these very serious sinful practices that can, and will damage His bride, the Church.
v.16, “Repent therefore; or else i am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth”:
- The English word "repent" is from the Greek word metanoeo, which literally means to change one's mind:
o In the changing of one's mind, what should follow is a change of one's behavior by the power of the Holy Spirit.
o In our day and age, tolerance of heretical teaching or sinful behavior in the Church is seldom met with any type of correction or admonition.
o To Jesus, this matter is so serious, that, should they fail to repent, to change their minds regarding their behavior, and likewise to change their behavior (by yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit), He warns them, “I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth.”
- The entire church would be subject to Christ’s judgment:
o The heretics for practicing their heresy and iniquity.
o And everyone else in the church for tolerating it.
- I submit to you that we can apply this passage to our own churches, in that, we should not tolerate, or ignore, sinful behavior in the local church.
- In 1 Corinthians 5:6-7, Paul wrote, "Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact, unleavened.”
- Habitually sinning believers should be confronted compassionately, but also powerfully with the Word of God in order to teach them, that what they are doing is not correct, nor is it something that God approves of.
- The argument can well be made, that it should not be the goal of the Church to provide an environment were unbelievers feel comfortable.
- The Church is to be a place where they can hear the truth and be convicted of their sins in order to be saved through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
- Gently, lovingly, graciously, yet firmly, unbelievers need to be confronted with the reality of their sin and God’s gracious provision through Christ’s death and resurrection.
- False teaching and false teachers will never be suppressed by compromise.
- The Church today, around the world, needs to be careful not to repeat the error of the church of Pergamum by ignoring or tolerating known sinful practices that are occurring in the local churches.
v.17, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”
- Jesus concludes His letter with similar words of counsel and encouragement, "He who has an ear, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
o In other words, listen carefully with the intent of being obedient.
o Jesus stresses the vital importance of the believers’ responsibility to hear and heed what He is saying.
- As we said before, "overcomers" refers to all believers.
- Let's look at the three things that Christ promises to those who overcome:
o First, He promises to give them some of “the hidden manna”:
· Manna was the bread with which God fed the Israelites during their years of wandering a wilderness. According to Exodus 16:33, the Israelites were to remember that divine provision by keeping a jar of manna inside the Arc of the Covenant during their travels.
· The “hidden manna” could easily represent Jesus, the bread of life who came down from heaven. He provides spiritual sustenance for those who put their faith in Him.
· Another thought might be that the hidden manna symbolizes all the blessings and benefits of knowing Christ who come down from heaven for us.
o Second, He promises to give a “white stone”:
· One theory is that this stone is somehow linked with the Urim and Thummim found on the breastplate of the high priest in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Those stones were used to determine God's will and represented the right of the high priest to request guidance from God for the leader of Israel, who could not approach God directly, but had to come through the priest.
· Somehow, God used those stones to disclose His will in a manner that was beyond just a simple “yes” or “no.”
· According to this view, by this white stone, God promises the overcomers knowledge of His will.
· Another theory is that this white stone is a diamond, the most precious of stones, symbolizing God's precious gift of eternal life to believers.
· Another theory is that, it seems best to understand the white stone in light of the Roman custom of awarding white stones to the victors in athletic contests. A white stone, inscribed with the athlete’s name, was his ticket to a special awards banquet held in his honor.
· By this view, then, Christ promises the overcomers entrance to the eternal victory celebration in heaven.
o Thirdly, there will be a “new name written on the stone, which no one knows, but he who receives it”:
· It’s pretty evident from that phrase, we can’t know what the new name is until we receive it.
· The word translated as "new” is the Greek word, kainos. It doesn’t mean new in contrast to old or time, but new in the sense of qualitatively different.
· The new name will serve as each believer’s admission/pass to eternal glory. It will uniquely reflect God’s special love for, and adoption of, every true child of His.
- The Pergamum church faced the same choices that every church faces:
o It could repent and receive all the blessedness of eternal life in the glory of heaven . . .
o Or it could refuse to repent and face the terrifying reality of having the Lord, Jesus Christ, declare war on it.
- What can we learn from the church at Pergamum?
o Remain true to Christ – no matter the consequences. This life is so temporary and the believer’s hope is found in eternity through faith in Jesus.
o This is the adversary’s (Satan’s) world system:
· Evil is all around us.
· Don’t take it lightly.
· Don’t give in to it.
· There is no wiggle room when it comes to idolatry (in any form), or sexual immorality (any sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage).
· These are non-negotiable with God.
· These sins may well bring pleasure, briefly, but they do not bring happiness or contentment.
o Compromising biblical doctrines and truths, as set forth in the Bible, is not pleasing to the Lord:
· The compromise of God’s truths in order to bring about some sort of humanistic “unity” is not pleasing, or approved of by the Lord.
· It’s surprising how many churches do not see this truth.
· False teaching, to tickle the ears of the masses, has no place in the true Church of Jesus Christ.
May the Lord bless you as you continue to study His Word, growing in grace and knowledge.
By His Grace,
Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D., D.Min.
