The Church at Pergamos is known as a compromising church. It was located on a high hill about 50 miles north of Smyrna.
Revelation 2: 12-17
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
The message to the church at Pergamos begins with the picture of Jesus as the One who has the sharp sword with two edges. We remember that in our first study in Revelation 1, John sees Jesus with the sharp sword also.
Revelation 1: 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Good Bible teachers will often tell us to interpret Scripture with Scripture. So if we do that, we will find that the sword refers to the Word of God.
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
So it is very clear that Jesus is using the Word of God ( the Bible ) to show the church at Pergamos where they need to change. Many times you will hear Christians say " judge not that you be not judged". While it is true that we are not to be judging others with our own made up values or rules, we are taught in the Bible to be discerning and when we use the written Word of God to show that a certain behavior is sinful and displeasing to the Lord, we are not judging. We are proclaiming what God has already said. It is God who has the authority to tell us what is right and what is wrong. We are the ones who need to listen and obey the Word of God. Please take note of what Jesus says in verse 16 and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. - how clear it is that it is the Word of God that will be used in the judging of good and evil on that final day.
Verse 13 - I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Jesus points out to the church at Pergamos ( as He has also done to the other churches that we have studied ) that He sees what is going on in their city and in the church. He sees where satan's seat is and points out the fact that satan dwells among them. He sees how people are giving loyalty to satan to his evil schemes as well as giving satan room to work in their lives. I have said before that it is important to remember that when we put evil into our minds, satan takes advantage of this and will use it against us at his convenience. An example would be if through music, the internet, TV or magazines, we put unclean thoughts into our minds. We have thereby given satan a seat in our lives from which he can operate. That is why it is very very important that we be careful of the things we allow into our minds. Jesus also sees our faithfulness as He makes note of it when He mentions the faith of those who have not denied their faith in Him in the midst of severe persecution.
Verse 14 - But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
What is the doctrine of Balaam? You can read the story of Balaam in the Old Testament book of Numbers chapters 22 through 25. Balaam was asked by Balak to put a curse on the children of Israel but after refusing to do so a few times, he advised Balak entice the Israelites to idol worship and thereby Balaam became responsible for the children of Israel turning their hearts away from the Lord. The children of Israel began to worship idols and to commit sexual immorality. God was very displeased with this. We see that the same thing is happening in Pergamos. God hated it then that sexual immorality was promoted and He hates it today also. Our culture is saturated with sexual immorality - even among those who claim to be Christians. It is idolized in the way people dress, in the movies, pornography, affairs and fornication of every kind including homosexuality.
Verse 15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
We studied the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes in our study in the message to Ephesus. The teaching of the Nicolaitanes was a promotion of sexual immoraltiy. I explained it in this way in that study. The Nicolaitanes were a group of people who promoted loose living among Christians - it reminds me of the present day teaching of hyper grace which is basically suggesting that Christians have a license to sin and live immorally because hey - God's grace covers all our sin. Nothing could be further from the truth. God hates this "grace/license to sin" kind of teaching.
Verse 16 - Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Now Jesus calls for repentance. He has stated what the sinful issues are that need attention. If they do not repent He will come quickly and fight against them with the sword of His mouth. We already learned in this study that the sword is the Word of God - that is the Bible. The Bible is very clear on what is pleasing to the Lord and what is classified as sin. We need to repent of the things in our lives that are contrary to the teaching of the Bible. This is why Bible study is so important for a Christian. We are saved through faith in Jesus finished work on the cross. He died for our sin and for our salvation. Now we need to live for Him.
Verse 17 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
It is important to notice who will be giving out the rewards to those who are overcomers. Jesus says that He himself will give out these much longed for rewards - Jesus will give the hidden manna to those of us who are overcomers. Jesus will give the white stone to us. Written in the stone is the private name given to us by the Lord Himself. These are exciting thoughts - to be in His presence in glory and to receive these gifts. The hidden manna is nourishment for our souls. We understand from Scripture that we will be eating in heaven. We will be eating from the tree of life, as well as banqueting with the Lord Jesus at the marriage supper of the Lamb. I am not real clear on what this hidden manna would be but we know that the Israelites were fed manna from heaven to nourish their bodies in the wilderness. So also this hidden manna will be all the nourishment that we need - it will supply everything that anyone could ever desire in the heavenly kingdom. The white stone is a stone that is given to the one whose debt of sin and guilt has been cancelled through the shed blood of Jesus. That is why it is so important to be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. Jesus shed His blood on the cross to redeem us to God. And Jesus gives each of us a new name. Halleujah!!
Revelation 2: 12-17
12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
The message to the church at Pergamos begins with the picture of Jesus as the One who has the sharp sword with two edges. We remember that in our first study in Revelation 1, John sees Jesus with the sharp sword also.
Revelation 1: 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Good Bible teachers will often tell us to interpret Scripture with Scripture. So if we do that, we will find that the sword refers to the Word of God.
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
So it is very clear that Jesus is using the Word of God ( the Bible ) to show the church at Pergamos where they need to change. Many times you will hear Christians say " judge not that you be not judged". While it is true that we are not to be judging others with our own made up values or rules, we are taught in the Bible to be discerning and when we use the written Word of God to show that a certain behavior is sinful and displeasing to the Lord, we are not judging. We are proclaiming what God has already said. It is God who has the authority to tell us what is right and what is wrong. We are the ones who need to listen and obey the Word of God. Please take note of what Jesus says in verse 16 and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. - how clear it is that it is the Word of God that will be used in the judging of good and evil on that final day.
Verse 13 - I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Jesus points out to the church at Pergamos ( as He has also done to the other churches that we have studied ) that He sees what is going on in their city and in the church. He sees where satan's seat is and points out the fact that satan dwells among them. He sees how people are giving loyalty to satan to his evil schemes as well as giving satan room to work in their lives. I have said before that it is important to remember that when we put evil into our minds, satan takes advantage of this and will use it against us at his convenience. An example would be if through music, the internet, TV or magazines, we put unclean thoughts into our minds. We have thereby given satan a seat in our lives from which he can operate. That is why it is very very important that we be careful of the things we allow into our minds. Jesus also sees our faithfulness as He makes note of it when He mentions the faith of those who have not denied their faith in Him in the midst of severe persecution.
Verse 14 - But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
What is the doctrine of Balaam? You can read the story of Balaam in the Old Testament book of Numbers chapters 22 through 25. Balaam was asked by Balak to put a curse on the children of Israel but after refusing to do so a few times, he advised Balak entice the Israelites to idol worship and thereby Balaam became responsible for the children of Israel turning their hearts away from the Lord. The children of Israel began to worship idols and to commit sexual immorality. God was very displeased with this. We see that the same thing is happening in Pergamos. God hated it then that sexual immorality was promoted and He hates it today also. Our culture is saturated with sexual immorality - even among those who claim to be Christians. It is idolized in the way people dress, in the movies, pornography, affairs and fornication of every kind including homosexuality.
Verse 15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
We studied the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes in our study in the message to Ephesus. The teaching of the Nicolaitanes was a promotion of sexual immoraltiy. I explained it in this way in that study. The Nicolaitanes were a group of people who promoted loose living among Christians - it reminds me of the present day teaching of hyper grace which is basically suggesting that Christians have a license to sin and live immorally because hey - God's grace covers all our sin. Nothing could be further from the truth. God hates this "grace/license to sin" kind of teaching.
Verse 16 - Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Now Jesus calls for repentance. He has stated what the sinful issues are that need attention. If they do not repent He will come quickly and fight against them with the sword of His mouth. We already learned in this study that the sword is the Word of God - that is the Bible. The Bible is very clear on what is pleasing to the Lord and what is classified as sin. We need to repent of the things in our lives that are contrary to the teaching of the Bible. This is why Bible study is so important for a Christian. We are saved through faith in Jesus finished work on the cross. He died for our sin and for our salvation. Now we need to live for Him.
Verse 17 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
It is important to notice who will be giving out the rewards to those who are overcomers. Jesus says that He himself will give out these much longed for rewards - Jesus will give the hidden manna to those of us who are overcomers. Jesus will give the white stone to us. Written in the stone is the private name given to us by the Lord Himself. These are exciting thoughts - to be in His presence in glory and to receive these gifts. The hidden manna is nourishment for our souls. We understand from Scripture that we will be eating in heaven. We will be eating from the tree of life, as well as banqueting with the Lord Jesus at the marriage supper of the Lamb. I am not real clear on what this hidden manna would be but we know that the Israelites were fed manna from heaven to nourish their bodies in the wilderness. So also this hidden manna will be all the nourishment that we need - it will supply everything that anyone could ever desire in the heavenly kingdom. The white stone is a stone that is given to the one whose debt of sin and guilt has been cancelled through the shed blood of Jesus. That is why it is so important to be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. Jesus shed His blood on the cross to redeem us to God. And Jesus gives each of us a new name. Halleujah!!
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