"To the Church in Pergamum" Letters to the Seven Churches (4) -- (Revelation 2:12-17)

Satan, a Defeated, But Still Determined Foe

Throughout the Book of Revelation, Satan is depicted as an already defeated foe, who, in a final act of desperation, wages war on the people of God. In certain instances, we read of Satan empowering the Beast to persecute Christ’s church using the full power of the state and the point of the sword. But in other instances, Satan takes a much more subtle approach. As the father of lies, Satan is not only the persecutor of the church, he is also the seducer of the church. In the Book of Revelation we not only read of the Beast who makes war upon the saints, we also read of the harlot, who seduces the peoples of the earth. Like the church in Smyrna, the church in Pergamum faces intense persecution from the God-hating Roman empire. But the church in Pergamum also faces an enemy from within, a seductress who entices God’s people to commit spiritual adultery.

When we come to Christ’s third letter to the churches of Asia Minor, our Lord’s letter to the church in Pergamum, it is important to recall that each of these seven letters are part of a larger vision which began in Revelation 1:12 with John’s description of the resurrected Christ. When John is granted the privilege of seeing Jesus in his post-resurrection glory, he attempts to describe what he sees. But words obviously fail him. John describes the struggle between Jesus Christ and his ancient foe, the devil, using apocalyptic language in which words are used are symbols to point to the “story behind the story,” namely, Jesus Christ’s certain victory over Satan and all of those allied with him.

No longer depicted as a bruised reed, the Jesus of the Book of Revelation is the Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the one who was dead but who is now alive forever more. Jesus is the great high priest who not only purchases us with his own blood but who also makes us to be a kingdom of priests (Revelation 1:5). In this book, Jesus is God’s final prophet, as Jesus speaks to us about the course of this present evil age which is the great tribulation, that final period of human history, depicted throughout the New Testament as the “last days.” In the Book of Revelation, Jesus is described as God’s all-powerful king.

Throughout this series of visions, John describes how Jesus is even now ordering the affairs of men and nations to bring all things to that end for which God has appointed them. In what is, perhaps, the greatest display of his kingly power, Jesus holds in his hands the keys of death and Hades. Therefore, Jesus has the power to do as he has promised; he will undo the curse of sin and death and one day he will make all things new. Although Revelation is a mysterious and often misunderstood book, it is one of the most practical books in the whole of the New Testament. There is much here for us to contemplate as we eagerly await the second coming of our Lord.

The Seven Letters – What They Have In Common

In the opening chapter of this book, John sees Jesus walking among seven golden lampstands, which are symbolic not only of Christ’s presence with each of these churches, but the lampstands are also symbolic of the Holy Spirit’s blessing of these particular congregations to be a light to the world around them. In the Book of Revelation the number seven symbolizes completeness or perfection. Many commentators correctly understand the fact that there are seven letters to seven churches to mean that in these letters Jesus is speaking to his entire church throughout the course of this entire age, even though the historical circumstances are that Jesus is speaking to seven congregations located in Western Asia Minor, likely in the closing decades of the first century. When Jesus speaks to each of these churches, he is describing situations which Christians living during John’s time were actually facing. But while Jesus is speaking to the Christians in these particular congregations, he is also speaking to us. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

The Seven Letters – How The Letter to the Church in Pergamum

Differs from the Letters to the Churches in Ephesus and Smyrna (An Important Recap)

It is also clear from John’s account that Jesus knows the exact circumstances facing each one of these congregations. Five of the seven churches are commended for being faithful to Christ, while three of the five are also rebuked for specific sins and areas of failure. Two of these congregations, Smyrna and Philadelphia, receive no rebuke whatever from Jesus. Instead, they receive an exhortation to persevere. Two more churches (Sardis and Laodicia), receive only a rebuke and are not commended in any sense at all. One of these churches thinks it has life but is actually dead (Sardis), while another thinks it is rich, but is actually poor (Laodicia).[1] Since Jesus is always present with his people, he knows what each of these churches faced. He also knows what we face in the twenty-first century.

The first of these seven letters was addressed to the church in Ephesus. This particular congregation was commended by our Lord for faithfully persevering in true doctrine and for driving certain false apostles out of the congregation. The Ephesians are also commended for hating the teaching of the Nicolaitans, who were a heretical sect who sought to synthesize Christianity and paganism and who are singled again out by our Lord for rebuke in our text this morning. While the Ephesians are given great praise by our Lord for their faithfulness and perseverance in sound doctrine, they are also given a very stern rebuke. According to Jesus, the Ephesians have lost their first love–which is not a reference to their love for Christ, but a reference to their love for each other. Unless this congregation repents and goes back to doing those things which they did at the beginning, Jesus will remove his lampstand from their midst, effectively removing his blessing and the effectiveness of the church’s witness to the city. When Jesus exhorts this congregation to do those things they did at the beginning, he is referring to those acts of mercy and charity which characterize the apostolic church we see in the opening chapters of the Book of Acts. Works of charity and mercy go hand in hand with perseverance in sound doctrine.

As for the church in Smyrna, a different set of circumstances are in view than those in Ephesus. Yet, the circumstances facing the Smyrnans are quite similar to those facing the church in Pergamum. The Smyrnan congregation lived in a city with a sizable, but apparently, secularized Jewish population. In addition, the city was very devoted to emperor worship, among the most devout found throughout the entire Roman empire. Although the Jews of Smyrna made peace with emperor worship–proclaiming allegiance to both YHWH and Caesar–the Smyrnan Christians did not. Barred from the marketplace for refusing to pay homage to the emperor and slandered by the Jews, the Christians in Smyrna lived in abject poverty. Refusing to confess “Caesar is Lord” in order to buy and sell–which is to take the Mark of the Beast–the Smyrnan Christians paid dearly for their confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Many of Christians were imprisoned. Many more would die at the hands of the Roman Beast.

But Jesus makes a promise to his persecuted church. In Revelation 2:10, Jesus tells the Smyrnans, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Although the warning of impending persecution does not sound like much of a promise, the fact of the matter is that the Smyrnans will face persecution for a very short time–ten days–and by persevering, they will receive the crown of life. To the victor goes the spoils.

In the millennial passage in Revelation 20:4, John sees “thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” Although it looks to unbelievers that Satan triumphs over the saints, he is actually being defeated. For those who suffer for ten days will be raised to life and reign with Christ for a thousand years! This, then, is one of the great paradoxes in redemptive history–Satan loses the most ground when his wrath against God and his people is the greatest!

Background to the letter to the Church in Pergamum

Some historical background is necessary to understand some of the things which our Lord mentions in this letter. The city of Pergamum was sixty miles north of Smyrna and about fifteen miles inland. The city was widely known for its fine animal skin parchment–the English word “parchment” actually comes to us from the cities’ name. The city also housed a number of libraries and temples. One thousand feet above sea level, Pergamum was a noted religious center with temples dedicated to Zeus “the Savior,” Athena, and Dionysus. There was also a temple dedicated to Asclepius “the Savior” who was the “god of healing” and whose symbol, the serpent, is still used on medical emblems today. As in Smyrna, the Romans built a huge temple to the goddess of Rome in 129 B.C., followed by temples to emperors Trajan and Severus. The ruins of several of these temples are now housed in the world famous Pergamum museum in Berlin.

By John time John is given this vision (80s-90s), Pergamum had surpassed its southern neighbor (Smyrna) to become the de facto center of emperor worship. The city was rewarded by being given the seat of the local Roman government.[2] Pergamum was dominated by various forms of paganism, some offering salvation in the name of Zeus, while others offered salvation in the name of Asclepius.[3] What is more, Pergamum was a city where Caesar was also worshiped as “a god” making this a very difficult place for a Christian to profess, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” and that his name alone is only one name whereby people may be saved.

Indeed, ancient writings from the area indicate that Christians–the christiani–were mocked by the Romans and labeled as infidels to the empire, and therefore subject to expulsion, imprisonment, or even certain cases, capital punishment. The Jews in Pergamum regarded Christians as “Nazarenes,” a seditious sect who were to be shunned because they would not attend the pagan feasts or honor the Greek and Roman deities in the marketplace. It was the refusal to call Caesar “Lord” which prompted the Romans to have Christians arrested. And, as in Smyrna, the Jews were only too happy to help the Romans identify them. Christians in Pergamum faced the full wrath of the Satanically empowered beast, who we read in Revelation 13:8 was “allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation.” But as we have already seen, Satan’s apparent victory over God’s saints is certainly a hollow one.

What Does Jesus Say to the Church in Pergamum?

As is typical of each of the other letters, the letter to the church in Pergamum opens with both the familiar address to the congregation and a specific word from Jesus which recalls to mind a particular aspect of John’s vision of the Risen Christ in Revelation 1 which uniquely applies to this church: “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.’” The image of a sword dominates the entire letter. The sword is symbolic of Jesus Christ coming to this church in his kingly office for the purpose of bringing judgment upon his enemies. The sword symbolizes Christ’s judicial power–the power to judge all things according to the truth of God’s word–and it warns the apostates within the church of Christ’s impending judgment upon them.[4]

But the sword is also symbolic of something else. Roman governors were granted the “power of the sword” by the emperor in order to put to death those Christians who refused to acknowledge the divinity of Caesar. While the satanically inspired beast–the Roman empire–wields the sword against Christians and wages war upon them, Jesus Christ uses the same symbol to remind his church of just who it is who wields the real sword of justice and power. The message is clear: All of those who persecute Christ’s people with the sword in this life will themselves face the judgment of Jesus Christ in the next. The ancient proverb is true, “those who live by the sword will die by the sword.” But this warning is also aimed at those individuals who seduce Christ’s people through false doctrine. They, too, will face his sword of judgment. Jesus is a jealous bridegroom who will do everything in his power to protect his bride.

This must be kept in mind when Jesus says to the church in Pergamum: “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” As the Lord of his church, Jesus knows exactly what the Christians in Pergamum are facing. The city is dominated by paganism and emperor worship. In fact, the cities’ most prominent landmark was a large hill upon which the temple of Zeus stood and which dominated the cities’ skyline. This is where Satan lives. This is where he has placed his throne![5] Despite the deeply rooted paganism, the Christians in Pergamum have remained faithful to their Lord even though one of their own, a man named Antipas, was put to death in this very city–that city dominated by Satan himself.

Even though this persecuted church has faced the point of the Roman sword and yet remained faithful to her Lord, nevertheless Jesus does have a strong word of rebuke for the Pergamum church. This church has become far too tolerant of false teaching and compromise: “But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” These doctrinal errors are so grievous that Jesus threatens to “come to them soon and fight against them with the sword of his mouth.” For tolerating such heresy, Jesus commands the Pergamum church to repent, lest he come in judgment.

The issue is similar to what Christians faced in Smyrna, though there is a new wrinkle this time. Even though Christians in this church have faithfully resisted the powerful external pressure put upon them by the local Roman government to deny Christ–the satanically inspired beast who has put some of their own number to death–a number of these same Christians are slowly but surely being seduced by false teachers in the congregation who are leading them away from Jesus Christ through deceptive means. These false teachers don’t force believers to deny Christ at the point of a sword. Instead, they entice believers to deny Jesus Christ using more subtle means. How do they do this? The answer is to be found by looking at the Old Testament example of very similar circumstances mentioned by John in this letter.

The group singled out for rebuke by our Lord Jesus hold to the teaching of Balaam. As you may know, the story of Balaam is told in Numbers 22-25. Through the means of his deceitful counsel, Balaam deceived Israel into worshiping idols and committing immorality bringing the nation under the wrath of God. We read of the consequences of Balaam’s deception in Numbers 25:1-9 and Numbers 31:16:

“While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said to Moses, `Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.’ And Moses said to the judges of Israel, `Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.’ And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.”

In the Numbers account, Israel never denied YHWH in so many words. Rather, many in Israel began worshiping Baal without ever formally denying YHWH. But any way you look at it, this is a denial of YHWH, because YHWH alone is God and he will not share his glory with any other. As a result of Israel’s spiritual adultery, God brought judgment upon a couple caught flagrante delicto but some 24,000 Israelites also died from a plague God sent upon the people. In the summary comment in Numbers 31:16 we read; “behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord.”

Therefore, when we read in the New Testament that Jesus Christ threatens the church in Pergamum with the sword for tolerating the Nicolaitans, what provokes our Lord’s righteous ire must be false doctrine similar to that of Balaam. Here we have a situation in which Christians would absolutely refuse to deny Christ at the point of a Roman sword. At the same time, they thought nothing whatsoever wrong with participating in certain pagan practices with their non-Christian friends, family and business associates outside the church. Just as in the days of Balaam when citizens of Israel worshiped YHWH and Baal at Peor, so here in Pergamum, Christians were being led away from Christ by those in their midst who were teaching that it is perfectly acceptable to worship Jesus and at the same time to participate in certain pagan ceremonies and sexual practices which dominated the civic and cultural life of Pergamum.

That the Nicolaitans were not denying Christ directly, but doing so implicitly can be seen when Jesus warns this church about eating meat sacrificed to idols, as well as reminding them that Christians must avoid all sexual immortality, especially when these things are directly connected to paganism. These are very prominent themes throughout the New Testament even though they seem foreign to us so many years removed. Recall that Paul speaks about this same matter in his first letter to the Corinthians. It is also addressed at the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15, when the leaders of the church affirmed with one voice the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ alone, while at the same time insisting that Gentiles avoid sexual immorality and to stop eating meat used in pagan sacrifices if it caused the weak in faith to stumble.

What is in view here is not vegetarianism or celibacy. God is not against meat or sex. What is in view is the fact that Christians be careful about eating meat which was left over from pagan sacrifices and rituals, and then sold in the marketplace at a discounted price. Under certain circumstances, for a Christian to eat such meat is, in effect, to sanction or condone the pagan practice of animal sacrifice and bloody fertility rites. Paul calls this sharing the table with demons in 1 Corinthians 10. While Christians are to avoid all sexual relations outside of marriage, this is especially a serious matter in places like Pergamum where so many people were involved in temple prostitution or participated in drunken feasts and orgies and directly tied to the civic, cultural and commercial life of the city. It is easy to see how such a thing could take place.

In order to conduct business, Christians were invited to pagan feasts where ungodly things took place. Since it was possible to improve one’s social standing or business prospects by marrying someone whose family was well-connected, Christians were tempted to marry outside the church so as to avoid the stigma and persecution associated with being a follower of Jesus Christ. As the Israelites indulged themselves with Moabite women, so too, the Christians in Pergamum saw nothing wrong with being sexually involved with pagans or joining with them in pagan religious practices. And for this, Jesus will come to them with the sword of judgment.

The principle for the church in Pergamum as well as the application for us today is very simple. Christians cannot worship Christ and at the same time participate in pagan or non-Christian religious practices. We have but one master, Jesus Christ. We worship and serve him only. To participate in paganism in any form is to deny Jesus Christ and invoke his wrath. Indeed, what Satan has not been able to accomplish through the sheer power of the Beast, he has able to do through the seduction of the church. Christians in this congregation saw nothing whatsoever wrong with worshiping Christ on the Lord’s day and then participating in the ceremonies of pagan religions later in the week. Furthermore, the biblical sexual ethic was being obliterated by a pagan sexuality in which professing Christians were marrying outside the church, or participating in sexual activity directly tied to paganism.

This is a very serious matter and Jesus warns the Pergamum Christians of their peril while commanding them to repent. We read in verse 17, the now familiar exhortation to each congregation. “To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” To those who overcome by remaining faithful to Jesus Christ, Jesus promises them to eat from the hidden manna–a reference, perhaps, to the manna which is preserved in the Most Holy place in the tabernacle, or more likely, to the fact that in John 6 Jesus himself promises to nourish his people with the living bread from heaven.[6] This living bread from heaven is none other than Christ’s gospel word of promise, a promise which is confirmed through the sacraments.

Those who overcome will be given a white stone with a new name. The white stone not only symbolizes purity, a source of great comfort to those who had fallen victim to sexual immorality, but the name which appears upon it is known only to the one who receives it, even as Jesus Christ, the rider of the White Horse of judgment in Revelation 19 has a name known only to himself. The white stone therefore binds the recipient to the Savior, who will one day come with his sword to execute judgment upon those nations who have persecuted Christ’s people, as well as judging all those who seek to lead Christ’s people away from him through the seduction of spiritual adultery.

But those who possess the white stone need never fear the sword of justice, for they are Christ’s and he knows those who are his! He has taken their judgment upon himself in the cross of Calvary.

Amen.

To read the first in this series: "The Alpha and the Omega” (Letters to the Seven Churches — Part One)

To read the next in the series: To The Church in Thyatira (letters to the seven churches)

To read the previous in the series: To the Church in Smyrna (Letters to the Seven Churches -- Part Three) Revelation 2:8-11

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[1] Johnson, Triumph of the Lamb, 68.

[2] Kistemaker, Revelation, 127.

[3] See Beale, The Book of Revelation, 245 ff.

[4] Beale, Revelation, 246-247.

[5] Beale, Revelation, 246.

[6] Poythress, The Returning King, 87.