Revelation 2:12-17

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.  “‘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.  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.  Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 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.’

The church in Pergamum was located in a place that was central to idol worship.  Idolatry and immorality are commonly linked to one another and appears to be rampant in this city.  The church in this context would certainly face both persecution and temptation.  This reality can take a toll on those who live in this context.  This letter includes a recognition of things they were doing right, confrontation over the things they were doing wrong, and instruction on how to fix the problems.

PRAISE: DOCTRINAL CONVICTION: The city of Pergamum is said to be Satan’s throne, likely referring to the reputation that it had for being a center for the worship of pagan idols.  The temples dedicated to idols were also centers for prostitution and many other forms of debauchery.  Satan seeks to corrupt everything beautiful that God created for us to enjoy.  We were made to worship Him, but Satan corrupts worship with idolatry.  God give us the gift of sex within the covenant of marriage as a means of intimacy, precreation, and the pleasure giving and receiving love.  Satan corrupts sex by appealing solely to the lusts of the flesh without any commitment.  Jesus writes to a church that is striving to be a beacon of light in a very dark place.  They are commended for standing firm in the faith especially in the face of persecution that led to the martyrdom of Antipas.  Satan seeks to inflict the followers of Christ with destruction and deception.  It is fundamental that we stand firm in the face of these attacks.

PROBLEM: PERSONAL COMPROMISE: Unfortunately, the doctrinal conviction in the face of persecution of the church in Pergamum was not accompanied by holiness.  Jesus confronts them with having fallen prey to the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans.  Balam helped the enemy of Israel, Balak, to tempt the children of Israel to be corrupted by their lusts as a means of causing them to be judged.  The Nicolaitans taught that believers could enjoy the pleasures of sin without consequence as long as they claimed Christ.  These appeals to the lusts of the flesh were hard to resist because fallen man already tends in that direction.  External persecution is often easier to resist than the internal temptations we face.  The church had fallen prey to the lie that faith in Christ could coexist with immorality.  Our beliefs must be demonstrated in the way we behave.  

PRESCRIPTION: TOTAL CONSECRATION: The only way to “fix” this hypocritical way of living was to repent.  They must recognize the sinfulness of their way and turn from it to live a life that is consecrated to the Lord.  Consecration requires complete surrender to the Lord in both doctrine and practice.  Anything short of that is sinful and must be combated with repentance and faith.  Failure to do so would result in judgment.  Jesus identifies Himself as one with a sword in His mouth and He is willing to use it to purge His church of all ungodliness.  Those who turn from immorality and conquer the lusts of the flesh through faith and obedience will be given hidden manna and a white stone with a new name written on it.  These are clearly symbolic references to the blessings of faithful obedience.  While we may not know exactly what these symbols mean; we do know that they are spectacular because they are blessings from Jesus.  Knowing that Jesus in the Giver, guarantees the value of the gift.  Manna may symbolize something like God’s eternal provision for His children.  The white stone may be the righteousness of Christ credited to our account that we might enjoy intimacy with God.  Certainly, eternal life and righteousness are far more desirable than the sword of judgment that sin inflicts on those who reject Christ.

APPLICATION: Stand firm no matter what context we might find ourselves facing in this fallen world.  Beware of Stan’s lies that appeal to the lusts of our flesh deceiving us into thinking that we can behave any way we want as long as we say we believe in Christ.  Repent of sin and rejoice the promises of Christ that bless us with an eternal life of righteousness in the presence of God.