Pergamum: The Compromised Church Revelation 2:12-17 Their Powerful Lord. Revelation 2:12 (NASB), “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:” • The sword, reminds us of the first vision of Jesus in Revelation 1! John sees Jesus with a sharp two-edged sword coming from His mouth. • The “sharp two-edged sword” is the Word of Jesus/God to the churches. • Ephesians 6:17, “… the sword of the Spirit, is the word of God.” • This metaphor, of a sharp two-edged sword, reminds us that the Word of God is an active, a powerful force that demands a response. • It separates truth from error, good from evil, right from wrong with surgical precision. Hebrews 4:12 (NASB), “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” • Now that Jesus has their attention, let’s see what pointed words He has for the church. Their Painful Circumstances. Revelation 2:13, “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold firmly to 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.” • Jesus knows two important things about this church: Where they live and what has recently happened to them. • Their faithful leader, Antipas, who was perhaps their pastor/elder – was killed. • He was “My witness,” Jesus says. • “Witness” in Gk, is “martyr.” • Pergamum was the capital city. The first city in this region to have a temple dedicated to Ceasar. • Pergamum was also a major religious center: The Temple of Athena was there (goddess of war). A gigantic altar and Temple to Zeus was in Pergamum (Zeus being the king of all the gods). A temple to the son of Zeus, Dionysus was there (the god of fertility and drunkenness). • Perhaps, most famous in Pergamum was the Temple to Asclepius (the god of healing). • We have all seen the symbol of Asclepius. He is pictured with a single serpent coiled around a staff – a symbol used in medicine today. • Travelers would come to this temple for healing. Some would sleep (incubate), or be put into a trance and snakes would crawl over them with healing power. • Sometimes we forget that Satan shows up as a healer! • Consider all the weird New Age healing practices today – these practices come from darkness, not light. • Pergamum is a dark city. A tough place to be a Christian. Their Dangerous Compromise. Revelation 2:14, “But I have a few things against you, because you have some there 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 sexual immorality. 15 So you too, have some who in the same way hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” • The church in Ephesus had some Nicolaitans, and Jesus commended the church for removing them. • But, the church in Pergamum has opened a door to their immoral influences. • Jesus links what Balaam did to what the Nicolaitans are doing! • The early church father Irenaeus wrote that the Nicolaitans lived, “lives of unrestrained indulgence.” • Balaam is that strange mysterious rent-a-prophet in the book of Numbers. • Balaam seemed to be a gifted god-fearing man, but he was corrupted by greed. • Balaam was hired to curse Israel, but he couldn’t, so he corrupted Israel instead. • He counseled the Moabite King (Balak) to set a trap for Israel with the Moabite women, including the King’s daughter, and seduce the men of Israel into sexual sin. • Things got so out of hand, it was like a plague, and Moses and the judges had to stop it by the sword! 24,000 died. Balaam also died by the sword. • Jesus says, the Nicolaitans are as dangerous as Balaam! • Do we have Balaamites and Nicolaitans today? • Yes. I would call them influencers – immoral influencers. • Every church and every parent needs to be vigilant against immoral influencers – they surface in every generation, they tickle our ears, but they are not to be tolerated in our church or in our home or schools. Greg Beale, “Balaam’s name became a biblical catchword for false teachers who for financial gain sought to influence God’s people to engage in ungodly practices.” Their Repentance and Reward. Revelation 2:16, “Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.” • Repent is only command to the church in Pergamum. • Jesus told the church of Ephesus, He hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans. • The church needs to repent of their tolerance and moral laxity. • The sword of the Lord is mentioned for the second time. • Jesus says, “Repent, or else” (they may face the same fate as Balaam). Remember, when Balaam was on his donkey? • He couldn’t see the angel of the LORD standing in front of him with a sword, telling him to stop! (The donkey could see it!) • Numbers 22:34, “So Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me.” • Balaam didn’t know the angel of the Lord was trying to stop him. • Some Christians don’t know when Jesus is telling them to stop! • When we know, we repent! Their Repentance and Reward. Revelation 2:17, “The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, 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 except the one who receives it.” Three rewards are mentioned for removing moral compromise from our lives: • First, hidden manna. This represents the deep satisfaction, and a new appetite for God’s Word and God’s will. Getting right with God is a spiritual feast for your soul. • Second, a white stone was given to athletes when they won their contest. The white stone was a ticket into the awards banquet. • Third, a new name meant a new status as citizens in Christ’s coming kingdom. CONCLUSION 1 Thessalonians 4:7 (NASB), “For God has not called us for impurity, but in sanctification.” Sanctification is being attentive to Jesus’ authority. • When Jesus says, “Go,” we go! • When Jesus says, “Stop,” we stop!