Pergamum was the third church in Revelation to receive a letter from Jesus. This daily devotional looks at how the church compromised with the worldview and the issues Jesus had with that.
Devotions in the Pastor Steve Sermon Series
“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’” (Rev. 2: 12-17 ESV)
In this devotion, we are continuing our study of the Seven Churches in Revelation with the Church in Pergamum, The Compromising Church. The letter to the church in Pergamum portrays Christians who are tempted to compromise their morality and their loyalty to God.
The city of Pergamum was the earliest capital of the Roman province of Asia. It contained a famous library, and its citizens developed the use of animal skins as writing materials.
Sharp Two-Edged Sword?
At the start of this letter, Jesus told John to write “the words of him who has the sharp two-edge sword.” The two-edge sword was a sword of choice for many warriors ever since it was conceived. It had a tactical advantage from a single-edged sword because it did not need for the sword to be turned over for it to cut in another direction. A two-edge sword will cut both ways that it is slicing.
It is very likely, however, that Jesus was not referring to a literal sword, but the sword of God’s Word.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (ESV).
So, Jesus was saying to the church in Pergamum that He with the sharp two-edge sword (God’s word) was speaking to them. Christ’s “sharp two-edged sword” indicates that these Christians would receive the Lord’s most severe judgment.
A Fun Fact …
The two-edged sword was the Roman symbol of authority. Since Pergamum was the capital of the Asian province, it was the place of Roman authority in Asia.
If the church failed, the true governor of the city (Christ) would turn his authority against them.
The Throne of Satan?
In Revelation 2: 13, Jesus tells the church that He knows where they dwell – where Satan’s throne is. Now, where a ruler’s throne is indicates where his capital is – where he lives himself.
There were several different temples in Pergamum that were for the worship of pagan gods, such as Athena, the Roman Emperor Augustus, and various other pagan deities. So, the referral to Satan’s throne may well refer to that. The fact that there were so many different temples for pagan gods clearly shows that Pergamum was not the main place for worshiping Jesus.
What Did Jesus Have Against This Church?
In Revelation 2: 14-15, Jesus points out that He had a few things against them. The worst was allowing the teaching of Balaam to members of this church.
In Numbers 25: 1-3, we read about what Balaam did to Israel. Long story short, he taught Balak what to do to cause the Israelite men to defile themselves. He told Balak that he could trip up the Israeli men by enticing them to have relations with the Moabite women, which led them into sexual immorality (against God’s law). The Moabite women also invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, which caused them to eat food sacrificed to idols (against God’s law) and the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods along with them.
How Does This Affect the Church in Pergamum?
Having the people in the church who were teaching people in the church that it was OK to sin in this way was a great lie. The church allowed this teaching, which caused this sin to enter into the church and thus compromised their witness of the Lord.
Sinning against the Lord is never a good thing. This compromise affected their ability to serve the Lord in power, because it broke their fellowship with God. No one can habitually sin and expect that God will bless their efforts. He will not condone sin in His churches. They will not flourish as He would have them to.
Because the church at Pergamum allowed the Nicolaitans into the church, Jesus had that against them. The Nicolaitans where much like the Moabites.
First John 3:9 says, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God” (ESV).
We cannot be truly saved and keep practicing sin. God will not allow us to continue to get away with that.
First John 3:4 also says, “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness” (ESV).
What Was the Church Supposed to Do Then?
In Revelation 2: 16, Jesus stated very clearly what they are to do, “Therefore repent.” The word therefore is there for a reason. It’s referring to all the things that Jesus had listed that He had against the church at Pergamum and flat out said, “REPENT!”
Repent means to turn, turn away from their wicked and sinful ways and go back to the way they were supposed to be living. This means following God’s commands and doing what He says to do. Jesus gave them no other option.
Repentance is acknowledging our separation from God and expressing sorrow for breaking God’s laws and commandments by making the commitment to change our sinful ways to ways of righteousness through obedience.
- Sin is not believing that Jesus is our Savior to save us from our actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Holy means to be set apart — because of our devotion to God — to become perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Perfectionmeans we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
- Sanctified means to be set free from sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Virtues are standards of moral excellence.
- Perfectionmeans we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Righteousness is the indwelling goodness that is the result of a solid relationship with God built by a sincere life of conscientious obedience to God’s laws and commandments and from which all virtues flow.
- Obedience means submitting ourselves to the will of God as it is presented to us and living our lives accordingly.
Glossary
Many of us these days are living our lives as if we have an option. Many of us are sinning and sinning and sinning and thinking that, because of God’s grace, we are ok and will make it through.
Those people need to realize that the people in the church of Pergamum were living under God’s grace, too. They were still warned to repent, and today, we are too.
Don’t let anyone tell you that, because Jesus loves them, it’s all ok. You can live however you want to and Jesus will still let you into heaven.
That’s a lie straight out of the pit of hell. Jesus is the same today as He ever has been.
Remember the study on the church of Smyrna. Jesus is the beginning and the end. He doesn’t change.
So, no, you cannot go on living the way you want and expect to get into heaven because Jesus loves you. You will be one of the ones who he will say at the judgement seat, “go away, I never knew you” (Mt. 7: 21). Don’t accept this lie from hell.
War Against Them with the Sword?
This is the warning that Jesus gave them for what was going to happen if they did not repent and did not stop what they were doing. He was going to go to war against them with the sword of his mouth. As we saw above, the sword is the word of God. Jesus was going to war against them with the word of God if they did not repent. That’s exactly what he will do today as well.
That two-edge sword of the word of God will be what guides us or destroys us for our constant sinning. Which would you rather having, the word that guides and directs us, or the two-edge sword of the word that judges us?
He Who Has an Ear to Hear?
One thing that Jesus always said when He said something that people needed to hear and heed was “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear!” This passage is just like that.
Revelation 2:17 says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches …” (ESV).
Jesus was speaking about spiritual hearing. To hear the importance of what He said requires the spiritual regeneration that comes from knowing him as Lord and Savior. To have “ears to hear,” we must be born again.
The Bible says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (I Cor. 2: 14 ESV).
The “natural person” here refers to those who live according to the flesh and not the spirit. Anyone who is not saved is a natural person because they do not have the regeneration of their spirit through salvation in Jesus.
Regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive and the internal new birth and requickening that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit.
- Spiritual death is the separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin.
- The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
Salvation is the gift of life through the deliverance from condemnation and sin to acceptance and holiness and changes us from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
- Holiness is the transcendent excellence of His nature that includes elements of purity, dedication, and commitment that lead to being set apart.
- Purity means possessing God’s moral character, having eliminated the stain of sin.
Glossary
The natural person can also refer to a Christian who is living a carnal life and not a spiritual one.
“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8: 6 ESV).
Jesus also said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (Jn. 3: 6 ESV).
So, it is very important that we seek to gain the ear to hear when Jesus speaks. We cannot come to understand spiritual things without it.
What Is This Manna Thing?
“… 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” (Rev. 2: 17 ESV).
The hidden manna Jesus speaks of – this manna from heaven – refers back to the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. During the exodus, God had initially given Israel manna to eat. A jar of manna was placed in the Ark of the Covenant. According to Jewish tradition, it was said that at the coming of the Messiah, the Ark would reappear, and manna would be eaten at the Messianic banquet.
“Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst’” (Jn. 6: 32-35 ESV).
Jesus is the bread from heaven and the bread of life.
What about This White Stone Thing?
In Roman times, a white stone was often given to victors at the games. It was also common for special banquets or festivities to use a white stone for admission.
It therefore suggests acceptance and victory. Symbolically speaking, Jesus is proclaiming the sign of victory to those who endure and are victorious over the persecution that they will endure.
A New Name?
The new name probably refers to the recipient’s transformed nature in Christ. “He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter)’” (Jn. 1: 42 ESV).
When we are saved and our sins have been forgiven, we become new creations. No longer are we known as thief, drunkard, prostitute or whatever the sin is for which we are “known.” Our forgiveness brings about a new name, new life, and a new future than what we would have if we were not saved.
How Do We Apply This?
What is your new name? Do you know it? How are you different than you were before you got saved? If you don’t know, pray to God and ask Him to tell you what your new name is; what your new purpose is and what He is calling you to do.
Gracious heavenly Father, help me to understand what you were saying to the church in Pergamum. Forgive me for when I have failed you by compromising my faith and followed the wrong path. Please place me back on the path you have for me and help me walk it faithfully. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
What do you think?
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