Revelation 2:12-17 The Compromising Church. Worship the godhead of Caesar or die! The Christians in Smyrna would not bow!

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1 P a g e 1 Revelation 2:12-17 The Compromising Church Worship the godhead of Caesar or die! The Christians in Smyrna would not bow! 10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Do not fear: Literally, stop being afraid. God puts us through trials not because He doesn t know what is in our hearts but because we don t know what is in our hearts. Ending verse 10 Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Smyrna means MYRRH. MYRRH was an embalming spice used in biblical times. Myrrh has a very sweet fragrance but it MUST BE CRUSHED in order to give off its aroma. The More they suffered / the more they were CRUSHED the more the sweet fragrance of Christ was given off from their Lives! In order to be faithful unto death, the knowledge of Jesus must be bigger to us than the reality of death itself. Jesus is the First and the Last, the Conqueror over death, the Giver of the crown of life to those who are faithful unto death. Jesus must be bigger to us than death itself. We need this. Not just because some of us might die as martyrs, but because all of us live. The death of the martyrs points to the life worth living, to the life worth dying for. Pray Revelation 2 verse 12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13 I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who

2 P a g e 2 overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it. Pergamos was the political capital of the Roman Province of Asia the Less. When John wrote, Pergamos had been the capital city of the region for more than 300 years. The city was a noted center for culture and education, having one of the great libraries of the ancient world, with more than 200,000 volumes. 12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: Back in 1:16 John had seen Jesus in glory, and from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword. When Jesus returns in glory in chapter 19, we read that From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations (v. 15). So we know that this sharp two-edged sword is probably an image of judgment. Jesus will confront this church with His word, and they will feel the sharp edges. Verse 13 I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan s throne is. What made it such a stronghold? There are many different opinions. Some believe it is because Pergamos was a center of pagan religion, Some believe it was because Pergamos had a huge throne-like altar dedicated to the Roman god Zeus. Some believe it was because Pergamos was a center for the ancient Babylonian priesthood but this is tough to prove conclusively. Others believe it was because Pergamos was the political center of the worship-demanding Roman government. Pergamos was especially known as a center for the worship of the deity known as Asclepios. Represented by a serpent, Asclepios was the god of healing and knowledge. There was a medical school at his temple in Pergamos. Because of the famous temple to the Roman god of healing, sick and diseased people from all over the Roman Empire flocked to Pergamos for relief. Barclay "Sufferers were allowed to spend the night in the darkness of the temple. In the temple there were tame snakes. In the night the sufferer might be touched by one of these tame and harmless snakes as it glided over the ground on which he lay. The touch of the snake was held to be the touch of the god himself, and the touch was held to bring health and healing." And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. This commendation is amplified considering the bad neighborhood for which they lived. 13 I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan s throne

3 P a g e 3 is. Again ending verse 13 with where Satan Dwells! Jesus says, Antipas was My faithful martyr. That s all we know about this guy! His name means against all and he stood against all satanic worship. These believers lived near Satan s headquarters, yet they didn t deny their faith. But they did allow compromise! Wise words by one writer, To deny the faith in the face of death would be to declare that one believes life in the here and now is better than Jesus, better than having the life he promises, which cannot be defeated by death. By holding to Jesus name and not denying the faith even when Antipas was killed for the faith, the Christians in Pergamum declare that Jesus is better than life. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. What is the doctrine of Balaam? Balaam was a prototype of all corrupt teachers. According to Numbers and 31, Balaam combined the sins of immorality and idolatry to please Balak, the king of Moab, because he could not curse Israel directly. When Balaam counseled Balak, he taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel. The stumbling block was connected with idolatry (to eat things sacrificed to idols) and sexual immorality. If the church in Pergamos has those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, it shows they have tendencies towards both idolatry and immorality. The teaching of Balaam was encouragement of corruption by intermarriage resulting in fornication and idolatry. No doubt in the city of Pergamum intermarriage with the pagan world was a real problem. Sexual immorality marked the whole culture of the ancient Roman Empire. It was simply taken for granted, and the person who lived by Biblical standards of purity was considered strange. To paraphrase the Roman statesman Cicero, cited in Barclay: "If there is anyone who thinks that young men should not be allowed the love of many women, he is extremely severe. I am not able to deny the principle he stands on. But he contradicts, not only with the freedom our age allows, but also with the

4 P a g e 4 customs and allowances of our ancestors. When indeed was this not done? When did anyone find fault with it? When was such permission denied? When was it that what is now allowed was not allowed?" To keep from sexual immorality in that culture, you really had to swim against the current. The Church of Pergamos is upon us in America 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Nicolaitans: The church of Pergamos was the first church to foster a distinction between the preacher in the pulpit and the people in the pew. Nicolaitan means to conquer the people. Adams adds, The Nicolaitans were religious leaders who ruled over the common people. Prior to Pergamos pastors of the church were servant leaders, but after Constantine a professional clergy developed that used the people. You have those there you also have those: The rebuke is not only against those who hold the doctrines of Balaam and those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. The rebuke is also against those in the church who allow them to continue and remain in the Church So the very group that Ephesus was commended for not tolerating, Pergamum was condemned for tolerating. A difficult environment never justifies compromise. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators (porena: really any form of sexual immorality), nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. This is not struggling or falling but living a lifestyle of sin. Justifying sexual immorality in the Church is something God hates! Scripture is very clear that sexual sin is just that SIN. Sin separates us from God. That s why God hates sin, it separates Him from those He loves. That s the number one reason God speaks against any form of sexual sin. Those who teach it s ok, are not OK with God. So why? Grieves God who redeemed you and brings great pleasure to Satan, God s enemy

5 P a g e 5 To protect your mind flashbacks mind can play like a VCR Sexual comparisons The first benefit I am experiencing as a result of both my husband and I resisting pre-marital sex is freedom from the jealousy I would be experiencing had my husband known another woman before me. I would be haunted by the possibility that sex was better and more exciting with her. I could never be fully assured that he is as satisfied and fulfilled in our physical love. Protect from suspicion and provide trust If we couldn t do what s right before marriage what will stop him or her from doing it after? Sexually Transmitted diseases There are more than 20 types, affecting more than 13 million men and women in the United States each year. Almost NEVER do these STD s affect partners who entered the marriage bed sexually pure. 1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Protect from unplanned pregnancies ½ the pregnancies in America are unintended. Years ago every day in America 3,000 teenagers got pregnant and over 1,100 of them aborted their babies. The consequences of both keeping the baby or aborting the baby are great. Protect from bad relationships, protect from sexual addiction, protect your worship, protect the body of Christ, protect from guilt, feeling cheap, attached to person not married to Why wait? God commands you too! WHY? Because He loves you and always has your best in mind! Consequences that could include divorce, STD s, children out of wedlock, loss of job, family, friends, discontentment in marriage; Loss of spouses and/or children s trust and respect. Loss of wealth (Proverbs 5:10) Shame and destruction (Proverbs 6:32 35) Many of the consequences of pre-marital sex can occur.

6 P a g e 6 and tablet use) : there were 87.8 billion Internet porn users (this includes smartphone there are more than 400,000 (pay-for-view) websites alone with more users than NETFLIX, AMAZON and TWITTER combined over $97 billion was spent on internet porn in the United States alone (this is money spent & doesn t include free sites or accidental exposure through images online) The average American child is first exposed between 11 and 12 years of age and an estimated 95% of teens report having been exposed! A 2016 report states that 68% of men and 18% of women are habitual weekly porn viewers There are several recent studies that indicate porn addiction is not just a moral issue but a mental health issue, due to the nature of how the brain responds to the stimulation * It is dehumanizing (view of men and women diminished) * Leads to a destructive fantasy world * in a number of cases it has led to criminal activity * Similar brain response as to heavy drug addiction The irony of habitual porn use is that it robs men of their two basic needs: respect and intimate pleasure * Of homosexuals questioned in one study 43% admit to 500 or more partners in a lifetime, 28% admit to 1000 or more in a lifetime, and of these people, 79% say that half of those partners are total strangers, and 70% of those sexual contacts are one night stands. * 78% of homosexuals are affected by STDs. * 73% of psychiatrists say homosexuals are less happy than the average person, and of those psychiatrists, 70% say that the unhappiness is NOT due to social stigmatization. 1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. God help us hate sin the way you do!

7 P a g e 7 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. Repent: The simple word repent stands out. Five of the seven churches are commanded to repent. Repent is a command that applies to Christians, not only to those who first come to Jesus. One more note in context It is interesting to observe that the command to repent is in the second person singular, as in, you must repent, and the address is representatively made to the angel who represents the church. But if the church does not repent, Jesus threatens to make war on them. We call people to repent because we love them and want to keep them from judgment. And if they do not repent, we are to follow the steps prescribed in Matthew 18:15-18 because we love them and want to keep them from judgment. We can also observe that there is a tension between the singular and the plural in this call and in the promised reward. He who has an ear, let him hear is singular individuals are called to hear and to respond. The tension comes in the next phrase, what the Spirit says to the churches. Churches is plural, and a church is a group of believers. Then there are the promises made to him who conquers. Notice that the one who conquers is in the singular. It seems to me that the back and forth between the singular and the plural points to the way that as members of the church we are to have both individual responsibility for ourselves and a corporate responsibility for the other members of the body. What I do affects my personal relationship with Jesus as well as affecting the whole body of Christ 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it. Manna in the Old Testament was the food provided for the children of Israel when they departed from the land of Egypt. The person leaving the state church might be deprived of job and welfare. But in spite of what he may be deprived of, God will provide sustenance. I really like what one commentator says, they are promised a white stone. In the ancient world there were two ways that one received a white stone. One way was when a person was found innocent in a trial; he was given a white stone as a symbol of acquittal. Another way was when a person was to be received into the membership of a private club; he would be given a white stone, which was a symbol of his acceptance. Both elements might be included in this second promise. How about the beloved Chuck Smith on this one It was common in the Bible for God to change the name of a person to describe a new character that He was establishing in them. Abram s name was changed to Abraham, Sarai s to Sarah, Saul s to Paul. Jacob s name, which meant Heel Catcher or Sneaky, was changed to

8 P a g e 8 Israel, which meant Governed by God. And God has a special name reserved for you that will probably indicate what He plans to do for you in the future. A special name that only you will know. I like that. Revelation 2 verse 12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13 I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.