Revelation Decoded 17 ~ The Church at PERGAMOS ~ Chapter 2:12-17 Pergamum, today modern Bergama, a heavily populated district in İzmir Province in western Turkey, sits about 55 miles north of Smyrna, inland a few miles from the Aegean coast. The meaning of the name "Pergamum" is "citadel." The town was noteworthy for three reasons: First, it was a center for many pagan religious cults, and emperor worship was more intense there than in any other surrounding city. Second, it boasted a university with a large library, second only to the one in Alexandria. Third, it was the leader and center of the production of parchment. Jesus Christ described Himself as "the One" who judges with His Word "the sharp two-edged sword. (Revelation 1:16; 19:15, 21) It is the WORD of GOD alone that separates believers from the unbelievers in this world. The writer of Hebrews tells us For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing 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. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:12-13 ) While it is by faith that believers are saved, it is by the WORD of GOD that we are formed and shaped; molded as it were into the instruments of GOD s will upon this earth. It is no different now than it was the first time GOD delivered HIS word to the Israelites back in the Exodus. (Deuteronomy 17:18-20) For the believer, it becomes like the manna in the wilderness, bread falling down from heaven and covering the earth. Like manna, it is to be gathered fresh every morning with a double portion on the LORD s day. (Saturday then, Sunday now.) (Deuteronomy 8:2-3) The WORD of GOD becomes the one anchor in our lives that is absolute and unmovable. (Psalms 18:30-31) It is the one thing in this life we as believers do not trifle and play with. (Proverbs 30:4-6) Solomon in his wisdom argued effectively for every man-made philosophy under the sun, and tried with all his might and strength to live them out. After it was all said and done, he came to the conclusion that the WORD of GOD refutes them all ~ and stands alone as the foundation for the reality humanity lives in. (Ecclesiastes 12:9-14) 1
The ultimate reality is that the WORD of GOD, Jesus Christ HIMSELF, as the double-edged sword, stands as the ultimate dividing line of humanity, and every single person will fall on one side or the other. But regardless of whether or not you are a believer, The Sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD of GOD, (Ephesians 6:17) will either serve to protect us in our walk as Christians, or it will destroy us in our disobedience. Believers do not get a pass on the WORD of GOD, as the Congregation at Pergamum was going to find out. It is an interesting play on words that Pergamum was a city to which Rome had given the rare power of capital punishment. This was symbolized by the sword. The Christians in Pergamum were thus reminded that though they lived under the rule of an almost unlimited power in Rome, they were citizens of another kingdom whose KING has the absolute power over life and death, eternal punishment or eternal reward, heaven and hell. (Matthew 10:28) And it is HIS word that will stand forever, long after everything we know and understand fades away and dies. (Isaiah 40:7-9) Make no mistake it is solely our devotion, dedication and total commitment to GOD s WORD; learning it, studying it, understanding it, and most of all, applying it and LIVING IT that separates the believer from the rest of the world. It is from the Scriptures we get the entirety of our perspectives or world-view about everything. (To include our politics, opinions, social views, etc.) Anyone who says they don t mix their personal; religious or spiritual beliefs is a liar. What else would you base them on? Truly, how do we separate our Biblical beliefs from how we live out our lives? Truth? You cannot. If anything, many of the biggest problems in our Churches today is a casual and indifferent approach to the Scriptures. As if the Bible is only good for Sunday, and we are on our own the rest of the week. This was one of the biggest issues in the Church at Pergamos. Our LORD, again starts out by acknowledging their entire situation and what they are faced with I know where you dwell, where Satan s throne is (vs. 13) So we can see almost immediately, that Pergamos is the headquarters of satanically inspired pagan worship, both of false idols and the emperors of Rome. Smyrna was bad, but Pergamos would be the Washington D.C. of Asia. This was a very tough and difficult place to not only start a Church, but also live out the Christian faith in such a way that it did not compromise with the society around it. Jesus absolutely knows and understands this and yet, HE still expects them to remain pure and undefiled regardless. Jesus mentions that their Church experienced persecution to the point where one of their own ends up suffering and being killed for standing firm in his faith. Antipas, my witness, my faithful one Jesus calls him. Nothing escapes the notice of our LORD, and HE remembers the name of every single soul who died as a result of following HIM. (Matthew 10:28-33) The truth of the matter is that nobody truly knows for sure who Antipas was. There is an legendary and doubtful story that originated in a very untrustworthy source, that Antipas was the pastor of Pergamos, and he stood up to the Roman authorities. The Romans then put him in a hollowed out statue of a bull made out of brass, and then heated up the brass bull until it was red hot. But there is no need to make up a story about Antipas. Suffice it to say that Antipas was honored and remembered by Jesus as HIS faithful one, HIS witness. Oh, that our LORD would think of and speak about us in the same way. 2
Now Jesus gets to the very core of the issues that were plaguing Pergamos first of all Jesus tells them that they have false prophets and teachers from among their own congregation twisting the Scriptures, teaching them and leading them astray with two very common and frequent false teachings and doctrines doctrines that are so effective in damaging and destroying congregations that the Devil uses them over and over again with great success. ONE: The teachings of Balaam. TWO: The teachings of the Nicolaitans. We saw that Ephesus was strong in the Sword of the Spirit (the WORD of GOD) (Ephesians 6:17) and tolerated no false teachings or teachers among them. Unfortunately, Pergamos was the exact opposite. While it was able to effectively stand firm and remain faithful against the persecution and attacks from outside the Church, it was vulnerable and susceptible to satanic spiritual attacks from within their own Church. This is something many Christians are not aware of, prepared for and even believe to be possible. The last place many expect to see, hear or experience false teachings and spiritual attacks is from within our own Church and from our own fellow self-professed believers. How does this happen? First we start with the story of Balaam. We can find his story in (Numbers 22-24), and the final fate of Balaam in Chapt. 31. While we do not have the time to read the entirety of Balaam s story, we will look at one chapter, and highlights of the rest. We need to understand this Old Testament character for the purposes of understanding exactly what is going on in this Church. The Israelites were enjoying great victories in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho. GOD was blessing them in every way, and the surrounding lands and kings were fearful of them. The King of Moab, Balak, decided he would send his messengers with the customary fee for divination (a term NEVER used for the true prophets of GOD) and get help from a well known diviner named Balaam. Balaam was very famous, and even historical and archeological records confirm he existed and was a very powerful sorcerer. But, this particular sorcerer was different. This sorcerer, while practicing all kinds of magical and occult arts, was also a believer and follower of Yahweh, the GOD of the Bible. He knew GOD, and apparently, GOD knew him. Balaam did not summon GOD for his purposes, (like he would any other demonic entity, with sorcery and divination), we are specifically told GOD came to him. He explains to GOD what the men want, but GOD tells him the people of Israel are blessed and under HIS watchful eye and protection. He initially tells the men sent by Balak he cannot go with them. Obviously, he wants to but he tells the men GOD won t let him. Balak hears this and sends more men, wealthier men, to persuade Balaam. Here s where the true heart and motivation of Balaam is revealed. He already knows this goes against the will of GOD, and yet instead of refusing them and sending them away, he decides to allow them to spend the night and tells them he will seek GOD s will for another answer, this time, hopefully, more in line with Balaam s will. Oh how many times do we pray and seek GOD s will, and even after HE says no, we somehow pray and convince ourselves GOD has changed HIS mind and will allow us to have what we really want, even though we know it goes against GOD and HIS word? How do we do this you might ask? People pray for other people s spouses. People pray for favor when they are lying and stealing, praying they don t get caught. Humanity makes up gods and goddesses in their 3
own image and likeness by the millions that somehow teach that we can say and do whatever we want without any consequences whatsoever, and we can all still go to heaven. Like the gods of Greek and Roman mythology, they look like us, act like us, sin and commit evil like us, (in some cases even worse; rape, lie, manipulate and murder) and still get all the rewards and blessings under heaven. GOD made man in HIS own image and likeness; mankind has been trying to return the favor ever since. So now GOD gives Balaam the answer he truly wanted. GOD does the same for us to test our resolve and heart. HE tells Balaam to go. Balaam doesn t think twice. He couldn t be more thrilled. He saddles up his donkey and two servants and goes! He ll curse Israel and get a big fat paycheck and come home a rich man. On their way to Moab to curse the Israelites GOD stands in the way as the Angel of the Lord. While the actual sorcerer and part time prophet of GOD doesn t even notice this, the donkey does. The donkey tries to stop but then Balaam begins to beat it! Amazingly enough, when a human being decides they want something, everything else falls away and we are overcome with our own lusts, desires, and needs. We blur out everything else in our lives to get what we want. We are told by one of the writers of the Psalms, that the farther away from GOD we are, the more bestial we become. (Psalms 49:10-20) But then comes the most insane part of the story we are told the LORD HIMSELF enables the donkey to speak!?! (Don t be so surprised, he does it for me every Tuesday night!) and get this, Balaam doesn t even miss a beat in answering it! WHY? Because in his line of work, talking animals are a normal thing to a sorcerer. Ever heard of familiars? Familiars have always been recognized as a witch s companion, an animal, cat, dog, bird, or creature that helps the witch with magic. Demonic entities inhabit or speak through these animals, and communicate occultbased information. Balaam would be intimately involved in this practice. BUT, in this particular instance, it is GOD who speaks through the donkey to teach Balaam a lesson first, Balaam wanted to kill the donkey for not doing its job, and this is exactly what GOD wanted to do with this jackass as well. Just like GOD spoke through the donkey and said what GOD wanted to say, Balaam would serve as nothing more than a beast simply mouthing the words GOD wants to say to the people of Israel. Balaam would not be allowed to speak for himself. Ultimately, Balaam would not be able to do anything except utter blessings towards Israel the entire time, and this against Balaam s will. Israel then, like Jesus s Church then and now, was under the blessing and protection of GOD, and our LORD Jesus Christ. (Deuteronomy 23:3-5) I believe, based on the words of this messenger, that it is none other than Jesus Christ in a preincarnate appearance in the Old Testament. Notice how the Angel of the LORD speaks in Numbers 22:32-35, Jesus was intimately familiar with Balaam and his sin. So what exactly was the sin the Church at Pergamos was committing? Well, no one explains it better than the Apostle Peter. (2 Peter 2, Jude 10-12) Remember how the Church at Corinth was doing the very same things. Food sacrificed to idols, sexual immorality, so bad even the gentiles were shocked, drunkenness at the Lord s supper, suing each other, etc. (1 Corinthians 5, 8, 11) So again, this Church in Pergamos, like the people of Israel, were well protected by GOD from attacks from outside, but unfortunately, God cannot protect us from ourselves. 4
What you may not know is that Balaam ultimately did curse the Israelites and collected his reward. (Numbers 31:15-16) How? He counseled Balak to send idolatrous women to seduce the Israelite men and let them curse themselves. Their sin got so bad and blatant that an Israelite man actually had sex with a woman right in the Tent of Meeting in front of Moses and the rest of the Israelites. They actually thought it was right and that GOD approved of their actions. (Numbers 25:1-9) And so the sin in Pergamos was that they had leaders and followers alike indulging in greed, corruption, getting rich on the people, (Televangelists, sexual perversions, fleecing the people from within, etc.) taking advantage of the sheep, all the while uttering blessings and leading people astray with idolatrous acts and sexual immorality, and then you add the icing on the cake the teachings of the Nicolaitans, which said that as a believer, you are now under the grace and eternal security of GOD s salvation, so you can blatantly and publicly indulge in any sin, perversion, occult, and new age practices and still claim to have the righteousness of GOD to cover you. In other words, hey everyone, come to Jesus! You can do whatever you want, live any lifestyle you please, indulge your every whim and fantasy, and you have the eternal promise of going to heaven. I personally know many self-professed Christians that engage in occultic, new age and demonic practices, sexual sin and idolatry, and believe they are allowed to because they have the blessing and protection of the Holy Spirit. The thing is, the LORD promises the same fate for these Christians as Balaam experienced. What was that? Remember first, Balaam also thought he was a follower of GOD. (Numbers 22:18) Balaam was filled with the Spirit of GOD! (Numbers 24:2) Balaam even prophesied about Jesus Christ and the Star of Bethlehem! (24:15-19) (New Testament equivalent? Judas Iscariot. What motivated Judas? Greed. All in the name of caring for the poor. John 12:1-6 ) How did things end for Balaam? (Numbers 31:1-8) He died by the sword. How does Jesus say HE will deal with these same men within the walls of HIS own Church at Pergamos? Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the Sword of My mouth. (Revelation 2:16) HE returned back then and shut them down forever, since this Church no longer exists. GOD can save us from anything except ourselves. And the rewards? Hidden Manna which symbolizes the full knowledge and understanding of the WORD of GOD! Everything we have ever wondered about, questioned, or could not understand will be laid bare and revealed to us once and for all time! We will come face to face with the incarnate WORD of GOD and know HIM. (1 Corinthians 13:11-12, Colossians 3:3-5) And a white stone with our secret name on it? I believe this is the eternal and heavenly equivalent of what GOD told Moses to do with the names of the Israelites in Exodus (28:6-12) a permanent and eternal memorial, our names will be hewn on these stones forever, and then carried by our great High Priest for eternity to remind us of the sacrifice HE made to redeem us JESUS is the STONE in which all our names are carved (Genesis 49:23-25), and finally, perhaps we are all stones in HIS glorious crown. (Zechariah 9:16-17) Pergamos is a picture of the carnal and fleshly Church, concerned with maintaining its own status quo and not much else. Spiritual and godly on the outside, but on the inside full of dead men s bones. 5
The same spiritual error of the leadership in Israel at the time of Jesus. (Matthew 23) Many writers have noted that "Pergamum" comes from the Greek word gamos that means "marriage." In other words, this bride is married to Jesus but fooling around with the world. He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, and obey! 6