We are continuing a series on the 7 messages to the church in Revelation: This time we are looking at the third message, written to the church at Pergamum.[1]
Revelation 2:12-17 12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
As we have seen with the previous two messages this one follows the same pattern. There is a personal greeting from Jesus, commendations, critiques and conclusion. The greeting begins: “These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.” Again we find this is relevant to the local city. The symbol for the city of Pergamum was the sword as it was one of the few cities that Rome had granted the right to use capital punishment[2] Yet, Jesus speaks here of words, not a physical battle. The situation that the church at Pergamum was facing was a war of ideas. Essentially the message breaks down into two battles in the war of ideas. On one front are ideas contrary to Jesus’ teaching pressuring the church from the outside. On the other front are ideas contrary to Jesus’ teaching coming from within the church.[3] Thus, we see the battle ground laid out. It is a battle for the mind of the people
Like in many of the other churches, the cultural situation at Pergamum was difficult. In the face of pervasive idol worship, standing up as a Christian certainly would have caused a person to stand out. Christians faced rejection, ridicule and death. In this context it would have been tempting to accommodate outside influences that were opposed to Christ. Yet the church has remained faithful and the church is resisting overt external pressure. Jesus commends them for this!
There are unfortunately also some negatives to address. Some people in the church are following the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolations and are participating in eating food sacrificed to idols and engaging in sexual immorality. The Nicolatians and those following the teachings of Balaam are caught in the same error. (Rev 2:14-15). The story of Balaam is given in Numbers 22-24. Balaam tried and was prevented from cursing the Israelites. He turned to a more subversive method. He plotted to have a group of Moabite women seduce the Israelites and lead them into sexual immorality and worship of the idol Baal. Tragically, the plan worked and Israel suffered serious consequences for their error.[4]
The false message, the error of the Balaamites and Nicolatians, is that eating food sacrificed to idols is basically harmless. Idols are just bits of wood and stone. After all, are you not in Christ? The problem is that knowingly participating in food that was sacrificed to idols is participating in idol worship itself. It’s like watching a raunchy R rated movie and declaring that I can do so and not be affected by the content. The issue is that a physical act is never just physical. We are also spiritual beings. Our physical actions have spiritual implication and vice versa.[5] Flirting with idol worship is extremely dangerous because it is messing with demonic power and influence.
Secondly, the Nicolatians and those following the teachings of Balaam were saying that sexual immorality was not a big deal. Some in the church had bought into this lie. We hear it today all the time in popular culture; sex between consenting people is natural and normal. The problem is that we are not just physical beings. Having sex with someone is more than a physical act. There are spiritual implications. There are emotional implications. It affects our soul, our whole being. The false idea is that people can have sex with anyone at any time and remain unaffected.
In summary the church at Pergamum is carelessly tolerant of some very harmful ideas.[6] What it adds up to in Pergamum is an insidious internal influence within the church that threatens to destroy the good that is coming from their resistance to harmful external ideas. The call from Jesus is firm and obvious. Repent!
Repent is the translation of the Greek work metanoia. It means to change one’s mind, to turn away from sin. Both those engaging in the sinful practices and those tolerating the sinful practices need to repent, change their minds, and turn away from sin. If these is no repentance, Jesus himself will fight against these false teachings and those who hold to them[7]
In conclusion Jesus says “To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” From the Old Testament we know that manna was the miraculous provision of food that God provided for the Israelites in the desert. God, not cultural practices, provides for humanity’s deepest needs and gives bread that sustains. In a culture where truth is said to be relative, we need more than ever to be in tune with Jesus. If people walk with Jesus, they will see truth in his clarity.
[1] In this series I am drawing heavily from Darrell W. Johnson’s book Discipleship on the Edge. Most of the ideas are his and I am very grateful for his scholarship on Revelation.
[2] Darrell Johnson, Discipleship on the Edge, pg 76
[3] Darrell Johnson, Discipleship on the Edge Pg 77
[4] Expositors Bible Commentary Abridged Edition New Testament pg 1145
[5] Darrell Johnson, Discipleship on the Edge Pg 79
[6] Darrell Johnson, Discipleship on the Edge Pg 79
[7] Expositors Bible Commentary Abridged Edition New Testament pg 1145
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