Text
: Revelation 2 : 12-17
Title
: A Letter from Christ
to the Church in Pergamum
Date: 01/09/2013
The next church to which the Lord Jesus dictates a personal letter through John the apostle,
is Pergamum , another prominent city in Asia , situated 80km's north of Smyrna. Pergamum
reached the height of its greatness under Roman Imperial rule and at that
time was home to about 200,000
inhabitants. This city housed an
impressive library of about 200,000 volumes and was the second largest in
the ancient world after Alexandria. Parchment was invented in Pergamum
after relations with Egypt soured and papyrus became difficult to
obtain. Today this city in modern day Turkey is called
“Bergama”.
Again, we find here a Christian church struggling to
survive in the midst of a diversity of pagan cults and idolatry. This is true for every of the 7 churches. It is
an accurate picture of the church in the world. Many contemporary Christians think
that this assessment is too negative. They think that
the Lord has designed the church
a place of peace, prosperity and
comfort. It is true of course that the church of Jesus Christ is given for
the comfort of the saints, but not in the way we often think. The church provides true perspective and comfort
from the Word of God; she provides
true prayer (receiving true answers and help); she provides true fellowship ( giving true love and sympathy) . However, it is by no means a
foregone conclusion that the church has it easy in this world, where Satan has his throne. Chapter 12 :7ff will provide us with more
detail on the presence and work of Satan in the world. And so the true church is never at rest in this world. This revelation
is therefore given to John for the
benefit of these (and any) struggling churches in the world. The church needs to be reminded that she is at war. There is no time for rest
now, and John simply repeats what is affirmed throughout the entire Bible.
Abraham never really settled in the promised land; Israel never really
was at peace for long in her territory;
the church of the NT was always unsettled
and on the move. All this speaks of
our longing and desire for true
rest in that city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God
(Hebr. 11:10).
The church at
Pergamum is said to be situated "where
Satan has his throne."[1] (v.13) A
throne is the symbol of dominion. A king
customarily exercises his rule from the throne - his seat of authority. Although
Satan is influential in all the cities in Asia, and indeed in the world, he is said to have his throne in this city. That sounds intimidating, but note that right there we find a Christian church. That fact should greatly encourage us. The church is found at the very portals of hell. C.T.
Studd (1860-1931), a missionary
to the Congo once
wrote in this regard: “Some wish to live within the sound of church or
chapel bell.
I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”
I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.”
The church in
Pergamum was such a rescue shop in enemy territory. Jesus says
“I will build my church (everywhere), and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt.
16:18). From the Bible we learn that Satan, whilst a fearful, powerful enemy, he is not
omnipotent. He is a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8), but he is a chained Lion [2]. He
is able to exercise dominion in the city
of Pergamum, because God has allowed this for a season.
Another thing we
ought to observe is whilst Satan exercises a world
wide influence, it is true that there
are places where the spiritual darkness and oppression is so much greater, such
as in Pergamum. Today Satan has his strongholds in the Muslim, Hindu ,
Buddhist worlds and in the Communist worlds of China and North Korea.
The Western world once so favoured with the gospel is
now strongly influenced by
secular humanism, and has become another aggressive exporter of anti
-Christian sentiments in the world.
Of Namibia it has sometimes been said that Satan has his seat in Swakopmund , where a local newspaper had reported some years ago[3] that there
was a group of 177 Satanic
disciples.
So what influences
were there in
Pergamum that it was said that
this is “where Satan’s throne is ”?
·
Pergamum was famous for its worship
of Aesculapius - the god of healing. Because of the healing
powers attributed to him , he was also known as "Sōter" (Saviour). Thus we
have here a striking symbolism of the power of the Anti-Christ who wants
people to think that he is the true saviour of men. The large temple of Asclepius built in the 4th
century B.C. was considered one of the
most famous therapeutic and healing centers of the Greek and Roman world. Galen[4]
(c. 130 – 210 AD) who after
Hippocrates is considered to be
the most important physician of ancient
times, was born in Pergamum, receiving
his training at the Ascleipion.
·
The
Serapeum : This was a temple to the ancient
Egyptian god of the underworld,
built in the lower city of
Pergamum. The Serapis cult was founded by Ptolemy I and was originally centered in
Alexandria. Held to be a god of healing, particularly of
blindness, Serapis was one of a number of Egyptian deities worshiped in
ancient Greece and Rome.
·
Caesar worship. The
emperors of Rome had themselves deified and worshipped as gods. A 2nd
century marble
temple dedicated to the emperor Hadrian
was found here.
To this church the
Lord speaks - “the words of Him who has the sharp
two edged sword”. This sword
in 1 :16 is said to "come out of his
mouth". ( see also Hebr. 4:12).
What does this mean? It simply means that the words of our Lord Jesus always
cut straight, accurately and fairly. A man-made sword cannot compare. This
sword penetrates our inmost being. And if
it does not cut with the edge of salvation, it cuts with the edge of
condemnation, for the word of redemption to all who believe is at the same time
the word of destruction to those who refuse to believe.[5] And as
such our Lord speaks to the church at Pergamum.
A
WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT: (V. 13)
a.
Once again note, that Jesus "knows" where they live . He knows their
situation.
b. "you
hold fast my name"… This
church is faithful to Christ.This must be understood against the contrast with
the evil environment. Many clung to the names
of Aesculapius, Serapeum, Caesar and Zeus, but in the midst of these idolatrous surroundings these believers held firmly to the name of Jesus.
They kept the faith. They were not seduced by their surroundings .
c. "you
did not deny my faith
even in the days of Antipas…”. Unlike the church
at Smyrna which was about to enter into a time of severe persecution (see 2:10), the church at Pergamum had already experienced
persecution. One of their number, whom Jesus calls "Antipas , my faithful witness" (probably their pastor)
was martyred here. One can imagine that the death of their leader would have been a severe blow to the church,
but this church clung to Christ , not renouncing their faith. That is
commendable !
From what we have
learned so far of the church at Pergamum, we
are full of admiration of this church. It is hard to imagine that one could
say anything in rebuke to such a faithful church. And yet ….
WORDS
OF REBUKE : "NEVERTHELESS…. "( 14,15)
Let us consider
firstly what these things are, which are worthy of rebuke :
(i)
"You
have some there who hold the teaching of
Balaam" (v. 14)
(ii)
"You
have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans"
(v. 15)
The
teaching of Balaam “who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin" refers to Numbers 22 - 25 & 31:16. When the
Israelites came out of Egypt they took
possession of the promised land. The Moabite king Balak became very
worried and summoned Balaam - a supposed wonder worker - somewhat of the
character of a Judas. Balak wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites - but he
could not, because the Spirit of God
would not let him. Now this Balaam,
whilst he was forced to bless the Israelites on this occasion, is said in a number of Scriptures (i.e.
Numbers 31:16 ; 2 Peter 2:15 ; Jude 11 ) to have led the Israelites into the
worst form of sin - Numbers 25:1 - sexual immorality and sacrificing to idols.
He caused Israel to compromise and we read that
24 000 died in a plague inflicted upon them by the Lord. Whilst God holds Israel fully accountable for this sin,
the one who lured Israel into this sin was Balaam. There are Balaam like
characters in this church, and they were not dealt with.
The
Nicolaitans (who are also mentioned
in the letter to Ephesus – 2:6) held to similar teachings and practises .
So what is it that causes the Lord Jesus to rebuke the church at
Pergamum? It was the
sin of compromise! The church somehow tolerated members in its midst who lived immoral lives
and indulged in idolatry. Jesus says twice… "you
have some there …" and it seems
as if this church had failed
to discipline these members. May
I remind you that church discipline
is not an option in the church[6]. The Lord
of the church expects the church (particularly the leaders) to
watch over the doctrinal purity and the moral
behaviour of its members. If ever there was a text in scripture that
should remind us of the fact that our Lord expects us to be serious about these
issues, here it is! And we must not
play down the seriousness of this. There was a real danger that the church would
become like the world in Pergamum, even
as Israel threatened to become absorbed
by the evil culture of the Moabites in Balaam's day.
Somehow, in Pergamum,
the guard was down. This easily happens
when the church is perpetually under
pressure. When under pressure it is not good enough to focus only on the external threats. We must also guard
the inner life of the church , and if there are those among us that threaten the spiritual life of the church
they need to be disciplined.
EXHORTATION
AND THREAT:
"Therefore repent. If not will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my
mouth." What must the church do?
1. The
church must repent. The church dare not minimise this serious
compromise in her midst. God is not pleased with compromise! As an
illustration see the entire history of the Kings of Israel. Repenting
does not simply mean to say "I am sorry". The word used here (Gr. metanoia)
literally means "have an entire change of mind". That means that the
church in Pergamum needed to deal with these people in their midst.
2. If they would not do it, the Lord Himself will
do it
, 'to make war with them'. If they
will not act, Christ will act. Our Lord certainly will take steps to purge the
church from such evil
people. The way in which He would have done it is to exercise 'temporal
judgments' in the church.
COMFORT
AND ENCOURAGEMENT:
Our Lord ends on a
positive note - a two- fold
encouragement to those who remain faithful in the Church of Pergamum, and who
have an ear to hear! (Note the appeal to the individual)
1.
He will
feed him with the "hidden manna". This is not
difficult to understand . Manna is the bread that the Israelites ate in the
desert for 40 years. It was the sign and symbol of God's provision - foreshadowing the true bread from
heaven that was to come. Jesus is the
true bread of life (the true manna from heaven) and He nourishes them unto
eternal life. Those who are hearing what the Spirit is saying are obedient, and
they shall receive grace and sustenance
from Christ by feeding on Him. This will
be their strength to withstand all the attacks of Satan- even in places where he has his throne.
2.
He will
give him a white stone with a new name written on it. We are
not entirely certain what this white stone was. It clearly would have made sense to those who received this letter. There was
a custom however in the ancient world – the tesserae, (little stones of friendship) on which was inscribed a combination of letters. These
stones were issued to various friends
who then had free access to the house and a standing invitation to its hospitality.[7]
Whether this is so or not , we don’t
know. But it illustrates the point. This
white stone is said to bear a new
name .Much said about the "new name" in Scripture (cf. 3:12 ; 14:1 ; 22:4). This name is known only by him who receives it. That means that he who overcomes is not only
fully accepted by God - but God deals with that individual in a very private a
personal way. In heaven we shall not simply be numbers, but we will have a
special new name and a special relationship with God. All this is really the
fulfilment of an age old promise : "You
shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will give” (Isa
62:2; 65:15 ; 43;1). Our Good Shepherd Himself said that "he calls his own sheep by name"
(Jn. 10:3f)
CONCLUSION:
The church exists in
this world, in difficult circumstances.
Some churches live closer to
Satan’s throne than others.
But this does not give the church
reason for less vigilance. At all times
we must watch the internal
challenges of the church. We cannot be tempted
to allow spiritual and moral
compromise in our midst. We must be careful of the seductive teachings of
the Balaam’s and the Nicolaitans and
their modern counterparts . If we do allow this, we need to be prepared for the cleansing
actions of the Head of our church.
By persevering we
will receive sufficient encouragement
from Christ, the head of the church . He will give us sufficient of His manna – bread on our desert journey to
survive , and in the end we will receive that
assurance – that white friendship stone by which we gain access
into eternal glory. Amen!
[2] See
Pilgrims Progress
[3] Allgemeine
Zeitung , Mittwoch , 27 Januar 1999
[4] We have a
street named after him in Windhoek West
[5] The Book of
Revelation , Philip Edgcumbe Hughes,
Eerdmans , p. 27
[6] See Matthew 18:15-20 ; 1 Corinthians 5
[7] Richard Brooks : The Book of Revelation , Evangelical Press , p. 38
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