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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
February 23, 2025
◘Pergamum: The Compromised Church
Revelation 2:12-17
Introduction
Please turn in your Bibles to Revelation 2. ◘ If you missed the introductory sermons to the Apocalypse or those covering chapter 1, I encourage you to check our webpage (www.gracebibleny.org) to read through those sermons or to listen to them on our SermonAudio site. That will go a long way in helping you to understand our study of this revelation from God the Father to Jesus Christ who transmitted it through an angel to the apostle John who wrote down as directed “the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.” We completed our study of the “things which you have seen” in chapter 1, and we are currently examining the “things which are” in chapters 2 & 3.
◘ These are seven specific letters with specific messages to seven specific churches spread throughout seven specific locations in the Roman province of Asia at a specific period of time. The principles in each letter have application to Christians and churches at any point in time that might be in a similar situation or having similar issues, but each letter must be understood in its historical context in order for those principles to have the greatest clarity. Interpreting these letters allegorically or mystically will only obscure their message and the principles within them that could be applied to other churches.
◘Review – Letter to Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7)
The first letter was to the messenger of the church at Ephesus which was the closest of the churches to Patmos from which John was writing during his exile. ◘The Ephesian church was highly commended for persevering and not growing weary though they toiled in the Lord’s work to the point of exhaustion. They endured great hardship for the sake of the name of the Lord due to persecution related to their refusal to participate in the pagan worship of the emperor cult which was strong in Ephesus since it was the location of a temple to Domitian, the then current eccentric and demanding Roman emperor. This was the cause of John’s exile. ◘They were also highly commended for their strong moral and doctrinal integrity. They would not tolerate those who were of low moral character, worthless, godless. They put to the test those claiming to be messengers from God (apostles) and found them false. They were further commended for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans which we will talk about further today. All of those are wonderful characteristics for any Christian or church to have and strive to develop.
◘The problem in the Ephesian church at that time, and it was a serious problem which Jesus had against them, is that they had left their first love. When that is combined with a strong orthodoxy it usually ends up expressed in a rigid legalism and an academic faith. The warmth of love for Christ and other believers that is displayed in tender-hearted patience, forgiveness, encouragement and acceptance is replaced by theological examination and extra Biblical standards of conduct. Their strength becomes a weakness when not tempered by Christian charity which practices all the one another commands and not just admonish one another.
◘Jesus commands them to correct the problem by remembering the love they had for Christ and other Christians that existed in the past and from which they have fallen, to repent of this loss, and then do again the deeds of love that had done at first. Remember your first love, Repent from the degrading of it that has occurred, Re-do the deeds of love you had at first. Remember, Repent, Re-do. That principle works in marriage relationships too.
◘ All true Christians are overcomers of sin through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by which they are justified and given a right standing before God. Jesus here promises to them access to the tree of life. What was lost by Adam’s sin in the garden of Eden is restored to believers in the new earth.
(See: Letter to Ephesus)
◘Review – Letter to Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11)
Jesus’ second dictated letter went 35 miles north to the port city of Smyrna. We examined this letter last week. The Christians in Smyrna were in a more difficult position than those in Ephesus for though the temple to emperor Domitian was located in Ephesus, the people in the city of Smyrna had a far stronger commitment to Rome and so also to the emperor cult that had arisen in the first century. This resulted in much greater oppression of the Christians there. Nothing negative is said about the Church in Smyrna. ◘The Christians there are commended and comforted in the midst of their current suffering and encouraged regarding the additional suffering that was about to occur.
True Christians could not participate in offering incense to the emperor and say “Caesar is lord” for worship belongs to God and God alone and only Jesus Christ is Lord. ◘The result was that they did not have a certificate of emperor worship which excluded them from many activities in society including economic ones so they ended up being impoverished in the things of the world but rich in the things of God. Added to this was the blasphemy – deliberate slander against them to cause harm – by the Jews that rejected the gospel. What Paul had experienced from such Jews in his early missions work continued to that present time. They were a synagogue, a gathering of religious Jews, that promoted what was Satanic instead of worshiping God. No wonder Jesus said of similar Jews in John 8:44, You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. . .”
◘The church at Smyrna was going to undergo even more tribulation with some of them even being thrown into jail, but Jesus encouraged them that it would be of a short duration of only ten days and promised the crown of life to those that would continue to be faithful to Him. Persecution may even cost the Christian his physical life, but that is of little consequence compared to receiving eternal life and therefore protected from the hurt of the second death which is God’s condemnation of the unrighteous to the eternal lake of fire (Revelation 20:6, 14; 21:8). (See: Letter to Smyrna)
◘The Letter to Pergamum – Revelation 2:12–17
We now come to the third letter which is addressed to the angel of the church at Pergamum. Please follow along as I read Revelation 2:12–17. We will then come back to look at each section of the letter in detail. Revelation 2:12–17 (LSB) 12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: This is what the One who has the sharp two-edged sword says: 13 ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 ‘But I have a few things against you, that you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. 15 ‘So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 ‘Therefore repent. But if not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war 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, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’
◘The Author – Revelation 2:12
As in the previous two letters, the term angel here would be better translated as messenger for this is a respected human that will take the letter to Pergamum and not a supernatural holy Angel from God. He is addressed specifically as the representative of the whole church.
◘Jesus identifies Himself in this letter as “the One who has the sharp two-edged sword.” As with the previous descriptive self-identifications and those that will follow, this matches John’s description in 1:12-17 of the glorified Christ who commissioned him to write. This particular description is from 1:16 with the only difference being the use of the article in each element of the description which in Greek custom points back to the earlier reference. The sentence literally translate as “This is what he says, the one having the sword, the two-edged, the sharp.” As explained in the earlier sermon, this sword is a rJomfaiva / rhomphaia which was a large, broad sword of Thracian origin that was used for both slashing and piercing. It was an instrument of aggressive attack by a soldier in war as compared to the short sword (mavcaira / macharia) used for personal defense. This sword is also referred to in Revelation 2:16; 19:15 and 19:21. In all of these other references in Revelation it adds that this sword proceeds from Christ’s mouth and is a reference to physical action and not a figure of speech of having a sharp tongue such as in Job 5:15, Psalm 59:7 or Isaiah 49:2. The usage of this description in Revelation 19 is tied directly to Jesus’ conquest of the world.
◘Not only does this opening description given an obvious seriousness of authority to what Jesus is going to say to the church in Pergamum, it probably had an even stronger meaning to them. Several commentators have pointed out that Pergamum as the capital of the province gave its proconsul “the right of the sword” referring to the power to carry out capital punishment at will. Courts in other places in the province did not have that right and a defendant could appeal his case up to the proconsul. Those in Pergamum would have understood that the one having a sharp, two edged sword had judicial authority including the right to carry out execution. This would be a serious letter.
◘The City of Pergamum – Revelation 2:13
Jesus begins as He did in the previous two letters with a statement about what He knew about them. And once again knowledge here (oi\da/ oida) is in the perfect tense. Jesus has full knowledge of their current situation and will continue to have full knowledge in the future. What did Jesus know about them? “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is.” Some background information on Pergamum will help us to understand what is meant by this.
◘Pergamum is located nearly 100 miles north of Ephesus, ~65 miles north of Smyrna, but unlike the previous two cities, Pergumum was not a port city and was 16 miles from the Aegean sea with its acropolis rising about 1,000 feet above the plains of the Caicus river. It was founded in the fifth century B.C. but was of little importance until Lysimachus, one of Alexander the Great’s generals, took possession of the territory in 301 B.C. and appointed Philataerus to govern at Pergamum and safe-guard his wealth. After Lysimachus was defeated and killed by Seleucas 1 in 281 B.C. , ◘Philataerus retained possession of the territory as an independent kingdom establishing the Attalid dynasty. With the help of Roman general Scipio Asiaticus, king Eumenes II defeated Antiochus III at the Battle of Magnesia in 189 B.C. gaining control of the Seleucid territory in Asia Minor.
◘What followed was a golden era for Pergamum as the capital the kingdom. It was during this time that its school of sculpture was established and its library was founded which grew to over 200,000 volumes and rivaled the library of Alexandria. Interestingly, that rivalry resulted in Egypt instituting a ban on the export of papyrus to Pergamum about 180 B.C. Without paper to write on, Eumenes developed a new writing material manufactured from animal skins called parchment, a name derived from the city in which it was made, Pergamum. That library was later promised by Mark Anthony to Cleopatra VII, though it is uncertain if the transfer actually took place.
◘When Attalus III died in 133 B.C., he bequeathed the kingdom to Rome which incorporated it into the province of Asia with Pergamum retaining its position as capital of the province. The city and its acropolis had many impressive buildings. In addition to the library there were gymnasia and a large theater, and as a thoroughly pagan city, it has many temples and altars with its primary deities including Zeus, Athena, Dionysos and Aklepios. The temple to Zeus included a colonnaded U-shaped altar about 120 ft X 112 ft built on platform eighteen feet high. It also had a 446 foot frieze around its base depicting a battle between mythical gods and giants. Some have identified this as “Satan’s throne.” Others have suggested it might be the large temple complex (425 X 360 feet) to Aklepios, the god of healing, who was associated with snakes, and hence Satan. People in the ancient world, just as people today, would do nearly anything to be healed of a disease or handicap. Though the city was the birthplace of Galen, the second most famous physician in the ancient world (Hippocrates was the most famous), the quest for healing included spending the night in the dark temple in which nonpoisonous snakes roamed. The hope was that one of these snakes would slither by and at least touch you which they believed meant you were touched by Asklepios and so would be healed.
◘While those may be of interest, of more consequence to the Christians in Pergamum was the strong tie the city had to the emperor worship cult. Pergamum was the site of the very first temple built for the worship of the Roman emperor, which in A.D. 29 was Caesar Augustus. That temple was also dedicated to the worship of the goddess, Roma. From that time forward Pergamum was the leader in the cult of emperor worship. A second temple would be built later for this purpose during the reign of Trajan (A.D. 98-117). While Christians in Ephesus and Smyrna were persecuted by this cult, the danger was much greater in Pergamum. That was due in part to the greater devotion to it in that city, but much more so it was the authority of the proconsul. ◘The term “throne” points to state authority, and it was this state authority to execute, as we will see in a few moments, that made it so dangerous in Pergamum for Christians. That is why Jesus can refer to this as the place “where Satan’s throne is,” and “where Satan dwells.” The persecution of Christians arising out of the emperor cult was thoroughly Satanic, and Pergamum was the starting place of this cult in Asia and still the leader of it.
◘The Commendation – Revelation 2:13
Verse 13 details Jesus’ commendation of the Christians in Pergamum. 13 “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”
The church in Pergamum like the church in Smyrna was most likely founded after the church in Ephesus. Even during Paul’s time in Ephesus that church became well known for their spread of the gospel throughout Asia as pointed out previously. ◘The first commendation of the Christians in Pergamum is simply the fact that they continued to dwell there. There would have been much reason for a Christian to leave that city in which was “Satan’s throne,” and especially so as persecution intensified toward the end of Domitian’s reign.
There are many parallels to this throughout history and in our own time. ◘ I am not aware of any condemnation of Christians for fleeing persecution, in fact, Acts 8 records persecution as the cause forcing the Christians in Jerusalem to scatter throughout Judea and Samaria and beyond. In doing so, they took the gospel with them and churches were started in both the places from which they had originally come and to other places as they took the gospel to places that had not yet heard. The church in Antioch is a good example of that (Acts 11). There are many reasons to flee a dangerous situation and that may well be the wisest and most God-honoring action an individual or family even a group might make, so please do not take what I will say next the wrong way.
◘Those who will stay and endure the hardships and even persecution for the sake of the gospel are to be commended even if it seems foolish to others. Among the more extreme examples of this in our present time of which I am aware are the North Koreans who become Christians and purposely remain, and even more so, those who have escaped, become Christians, and then purposely go back to proclaim the gospel for whatever short time they can before being arrested, jailed and tortured at minimum.
There is an application of this to us living in New York though minimal compared to other places. We are certainly living in a state that is increasingly hostile to Christians, Christianity and the values we hold. There are many good reasons many Christians have fled this state. Many who have done so have done it with great reluctance. Even so, those who decide to remain here or even move here for the sake of the gospel are to be commended.
◘The Christians in Pergamum were further commended for holding fast to Jesus’ name and not denying the faith in the midst of severe persecution. Jesus points to the martyrdom of a man named Antipas as the example. We know little about this man other than what is mentioned here. Tradition holds he was roasted to death in a bronze bull during the reign of Domitian. From the more detailed accounts of others who were executed in the years that followed this because of their faithful witness to Jesus Christ such as Polycarp I mentioned last week, we can safely conclude Antipas was killed because he would not yield to the demands of the emperor cult. He would not offer the incense to Domitian. He would not say, “Caesar is lord.” He would not deny the Lord Jesus Christ in any way, shape or form.
◘While the emperor cult no longer exists, there are plenty of other religions and ideologies that demand some form of allegiance that will involve a denial of Christ or there were will be persecution or even execution. In Muslim controlled lands Christians are oppressed unless they will deny Christ and affirm Allah and Mohammed as his prophet. Radical Hindus will physically assault Christians who will not deny Christ by affirming their pantheon of gods and goddesses. Totalitarian states, governments and other entities demand allegiance to it first and foremost which will always involve some form of putting Christ in a secondary or lower position. That can be as extreme as what occurs in North Korea, China and other totalitarian states, or as subtle as your employer demanding you make your job the most important priority of your life and work hours in conflict with your God given priorities on things non-critical to the health and safety of others or even critical to the job itself. The Christian’s first and foremost priority of allegiance must be Christ.
◘The Condemnation – Revelation 2:14-15
Verses 14-15 detail the condemnation against them. Just as Jesus knows their circumstances and what they were doing right, He also knew what they were doing wrong. Jesus states “I have a few things against you.” He then lists two major complaints with the first one having two specific sins that resulted from the failure.
The first area in which Jesus condemns them is “that you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel.” Jesus then goes on to specify the consequences of the stumbling block, but before we look at those lets make sure we understand the problem with Balaam.
◘If all we had was the record of Balaam’s actions recorded in Numbers 22-24 we would probably scratch out heads a bit wondering what he did wrong since on the surface it appears he did do what God told him to do even if he showed some weakness in doing so. His story begins in Numbers 22 with Balak, king of Moab, reacting to the destruction of the Amorites by the nation of Israel as they journeyed to take possession of the promised land. They were now in the plains of Moab on the east side of the Jordan river opposite Jericho. Balak was afraid Israel would also destroy Moab so he was looking for some way to have Israel cursed so they would no longer be under God’s protection. Balak sends emissaries to Balaam, son of Beor, who was known as a prophet of God (Elohim) and lived at Pethor which is near the west bank of the upper Euphrates river. God tells Balaam not to go, so the men return to Balak without him. So far, so good.
Balak sends more of his leaders to Balaam with a promise to make him rich if he will come and curse Israel for him. Balaam replies that he can only do what the Lord (Yahweh) tells him regardless of any wealth offered. God tells him to go ahead and go but to only speak what God tells him to say. Our first indication that something is not right is that Numbers 22:22 states that God was angry because Balaam was going. ◘Though Balaam was doing what God said he could do, God knows the heart and the evil motives with it. This is the incident in which the angel of the Yahweh stood in his path with a drawn sword. Balaam’s donkey could see the angel and kept veering away, but Balaam could not and beat the donkey three times before the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth to challenge Balaam and then Balaam’s eyes to see the angel of Yahweh. Balaam offered to turn back, but the Lord instead used it as a strong warning to him to only speak the word which He would tell him. This would be the source of the prophecies Balaam would make.
◘Twice king Balak took Balaam to a place to curse Israel, and twice Balaam sought Yahweh and said only what Yahweh instructed him to say which were two blessings. The third time Balack took him to the top of Peor overlooking the wilderness in an effort to get Israel cursed (Numbers 23). This time Balaam did not seek omens, he simply looked upon Israel and the Spirit of God came upon him to deliver a third oracle of blessing upon Israel which of course made king Balak very upset. Balaam reminded him he could only speak what Yahweh spoke to him. Balaam then gave a fourth oracle about what Israel would do in the future. Balack and Balaam then departed from each other (Numbers 24).
What then is the “teaching of Balaam” since Numbers 22-24 only records the blessings Balaam pronounced upon Israel. Jude 11 refers to it as the “error of Balaam” and equates it to be as bad as the “way of Cain” and the “rebellion of Korah.” ◘ Our first clue is in Numbers 31:8 when Israel makes war against Midian and lists the five kings of Midian they killed and also Balaam. Joshua 13:21-22 also mentioned the slaying of Balaam along with the chiefs of Midian. Why was Balaam with the kings of Midian? ◘Numbers 31:16 then explains, “Behold, these (referring to the women of Midian) caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord.” ◘This refers to the story recorded in Numbers 25 when the daughters of Moab played the harlot with the people of Israel, and then also invited the people to sacrifice to their gods and worship them. God judged them with 23,000 dying of a plague and another 1,000 dying at the hands of judges of Israel that slew the men that had joined themselves to Baal of Peor. This incident is also referred to in Deuteronomy 4:3, Joshua 22:17, Psalm 106 and Hosea 9:10.
◘The story of Balak trying to hire Balaam to curse Israel and Balaam instead blessing Israel is referred to in Deuteronomy 23:4-5, Joshua 24:9-10 and Nehemiah 13:2, however these add the detail that Yahweh “was not willing to listen to Balaam,” and so turned the curse into a blessing. ◘2 Peter 2:14-16 then adds this explanation of it. In warning about the unrighteous and their character of eyes full of adultery, hearts trained in greed, accursed children who forsake the right way and have gone astray “having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.”
◘Balaam was greedy and wanted the riches Balak was offering. Though he was restrained from directly cursing Israel, he sought the reward by teaching the Moabites and Midianites that God would bring a curse on Israel if they could set a trap for them by enticing them into sexual immorality and idolatry. That is then exactly what they did resulting in 24,000 Israelites dying. The plague was checked by the actions of Phinehas, the son of Eleazer the high priest, so the curse was minor compared to the total population of Israel, and the incident brought about the vengeance of Israel against the Midianites recorded in Numbers 31.
◘Jesus rebuked the church at Pergamum for tolerating among them those that were following the example of Balaam and teaching that it was acceptable for them “to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.” When a sacrifice was made, part of the animal was burned up, part of it taken by the priest with much of that sold in the local meat market, and part of it returned to the one making the sacrifice so that they could eat it as part of their worship of a god or goddess. ◘In a city so given over to pagan idolatry it would have been very difficult to avoid food that had been sacrificed to idols. This was an important issue since those coming out of such a pagan culture would associate such food sacrificed to idols with the worship of the false god. That is why the Jerusalem council in Acts 15:29 warned against it as did Paul in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 & 10 even while recognizing that it would not be a personal issue for those with a strong conscience that an idol is nothing. Even then, they were to be wary lest they defiled the conscience of a weaker brother.
◘In a similar manner the sexual immorality rampant in Greek culture and in pagan worship needed to be abandoned by the Christian. Paul had to rebuke the Corinthians for this same issue (1 Corinthians 6). God’s plan for human sexuality was and is one man with one woman in a monogamous marriage.
◘While meat offered to idols is a nearly non-existing problem in American society, the parallel of participation in false worship and sexual immorality are problems. The worship in some churches and among some Christians amounts to pagan idolatry because it is either not actually to the Jesus revealed in the Scriptures or it is worship done in ways contrary to how worship is proscribed in the Bible. Worship that is evaluated by how it makes you feel is worship of yourself, not God, and in the end it is idolatry.
◘Sexual immorality is rampant in our society with too many Christians and too many churches tolerating or even celebrating immorality of every type including perversions. Just as in 1 Corinthians 5, they pride themselves about their tolerance of what God declares to be sin and abominable behavior before Him.
The second issue is in verse 15. 15 “So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” As mentioned in the letter to the Ephesians, ◘the Nicolatians, irrespective of whether they were followers of a perversion of the teachings of Nicolaus or if Nicolaus had become apostate, taught a syncretism of the Christian life with the surrounding culture resulting in an excessively liberal or even antinomian (lawless) position. ◘The Nicolaitans are long gone, but the same kind of thinking is still demonstrated today when professing Christians proclaim their liberty in Christ to pursue whatever worldly thing interests them instead of pursuing personal holiness in cooperation with the Holy Spirit’s work of conforming you into the image of Christ (1 Peter 1:16; Phil. 1:6; Romans 8:29). This is worse when advocated by church leaders and practiced by a church. And quite frankly, you cannot handle it. The principle in Proverbs 6:27 applies to a lot of areas – “Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?” The pursuit of what is worldly will burn you, and that covers a lot of issues from fashion, to entertainment, to materialism, to career, to the friends you keep and beyond. Is it more important for you to become more like Christ or to fit in with the society surrounding you?
◘The Correction – Revelation 2:16
Verse 16 is the strong correction of their tolerance of these false teachers of compromise with worldliness. 16 “Therefore repent. But if not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.”
◘The unequivocal command here is to repent – change your mind and direction concerning these things. The threat is a promise and a serious one for the imagery of this sword as pointed out early is to destroy and conquer. The sharp words of rebuke have already been given and judgment for failure to heed it is near at hand.
◘The Call & Promise – Revelation 2:17
Just as in the previous letters, this one ends with a call and a promise. 17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.” This statement expands the application of the principles given in the letter to all churches and to everyone that will hear and heed its message. The one who overcomes is again the true Christian as stated in 1 John 5:4-5, 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
◘The “hidden manna” brings to mind God’s provision of food for Israel during its sojourn in the wilderness and was still being provided when Balak and Balaam took their actions. There is a contrast here with it and eating the things sacrificed to idols. The one who overcomes trusts God to provide as he puts first God’s kingdom and righteousness even when he cannot see how God will do it. Since each of these letters end with a promise related to future events at the end of the age, this may also be referring to the marriage supper of the lamp described in Revelation 19.
◘The white stone with a new name written on it seems to be related to a custom common at that time that the winner of an athletic event would be rewarded such a token with his name on it which would also enable him to gain admission to a special feast. ◘This also then appears to be related to the future marriage supper of the Lamb.
The particular word used here shows this is a new name in the sense of being something qualitatively different and not just recent in time. ◘ It was not uncommon for someone to be given a new name after gaining a new status such as God renaming Jacob as Israel (Genesis 32:28) and the promise that God’s servants will be called by a new name in the millennium (Isaiah 62:2). That no one will know the name except the one receiving it shows this will be a new personal name and not something generic applied to many.
◘Conclusions
Being commended for holding fast in faith to Christ in the midst of persecution is a good thing. All Christians need to strive to do that whether the persecution is mild or severe. At the same time, toleration of compromise with worldliness is a serious matter. In many ways these are opposite of each other with the underlying issue being whether it is more important to you to please Christ, yourself, or those around you? Those who hope in Christ’s return seek to purify themselves even as He is pure (1 John 3:3), and so they overcome the temptations and pressures of the world to conform you to its image.
Sermon Notes: February 23, 2025
Pergamum: The Compromised Church – Revelation 2:12-17
Introduction
If you missed the introductory sermons or those on Chapter 1, please review them on the website
7 specific letters with specific messages to 7 specific churches in 7 specific places at a ________time period
Review – Letter to Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7)
Commended for their _______ & enduring hardship for the Lord’s sake
Commended for their strong moral & doctrinal ____________
Rebuked for ___________ their first love
Commanded to Remember, __________ & Re-do their first works
Promised access to the _____________________ in the garden of God
Review – Letter to Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11)
Commended and comforted in the midst of their current ____________ and what was about to happen
Though impoverished and slandered, they remained __________
Their suffering would be of _____________ duration and they were promised the crown of life
The Letter to Pergamum – Revelation 2:12–17
The Author – Revelation 2:12
The one who has the sharp two-edged sword – an instrument of aggressive attack, used to destroy & ______
Pergamum was the capital of the province and had the “right of the sword” – freedom to __________
The City of Pergamum – Revelation 2:13
~65 miles n. of Smyrna, ___miles from Aegean sea in Caicus river valley with an acropolis rising 1,000 feet
Became ___________of an independent kingdom in 281 B.C. and developed strong ties to Rome
Its golden age included a school of sculpture, a _________of 200,000+ volumes, manufacture of parchment
It became capital of Roman province of Asia in 133 B.C. It had many pagan ____________and altars
It was center and leader in Asia of the ___________________with the first temple built to it in A.D. 29
It was “Satan’s throne” due to having state authority to _________those not yielding to the emperor worship
The Commendation – Revelation 2:13
They continued to __________there instead of fleeing the city in which Satan dwells and has his throne
Persecution is a ______________reason to leave a place (Acts 8), but those who stay are to be commended
They __________________to Jesus’ name and did not deny the faith though Antipas was executed
Many Christians continue to show the same example of _______________in the midst of severe persecution
The Condemnation – Revelation 2:14-15
Balaam’s actions in Numbers 22-24 ___________to be proper commitment to declare what God said
God knows the heart, which explains God’s anger in Numbers 22:22 and the incident of the _______donkey
King Balak tries multiple times to get Balaam to curse Israel, but each time he ___________Israel instead
The first clue to the teaching / error (Jude 11) of Balaam is that he is killed ________ the kings of Midian
Numbers 31:16 explains Balaam counseled them on how to get the Israelites to _________against the Lord
Numbers 25 – the daughters of Moab played the harlot with the Israelites & involved them in their ________
Deut. 23:5; Josh. 24:10 – Yahweh was not willing to _______to Balaam and turned the curses into blessings
2 Peter 2:14-16 – Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness – he was _______& wanted the riches of Balak
Rebuked for ____________those teaching participation in paganism & sexual immorality were acceptable
It would have been difficult to _________food sacrificed to idols there, but Christians should have done that
Sexual immorality was also rampant in Greek culture, but Christians were to __________that too
Christians must be careful to avoid both worship of false caricatures of God and ______practices of worship
Christians must also _________being involved in the rampant sexual immorality of our society
The Nicolaitans taught a __________________between the Christian life and the surrounding culture
The same ideas exist today in those proclaiming liberty in Christ in order to pursue their __________desires
The Correction – Revelation 2:16
The command is to ___________your mind & direction or destruction is at hand
The Call & Promise – Revelation 2:17
The hidden manna brings to mind God’s __________in the wilderness – a contrast to food sacrificed to idols
A white stone with a new name – related to reward given to winning athletes which also admitted to a _____
Both appear to be related to the promise of the marriage ___________of the Lamb in Revelation 19
A new personal name qualitatively different upon receiving a new ______(Example Jacob is renamed Israel)
Conclusions
Hold fast to _________in Christ in all circumstances & do not make any compromise with ______________
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times Pergamum is referenced. Talk with your parents about the importance of not making any compromise with worldliness.
THINK ABOUT IT! Questions to consider in thinking through or discussing the sermon. Summarize the letters to Ephesus and Smyrna. Why does Jesus identify Himself as the one with the sharp two-edged sword? What is the history of Pergamum? What was its importance? What was its tie to emperor worship? Why would it be considered the place of Satan’s throne and where Satan dwells? For what are they commended? Is it wrong to flee persecution? Why or why not? What are legitimate reasons to leave a difficult place? What are legitimate reasons to stay in a difficult place? Who was Antipas and why was he executed? Who was Balaam? What was his “teaching” / “error” that is condemned? Why was he killed with the kings of Midian? How are these same errors present today? Who were the Nicolaitans? What was their teaching and why was it condemned? How is this same teaching still present today? How were they to correct this problem? What would happen if they did not? What is the hidden manna? What is the white stone with a new name? Why are these significant?
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