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The Church at Pergamos
And
to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he
which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13 I
know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even
where Satan's seat is:
and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in
those days wherein Antipas was
my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14 But
I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that
hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a
stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things
sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 15 So
hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which
thing I hate. 16 Repent;
or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them
with the sword of my mouth. 17 He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden
manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name
written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
(Rev
2:12-17)
Today’s
text contains some of the most beautiful promises God ever made known
to us, but we must have ears to hear, and eyes to see, “what
the Spirit saith to the churches”. But ere we venture
into the Manna God has revealed to us herein, let us first describe
the setting of the Church at Pergamos. It was a city of wealth and
fashion, though not a commercial center as was Ephesus. The city of
Pergamos was the capital of the Roman Province of Mysia, and it was
here that Pergamena Charta, or parchment, was
discovered as a writing medium. The city of Pergamos was famous for
its wonderful library which was later destroyed, along with the city,
by Calif Omar (yet another example of Moslem misanthropy). In
traveling on his first voyage to Europe, Paul passed through Pergamos
enroute to the port of disembarkation at Troas. Pergamos is
approximately twenty miles from the Mediterranean Sea. There is one
other characteristic of the city for which it was widely known to the
world – its religions. It was a city of many false gods including
that of Aesculapius who was considered the god of medicine. The
serpent was his symbol – another reason God refers to the site as
where Satan’s seat (or Throne) is. We still use the caduceus to
symbolize medicine along with the two-edged sword. Satan, the
Serpent, brought to us a deadly disease – Sin. The two-edged sword
of the Lord will be the cure for the disease as well as the demise of
the Serpent.
12 And
to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he
which hath the sharp sword with two edges. Here again, as
with all seven churches, our Lord addresses the leadership of the
church (angel) but, in every case, by the specific name of the
Church. It is possible to have the full knowledge of the Word of God
and to be remiss in dividing it according to the Will and Meaning of
the Holy Ghost. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth.” (2
Tim 2:15) Christ, as the Word, is the Bread of Heaven. A good
father will distribute the bread equally to each of his children
without partiality or favor. There is a reason, as every word of God
has power and purpose, for the sharp sword
with two edges. Like most modern churches today,
Pergamos was not rightly dividing the Word. The preaching involved
some social and cultural compromise. The purpose of the two-edged
sword was to separate the true believers from the posers
(hypocrites). For the word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart. (Heb
4:12) This provides us a reason for preaching, not only to
those with ears to hear, but also to the incorrigible and reprobate
sinner. The Word is a sword with two opposing edges – one to
convict and convert; and the other to convict and condemn. The
condemned can never go before the Throne of God and claim “nobody
ever told me” if the church does its mission of carrying the
Gospel into all the world.
As
with the other churches, the Lord finds a few commendable
characteristics in the Church at Pergamos: 13 I
know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even
where Satan's seat is:
and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in
those days wherein Antipas was
my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
The Church was located in the precarious setting of wicked idolatry.
Yet, they never denied the name of Christ, or faith in Him, under
such adverse conditions. They might have easily walked lightly in
faith by whispering Christ’s name among themselves, or compromising
with the satanic elements in order to “get along” as many do
today; but they did not! The name of Christ is a powerful Name that
incorporates all that He is: Master, Lord, Savior, Redeemer, King of
Kings, Prince of Peace, etc. So, this name is potent with meaning and
power. In fact, “there is no other name given under Heaven by
which men may be saved.” (Acts
4:12)
There
was one martyr of note at Pergamos mentioned by Christ – Antipas.
We do not know who Antipas was other than the fact that he was
martyred, along with many others, for Christ’s sake. Though we
mortal humans may not long remember the faithful of God, our Lord
does not forget – He remembers!
Our
Lord is a good and merciful teacher. In critiquing students in flight
school, we learned to always begin with any positive comments we
could recall so that their hope would not be destroyed; then follows
the critique of shortcomings. We take good measure of wisdom when we
view the way the Lord teaches and rebukes. After pointing out some
commendable characteristics, He now lists the shortcomings of the
Church at Pergamos: 14 But
I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that
hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a
stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things
sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Being a kind and gracious gentleman, the Lord refers to a
‘few’ things which He has against the Church – but those ‘few’
things are profound. The doctrine of Balaam means to mix idolatrous
religious practices among those things that are Holy. The antichrist
church does so today. Mixing false religion with pure will always
lead to sins of decadence and reprobation. The men of Israel began to
practice illicit conjugal relations with the harlots of Moab and
Midian. This was the result of Balaam’s counsel to Balac. Satan
will always mistranslate the Word and dilute true faith. He has
gotten better at it today.
“5 So
hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which
thing I hate. Here again, the practice of the Nicolaitans come
before God’s Bar. It represents an extenuation of the sins of
Balaam with a notable difference. The idolatry of Balaam was up front
and unashamed; however, the Nicolaitans brought idolatrous practices
into the true church and claimed it was biblical and righteous. God
hates that. He hates for us to pretend that the sacred and Holy
Estate of Matrimony can exist between two persons of like sex. Or
that murder can be acceptable if it involves the murder of the most
innocent of human beings while still in the sanctity of the mother’s
womb. Not all men and women of the Church at Pergamos were involved
in compromise of religion, but the innocent may often suffer along
with the guilty. It is wise for us to zealously defend the doctrines
of faith to which we subcribe. 16 Repent;
or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them
with the sword of my mouth. (Rev
2:16 (KJV)
As
with the Marriage at Cana of Galilee, God has saved our best wine in
this text for last. Do we have ears to hear what the Spirit says? It
is such a blessing to have our ears open to the beauty of God’s
Word. The world will believe it to be foolishness, but to the
believer, it is as drops of Golden Manna falling from Heaven. 17 He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I give:
There
are three or four gifts of beauty here listed which the Lord will
give to those who overcome in the faith. Let us examine them in
order:
-
“to eat of the hidden manna”, This is the Manna that comes down silently and in the dark hours of the night while men sleep. It comes as no result of cultivation or harvest, but freely! It is the wisdom and knowledge of understanding things heavenly. What a blessing to be so chosen! The world knows nothing of this Manna, and cannot find it.
-
“and will give him a white stone,” In the New Testament period, the White Stone symbolized, in a court proceeding, the innocence of the accused. Though he may have been guilty (which we all have been), the White Stone offers complete justification before the Law of God – because of our Lord!
-
“and in the stone a new name written,” I would certainly be ashamed to go to Heaven with my old tarnished and mud-caked name. There will be too many in Heaven who remember the old ‘me’ and all of the horrendous sins I have committed. But my Lord will give me a New Name – clean, unsoiled, and having no unsavory reputation ascribed thereto. How gracious of Him.
-
And finally, “which no man knoweth saving he that receives it.” It is a very special name. It is a Name that will include that of our Lord “Christian.” It is a LEGAL Name and a Spiritual one. Only YOU and your LORD who gave it will know that Name. He is the Good Shepherd who calls His own by Name.
It
is such a rare privilege to be so blessed as to understand these
things from God’s Book of Treasure.
Tomorrow,
we will look at the Church at Thyatira. I encourage my friends to
read ahead for preview and enlightenment.
