Read with Me
Revelation 2:12-17 (HCSB)
“Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum:
“The One who has the sharp, double-edged sword says: I know where you live—where Satan’s throne is! And you are holding on to My name and did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of Antipas, My faithful witness who was killed among you, where Satan lives. But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
“Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.”
Listen with Me
Pergamum was a thoroughly pagan city about fifteen miles inland. It was a noted producer of high quality parchment, and was home to numerous temples and shrines. The most spectacular structure in the city was the great altar of Zeus and Athena in the upper city, a structure which Paul refers to as “Satan’s throne”.
Jesus refers to Himself in the first sentence of this letter as “ the One who has a sharp double edged sword”, a reference to the initial vision in which the glorified Jesus is seen with a sharp, double-edged sword coming from his mouth (Revelation 1:16). This indicates that the words of Jesus are the words of God, able to penetrate as far as dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
Jesus begins with the positives. Even though the Pergamum Christians were living in the midst of a thoroughly pagan culture, they had remained true to Jesus and to His word. They even stayed true in the midst of a time of persecution that had resulted in the execution of one of their brothers, Antipas.
But there were a couple of major issues that Jesus had to address as well, both of them concerning cults that had grown up in the Church and had led many astray. They were both cults of compromise with the world.
The teaching of Balam identified the heretical teaching that it was acceptable to engage in sexual immorality in the context of worshiping the local fertility gods. Some in the Church were teaching that this was necessary in order to ensure an abundant harvest and to stave off famine. So, they reasoned that God understood and would not punish them for it. But these people had lost track of the truth that even in the days of Moses, those who participated in the fertility rights of the Moabites were executed at God’s express command (Numbers 25). The Israelites were also commanded to slaughter the Moabites in retribution for leading the Israelites astray, and they killed Balam himself, who had suggested to the Moabites that this would be a an effective tactic to turn God against His people and therefore rob them of their power (Numbers 31:1-8).
The Nicolaitans were also present in the Church of Pergamum, teaching that since God’s people are not under the law but under grace, they could participate in the pagan culture around them with impunity and with no negative consequences. But Jesus’ response was not acceptance of these teachings, but an unconditional call to repent. And this call is not only directed to those who are teaching and living in these heresies, but also to those in the Church who, even though they themselves were living their lives in accordance with the commands of Jesus and the word of God, were allowing those who were not to continue in fellowship and thus to confuse and draw away others. If they were not willing to stand firm against those teaching falsehoods, Jesus himself would be forced to come and clean house with the sword of His mouth.
The promise to those in Pergamum and the other six Churches who overcame in the midst of these problems was two-fold. First, Jesus would provide them with hidden manna, daily sustenance to help them to grow spiritually. This manna would not be physical bread like the Israelites ate in the wilderness, but Jesus himself (John 6:48-58).
The second promise is that every overcomer would receive a white stone with a new name written on it. The symbolism of a white stone was both purity and permanence; engraving into rock lasts for long ages. And the new name points to transformation. Those who trust in Jesus, and who stay true even in the midst of trials and persecution, are purified and transformed as ore is transformed into pure metal in a furnace. And what each will become on the other side by standing firm is known only to Jesus, and it will only be known to the person themselves after the transformation process has done its work.
Pray with Me
Father, there are stern warnings here as well as marvelous promises. We can never allow ourselves to compromise with the world, and we must be aware of the damage that is caused in the Church by those who do. And if we won’t ensure that we remain pure, You Yourself will take action to purify Your people, action that will be entirely uncompromising. Lord, help me to stay true, and to correct those who wander off the path, so that we can all continually receive the manna of Your presence and so that we can truly be transformed and purified through everything that comes. Amen.