And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: “The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it” (Rev. 2:12-17).

Often, even those congregations who have been faithful to Christ can and will go astray. At such times, a course correction is needed. It is during such times that the Word becomes even more valuable, as it highlights the problems–and gives the solutions. The church at Pergamum was one such church.

Pergamum was located about 65 miles from Smyrna. It was the official capital of the province of Asia (though Ephesus and Smyrna claimed the title as well). It was known for its beauty and wealth, it’s great library (almost 200,000 volumes), sculptures, and temples. Notably, there were three temples dedicated to the emperor cult, along with temples to Dionysus and Asclepius, and an altar to Zeus. The city got its name from its invention of vellum (Greek, pergamene, “from Pergamum”), a writing material made from animal skins.

Christ identifies Himself to the church as the one “who has the sharp two-edged sword.” This is particularly appropriate for several reasons, not the least of which is that Rome had given the rare power of capital punishment to this city. At that time the symbol of state authority was the sword. Christ is reminding the church that the are first and foremost citizens of His kingdom, and that He needs no other sword other than His mouth (His word). It’s also a reminder to the church that:

[T[he word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12).

The word of Christ penetrates to the very core of the believer’s being.

Words of Commendation

As in all the messages, Christ begins with His knowledge. In this case, He knows their faithfulness in midst of what He terms “Satan’s throne” and where “Satan dwells.” With the many temples to pagan deities and mandatory emperor worship, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ was a risky thing indeed.

Yet the church had not abandoned the faith: “You hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you.” We are not told who Antipas was, whether the first or the most notable of those to be martyred. Martyrdom for one’s faith always strikes close to home for the ones left behind, and causes a deep soul-searching. What would I do if it were me? That the church held fast to faith is answer enough to that question.

Words of Warning

At the same time, Christ through His knowledge reports that all is not well: “But I have a few things against you.” The church had in its midst some who were leading believers astray. He names two groups:

• Some there who hold the teaching of Balaam. This pagan prophet was paid to curse Israel, but was unable to do so (Num 22-24). Instead, he devised a plan to draw the Israelite men after pagan women and entice them to sacrifice to pagan gods and thus incur the wrath of the Lord (Num. 25:1ff; 31:16).
• Some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Little is known of this group, outside of John’s references to them (here and in 2:6). As I mentioned in a previous post (Last Words: Our First Love), it’s best to see them as a group who sought to mix the true faith with pagan religions and even attempting to contact the demonic realm. They thus lived immoral lives.

It could be that the groups are closely related. In any case they are causing some in the church to be led astray from full and pure devotion to Christ. Since Balaam is mentioned, it may be that some in the church continued to celebrate pagan holidays, or even attend events at pagan temples, which often involved sexual immorality. It’s also probable that such people cited their Christian freedom to live in this manner.

Christ doesn’t say the church officially approved of such teachings, but the sense is that the church allowed or tolerated it. This is certainly the case in many churches today, where almost anyone can teach, and the teachers are held to low or no standards of conduct.

The church, then, is to repent of this toleration–and the implication is that the church should discipline and/or remove those teachers. If the church does not repent and act, the Lord Himself will come and fight against these false teachers “with the sword of my mouth.” The sense of this seems to be that He will send judgement against them, and since the church is told to repent, there may well be discipline for the church as well.

Words of Promise

Christ closes by encouraging the believers who remain faithful to Him (“the one who conquers”). He promises to give “some of the hidden manna.” Instead of attending pagan feasts and eating spiritually contaminated food, Christ will give the overcomer the true manna that will satisfy. The white stone mentioned here may be an allusion to the practice of giving a white stone as an invitation to a pagan temple. Thus, Christ extends the invitation to the conqueror to come to His temple and eat at His banquet.

The “new name” Christ mentions may be an allusion to an Egyptian story that many ex-pagan Christians would be familiar with. the goddess Isis plotted to learn the secret name of the supreme god Re to gain his hidden power for herself. The one who knew the hidden name would receive the power and status of the god who revealed it. Hence the name was jealously guarded by the god. In the context of this message, then, Christ is offering Himself and the power of His name to Christians tempted to compromise their loyalty to Christ to gain the favor of the pagan gods.

This is a strong word of warning and hope. The church at Pergamum was divided, as we are today. There are many in the church who have strayed from Christ, committing spiritual adultery as it were. Yet, the Lord never leaves Himself without a witness. There is always a group within the church (as there is today) who stands faithfully with Him. Let us be in that group, drawing the rest to Christ, endeavoring to hold fast to His name til the end.

Next: Tolerance in Thyatira