A Letter to Pergamos

On Sunday, May 17th, I was blessed with the opportunity to be able to teach here at the church once again. Pastor Edmund Sr was teaching for his son up in Düsseldorf, since Edmund Jr and his wife Anne were celebrating their 10 year anniversary. So I continued to teach through the series entitled, "Are We Listening?" It is a series looking at the 7 letters written in the book of Revelation. So we picked up the series and studied through the letter to Pergamos.

Background of Pergamum
Pergamum was a city chiefly noted as a religious center of the province of Asia
Vs.13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is…where Satan dwells.”
It was the center of four of the great pagan cults honoring:
Zeus – in Greek mythology is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky and thunder.

This is a portion of a replica of the altar of Zeus

Athena – the goddess associated with wisdom

Ascleipius – the god of healingThis is the sign for the god Asclepius - do you recognize it?

Each deity had a beautiful temple. As you can see – this was a place full of PAGAN WORSHIP
Note again what vs.13 says - This is where Satan’s throne was – where Satan dwelt! This church in Pergamos was right in the middle of all of this.

Revelation of Jesus
Vs.12 “These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:”
Jesus reveals Himself as He who has the sharp two-edged sword. Why? Because He intends to use it. There are things that needs to be fixed in this church. And the SWORD is going to be the tool that He will use to fix the church!
What is the big deal about a double-edged sword? What does it remind you of?
Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
(1.) The word of God is a sword; it is a weapon both offensive and defensive, it is, in the hand of God, able to slay both sin and sinners.
(2.) It is a sharp sword. No heart is so hard but it is able to cut it; it can divide asunder between the soul and the spirit, that is, between the soul and those sinful habits that by custom have become another soul, or seem to be essential to it.
(3.) It is a sword with two edges; it turns and cuts every way. There is the edge of the law against the transgressors of that dispensation, and the edge of the gospel against the despisers of that dispensation; there is an edge to make a wound, and an edge to open a festered wound in order to its healing. There is no escaping the edge of this sword: if you turn aside to the right hand, it has an edge on that side; if on the left hand, you fall upon the edge of the sword on that side; it turns every way.

Jesus’ Words to Pergamos
You Hold Fast to My Name
Vs.13 “And you hold fast to My name…”
Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
• You HOLD FAST to My name
Hold Fast - to keep carefully and faithfully

Think about this statement in the midst of where they lived. This was a location where Satan had placed his throne. This was a place where tons of PAGAN WORSHIP was being done. Think of the difficulty or the PRESSURE they came against when they PROFESSED the name of JESUS CHRIST as LORD!!! Zeus was proclaimed at the king of the gods. JESUS IS THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!!!!

You Did Not Deny My Faith
Vs.13 “… and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, where Satan dwells.”
Once again, think upon the PRESSURE they must have faced to DENY this faith of Jesus Christ! Jesus is COMMENDING them for staying true to the Faith in Him!

You have those who hold the Doctrine of Balaam
What is the Doctrine of Balaam? You can read about the story of Balaam in Numbers (4th Moses) 22-25:3. But ultimately it is...Eat things sacrificed to Idols & To commit sexual immorality. This was the COMPROMISE that was in the church
• Yes – they held fast to His name!
• Yes – they did not deny His Faith
• BUT
• They Allowed sin into the camp
• They didn’t discipline these who believed and taught this

You also have those who hold the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans – which thing I hate
Nicolaitans – Rulers over the people – it literally means “He overcomes the People”
• Nico – Rulers, Kings, Judges, a status in religious setting that ought not to exist
• Laitans – the people; laity
• HE OVERCOMES THE PEOPLE
• Jesus said – I hate it!
Matthew 20:25-28 “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

The church of Pergamos allowed these things in the church. They compromised! They lived in an area of Compromise. And they allowed it into the church. Yet – JESUS DOESN’T ALLOW THAT
• So what does He tell them?

REPENT
Vs.16 “Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.”
Notice how Jesus says this statement. I will come to YOU quickly and will fight against THEM with the sword of My mouth.Who is it that Jesus is telling to repent? I believe it is the angel (pastor) and the church. Why them? Because they have allowed these false doctrines into the church. They didn’t believe in them – they just allowed them in. Jesus is saying that if they do not REPENT and discipline these people – then He will come with the Sword of the Word and fight against them!

ARE WE LISTENING?
Vs.17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”

I ask you and I today...What have we allowed into our lives? What have we allowed into our homes? What have we allowed into our church? How have we compromised? Are we listening today to God’s Word?
Galatians 5:9 “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”

I pray that this little blog Bible Study ministers to you and challenges you to ask the Lord to search your heart and ask if there is any compromise that you have allowed into your life.