In this sermon, we study the Scriptural warnings of Revelation 2:12-17 concerning the church in Pergamum and the dangers of compromise. Learn how Jesus, who identifies Himself as the one with the sharp two-edged sword representing the power of His Word, calls the congregation to repentance away from the teachings of the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans, promising the hidden manna and a white stone to those who overcome.
Transcript
Some of you from my generation (I was born in 1958) recognize the name, Keith Green. Before his conversion, his life was characterized by sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Eventually, he and his wife, Melody, became Christ-followers. Their story is told in the book Melody wrote about Keith’s life, “No Compromise,” first published in 1989.
After his conversion, Keith became a pioneer in the Christian music movement. However, as he grew spiritually, he became disillusioned with the way music was marketed and sold. In 1979, he stopped charging admission to his concerts or for purchasing his music.
As you can imagine, that had economic consequences. The Greens mortgaged their home and privately financed the album So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt? It was offered for “whatever you could afford.” Three years later, the Greens had shipped out more than 200,000 units of the album – 61,000 for free.
Keith and two of his children were tragically killed in a plane crash in 1982. Before his death, he and Melody formed the Last Days Ministries, providing housing and care for prostitutes, drug addicts, and homeless people. Their music, literature, and the Last Days Newsletter had a significant impact on the Christian community of their day.
Keith had strong convictions about what the life of a Christ-follower should look like. One reviewer of Keith’s life story wrote, “the Christianity [he] embraced was both extreme and legalistic. Keith could be very abrasive in confronting others when their life didn’t conform to Christian values. That did change gradually, as he was discipled by more mature Christians.” I assume part of Melody’s reasoning for the title of her book, “No Compromise,” was based on some of Keith’s convictions that were seen as radical.
What do you think of when you hear the word compromise? Is it positive or negative – or both? What experiences have shaped your ideas about compromise? One of the definitions of compromise is “to make a shameful or disreputable concession,” as in compromising your values or truth. People do that for a variety of reasons.
As we continue our journey through the Book of Revelation and the letters to the seven churches, we come to the church at Pergamum. The message of Jesus to this church follows the form we noted in the previous ones: commendation, accusation, exhortation, and compensation. I’ve titled our study, “The Church of Carnal Compromise.” Our text is Revelation 2:12-17. Here is the Word of God.
Revelation 2:12-17
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write,
‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight 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 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.”
As with the previous letters, we begin by examining the environment in which this assembly in Pergamum existed. These details have a direct bearing on Jesus’ message.
Pergamum was a wealthy and deeply religious city. The Roman historian, Pliny, called it “by far the most illustrious of Asia. It was a “flagship” city of Roman patriotism expressed in religious devotion. It had multiple temples dedicated to the Imperial cult. It was celebrated for the manufacture and sale of many products, including parchment. The name of the city is derived from the word “parchment.”
Speaking of parchment, the city boasted a 200,000-volume library and was a center of learning second only to Alexandria, Egypt, in the ancient world. It was also a headquarters for the healing arts dedicated to the worship of the god Asclepius. Devotion to Asclepius was widespread across the lands under the Roman Empire. More than 400 Asclepius-related facilities functioned as healing centers and dispensers of the god’s grace and mercy towards those in need.
In addition to all this, the city held the high honor of hosting an altar to Zeus. The Greeks believed he was the father of all gods and men. The altar to this pagan god was impressive, with its sculptured sides reaching 40 feet (12 meters) in height.
With all of this, you can clearly see how the environment in Pergamum created hostility between a pagan culture and the Followers of the Way.
So, what is the message of Jesus to this church?
Commendation
In Revelation chapter one, in John’s initial vision, he sees the glorified Christ “holding seven stars in his right hand, and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword.” Here, in the letter to the church at Pergamum, Jesus identifies Himself as the one who wields this sword. Furthermore, it is mentioned the second time in His exhortation to repentance, later in our text. That is significant.
In Roman antiquity, a two-edged sword, or an image of a sword, was highly symbolic of Roman imperial authority and rule. Typically, a sword is held in the hand, but here, the sword proceeds out of the mouth of Jesus. I understand this is a metaphor illustrating the power and ability of His Word to discern motives and defeat evil. In Pergamum, the sword of Rome and the sword of Jesus were in direct conflict with each other.
Jesus opens His commendation by saying, “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is.” Again, the omniscience of Jesus is a tremendous comfort to the Believers. “I know what you’re doing, and I know the circumstances where you live.” What a blessing!
Considering all I told you about the various gods that were worshipped in Pergamum, what is Jesus referring to as Satan’s throne? Was He pointing to Zeus, Asclepius, or some other god? Justin Martyr (2ND century A.D.) mentions popular obsession with Asclepius among his contemporaries. He wrote, “When the Devil brings forward Asclepius as the raiser of the dead and healer of all diseases, may I not say that in this matter likewise he has imitated the prophecies about Christ?”
However, I believe it is more likely that Jesus is referring to the concentration of the Roman and Imperial authority in Pergamum. Jesus proclaims His authority in direct contravention to the supposed might and authority of the leading world power of the day. That makes the sword metaphor particularly appropriate.
Jesus continues, “I know…you keep holding fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” Note the reference to Satan’s dwelling place again. Holding fast to the name of Jesus was the reason for their suffering. Those who followed Christ refused to say “Kurios Kaiser,” which meant “Caesar is Lord.”
We don’t know anything more about Antipas than our text says. His martyrdom was likely so recent that everyone who read this letter knew what Jesus was talking about. However, Jesus does call him “My witness, My faithful one.” Suppose Jesus said that about you or me; that would be a high honor! Antipas was put to death among the Believers who were living in this Imperial city, where Satan was also dwelling and exercising his authority.
Would Jesus commend you and me, and our churches, for holding fast to His name and His Word? The increasing bitterness and violence in speech and actions against God and His people today should warn us that the relative peace we’ve enjoyed for decades may be ending. We may be called, like Antipas, to seal our faith in suffering and even death. We must remember the words of Jesus. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”
Accusation
Then comes the inevitable, “But I have a few things against you.” What are they? You have among you those who are holding to the teaching of Baalam. The record of Balaam’s activities is found in Numbers 22-24. He was hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites as they journeyed toward Canaan. Evidently, Balaam had some previous success as a prophet, because Balak told him, “I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
If you’re familiar with the account, you know neither Balak nor Balaam’s plans worked the way they hoped. Instead of cursing Israel, Balaam ended up blessing them. However, the words of Jesus in verse 14 of our text are a direct allusion to Numbers 25:2 and 31:16. Evidently, Balaam counseled Balak to entice the people of Israel to eat meat offered to idols and to commit sexual immorality. These activities were a regular part of pagan worship and festivals and were most likely common in Pergamum.
What is wrong with eating meat offered to idols? Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 8 that idols are not real gods and that the meat offered to them is harmless. However, he also states that not everyone has that same knowledge. So, if eating meat that was offered to idols causes my brother to stumble, I won’t eat any meat as long as I live, Paul said. He didn’t want to see anyone being lured into pagan worship again by his personal liberty.
In the church at Pergamum, the eating of things sacrificed to idols became a crucial test. It involved a cowardly shrinking from the open confession of a Christian’s faith. Disciples who sat at meat in the idol’s temple were making merry with those whose hands were red with the blood of their fellow-worshippers. They consorted with those whose lips had uttered blaspheming scoffs against the Holy Name of Jesus. In times of persecution, tasting the wine of the drink offerings or eating meat offered to idols were understood as a sign of a Believer recanting his faith.
Jesus had a further accusation against this church. There were those in the church who embraced the teaching of the Nicolaitans. The sins practiced and promoted by this sect were similar to the evils of Balaam and Balak. We know this because Jesus uses the word “likewise.” At the very minimum, they were teaching the early Believers to disobey the conclusions of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. Jesus said emphatically, “This thing I also hate!”
I wonder, are there ways we have embraced the teachings of Balaam today? Are we compromising our commitment to Jesus so we don’t seem so odd to the people around us? Is our desire for ease and comfort and wealth causing us to desert the path of discipleship? Are their idols we worship? Are we guilty of spiritual adultery? We may be quick to deny it, but that may only indicate our unwillingness to ask ourselves hard questions.
So, we have observed the commendation and the accusation of the Lord of the Church.
Exhortation
“Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them (these apostate Believers) with the sword of My mouth. That is an urgent and solemn warning. In other words, Jesus is telling the church at Pergamum, they need to turn around and go the other direction – or else He will come and fight against them. To fight the King of Kings is a losing proposition.
It seems Jesus is telling them, “You had better be more afraid of the sword of my mouth than the sword of Rome.” To see the force of this, we are to remember the power which Christ has to punish the wicked by a word of his mouth. By a word on the Day of Judgment, he will turn all the wicked into eternal hell.
The glorified Christ revealed to us in the Book of Revelation is a warrior who fights with the sharp blade of His Word. Further, he says, “I will come to you quickly or soon.” How soon? We don’t know. A soldier doesn’t reveal his plans and intentions to the enemy.
The final bit of exhortation is the same for every church. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” As part of Jesus’ church today, are you and I willing to hear and obey what He commands us? In what areas do we need repentance?
Compensation
“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.” What is Jesus promising to the overcomers?
We know about the visible manna, the miraculous bread that the Israelites gathered every day during their wanderings in the wilderness. But what is the “hidden manna?”
Do you remember the account in John 4 where Jesus talked with the Samaritan woman? His disciples had gone into the town to buy some food, and when they returned, they were surprised to find him talking with this woman. So, “they said to Him, ‘Teacher, eat.’ But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you don’t know about.’” This hidden manna is the divine energy that provides sustenance even in the absence of physical food.
Later, in John 6, Jesus proclaimed Himself as the manna, or bread, sent down from heaven. He invited those listening to Him to partake of the Living Bread. He told them that the bread He offered was His flesh, which He would give for the life of the world (John 6:51). To these suffering Believers in Pergamum, Jesus promises divine energy to the overcomers. He would sustain them in their desire to be faithful to Him. They would have transcendent fellowship with Him, ultimately at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
In addition, He said He would give them a white stone with an inscription. Only the one receiving the stone would know what that inscription was. The meaning of this reward is not nearly as clear. However, in the ancient world, a white stone was used as an admission ticket to public festivals. That means it was used as a source of identification and acceptance. Holding the white stone gave access. Is this white stone the “ticket” to be admitted to the Messianic feast?
The inscription on the stone could be either their new name or that of the Messiah. In Revelation 19:12, Jesus “had a name (written on His crown) that no one knew except Himself.” In Matthew 11:27, Jesus speaks of the intimate, secret knowledge shared between Him and His Father and of how He shares it with those He chooses. Jesus knows His faithful ones intimately.
Would Jesus commend you and me for holding fast to His name? What does He see when He evaluates the depth of our commitment to Him? Do we say, “Jesus is Lord” with our lips while our actions prove otherwise? Do we refuse to compromise the truth of His Word in a culture that celebrates idolatry and immorality? In what areas do we need to repent?
Are you an overcomer? Are you feasting on the hidden manna, the Living Bread, Jesus Christ? Do you delight in reading His Word, spending time in His presence, and being nourished by the divine energy that provides sustenance even in the absence of physical food?
Does Jesus have a white stone with your name on it, and with mine? We can be assured that He does if we are faithful to Him. Let’s stand together for truth – without compromise.
