The 7 Churches of Revelation - Pergamum

FYI Point:

Second Death- a term used in the Book of Revelation to mean the final and ultimate separation from God; that is, hell.  Remember that “death” as used in the Bible does not mean the cessation of life and existence but rather means separation.  The “first death” would mean physical death which separates body and soul (2 Cor. 5:1; 2 Peter 1:13) and separates the living and the dead (Luke 16:25, 26).  The “second death” is the one to fear (see Mathew 10:28).  Hell is the one place where God is not, certainly not to be found in His love and grace.

The Church of Pergamum (2:12-17)

The image of Christ is one wielding a “sharp, double-edged sword”.  It is a long sword as opposed to a dagger and issues forth from Christ’s mouth.  This image is used by John also in 1:16 and 19:15 and also by Isaiah of the Messiah in Is. 49:2.  Paul identifies the sword as being the Word of God used by the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 6:17 and the writer of Hebrews 4:12 does the same.  Thus we are in good company to understand the use of this image as being also here the power of God’s Word proclaimed as the victory over sin, hell and death in Christ’s name and as the validation of His truth against all lies and false teachings.  A sword is a weapon used for war, not mere defense.  Christ will battle against those who hold false teaching and the lies of Satan even if it includes those who claim to be His followers.  This is the flip side of the coin to Ephesus.

Pergamum was fifty miles north of Smyrna, ten miles inland.  It once was the capitol of Asia Minor.  It had a great altar to Zeus, probably the reference in v. 13, and a great library.  Pergamum was a pilgrimage cite for many worshippers in the ancient world seeking the god of healing known as Asklepios, the serpent god (modern doctor’s symbol is a reference back to this as it is the rod of Asklepios with a snake wrapped around it).  Pergamum did, in fact, have a famous medical school.  The imperial cult was first introduced in Pergamum and it had temples to Athena and Dionysus.

By any accounts, Pergamum, like all its Asian neighbors, was steeped in idolatry. This was no doubt the source of the persecution against Christians.  Yet, believers in Pergamum did not yield.  Even after witnessing the martyrdom of Antipas, the first recorded death of a Christian in Asia who tradition holds was boiled alive in a bronze kettle during Domitian’s reign, they did not recant.  Most anyway for Jesus goes on to rebuke some for giving into the sins of Balaam and Nicolas, the latter whom we’ve heard of before in our study of the Church of Ephesus.  Balaam’s sin (you can read about it in Numbers 22-24) was in trying to serve two masters.  Balaam wanted to honor God and His Word initially but also agreed to Balak’s request to curse Israel, God’s people, for money.  But this can never be for the Christian who must put God first above all else (First Commandment and see Matthew 6:24).  And an attack against God’s people is an attack upon God.  Balaam also urged and guided Midianite women to lead Israelite men astray.  He epitomizes a false teacher who encourages compromise with worldliness (see 2 Peter 2:14, 15).  The first council of the Christian Church dealt with these two issues of food offered to idols and sexual immorality in Acts 15:20-29.  Paul takes up a nuance to this restriction in Romans 14.  Thus both Balaam and Nicolas wanted to have their cake and eat it too.  They wanted to synthesize the Christian Gospel with a sinful, worldly mindset.  That would be like trying to mix oil and water though.

For those who would repent and keep the pure faith unadulterated by worldliness, a portion of the hidden manna would be given as well as a white stone with a new name.  Manna is the miraculous bread provided by God to sustain Israel through the harshness of the desert exodus.  Christ is called that manna in John 6 or the “Bread of Life”.  He will sustain His people in all times good and bad but He is hidden to the unbelieving, rejecting world.  This speaks of the power of faith.  The white stone is a verdict of innocence in the Greek courts.  It is a reminder that we are declared holy, justified, through the blood of Christ (see Romans 3:21-24, 8:1-4).   We are not condemned before God for Christ’s sake.  The new name most likely recalls the new life we share in now by God’s grace (Rom. 6:4; 2Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10).  I cannot help but see a sacramental connection in these promises; the manna as Christ’s body given into death and offered now to believers in His Supper and the new life and name of the Triune God that we receive in Baptism (O.K., sue me, I’m Lutheran).

For Our Discussion

1.       How is truth affected when two mutually exclusive ideas are artificially merged?

2.       How can accommodation and compromise be confused with love and tolerance?

3.       What comfort and strength do you really take from the Gospel which is the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins in Christ’s name?  What else are some Christians seeking?